Weekend Retro Rewind

Here we go again....

Welcome to the second installment of Weekend Retro Rewind.

* In 1987 I loved this song, even though it was originally released in 1982 by the British band Tin Tin.

* It's Steven "Tin Tin" Duffy's "Kiss Me" and it truly is the only song I've ever known from this artist and I can bet you $100 you've never heard of him.

* If you listen to the lyrics, they're actually quite risque. At 14, I had no idea. Interestingly enough, "Kiss me with your mouth, your love is better than wine" is from the Song of Solomon in The Bible.

Weekend Retro Rewind Featuring Bananarama

Welcome to the third installment of Weekend Retro Rewind.

One of my favorite movies of 1984 was Karate Kid and no I'm not happy to hear there is a remake happening soon. I like the originator, not the imitator. (Like that? It's the tag line from an old Long Island radio station.)

Anyway, the song is by Bananarama and it's "Cruel Summer" -- anyone remember it? I was really bummed when I bought the Karate Kid soundtrack tape (yes tape, it was 1984!) and this song was mysteriously missing from the soundtrack album. Not cool Bananarama, not cool.


Stressful Karate Kid School Scenes (my favorite because Liz Shue says, "Ali with an "I"' and I was always, "Ally with a Y." Blogged about that before.)
*note the dialog is in Spanish because the US version had the audio removed due to copyright issues.






Real Bananarama Video

Weekend Retro Rewind | Dad's Day Edition | Barry Manilow

Posing with Dad in 1986 (age 13) at our condo in Florida

In honor of Father's Day, I'm bringing Weekend Retro Rewind back to 1975. I was only about three when this song came out. When I was five, my dad took acoustic guitar lessons. I'm not quite sure why, but he always sang "Mandy" by Barry Manilow to me on his guitar.

Me at age 5, when Dad would sing to us

My name obviously isn't Mandy, Mom's name isn't Mandy and Dad wasn't a Barry Manilow fan. Maybe "Mandy" was the song they were learning in his guitar class. Whatever the case, I loved it. I loved when Dad would sing to us by the fireplace in the little ranch house in Oakdale, Long Island. It's one of my favorite memories of my dad. Dad's a plane ride away in Florida, so other than a phone call, I haven't been able to celebrate Dad's Day with him in about ten years now. Read more about my dad here and here.



Fun Facts About Barry Manilow's "Mandy"

• Originally written as "Brandy" in 1971.
• Sick of being asked who "Brandy" was, the song writer, Scott English said it was his dog.
• "Mandy" was Barry Manilow's first number one hit.
• "Mandy" was Barry Manilow's first gold single.
• Artists who've covered "Mandy" include: Westlife, Donny Osmond, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.

Monkees Live At Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater Florida

Interviewing Micky Dolenz  of The Monkees
 in the '80s. Check out my Swatch and bad hair.

Last week, I did something blog-related I've never done before.

Many bloggers work closely with PR groups hooking up with freebies and all sorts of fun stuff. This doesn't really fit the Fourth Grade Nothing format. Readers stop by to remember and share experiences about our favorite '70s, '80s and '90s movies, music, books, toys, celebrities, foods and more. I put my own personal spin on it from my childhood. I sometimes even spice things up with random retro diary entries.

Okay, back to the PR issue. I was a massive Monkees fan between 1986-1987. I attended conventions, had a fanzine with more than 160 subscribers worldwide and even had my very first article published in New York's popular Newsday newspaper. I was 12. 

This year, the group is touring for their 40th Anniversary. Last night they did a show here in Florida. I contacted their PR group suggesting I attend and document the experience here for my readers at FourthGradeNothing. I was turned down. I expected that would happen as I'm not the St.Pete Times. Ya know? 

Rewind to my teen reporter days. After publishing about twelve articles with Newsday, I was asked to actually interview the Monkees. As a kid, this was a dream come true. To read more about this amazing event, check out my blog post over at Masshole Mommy's crib. 

Weekend Retro Rewind Featuring Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield "Jessie's Girl"

Unlike most girls in 1981, I loved Australian-born Rick Springfield for his music and not his hotness. At the tender age of 9, I think Rick was too much of a man for me back then. This was the same deal with Duran Duran. In the early 80s, my classmates were so in love with Simon Le Bon and John Taylor. I wasn't into "men" I always preferred "boys" closer to my age. In fact, I remember feeling uneasy learning Ralph Macchio was actually much older than he appeared in films.


Yes, Rick was on General Hospital, I wasn't into soap operas. Ever. He had some great love rock ballads back in the days such as the shirtless video for "Affair of the Heart", "Don't Talk To Strangers" and "Love Somebody" however "Jessie's Girl" was his lone #1 hit and my personal favorite. It's been on my iPod since 2006.


Trivia tidbit: At age 25, he lived with 15-year-old Exorcist star Linda Blair. He considered it his first real "adult" relationship according to Wiki. Wow.

I'd like to give a shout out to my BFF blogger, Jesse/Copyboy. The only "Jessie/Jesse" I've ever "met."

Weekend Retro Rewind | Human League Don't You Want Me

Today I was thinking of some of my favorite summers ever. I loved the summer of 1982. I loved this song in the summer of 1982. It's new wave/synthpop UK group Human League's "Don't You Want Me".  I knew all the lyrics and here it is 28 years later and I can still sing this song word-for-word.

As a little girl, I remember listening to the song and thinking of it as a story and feeling sad and wondering which person was in the right. The former waitress or the boyfriend who helped turn her life around. Did I mention I was only NINE! Yes, at nine I was that into a song on the radio where I actually imagined the singers as real people singing about a real issue. Cute, right?

Weekend Retro Rewind | Alphaville Forever Young

The end of June always reminds me of graduation, yearbooks, proms, summer jobs, driver's ed and more. If you've been following Fourth Grade Nothing for a while, you know I'm, well, stuck. Forever lost in reverie. Some days I'm stuck in grade school while other days I'm in junior high or high school. This song will forever remind me of my senior year. Most of my classmates quoted this song in their yearbook.

It's so ironic, I'm not sure if you've ever felt this way, but as a kid all I wanted to do was grow up. I couldn't wait to be out on my own, making my own rules. Doing something wondrous with my life. Many days I wish I could go back to a simple time. A time when summer meant swimming in the pool, devouring slices of watermelon not thinking for a moment about carbs or calories.

So many adults told us to slow down. They told us to enjoy our youth. I wish I had listened. Now I leave comments on the blogs of young, single folk telling them to enjoy their youth and that the world is theirs. Oh Alphaville, I agree, I want to be Forever Young.

Five Fast Facts About Alphaville

1. Alphaville is a synthpop group from Germany.
2. The band's original name was Forever Young.
3. The song "Forever Young" was released in 1984, I was 12.
4. "Forever Young" was featured in the following movies: Listen To Me staring Kirk Cameron, Napoleon Dynamite and on an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in addition to several ads.
5. Today's kids are most likely more familiar with Youth Group's version of "Forever Young" featured in an episode of The OC or the mix by Jay-Z.

Weekend Retro Rewind | Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Forever's Gonna Start Tonight

"Total Eclipse Of The Heart" was my summer of '83 song!

It's weird, when I think back to the summer of 1983, I think of Bonnie Tyler singing, "Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart" and "Once upon a time I was falling in love/But now I'm only falling apart/There's nothing I can do/A total eclipse of the heart" ... I remember it like it was yesterday. The emotional lyrics that meant nothing to a ten-year-old that summer. Didn't matter that I had no idea what Bonnie was talking about! I'd belt out the words along to the song every time I heard it blasting off my tiny radio poolside.

Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was released on March 5, 1983, yet it was my summer song. I never really get that. I mean why would that song still be so popular like four months later that one would remember it in the summer. A year later I was loving Bonnie Tyler's "Holding out for a Hero" on the Footloose soundtrack. I adored loving Kevin Bacon -- at that time he was my hero as Ren. At 11, I wanted nothing more than to dance my butt off to the Footloose soundtrack. Footloose was my movie in 1984. Seriously and I don't care about remakes, you know about me from my Karate Kid complaints.

Weekend Retro Rewind

 

 

Since I update FourthGradeNothing.com daily, I've decided to take weekends off and simply feature songs from my past... Maybe you've heard 'em. Maybe you haven't. 

Let's start with collaboration.

Tales From My Head blog talked about how excited she was to discover her two faves worked together on a tune. This inspired me to find collaboration tracks I dig and boy, are there many. I love British music and those Brits bang out some awesome songs together. It's like nuts in chocolate and peanut butter on banana -- if you like that sort of thing, you'll get what I'm saying.

To this day, I can listen to these two Chemical Brother songs featuring Beth Orton over and over and over again. I wish I had a voice as lovely as Beth Orton's.

"Where Do I Begin" Beth Orton & Chemical Brothers, Dig Your Own Hole circa 1997

"Alive Alone" - Beth Orton & Chemical Brothers, Exit Planet Dust circa 1995

Retro Weekend Rewind | Tears For Fears

Between the ages of 12 and 13 I was "head over heels" (sorry I couldn't resist) for this British band, Tears for Fears. Before you can comment that you don't remember them, it's most likely because you were born after 1985.

• Tears for Fears was started by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith in the early 1980s. 
• Singer Curt Smith tweets, follow him here!
• Tears for Fears albums I loved were: The Hurting, Songs from the Big Chair and The Seeds of Love
• Micheal Andrews and Gary Jules did an acoustic cover of "Mad World" which was included on the Donnie Darko soundtrack. 
• Tears for Fears are currently touring, I'd love to catch them at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey but decent seats are pricey and being unemployed, I just can't justify it. I miss the days of writing concert reviews and getting free tickets, backstage access and promotional CDs.
  

Weekend Retro Rewind | Men At Work

Men At Work Video For Be Good Johnny & Land Down Under

In 1982 I was 10. In 1982 I loved Top 40 music and Men At Work were one of those Top 40 bands. Men At Work are an Australian band got their name from the "Men At Work" sign when stuck on what to call themselves. With hits such as "Be Good Johnny", "Land Down Under", "Overkill" and "Who Can It Be Now?" Men at Work still sorta wow me today.

Wiki states that Men At Work are the only Australian band to ever have a #1 album (Business as Usual) and single ("Down Under") on the US charts at the same time. They were also a hit in the UK during that time period with a #1 single and album. This Aussie band took home the 1983 Grammy award for Best New Artist and have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

Lead singer Colin Hay has a solo career today and has appeared on several episodes of Scrubs. I have a theory that hottie, Zach Braff is a big fan of his seeing as Colin Hay was also featured on the Garden State movie soundtrack. The Garden State soundtrack is one of my favorite movie soundtracks next to Rushmore, ET and Karate Kid (first one).

Below are two of my favorite Men At Work songs from the old days, enjoy!

Weekend Retro Rewind | The Smiths

My high school yearbook quote was, "And if the people stare, then the people stare, I really don't know and I really don't care." It was taken from The Smiths song, "Hand in Glove" and is probably the most popular track they've ever released. Now, don't get me wrong, it's an amazing song, but not my ultimate favorite. Then again, it's hard to have just one favorite Smiths songs.

In class, most kids would doodle. I would jot down Smiths lyrics.

So many of them touched me like, "Ask me why and I'll die. Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body? I dunno" ... "There are brighter sides to life and I should know because I've seen them, but not very often." So many lines I loved... "I know it's over and still I cling, I don't know where else I can go ... Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head." I can't forget about:  "I wear black on the outside, 'cause black is how I feel on the inside." Then there's,  "... and if a ten ton truck kills the both of us, to die by your side, well the pleasure and the privilege is mine."

My other yearbook quote was stolen from an interview I once read in an issue of Star Hits magazine in 1985. Lead singer Morrissey (Steven Patrick Morrissey) stated, "I was just the type of person everyone despises." He summed up how I felt all throughout my school years. The Smiths got me through grades 9-12 and then followed me into college. They guided me through late night writing assignments, weekend parties, crushes, breakups, heartbreak, kisses, late night drives and so much more.

I have always had a soft spot for British bands. I've loved The Smiths since 1986 and although they've been one of my all-time favorite bands, I haven't bothered to attend a Morrissey concert since the early '90s. I will never outgrow or tire of them.

The other day I stumbled upon this blog called The Smiths Project. This chick from California has the most incredibly angelic voice and does choral renditions of Smiths songs.  She even performs them live! Why does everything cool have to happen in Cali? 

I remember this Smiths video in 10th grade. I'm sure I taped it from 120 Minutes which was a two-hour late night alternative video series MTV aired on Sundays I think.

Retro Rewind Weekend | Cyndi Lauper

Honoring The Goonies 25th Anniversary With Cyndi Lauper

Yesterday, I told you all about what I was up to 25 years ago around this time, June 7th weekend. It's hard to believe 1985 was that long ago. Before you can brag, I know many of you dear readers weren't even born yet, whatever for you. "This is my dream my wish, but it didn't come true..." sorry not sure how that slipped in there.

Anyway, Cyndi Lauper was awesome. No doubt about it. Born in New York City, Ozone Park Queens (my mom was also born in Ozone Park, lived there until she was 4 and taught there for 20 years by the way!) ... Cyndi was a true New Yawker, she tawked just like me and had such great style. From "She Bop" to "Time After Time" to "True Colors" -- I loved Cyndi's songs. She truly was the funkiest pop singer back in the 1980s. She still performs live and has a 2010 album out, though true to my 1980s ways--I prefer her old hits.

Here are some cool Goonies-related facts about Cyndi and her "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" hit...

• Steven Spielberg himself asked Cyndi Lauper to be the music director for The Goonies.
• She was given the freedom to select her favorite performers for the soundtrack - one of which was The Bangles. 
• Cyndi's role as music director had her working 12-hour-days.
• Sadly, during her time on the set of The Goonies, she suffered gynecological problems which required surgery and a hospital stay.
• "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" won Cyndi Lauper a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
• "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" video was released in two parts on MTV. One before the film's release as a tease to create a buzz of course and the second part after the film hit theaters to continue the Goonies excitement. 
• Cyndi's mom appears in most of her videos, including "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough"--can you identify her?
• Back then wrestling was all the rage, Cyndi got some of her closest wrestling friends to star in the video--can you spot them? 

Cyndi Lauper & The Goonies in "Goonies 'R' Good Enough" 

 

Weekend Retro Rewind | Van Halen Hot For Teacher

"Sit Down, Waldo!" was one of my favorite catch phrases of 1984. Why? Because of this hot, steamy MTV video for Van Halen's Hot For Teacher. Now, truth be told, I'm far from a fan of this type of music today. I've never been into rocker bands or hair bands.  I always thought those bands were like, "for boys."

However, when you're 11 and don't have any hip older brothers or sisters guiding your musical taste, you're screwed.  This is why I tried to rescue my brother's bad taste by forcing The Smiths and Depeche Mode on him at an early age. Didn't work. He preferred Pantera, Metallica and Samhaim to my dark, depressing ballads from the UK.

As you know, I attended Catholic school between grades 3-8. I must confess, this video was shocking. It truly was. The level of filth, I'm serious. I loved the song, but there was something that made me feel nervous while watching this video. I would turn my head around like Linda Blair in The Exorcist to make sure my parents weren't around every time it aired. In my mind, it was a straight-up porno on regular TV.

We didn't have the Playboy Channel, but to a Catholic school kid in 1984, this was just as dirty. Even now, watching it as an adult, I am ashamed of myself for liking this song in 6th grade. Maybe that's why I was making out with Eddie in the church balcony a year later.


Cool Trivia Bits About The Video:

1. The voice of Waldo is actually that of the late SNL comedian Phil Hartman.
2. David Lee Roth directed the "Hot For Teacher" video.
3. Eddie Van Halen's solo was ranked by Guitar World as #46 of all-time.
4. Fans sometimes think the line "I don't feel tardy" is "I don't feel dirty" but it is indeed "tardy."
5. There is some crazy confusion as to which hot chick played the hot teacher. Some say it's Lillian Muller, while others say it's Wayne Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones. I bet our favorite dirty boy blogger, Copyboy, would know. Ha ha!

Don We Now Our Gay Apparel ... What are you wearing Christmas Eve?

Yesterday while packing up for Christmas Eve on Long Island, I asked my husband which sweaters he wanted to wear for Christmas Eve and Day.  Looking through our tops and sweaters, I simply tossed whatever seemed decent, into our small suitcase. For the past ten years, we've spent Christmas Eve at my uncle's along with about 20 of our closest family members. Typically the kids aged 12 and under, are decked in pretty holiday dresses, cute little red and green ties or sweater vests. We all "Ooooh" and "Awww" over them as they coyly smile knowing they're all cuter than the next. The girls saunter around in their cute Christmas shoes, matching purses, hair clips and other accessories. We snap photos and talk about how adorable they are and I know in ten years they'll be in jeans and sweaters just like we are.


What are we wearing? The majority of guests ages 17-37 are wearing ordinary sweaters and dark jeans. None of us make an effort to wear red or green. Nope, we're in black, brown, navy - whatever colors are popular that year. None of us are wearing snowflake earrings or Santa broaches. If anyone's wearing holiday socks, they certainly aren't showing them off in any way. None of the men are in ties and if any of the women are in dresses, "slacks" or skirts, they are most likely over 50.  In fact if you snap a photo of several of us on the couch, you would never know it was Christmas Eve.

<---My husband with his bowl haircut and holiday velour.

Rewind to the old days ... I asked my husband about his holiday fashions and he told me about hideous tartan plaid pants, ties and vest outfits. Looking back at old photos, I noticed my brother and I were also dressed in uncomfortable holiday dress clothes. I saw myself in some shiteous fashions such as a long red, snug, t-shirt dress. Luckily that year I appeared a bit leaner than usual.

 In another Christmas Eve photo from 1980, I'm wearing an ugly white blouse with a green and gold vest. In 1982, I'm in another fancy white blouse with a knitted red wreath pin. I recognize the red skirt as one that my grandma made for our school's holiday performance. Every year, the girls in the glee club wore red skirts with white blouses. One year my mom sewed silver garland on the bottom of my red skirt - it was the coolest - I loved it.

Weekend Retro Rewind | Huey Lewis & The News

Every child from the 1980s, at some point, rocked out to Huey Lewis & The News. Don't even try to deny this.  Some of my favorite Huey Lewis tunes included: "Heart & Soul", "If This Is It", "Power of Love", "Stuck with You" and "Hip To Be Square."  Before you can ask, I was somewhat offended when Christian Bale went nuts in American Psycho discussing and listening to Huey Lewis while wielding an ax at Jared Leto's character.

Real Name: Hugh Anthony Cregg III
Stage Names: Huey Harp, Huey Louis and Huey Lewis from 1979 on
Birthday: July 5, 1950

Things I Didn't Know About Huey Lewis:

• He was raised in California.
• He graduated from the prestigious Lawrenceville School in New Jersey in 1967 (Disney's Michael Eisner was also alumni!).
• He scored a perfect 800 on his Math SAT. 

Weekend Retro Rewind Featuring Billy Joel

Say Goodbye To Hollywood - Long Island's Billy Joel 

Let me first tell you that I'm not a Billy Joel fan, but as a little kid I was! Growing up on Long Island, at some point in your life you have to like Billy Joel. Why? Because Billy is Long Island.

I know I've blogged about my roller skating rink days at Hot Skates in Lynbrook, Long Island several times... But seriously, in the early 1980s when this song came on, it was like everything was right with the world. Why? Three little words. Couples. Only. Skate.

I'd grab the hand of an unsuspecting fellow fifth grader and off we'd skate into the night for an entire 4 minutes and 37 seconds to this particular Billy Joel song you can hear below. Even if my skating partner wasn't particularly cute or stylish; the music, the lights, the glimmer of the disco ball, made him seem almost as cute as Jason Bateman on Little House. It was heavenly.

It's Great Outdoors, Yet I Prefer The Indoors

Why? What is my problem? Beautiful days, one after another. Yet instead of taking a nice stroll in the park, I would rather work out in a smelly, hot gym. Please don't hate me for making such a pathetic statement.

Today while catching up on a few blogs, I visited my buddy Darryll over at All About The 1970s where in this Old-Fashioned Fishing post he talks about a love for the great outdoors. He reminisced about how kids back in the day didn't hole up with their Wii and enjoyed the fresh air and all that good stuff. 

What went wrong with me? I loved riding my bike, roller skating in the park, making grass and stick forts for my Smurfs. Hell, I even had a tree house! Remember that post? I'll refresh your memory with the photo... See, look to the right--I am one with nature--and oh, how I loved that pink and white striped Healthtex shirt. It was my favorite! Anyway...

When I was a kid growing up on Long Island, I went to sleep-away camp every summer for three years. As I commented to Darryll, this was like a rite of passage for Long Island kids back then. Sure, I was afraid of non-existent bears (camp was on a beach, no bears!) but other than that, I didn't hate it. Oh wait, I hated the Jellyfish when we'd have open swim. Hmm... Maybe it was my age. By that time, I was 11 and preferred boys to bugs. In fact, here's some smut reading about my camp make out sessions. Again, so glad my mom doesn't follow.

Rewind to age 7 or 8, I loved ladybugs and ants. I would collect them in old pickle jars and make an entire home for them. My dad would help me hammer several nails in the jar lid to allow for proper ventilation. I would drop a luscious strawberry at the bottom of the jar as food.

I loved my buggies, as I called them. I loved them so much so, that I even risked expulsion from grammar school. If there was such a thing back in 1980. I recall carrying the bug jar into my second grade gym class-- the gym teacher totally freaked out on me. I was quickly instructed to leave my jar outside the building until school was out. Going forward, I was asked to please leave my ants and ladybugs home.

Every spring and summer I dread the bugs that always make their way into my bedroom. The intimidating smelly skunks that stalk our apartment building. The whole lot of it. BBQs and outdoor events and parties? No thanks, well I kinda like BBQs, but hate uninvited guests like flies, bees and wasps. I know, I know, each insect has a reason for existing. I get that. I'm just saying... Let me vent. Maybe I'm just having a bad week although it's only Tuesday.