« Mudge's Favorite 134 Songs of the 80s: 30 Is The New... I Don't Know | Main | Fetch The Comfy Chair... Now... CONFESS! »
August 16, 2006
Mudge's Favorite 134 Songs of the 80s: Pop, Rock, and Classic TV
Kicking into the mid 20s here, we're now closing in on the real big hits; when we're done with this foursome, we'll be at #25. In this grouping, we find one of the 80s biggest pop bands, one of the pioneering combinations of music and video imagery, one of the all-time bad-ass rockingest bands ever, and the decade's most versatile musical genius.
28. Do You Believe In Love, Huey Lewis & the News Gotta admit, if you listed most of Huey & the News' big hits from the 80s, I wouldn't have even put them on the tentative list for consideration. I just wasn't a big fan. But their first hit out of the gate was always one of my favorites. "Do You Believe In Love" was written at virtually the completion of the recording of their second album for Chrysalis Records, "Picture This," because the record company thought the album needed a hit. Robert John "Mutt" Lange -- later famous for producing Def Leppard and reproducing with Shania Twain -- cranked out the song in short order, and a few months later Huey & the News had their first top ten hit. (I always thought that the chord progression and the call-and-respond lyrics in the verses sounded something like ELO's "Sweet Talkin' Woman," but that's just me.) Anyway, I loved "Do You..." and it makes it to #28 in my list.
(removed for lack of storage)
27. In The Air Tonight, Phil Collins I wasn't a huge Phil Collins fan (I know, that's sacrilege to Tweetypie). His style just wasn't mine. But I liked In The Air Tonight when it came out in 1981 because it sounded bad-ass. I liked it even more when the urban legend around the song grew, and Phil supposedly brought the guy who let the kid drown front row tickets for one of his concerts and then shone the spotlight on him... who cares that it's not true, it was a great urban legend!
But what cemented this song for me was the same thing that cemented it for many others... its inclusion in the pilot for Miami Vice. Miami Vice quickly dated and has become something of a running joke or parody of the 80s (witness the Glenn Guglia character in "The Wedding Singer"), but those jokes overlook just how stylish and groundbreaking that show was when it came on the air in 1985. And the use of "Air" in the pilot ranks as one of both television and music's more creative and more "that ... was... awesome" moments of the decade. In honor of that role, I give you below not the video for the song itself... but the classic scene from the first episode of Miami Vice. Pure gold, I tell you. One of the most memorable scenes in TV history, thanks to Phil Collins.
(removed for lack of storage)
26. Back In Black, AC/DC This. Band. Kicked. Your. Ass. And mine. And that cop's over there. And anyone else's that got in their way. One of the all-time rockingest, thrust-your-fist-in-the-air, bang-your-head, scream-it-out-loud bands ever, with what is arguably their greatest, loudest, fiercest song ever. The album "Back In Black" was recorded in tribute to recently departed Bon "Death By Misadventure" Scott, and featured the band's new singer, Brian Johnson. Johnson delivered some of the best vocals of the decade... but the only problem was, Johnson's high-pitched evilly socwling growl was impossible to replicate if you were singing along -- unless you did something painful to your testicles with a fork while trying. (Needless to say, I was never part of an attempt to cover this song.) But - this is one of the most kick-ass rocking songs of the 80s or any other decade. Crank it up... this is one of the songs I want playing when I enter the ring or come up to bat. Pure adrenaline.
(removed for lack of storage)
25. Little Red Corvette, Prince Sex on vinyl, this song was. From the use in the title of the pre-teen metaphor for, um, parts... to the pocket full of horses -- Trojans, all of them used.... to the way the synth line just sort of melted into the rest of the song, to Prince's sultry delivery. I don't know a whole lot of women who aren't all over this song. Which is just fine, since it's a great song and since good things usually follow when it's played. This was Prince's first top ten hit, was the song that opened him up to his widest audience yet, and gave the best indication of what was yet to come from this brilliant musical genius. "Little Red Corvette" is Prince's fourth and final appearance in my Top 134 list, and to this day stands as my favorite Prince song.
(video removed for lack of storage)
Comments
love that Huey Lewis tune as well........Back in Black deserved a better fate.
Posted by: Marquette Hoops at August 16, 2006 10:30 PM
Is this a blog or a tribute to the 80's????? C'mon Mudge take a break from the hairbands and tell us about your wacky life.
Posted by: Erika at August 19, 2006 10:05 AM
Can't believe back in black wasn't higher on yours... but I'm so glad Phil made it in. BTW, my kids LOVE AC/DC and all things 80's rock... go figure. Nicole can sign Quiet Riot better than any 4 year old should be able to.
Posted by: tweetypie at August 19, 2006 10:28 AM
Erika - 1) there's nothing to tell, I am a boring worker drone these days. Yeehaw. 2) Didn't you read the part about my malfunctioning computer?
Tweety and MU: Back in Black is a great song. But there were others I like(d) better, is all.
And Tweety? Phil needed the boost from Crockett and Tubbs to get in. Otherwise, he'd likely have gone unrepresented here.
Posted by: Curmudgeon at August 19, 2006 07:29 PM
Yep. I'm totally hot for Little Red Corvette.
Posted by: Jill at August 20, 2006 01:39 PM
Oh yeah. And I recently had a man force me to watch the pilot of Miami Vice. And then he took me to see the movie. What was really cool about the whole thing was that he was totally okay with my swooning over Crockett in both his incarnations.
My favorite over-dramatic tv quote (I can't remember if this was the pilot): This is Miami. You can't tell the players without the program.
And from the film: These were the cards we were dealt at 11:47 o'clock on a Saturday night. (He might have thrown in a Miami mention as well; I can't remember exactly.)
Posted by: Jill at August 20, 2006 01:49 PM
