Thursday Throwback

Honestly I can't really remember a lot of what I used to groove to before moving to LA. Particularly what I listened to before I was introduced to Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Depeche Mode, The Cure, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.  So nearly every one of these songs are ones I've discovered in the past fifteen years or so. 

The Classics -- 80s and earlier

Don't You Forget About Me (Simple Minds)

I know I'm admitting to liking The Breakfast Club, which guys are apparently not supposed to do -- but who wouldn't wanna be Judd Nelson in that flick, neh? He was 80s cool before it turned into 80s lame. Although even when I was six, I would rather have gone with the brunette than the redhead. Still would, in fact.

Shit, watching that video made me want to see the movie again. Unbelievable.

Cry Little Sister (Gerard McMann)

I can't think of the late 80s without thinking of The Lost Boys, and I can't think of The Lost Boys without thinking of this haunting song.  Or more importantly, Jamie Gertz, schwing!

Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)

Speaking of schwing, ha ha ha ha hah ha.  Actually, since Queen did the soundtrack to Highlander, a movie that got a lot of play in mi casa, a lot of Queen songs take me back.

Great Balls of Fire (Jerry Lee Lewis)

Everybody Get Together (Dick Clark Five)

Stop, Hey What's That Sound (Buffalo Springfield)

Three classics that I'll never stop loving. And while I wasn't going to add any specific Beatles songs (too obvious, right?), they definitely deserve a shout-out.  In fact, I'm absolutely positive I remember Day Tripper from 1968.  But Come Together may yet take the day as my favorite.

Joyride (Roxette)

Call Me (Blondie)

Joey (Concrete Blonde)

Roxette, Blondie and Concrete Blonde all left deep impressions in my youthful self.  Almost entirely through mis-heard and misunderstood lyrics, but the sound, at least, remained pure. Now that I know what they were actually saying, I can't for the life of me remember what I thought they were saying.  But I do remember laughing my ass off when I found out the truth.

As may be apparent, my early musical tastes were heavily influenced by what my sisters were listening to at the time. 

Do Do Do, De Da Da Da (The Police)

I remember dancing in my diapers to this song.  Or maybe I was naked. The song came out in what, 82, 83? I was too old for diapers at that point.  Yup, guess I was naked. 

Personal Jesus 

Or anything by Depeche Mode, frankly. Do they even record anymore? Anyone know?

People Are Strange (Echo and the Bunnymen)

San Francsico (Scott McKenzie)

Fortunate Son (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

I have to disagree with Justin Long's character in Live Free or Die Hard.  Fortunate Son is an awesome song.  Naturally, it's inextricably tied with anti-war sentiment (it is, after all, a protest song), and in today's world, it's still, unfortunately, quite relevant.

The 90s

The 90s were my period of musical awakening.  I listened to more music, bought more albums (prior to 1989 or 90, the only "album" I personally owned was a Michael Jackson cassette I was given for my 8th birthday). I gradually developed my own tastes in music, with limited influence from others. It did become alternative/grunge rock for a time, but always the important thing has been the sound. 

U Can't Touch This (MC Hammer)

Early 90s rap (dubbed cRap by my friend Damon) was like a gateway drug.  You start listening to it and the next thing you know, you're wearing neon parachute pants and shaving designs into your hair. I count myself lucky, however: Vanilla Ice killed any affinity I had for the genre, preventing me from ever being interested in gangsta. I think I would have been a singularly pathetic wigger.

Must Have Been Love (Roxette)

This is one of the last songs I loved before I found grunge.  I'm faintly embarrassed by this now, but the fact remains the chick's got a great voice.  There was another one around that same time that had to do with looking into someone's eyes and wiping the tears away. I have no idea who did that one, and the lyrics were embarrassingly maudlin even then, but I liked the harmonics. And that's what it's really about to me: how it sounds, not always what they say.

Circles (Soul Coughing)

Lovefool (The Cardigans) 

Gotta give Typhoid Ashley credit for this one. She reminded me of it on her first list, and I just had to add it.  Lovefool was one of those songs that made the 90s what it was, along with:

American Werewolf in Paris Soundtrack

I have to include this as a collection, because although I never saw the movie, the soundtrack -- including the works of Cake, Better Than Ezra, Eva Trout, Bush, and Vanessa Daou -- kept me awake through many a long, busy night. As did:

The Faculty Soundtrack

Including the works of Stabbing Westward, Class of 99, Offspring, Creed and Neve.  I listened to this soundtrack so many times I could sing along in perfect time even when I couldn't hear it.  And by "sing along" I actually mean "mutter nonsense words in rough approximation of tune".  

Pepper (Butthole Surfers)

I don't mind the sun sometimes/the images it shows/I can taste you on my lips and smell you in my clothes/cinnamon and sugary and softly spoken lies/you never know just how you look through other peoples' eyes

This is one song I did get the lyrics to. And I liked that, and them. Also, because much of the song wasn't really sung, I could get away with more obvious singing along. Heh. 

Round Here (Counting Crows)

I'm a Bitch I'm a Lover (Alanis Morissette)

My ex-wife loved this song. I did too, although as much out of Canadian Solidarity as the song itself.

Picked this vid out of whimsey. Also because I figure Ash will like it, lol.  And maybe she can tell me what movie that green-eyed girl comes from. It's the only one I can't figure out (how weird is that; I hardly ever watch cartoon movies). 

Bittersweet Symphony (The Verve)

Another "classic" 90s song, by which I mean it got so much airtime no one wanted to hear from these guys ever again.

Zombie (Garbage) 

Steal My Sunshine (ZEN) 

Incidentally, I'm leaving out the songs that I fucking hated, the ones that would get stuck in my head or whatever. There were a fair number of lounge-singer types in the early 90s that earned my eternal enmity for their effluvium (can you say "Don't hurt me, no more?).  Seeing as how I do not want to inflict that on myself, I'm not getting into the hate list on this or any other edition of Music Week.

This one's already getting too long, so a quick, anecdote free list of some of the other "best of the 90s" tunes:

Smells Like Teen Spirit & Come as You Are (Nirvana)

Drive, Losing My Religion & Everybody Hurts (REM)

Jeremy (Pearl Jam)

Gangsta's Paradise (Coolio)

Wonderwall (Oasis)

1979 (Smashing Pumpkins)

Lightning Crashes (Live)

Mr. Jones (Counting Crows)

Ironic (Alanis Morrissette)

One Week (Barenaked Ladies)

God Shuffled His Feet (Crash Test Dummies)

One of Us (Joan Osborne) -- truly one of the most ubiquitous and ultimately annoying songs of this era, it yet deserves a mention because, yes, I did play it on my own, because I liked it. For a while, anyway.  

All right, that's the end of Memory Lane. If you take a right, you'll find yourself on Amnesiac Avenue, which will bring you back to Procrastination Plaza -- I assume that's your starting point.  Get back to whatever you were supposed to be doing! Ha ha!