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Posts tagged ‘Culture’

Jul 1

A Year in the 80’s – I Want My MTV

When I was about 14, my whole family got together to celebrate my grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary. Music was playing while we decorated the hall, and somehow my cousin and I got to naming the songs as they came on the radio. I guess she’s about 10 years older than me, and she knew a lot of them. But it’s one of those silly memories that has stuck with me, that she was so impressed because I knew every. single. one. Title, artist, album…and most of the words too.

It was only because I stayed up half the nights most weekends watching music videos. First it was Friday Night Videos – remember that? – and then it was all MTV, when it finally came to my neck of the woods.

I was the MTV Generation.

MTV ain’t what it used to be, but then neither am I for that matter. Of course, I don’t guess either one of us would have benefited from staying the same all these years. But I can still keep a place in my heart for those late nights, sitting in the good chair, one leg kicked over the arm, watching 3-minute movies set to music.

Here are some of the videos I remember most, and you might remember too:

The Buggles, Video Killed the Radio Star, 1981
This is the first video played on MTV when it debuted at 12:01 am, August 1st 1981.

 

Duran Duran, Hungry Like the Wolf, 1983
Duran Duran probably owes their US success to MTV, which put this video on heavy rotation at a time when the band was not getting radio air play. They became known for their highly stylized music videos and exotic locals, and in 1984 this video won the first Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.

 

Wham!, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, 1984
“You put the boom-boom into my heart.” If this song doesn’t take you back to the 80’s I don’t know what will. It’s still catchy – you know you remember most of the words. And neon everywhere!! Love those fingerless gloves there, Michael.

 

The Cars, You Might Think, 1984
This was one of the first music videos to use computer graphics, and maybe that’s why it made an impression on my brain. Even though it seems pretty simple and rudimentary now. It won Video of the Year at the first ever MTV Video Music Awards, and five awards at Billboard’s 1984 Video Music Awards.

 

Twisted Sister, We’re Not Gonna Take It, 1984
“WHAT is that? A Twisted Sister pin! On your uniform!”

 

A-ha, Take On Me, 1985
I always liked this awesome video, and I’ll probably never forget it exists. Well, maybe some day I’ll forget. Anyway, it was cutting edge at the time, and made this song A-ha’s most successful recording in the US.

 

Dire Straits, Money for Nothing, 1985
Considered ground-breaking at the time, this video was one of the first uses of computer-animated human characters. Ironically, Dire Straits founder/lead singer Mark Knopfler was anti-video and thought that videos “would destroy the purity of songwriters and performers”. But MTV loved the song and wanted a concept video or they wouldn’t play it. Knopfler eventually gave in, and the video went on to win Video of the Year at the third annual MTV Video Music Awards.

 

Robert Palmer, Addicted to Love, 1986
Remember these girls? This video was ranked number 3 on VH1’s Top 20 Videos of the 1980s; pretty memorable video for such a simple concept. Palmer went on to copy the idea in three subsequent music videos as well. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

 

Michael Jackson, Thriller, 1983
I’m out of order, but sometimes you’ve got to save the best for last. Directed by John Landis, this 13 minute video was MTV’s first “world premier video”. It’s hard to exagerate its influence on the music video industry, not to mention how many times the Thriller dance shows up in movies and television. In 2006, Guinness World Records listed Thriller as the “most successful music video”, with over nine million copies sold. And in 2009, it was the first music video to ever be inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Pretty impressive.

 

So that’s just a few of the videos that stick out in my memory.

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What about you?

Were you a part of the original MTV Generation?

What was your favorite music video of the 1980’s?

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May 15

A Year in the 80’s – New Wave Music

When I think of early 80’s music, New Wave is what first comes to mind. Wikipedia says that “New Wave music is an umbrella term for several late-1970s to mid-1980s pop/rock musical styles…broadly analogous to punk rock before branching as a distinctly identified genre, incorporating electronic/experimental music, mod, disco and pop.”

I think of New Wave as punk-ish, pop-ish, stylized, individualistic, creative, synthetic, and highly electronic. And like Punk, New Wave was a style beyond the music, with its own distinct fashion sense – that maybe made no sense, haha. But it was creative, you have to give them that!

Here are some videos of what I think of as New Wave Music:

Culture Club, Karma Chameleon, 1982

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Adam Ant, Goody Two Shoes, 1982

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Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), 1983

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Cyndi Lauper, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, 1983

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Thompson Twins, Hold Me Now, 1983

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Howard Jones, Things Can Only Get Better, 1985

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I read once that the music you loved during your formative years will stick with you the rest of your life. That must be true, because I definitely still have a place in my heart for the synthetic sounds of New Wave.

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How about you?

What kind of music did you listen to
when you were first starting to really get into music?

 

 

May 13

A Year in the 80’s – Some 1981 History

January 20
Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States. At the moment he completes his inaugural address…

The Iranian hostage crisis ends with the release of 52 Americans in exchange for the return of $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets. 66 hostages had been taken captive after a group of Iranian students took over the US embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. 13 people were released in November of that year, with a 14th later released due to illness. These remaining 52 hostages were in captivity for 444 days.

March 30
John Hinkley attempts to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who is shot in the chest as he’s walking to his limousine in Washington, D.C.. Also shot are press secretary James Brady, a police officer and a Secret Service agent. All recovered except Brady, who was confined to a wheelchair as a result of brain damage.

April 12
The space shuttle Columbia launches from Cape Canaveral, and manned American space flights resume after a 5-year hiatus. The Space Shuttle is the first reusable spacecraft flown in orbit. Columbia flew 28 flights (125,204,911 miles in total), spent 300.74 days in space, and completed 4,808 orbits. On February 1, 2003, Columbia disintegrated during re-entry after it’s 28th mission, killing all crew members aboard.

May 13
An assassination is attempted on Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter’s Square. Thought the Pope is shot, he recovers from his wounds, and would-be assassin Mehmet Ali Agca is sentenced to life in prison. (He is pardoned in 2000.) It is widely believe at the time that Agca is an agent of the Soviet Union or Bulgaria, due to the Pope’s anti-communist stance.

June 5
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention release a report “describing cases of a rare lung infection in five young, previously healthy, gay men in Los Angeles. All the men have other unusual infections as well, indicating that their immune systems are not working. This marks the first official reporting of what will become known as the AIDS epidemic. Within days, doctors from across the U.S. flood CDC with reports of similar cases.” (aids.gov)

July 29
Prince Charles and Lady Di are married at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. 3,500 guests are in attendance, and an estimated 750 million additional people watch the wedding procession and ceremony, which are televised world-wide. In the United Kingdom, the day is considered a national holiday to mark the wedding. Which is why everyone’s home to watch it on the telly.

August 1
MTV launches at 12:01 EST with The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star”. The “Music Television” channel plays back-to-back music videos and features “video jockeys”. MTV’s effect is immediate in areas where it’s available, with record stores selling music that local stations are not playing. MTV also sparks the Second British Invasion, with British acts already accustomed to making music videos.

August 12
IBM introduces the IBM PC personal computer, IBM 5150. It sells for $1565.

September 21
Sandra Day O’Conner becomes the first Woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, approved unanimously 99-0 by the U.S. Senate.

October 6
Egyptian president Anwar Sadat is assassinated at the annual victory parade in Cairo. Lieutenant Khalid Islambouli leads an assassination squad riding in a troop truck, and when the truck stops, Sadat believes it to be part of the parade. As he stands to receive his salute, Islambouli attacks. Additional assassins rise from the truck, indiscriminately firing AK-47 assault rifles into the stands. In an attack that lasts about two minutes, Sadat and eleven others are killed and 28 are wounded.

December 11
After 20 years as a professional boxer, Muhammad Ali fights his last bout, losing a ten-round decision against Trevor Berbick.


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So there’s a little history from 1981!
Do you remember any of that?

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Mar 5

4 Comments

A Year in the 80’s – 1981 No. 1’s

A Quick Look Back

Population: 229,465,714
Life expectancy: 74.1 years
New Home: $68,900
New Car: $7,500
Median Income: $13,773
Stamp: $ .18
Regular Gas: $1.13
Bread: $ .54
Gal of Milk: $1.69

 And here are the Number One’s for 1981!

Movies

Oscars
Best Picture: Chariots of Fire
Best Director: Warren Beatty, Reds
Best Actor: Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond
Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond

Highest Grossing Films
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark ($212,222,025)
2.  On Golden Pond ($119,285,432)
3.  Superman II ($108,185,706)
4.  Arthur ($95,461,682)
5.  Stripes ($85,297,000)

Remember These Movies?
Taps
The Cannonball Run
Continental Divide
Endless Love
The Fan
The Four Seasons
The Howling
Absence of Malice
Sharky’s Machine
Pennies from Heaven

Music

Grammy Awards:
Album of the Year: Christopher Cross for Christopher Cross
Record of the Year: Christopher Cross for Sailing
Best New Artist: Christopher Cross
*The only Artist (so far) to sweep all categories in the same year

Pop Female Vocal: Bette Midler for The Rose
Pop Male Vocal: Kenny Loggins for This Is It
Pop Duo/Group: Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb for Guilty

Rock Female Vocal: Pat Benatar for Crimes of Passion
Rock Male Vocal: Billy Joel for Glass Houses
Rock Duo/Group: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band for Against the Wind

Country Female Vocal: Anne Murray for Could I Have This Dance?
Country Male Vocal: George Jones for He Stopped Loving Her Today
Country Duo/Group: Emmylou Harris & Roy Orbison for That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again

Billboard Top Singles
1.  Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes
2.  Endless Love – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
3.  Lady – Kenny Rogers
4.  (Just Like) Starting Over – John Lennon
5.  Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield

Remember These Songs?
Morning Train (Nine to Five) by Sheena Easton
Queen of Hearts by Juice Newton
Elvira by The Oak Ridge Boys
Passion by Rod Stewart
Somebody’s Knockin by Terri Gibbs
America by Neil Diamond
Another One Bites the Dust by Queen
Don’t Stand So Close to Me by The Police
Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen

Television

Emmy Awards
Outstanding Drama: Hill Street Blues (NBC)
Best Actor, Drama: Daniel J. Travanti as Captain Frank Furillo, Hill Street Blues (NBC)
Best Actress, Drama: Barbara Babcock as Grace Gardner, Hill Street Blues (NBC)

Outstanding Comedy: Taxi, (ABC)
Best Actor, Comedy: Judd Hirsch as Alex Reiger, Taxi (ABC)
Best Actress, Comedy: Isabel Sanford as Louise Jefferson, The Jeffersons (CBS)

Top Shows
1981 – 1982    (Households with TV: 81,500,000)

1. Dallas (CBS) 23,146,000
2. 60 Minutes (CBS) 22,575,500
3. The Jeffersons (CBS) 19,071,000
4. Three’s Company (ABC) 18,989,500
5. Alice (CBS) 18,500,500
6. The Dukes of Hazzard (CBS) 18,419,000
7. Too Close for Comfort (ABC) 18,419,000
8. ABC Monday Night Movie (ABC) 18,337,500
9. M*A*S*H (CBS) 18,174,500
10. One Day at a Time (CBS) 17,930,000

Remember These Shows?
Lewis & Clark (81 – 82)
The Two of Us (81 – 82)
Father Murphy (81- 83)
Bret Maverick (81 – 82)
Flamingo Road (81 – 82)
Harper Valley P.T.A. (81 – 82)
Strike Force (81 – 82)
McClain’s Law (81 – 82)
Private Benjamin (81 – 83)
Walt Disney (81 – 83)
Greatest American Hero (81 – 83)
Fall Guy (81 – 86)
Gimme a Break (81- 87)
Simon and Simon (81 – 95)

What else do you remember from 1981?

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References:
Music Outfitters
The Cost of Living
1980’s Flashback
In the 80’s
Classic TV Hits

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