Remember That Song – 6/29/21

Can you name the artist and song:

When you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away
And I have never had such a feeling
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight

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Last Song: “Dancing in the Sheets” by Shalamar from Footloose: Original Soundtrack of the Paramount Motion Picture and Heartbreak (1984)

Great job Damar (@DRFulmore)!!!

Grab your coat and wave goodbye to your friends
I want to take you where the night never ends
I feel the need to sweep you off of your feet

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If you’d like to get the song from Amazon, you can click on the album cover below:

Remember That Song – 3/12/21

Can you name the artist and song:

You say I’m a dreamer, we’re two of a kind
Both of us searching for some perfect world we know we’ll never find

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Last Song: “Second Time Around” by Shalamar from Big Fun (1980)

Erwin (@erwin_green), David (@daviddwwalker), and Adora (@Adora2000)!!!

I know you come a long way, baby
But you don’t need that heart of stone, no
You proved that you could do it, do it, baby
You could make it on your own

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If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, click on the album cover below:

Top 40 Songs This Week (UK Edition) – 19 June 1983: Songs 20-11

Welcome back to this week’s Top 40 Countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go ahead and check out songs 40-31 and 30-21.

Again, you can click on the song title to get the YouTube video, and you can click on the album cover to get the song from Amazon. Now, let’s continue the countdown.

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20. “We Came to Dance” by Ultravox

The Midge Ure-led New Wave band never charted high in the U.S. However, this is a different story in the U.K. where they scored seven Top 10 albums and seventeen Top 40 singles. This song, from their 6th album Quartet, would peak at #18.

 

 

19. “Moonlight Shadow” by Mike Oldfield

Mike Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist and composer. Scottish vocalist Maggie Reilly, who had collaborated with Mike Oldfield since 1980, performed the vocals on this song. While it did not chart in the U.S., this song was a smash hit all over the rest of the world, topping the charts in many countries. It would peak at #4 here. In the U.S., Mike Oldfield may be best known for his 1973 song, “Tubular Bells“. Don’t recognize that name? Well it is best known here as the theme for the film, The Exorcist.

 

18. “Hang On Now” by Kajagoogoo

Kajagoogoo was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. with their smash, “Too Shy”. But, they had a few more hits in the U.K., including this one. This was the third single released from their debut album White Feathers. It would peak at #13 here.

 

 

17. “I Dream to Sleep” by H2O

This is the first of two Top 40 hits for the Scottish band H2O. It was released just ahead of their debut album, Faith. It would peak right here at #17. Their follow-up single “Just Outside of Heaven” reached No. 38 later the same year. They had no more hits after that, which led to their break-up in 1985.

 

 

16. “Garden Party (The Great Cucumber Massacre)” by Marillion

Marillion is a very cool Prog-Rock band from England. Unfortunately, they were never able to get a break in the States. But, they did have many hits in the U.K.

 

 

 

15. “Dark is the Night” by Shakatak

Long before Shaquille O’Neal came out with his Shaq Attaq sneaker line (which you would need to take out a second mortgage in order to afford), this jazz-funk band, Shakatak, went on a string of hits in the U.K. This song would peak right here at #15.

 

 

14. “Buffalo Soldier” by Bob Marley & The Wailers

The legendary Bob Marley recorded this song in 1978. It was released on his posthumous 1983 album Confrontation. According to Wikipedia, the title and lyrics refer to the black U.S. cavalry regiments, known as “Buffalo Soldiers”, that fought in the Indian Wars after 1866. Marley linked their fight to a fight for survival, and recasts it as a symbol of black resistance.
Oddly, this song was covered by Vanilla Ice in 2008.

13. “Love Town” by Booker Newbury III

The soulful Youngstown, Ohio native didn’t score very big in his home country. But, he had a big hit with this song in the U.K., where it peaked at #6. I like this song a lot. It has a “Turn Your Love Around” vibe to it.

 

 

12. “Dead Giveaway” by Shalamar

Shalamar had limited success in the States, unfortunately. They should have been way bigger. But, our friends in the U.K. appreciated them! This song did do pretty well in the U.S., peaking at #22. But, it landed all the way up to #8 in the U.K. This was off of Shalamar’s album, The Look, which would be the final album with Jody Watley as part of the group as she would embark on a successful solo career.

 

11. “Lady Love Me (One More Time)” by George Benson

Here is another song that was moderately successful in the States (charting at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100, #21 on the Soul singles chart and #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart), but shot up the charts in the U.K., peaking right here at #11.

 

 

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What a great list today! I think this was my favourite of the week so far. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you. We’ll take a day to take this all in, and wrap up the countdown on Friday.

Shalamar – The Real Thing

Return to the ’80s has been up and running for almost 8 years now. Over these years, I found that most people of our generation feels that there is no good music these days. I agree for the most part, but not fully. I feel that most new artists today are bland, and take very few chances. There is no depth or feeling coming out from most new artists – in every genre. This generation has no identity. However, all is not lost. The truth is, there is some great music out there, and the artists that we grew up with, and long for, are the ones who are still out there releasing it.

Some of our artists never went away, and survived that dreaded grunge period. Bands like Def Leppard and Bon Jovi have been releasing new music all these years, and continue on, to this day. And other bands have had comebacks after a long hiatus. Case in point, today’s main focus – Shalamar. On November 4, Shalamar released “The Real Thing”, their first single in 20 years! And they sound better than ever! They still sound current, and at the same time they still have that Shalamar soul. Here is a small sample:

In the beginning

Shalamar began as a “manufactured” group, created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator and producer Don Cornelius. Griffey took session musicians and created a hit record, Uptown Festival (1977). The title track, which is a medley of 10 Motown classics set to a disco beat, was a big hit in the U.S. and the U.K. When the album became a hit, Griffey realized that there was a demand for an actual group. So he brought in Soul Train dancers Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley together with singer Gary Mumford. However, Mumford left the group to pursue other interests, so they brought in Gerald Brown.

Classic Shalamar

In the heart of the Disco craze, Shalamar released an album called Disco Gardens. They had a big hit in the U.K. with the song “Take That to the Bank“, from that album. Then Gerald Brown left the group. This ushered in the classic Shalamar lineup when Howard Hewett was brought in to join Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley.

From 1979 to mid 1983 the fashion icons and trendsetting Shalamar racked up more than a dozen hits across the globe. It all started with the smash hit, from their Big Fun album “The Second Time Around“, which sold more than a million units in the U.S. alone, and was #1 on the R&B and Dance charts, as well as going up to #8 on the Billboard Pop chart. From the same album, Shalamar scored some hits with “Right in the Socket” and one of my favorites from the album, “I Owe You One” which charted at #13 in the U.K.

Shalamar’s first album released in the ’80s, Three for Love, which spawned off the hits “This Is for the Lover in You“, and the earworm inducing (and that is a good thing) “Make That Move“.
Shalamar was not slowing down. In 1981, they released the album, Go For It (which has a catchy title track).

A Night To Remember

In 1982, Shalamar began a huge run, scoring seven top 40 hits, including four top 10 hits.
It began with the smash hit, “A Night to Remember“, from the album Friends. Not only is a great song, but it introduced the moonwalk to the world. Yes, a year before Michael Jackson performed the legendary dance move during a television special, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever in 1983, Jeffrey Daniel did it in 1982 on Top of the Pops. When Jackson so the move, he sought out Jeffrey Daniel so Daniel could teach him the move. Daniel would also go on to co-choreograph some of Jackson’s videos.

Here is Jeffrey Daniel’s Top of the Pops performance.

 

Looking for a New Gig

At the height of their fame, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel left the group. This left Howard Hewett to continue the group with new members. Shalamar was not ready to slow down yet! Micki Free and Delisa Davis were brought in, and thanks to Footloose, Shalamar was as good as ever. The group performed “Dancing In the Sheets” for the movie soundtrack, which gave them their highest U.S. charting single, reaching up to #17. They were nominated for a Grammy Award with the song for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. But that is not all! Footloose was not the only movie soundtrack the group was on in 1984. They performed “Don’t Get Stopped in Beverly Hills” from Beverly Hills Cop, and actually won the Grammy with the song for Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special. In 1985 Hewett departed to begin his solo career, and was replaced by Sydney Justin.

End of an Era

When Howard Hewett left Shalamar, so did the group’s popularity. The album Circumstantial Evidence did not even chart in the U.S. or U.K. For their 10th (and final) album, Wake Up, Shalamar tried to stay relevant by adapting the New Jack Swing sound, which was popular at the time. But, it was to no avail. But this is not the last we hear of Shalamar.

Reunion

In 1999, Howard Hewett and Jeffrey Daniel reformed the group and began touring again. They left the third spot open, hoping to be able to bring Jody Watley back into the fold. After a while, they moved on and brought in another female vocalist – Carolyn Griffey. Carolyn’s father, Dick Griffey, was the person who created Shalamar with Don Cornelius. When she was a child, she spent a lot of time around the studio with Shalamar, as well as their label bandmates The Whispers, Midnight Star and her mother Carrie Lucas (an R&B artist herself, for whom Watley sang backing vocals). When she was 18, Carolyn had a record deal with another group Absolute who had two songs featured on the soundtrack of the film Lambada.
Since Carolyn came on board in 2001, the group has been touring, and now have the new song.

You can purchase the new song, “The Real Thing”, from iTunes, and can be heard on Spotify.

In addition, you can visit Shalamar’s YouTube channel, follow their Facebook page, and visit their official web site. If you are lucky enough to live in the U.K., you have a chance to see Shalamar perform in concert on the following dates:

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Top 40 Songs This Week: August 27, 1983 – Songs 30-21

Welcome back to this weeks Top 40 Countdown! If you missed the first 10 songs, you can go back and check them out. At the time of this countdown, I was about to enter my teen years. My 13th birthday was less than a week away. I would get my very own little black & white TV. It didn’t matter that I did not have cable on it. It was my very own TV, and I loved it.

What were you doing at this time in 1983? Now let’s Return to the week ending August 27, 1983, and continue the countdown.

[If you’d like to see the YouTube video of the song, you can click on the song title. If you’d like to purchase or listen to the song on Amazon, you can click on the album cover]

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30. “Far From Over” by Frank Stallone

Oh, hell yeah! Great way to start today’s countdown! If I thought there were a such thing as a guilty pleasure, this would be one of mine. This is also one of many cases where a song from a movie was better than the movie itself. See, even in the ’80s we had crappy remakes and sequels. It’s not a new thing. The difference is that today’s movies don’t have awesome music like this!

29. “Dead Giveaway” by Shalamar

Before Shalamar went “Dancing in the Sheets” with Footloose, they had a hit with this song from their album, The Look, which was the last one to feature Jody Watley as part of the group.

28. “(She’s) Sexy + 17” by The Stray Cats

27. “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” by Laura Branigan

I love Laura Branigan. She has a beautiful voice, and she was beautiful, period. I was so sad when she died in 2004. But, every time I hear this song, all that comes to mind is somebody coming to our school, before prom season, to explain the dangers of drunk driving. The speaker was talking about how his brother died in a drunk driving accident, and this song played for us. It was so sad, it made me want to drink.

26. “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” by Air Supply

A lot of Air Supply songs sound the same to me. There’s nothing wrong with that. But, there are some exceptions and this is one of them. And there is a good reason for this. It was written by Jim Steinman. Steinman wrote all of Meat Loaf’s biggest hits. There is another non-Meat Loaf Jim Steinman song coming up on this week’s countdown. And I love that one too. “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” is one of those ballads that I never got sick of.

25. “Rock of Ages” by Def Leppard

Gunter glieben glauchen globen
And so began my love affair of rock music. And I have not looked back since. Def Leppard was a great band from the beginning, and they just kept getting better and better. They are still incredible in concert, and even released new studio album a couple of years ago. And unlike a certain contemporary of theirs who still puts out albums, and who shall remain nameless, Def Leppard can still rock your face off!

24. “Promises, Promises” by Naked Eyes

We can’t have an early ’80s countdown without a British New Wave band! This was Naked Eyes’ second hit, reaching up to #11.

23. “After the Fall” by Journey

Very underrated Journey song, off of the Frontiers album. I don’t even remember seeing this video on MTV.

22. “Flashdance…What A Feeling” by Irene Cara

One of my crushes! I love Irene Cara! She has several other great songs besides this and “Fame”. But, both “Flashdance…What A Feeling” and “Fame” still get me pumped up.

21. “Human Touch” by Rick Springfield

This is my favorite Rick Springfield song. My mom had the Living in Oz album (on vinyl of course), and I always listened to this song. Great way to finish things today!

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That wraps up today’s list of songs. This is an awesome week of great music! Come back tomorrow as we check out the next 10 songs.

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Remember That Song: 8/28/17

Can you name the artist and song:

You know it’s always cold at night
It’s always lonely until the dawn

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Last Song: “Dancing In The Sheets” by Shalamar from the album Heartbreak as well as the Footloose Soundtrack (1984)

Great job Brent (@jonbrent13)!!!

I caught you smiling
I know I’ve seen you here before
How come you’re hiding
Hey don’t you want to hit the floor

 

If you’d like to purchase this song from Amazon, click on one of the album covers below:

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Episode 16: Footloose

The Return to the ’80s Podcast is back! We return in a big way, talking about one of the most iconic ’80s movies. Robert and Paul are joined once again by Marissa (who last appeared on the ’80s Crushes episode). So come cut loose with Return to the ’80s, where dancing IS allowed, and join in on the discussion of this classic movie, and enjoy some great music along the way!

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Opening

– Robert’s Tesla/Poison/Def Leppard concert review

– Marissa takes one for the team and reviews the Dirty Dancing television remake

– Danger Zone! Are we going to see an oiled up Val Kilmer? Top Gun sequel in the works.

Play This, Not That

Instead of “Danger Zone”

Play “Nobody’s Fool (Theme from “Caddyshack II”)”

Shall We Play a Game?

Remember That Song
We’ve always had time on our sides
But now it’s fading fast
Every second
Every moment
We’ve got to, we’ve gotta make it last

‘80s Trivia

On the show thirtysomething, what was the name of the company Michael and Elliot owned in the first season?

Footloose

– Released February 17, 1984
– Made $80 million domestically with an $8 million budget

Cast

– Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormack
– Lori Singer as Ariel Moore
– Chris Penn as Willard Hewitt
– Sarah Jessica Parker as Rusty
– John Lithgow as Reverend Shaw Moore
– Dianne Wiest as Vi Moore
– Jim Youngs as Chuck Cranston

– Directed by Herbert Ross
– Written by Dean Pitchford who also wrote or cowrote every song here

Fun Facts

– The dancing feet in the opening credit sequence contained many of the cast and crew. Over 150 different pairs of feet were shot. The dancer with the gold shoes was actually Kenny Loggins.

– The scenes where Chris Penn learns to dance were purposely added to the script because he really didn’t know how to dance!

– With the Principal’s knowledge, 24-year-old Kevin Bacon attended the Payson Utah High School as “Ren McCormack”, a transfer student from Philadelphia to get into his role. With his narrow tie and new-wave haircut, he was treated pretty much like in the film. Bacon gratefully left with the location scouts on the afternoon of the first day.

– Pecking order: Wyoming < Nebraska < Illinois

Movie Talk

– Opening scene
– Was that kid really sleeping? Reverend Shaw’s sermon
– Psycho? Rebel? You be the judge, while listening to Sammy Hagar’s “The Girl Gets Around”
– What does Robert, who is an English teacher, think of book burning. We’ll give you 1 guess
– “Do you read much?” – Slaughterhouse Five discussion
– Drive-in diner dancing scene Dancing in the Sheets by Shalamar
– Ren pulls into school blaring Metal Health
– They sell men’s clothes where you got that? Ren meets Willard
– We find out dancing is banned
– Ren gets pulled over
– Ariel wants to go to college and get out of that town – “Somebody’s Eyes” by Karla Bonof
– Awesome tractor chicken scene – Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler
– Angry dance – Never by Moving Pictures
– Dancing in Bomont is illegal. Underage drinking? Perfectly acceptable
– Look out Moving Pictures! Marissa and Robert perform “What About Me” for the first installment of Return to the ’80s Karaoke
– Ren and Ariel – train scene
– The gyrating in the seats from listening to music caused the car accident that killed Ariel’s brother. ALCOHOL HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!
– Willard can’t dance
– Creepy dude tries picking up high school student, Rusty
– ’80s Movie + Bar Scene = FIGHT!!!
– Shaw and Vi at church – You can lift a congregation up so high they have to look down to see heaven. But it’s the one to one where you need a little work.
– MONTAGE!!!!!! Let’s Hear It For the Boy by Deniece Williams
– Ren teaches Willard how to dance. In every possible place where they can be seen. In a town that does not allow dancing.
– “You’re so stupid!” – Cranston gives Ariel a beatdown
– Ariel gives Ren a bible with verses highlighted for him to use at the town council meeting
– They had it coming! Somebody throws a brick through the window of Ren’s little cousins who helped him teach Willard how to dance
– Town council scene
– There’s nothing like a good ole fashioned book burnin’!
– MONTAGE #2! Setup for the dance – ” I’m Free (Heaven Helps the Man)” by Kenny Loggins
– Pick a winner! The dance begins – kinda. “Almost Paradise” by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson
– Ninja Ren. The climactic fight scene
– Everybody cuts loose!
– Why?!?!? Footloose remake. Well, it’s not as horrible as the Dirty Dancing remake, so there’s that.

Closing

Shout outs
The ‘80s League
– Killer Kitsch – https://killerkitsch.wordpress.com/
– Old School Evil – http://www.oldschoolevil.com/
– ReelWeegieMidget – https://weegiemidget.wordpress.com/
– Rediscover the ‘80s (also a podcast) – http://www.rediscoverthe80s.com/
– 80s Reboot Overdrive (also a podcast) – https://www.facebook.com/80sReboot

Other friends of the podcast:
Doug McCoy of McCoycast – https://mccoycast.wordpress.com/
Scott Ryan of 30somethingpod– you can purchase Scott’s new book thirtysomething at 30:
Shout out to Christi Chiello of the new podcast Talking Funny With Christi

You can contact our awesome guest Marissa Rapier on Twitter – @MarissaRapier and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/m2therissa/

Please feel free to join our Return to the ’80s Facebook Group
Find us on iTunes
https://returntothe80s.wordpress.com/
Find Return to the ’80s on Facebook
Twitter – @returntothe80s
Email: Returnto80s@gmail.com

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American Top 40 – May 28, 1977: Songs 30-21

Hi Everybody, welcome back to the Top 40 Countdown! If you missed yesterday’s list of songs, you can go ahead and check them out. Today should be interesting, as I only knew four of the songs before today. There is definitely one on here that I think just about everybody on the planet knows. So, let’s go into hyperspace this Star Wars week, take a trip in the way back machine, and Return to the week ending May 28, 1977, and continue the countdown.

30. “Do You Wanna Make Love” by Peter McCann

We’ll begin today with an interesting song that I like. To me, the verses sound like an easy listening late ’70s/early ’80s song that you may hear on the soundtrack of a comedy-drama film. Then the chorus sounds like a country-crossover type of song. This song would be a huge hit, peaking all the way up at #5.

29. “High School Dance” by The Sylvers

Here is another interesting song. This may sound really strange, but this sounds like a mashup of The Beatles and the Jackson 5. It starts off sounding like a Paul McCartney led Beatles tune. Then the rest of the family joins in singing, and it the style and sound kind of reminded me of the Jackson 5. I could see how this could have been a fun dance song back in the Disco era ’70s.
Oh man, I called that one! I just looked up information on the band. It is a The Sylvers were a band of 10 siblings (there was one family member that was not in the band). The lead singer, Edmund, was the voice of Marlon Jackson in the 1971-1973 Jackson 5ive cartoon series.

28. “Life in the Fast Lane” by The Eagles

Since I have the heart of a rocker, this was always one of my favorite Eagles songs. I love the hard driving guitar, Don Henley’s vocals, and the song’s story, which is about the excessive lifestyle of a couple – which is perfect for the ’80s. So I suppose the theme was ahead of it’s time.

27. “Slow Dancin’ Don’t Turn Me On” by The Addrisi Brothers

Here is another song that I had never heard before today. I had never heard of the Addrisi Brothers either, and they were somewhat local to me, as they came from my neighboring Winthrop, Massachusetts. When they were young, the two brothers, Don and Dick, were in their family’s acrobatic group, The Flying Addrisis. Then in the ’50s they got in touch with Lenny Bruce about starting a singing career and moved to California. They auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club, but did not get in. They would go on to be songwriters. Their most successful song was “Never My Love” which was performed by The Association.
“Slow Dancin’ Don’t Turn Me On” isn’t bad, and isn’t great. It’s pretty much a song of its time.

26. “Uptown Festival (Motown Medley) (Part 1)” by Shalamar

Shalamar was a disco group created by Soul Train creator/producer Don Cornelius.
“Uptown Festival” was Shalamar’s first single. It is a medley of Motown hits set to disco music. Here is the song list for this part of the song, which would peak at #22:

“Going to a Go-Go” / “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” / “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” / “Stop! In the Name of Love” / “It’s the Same Old Song”

25. “Mainstreet” by Bob Seger

Next up is the classic rock radio staple by Bob Seger. This was the fourth single released from his Night Moves album, and would peak at #24. This is one of those songs that I don’t hate, but I really need to be in the mood for it to listen to it all the way through.

24. “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett

This is Jimmy Buffett’s signature hit, and the go-to song for anybody going on a tropical vacation. Not only does everybody know this song, but almost everybody probably knows all the lyrics. If I’m wrong about that, then it’s my own damn fault.

23. “Whodunit” by Tavares

Holy Cliché, Batman! This song starts off with the “Whodunit” notes, reminding me of Inspector Gadget. Then, thankfully, the song turns into a very good R&B/Funk/Disco song. I really like this one. Hmmm. This could possibly be my new song pick of the day.

22. “Calling Dr. Love” by Kiss

Alright! Another rock song! You know what Kiss’ problem is? They are just so subtle. Anyway, I usually prefer Paul’s songs to Gene’s. But this is one Gene Simmons song (along with “I Love It Loud“) that I absolutely love.

21. “So In To You” by The Atlanta Rhythm Section

The Atlanta Rhythm Section is a southern rock band. They weren’t as popular as Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Allman Brothers, but they are pretty good (well at least this song anyway). This was their biggest hit, peaking at #7.

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Well, that wraps up today’s list of songs. I enjoyed it. I hope you’re enjoying this trip back to the ’70s. We’ll be back to continue the countdown tomorrow.

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Return to the ’80s Movie Soundtracks: Footloose

 Our coverage of the classic 1984 movie, Footloose, continues today. Yesterday was a review of the movie itself. Today, Robert is going to cover what very well may be the heart and soul of the movie - the music. Enjoy!

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Movie-wise this is my absolute favorite not very good movie. The plot is weak, the acting is passable, and the dialogue is, at times laughable. Consider when Ariel is spitting mad at Chuck Cranston. During an argument, Chuck is being petty and jealous while physically roughing Ariel up a bit. Now, Ariel has every insult and curse at her disposal; and she opts for, “You’re so stupid!” It is difficult to find a positive review by any movie critic . . . and I don’t care- I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! One thing I have always enjoyed more than the actual film is the movie’s soundtrack. I have seen the movie countless times: several times in the movie theatre, nearly 30 times on VHS and a dozen times on Netflix (in fact, I have it on Netflix as I write this). All of these viewings do not hold a candle to the number of times I have listened to the soundtrack. I own it on vinyl, cassette, and CD – always at the ready in case someone asks about it or I just want to be washed away in nostalgic memories.

According to Billboard, the soundtrack has sold a total of 9,000,000 copies and was #1 on the album charts for weeks (April 21 – June 30, 1984). This soundtrack spawned six Top 40 songs with three of those being Top ten hits: “Footloose” #1, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” #1, and “Almost Paradise” #7. With all of this success, this soundtrack must be loaded with great songs, so let’s take a look.

Footloose (#1)  by Kenny Loggins (opening credits, bar scene, and prom)

Loggins is easily considered the “soundtrack king” of the ‘80s, and this song is one of the big reasons why. It is not his first soundtrack hit nor will it be his last in the ‘80s, but it may be the most popular. I recently took my younger daughter to a popular local event “Daddy Daughter Date Night.” It is an annual dinner and dance for fathers and their daughters (between first and fifth grades). During the dance portion, the DJ played Footloose and all of the girls screamed and rushed to the dance floor. As much as I love this song, the reaction of all of these young girls to a song released over twenty years before they were born gave me goosebumps; this must be a sign of a true classic. The video contains clips from the film. The original video release was Ren’s big dance scene – that never made sense to me because they used a different song in the film (see track 9).

Let’s Hear it for the Boy (#1) – by Deniece Williams (Ren teaching Willard how to dance)

Despite this song being a huge hit and being used in a funny montage in the movie, it may be my least favorite. It has a memorable chorus and a smooth dance beat, but it has never really appealed to me – I have no good reason – it just doesn’t.

Almost Paradise (#7) – Almost Paradise by Mike Reno (from Loverboy) and Ann Wilson (from Heart) (prom as well as an instrumental version in the music box that Ariel gives Ren)

There is not much I can say about this song. It is one of the all time great love songs from the ‘80s. I have danced to it with my girlfriend (now wife) and it will always be one of my favorite romantic songs that I cannot, and will not, turn off before it is finished.

Holding Out for a Hero (#34) – by Bonnie Tyler (tractor chicken race)

I love Tyler’s first big hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart“, but I think this song is even better. I am shocked it only reached #34 on the Billboard charts. This song has some grit and enthusiastic drive. It has some of my favorite lyrics on the soundtrack. I have even used these lyrics in my English classes when discussing the importance of heroes to society and literature and the difficulty we have pinpointing the constantly changing definition, “Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods? Where is the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?”

Dancing in the Sheets (#17) – by Shalamar (Ariel caught by father dancing at drive-in fast food spot)

This is a good, catchy dance tune. The first thing that pops in my mind now is a friend of mine who directed Footloose: The Musical at the high school where I teach. He was forced to cut this song because of its suggestive lyrics. C’mon, that is kinda funny. The video is from American Bandstand (remember that show?).

I’m Free (Heaven Helps the Man) (#22) – by Kenny Loggins (decorating for prom)

This is Loggins’ second appearance on this soundtrack, and, while I possess the proper reverential love for the title track, I do like this song better. It should be impossible to separate a good soundtrack from the film; perhaps this becomes a reason that I really like this song. This song fits the movie perfectly, maybe even better that all of the others. Lyrically the song is about fighting for what you believe in and striving to achieve success. In the film, this song marks Ren’s success at the town council meeting and the beginning of the preparations for prom. This lyrics to this song serve an inspirational purpose and the fit perfectly for the film’s transition to the prom scene, “Looking in your eyes, I know I’m right / If there’s anything worth my love, it’s worth the fight / We only get one chance, and nothing ties our hands / You’re the one I want, listen to me / Nothing I want is out of my reach.”

Somebody’s Eyes – by Karla Bonoff (Ariel and Chuck sneaking away to the woods)

This is the only track on the original soundtrack that does not receive any primary attention in the film. It is heard in the background, playing on the radio that Ariel brings with her on a secret, and illicit, meeting with her jerk boyfriend. The song itself is an easy-to-listen to pop song with a good chorus and decent guitar solo. Bonoff’s vocals are haunting and soothing at the same time.

The Girl Gets Around – by Sammy Hagar (Ariel switching cars while driving down the highway)

This is the only true rocker on the original soundtrack. Honestly, Hagar is somewhat out of place here. Even though this appearance is before he joined Van Halen, he was already known as the Red Rocker and had a number of heavy guitar driven, popular songs. The song is great – it fits Hagar’s style and matches the scene in the film quite well. Despite this, it does not truly match the overall sound of this soundtrack. The video is from a live performance in St. Louis.

Never – by by Moving Pictures (Ren’s solo dance of frustration)

This is my personal favorite track. I love the rhythm guitar riff and I think the scene it is used in fits perfectly. I have always been a bit of a sap for the cheesy inspirational lyrics and this song has a great one, “If you don’t give your heart wings, you’ll never fly.” I do not even care that Kevin Bacon is not the one dancing in this scene- this song carries an uplifting message with a catchy beat.

The 1998 reissue of the soundtrack included four additional tracks, but I am sticking with the original release.

In the ‘80s there was such a strong connection between movies and their soundtracks. In some of those films the music played a prominent role. If you track Top 40 hits from soundtracks, you will see double digit numbers in ‘84, ‘85, and ‘86. Footloose is clearly one of the most famous and successful examples. The music on this soundtrack can be called nothing except iconic. I never tire of watching the movie or listening to this amazing soundtrack. Every list of best soundtracks is obligated to include this shining example at at near the top.

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Top 40 Songs This Week – April 14, 1984: Songs 40-31

Hi Everybody, it’s about time for another Top 40! This week, we are Returning to the mid-’80s: specifically 1984. This was a very good year for movies and music. There was one movie, which was released 2 months before this countdown, that heavily influenced the music landscape. You’ll know what movie I’m talking about before we even finish this first list of songs. This week’s countdown is also brought to you by my flu-induced fever. So, if I seem a little more crazy than usual, and don’t make sense, we’ll blame it on the fever, and you can just go ahead and click on the song titles to enjoy this awesome music! So, let’s Return to the week ending April 14, 1984, and begin the countdown!

40. “Borderline” by Madonna

What a great way to start the countdown! This is one of my favorite Madonna songs, and was her first Top 10 hit. 31 years later she is still releasing new music. She just released her 13th studio album, Rebel Heart, last month. Her appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon proved that she still has a presence. However, Jimmy Fallon’s over-the-top ass kissing was even more over-the-top than usual in the interview. Even though I didn’t care too much for the song itself, her performance of “Bitch I’m Madonna” was outstanding, and proved that she’s just as good as any pop star out there today (which really isn’t saying much – but still).

39. “Dancing in the Sheets” by Shalamar

Here is the first song in this countdown from the movie Footloose. This song also came off of the R&B group’s eighth album, Heartbreak. This was Shalamar’s first album without Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley.

38. “Let’s Hear It For the Boy” by Deniece Williams

OK, is everbody starting to see a trend here already? This was a huge hit from Footloose. It hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, as well as the dance and R&B charts. This song also had backing vocals by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, who would go on to become known as the duo Boy Meets Girl.

37. “One in a Million” by The Romantics

This song was from The Romantics’ fourth album, In Heat. That album was better known for the hit, “Talking in Your Sleep“. This song peaked right here at #37. That sounds about right.

36. “Oh, Sherrie” by Steve Perry

YES!!!! “You should’ve been gooooone/Knowing how I made you feel/And I should’ve been goooone/After all your words of steel” This was the Journey singer’s biggest solo hit. This was written for Steve Perry’s then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford (who also appears in the video). Lucky for us, he decided to jinx his relationship by writing a song for her instead of going with the traditional tattoo-of-her-name jinx. This song is a stand out on Perry’s Street Talk album, which is solid with outstanding songs.

35. “No More Words” by Berlin

This was Berlin’s first Top 40 hit, and my favorte song of theirs.

34. “Holding Out For a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler

Footloose song #3 so far. This is one of my favorite songs from that soubndtrack. It is a great rocker. I love Bonnie Tyler’s edgy voice. The music is awesome too. It was written by Jim Steinman (who wrote a lot of Meatloaf’s biggest hits) and Dean Pitchford. This song also played during an awesome part of the Footloose movie.

33. “The Kid’s American” by Matthew Wilder

The only song I knew Matthew Wilder had was “Break My Stride.” This is the song that prevented him from being a one hit wonder. This song isn’t too bad. I don’t know if I’ll run out and buy it, but I kind of like it. It’s a good upbeat song, and even has a dueling sax solo!

32. “Show Me” by The Pretenders

This song was off of the Pretenders’ third album, Learning to Crawl. This was the first album they came out with after two of their members, James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon both died of drug overdoses. This song isn’t mind-blowing, but it is a solid Pretenders tune. If you like the band, you’ll like this song.

31. “Breakdance” by Irene Cara

This was a perfect song at the peak of the break dancing craze. This song would peak at #8, making it Irene Cara’s third (and last) Top 10 hit.

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Well that wraps up today’s list of songs. I’m still alive, and able to type, so I’ll be back tomorrow to continue the countdown. There are going to be some more classics this week, so please come back.

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