I’m sitting in my living room listening to “The Final Countdown” by Europe on Pandora. It’s 11:42 pm on a Saturday night. This song is incredibly evocative for me. It was released in 1986, when I was twelve years old. Europe was a Swedish glam metal band, and when you look at a photo of them, you just want to crack up, they look so 80’s cheesy. The track has a real arena rock theme. Joey Tempest, the band’s lead singer, wrote the tune, and he said it was written for the fans, that it was meant to be an opening song for concerts.
Whenever I hear it, and it inevitably accompanies sports team introductions, I get amped up, and so does the crowd at sporting events. It really is a power ballad that energizes your body and loins and makes you feel like you can conquer the world. Europe has had a long career with a bunch of hits, but this is still their signature song, and its popularity is well-deserved.
I’ve been doing Pandora most of the night. I started with a station based on “The Boomin’ System” by LL Cool J, and that brought me to “Paid in Full,” by Erik B. and Rakim. This song was an 80’s classic by one of hip hop’s early royalty. Rakim’s voice is considered one of the most raw and powerful in hip hop, and Nas is considered to be a modern version of Rakim. The track is a classic shriver’s tale about a guy trying to get by and get over. He raps about trying to move beyond having a 9 to 5 job to having something better in your life. And that’s a universal theme that resonates with just about anyone that’s ever had to clock into work. Which is just about everyone.
Erik B. and Rakim’s other big hit was “Microphone Fiend”, a 1988 track about Rakim’s addiction to rapping that also references possible substance abuse. It’s considered to be Rakim’s defining song. Rakim has had a lengthy career, but he’s never been able to duplicate the heights that he reached in the 80’s, when his brilliance burned so brightly. Every time I hear him rap I’m moved by the power of his voice. He truly is one of the all-time greats of hip-hop.
A little while after Erik B. and Rakim, Pandora hits me with “Eat Em Up L Chill” by LL Cool J. It’s a pretty dope 1990 track where LL Cool J’s states that he can and will take down all of his rap rivals. The whole song is one long braggadocious battle rap, LL verbally jousting against invisible rap rivals. These days LL is more famous for his acting than his rap career, but we can’t forget that he started out as just a kid from Hollis, Queens. At age 19 he released “I’m Bad” which was a bold declaration of, well, basically what a badass he was. And he followed that up by reminding us of that fact again, again, and again, in pretty much every one of his songs. We also can’t forget that LL Cool J stands for Ladies Love Cool James, and when you take that as your stage name, you’re pretty much declaring to the world that you’re here to sleep with all the ladies and dominate all the men, which is really what he’s all about.
The craziest part about LL is that in the video for “I’m Bad,” which was released in 1987, LL is a normal looking teenager with thick gold chains around his neck wearing a cheesy red track suit and a Kangol hat. It’s the classic 80’s black badass look.
When we see him now on NCIS: Los Angeles, not only is he family friendly and clean cut, he’s also a 6’3”, 215 lb specimen of rippling muscle and male power. I always wondered what the hell happened to LL, and how he got so jacked. Does he lift weights daily and down protein shakes every 3 hours? Whatever he’s doing, it works, because he looks great. I once saw an interview with him on TV where he said he works out regularly and stays away from carbs and eats a lot of lean protein, chicken and fish and the like. So maybe he doesn’t have a magic formula either, he’s just doing what the rest of us schmoes are all trying to do, he’s just better at it. That’s why he’s LL.
It’s now 12:08 am, and I think I’ve done enough hip hop, so I switch over to a station based on Journey. “No One Like You” by the Scorpions instantly comes at me on Pandora. It’s another 80’s song, but these are all 80’s songs because that’s what I’m feeling tonight. “There’s no one like you! I can’t wait for the nights with you. I imagine the things we’ll do. I just want to be loved by you!”
Wow, that hit me hard. The Scorpions are a German hard rock band, and they’ve been around forever. In this song they’re letting you know they have passion, and there’s a lucky lady out there somewhere that they’ll do anything for. It’s not a new theme, but the pained lyrics of lead singer Klaus Meine really resonate and make you feel the longing and desire he’s feeling. OK, that was a pretty cool choice by Pandora.
It’s 12:12 am and finally we get to an actual Journey track, Pandora hitting me with “Send Her My Love.” I remember this song from when I was 9, and it’s a really romantic tune. It’s about a man’s longing for his lady, and his desire to let her know how he feels. The song makes me think of passion, wistful desire, and tender love. It’s not really a sexual song but it is a true love song. OK, so this one made me a little sad, but it also made me feel good inside. Thanks Steve Perry.
It’s now 12:23 am, and REO Speedwagon’s “Take It On the Run” is blaring at me from Pandora. REO Speedwagon was a rock band from Illinois that formed in the 70’s and reached their peak popularity in the 80’s with hits like “Keep on Loving You,” “In Your Letter,” and “Don’t Let Him Go.” “Take it on the Run” was a huge 1981 hit, and it’s a pretty cool guitar and drum anthem with a lot of power chords. The lyrics are about woman possibly cheating on her lover, but really they don’t matter. It’s all about the music and the chords, and it transports you to a pulsing, throbbing arena stadium with 50,000 people all screaming and singing along with REO. Well done guys, you nailed this whole arena rock thing.
I’m starting to feel 80’s rock music overload, so I switch to Madonna on Pandora as my new station. Bang! Right out of the gate I’m hit with “Holiday,” a 1983 Madonna classic about the material girl’s desire for everyone in the world to just take a break and celebrate life for just one day. It really is a powerful theme, even though the song has a definite cheesy 80’s synthesizer feel to it. But I don’t care if it’s cheesy, because it’s great. I was 9 when this song came out, and it made me feel so excited and happy the first time I heard it, as if I was being allowed into a secret adult world full of fun and parties.
As everyone knows, Madonna would go on to be a legend, but back in 1983 she was a 24- year old Italian girl from Michigan who frequented New York City’s club scene. Even though the song is a little unpolished, you knew right away when you heard it that this chick had something There was an energy to her voice that just made you want to jump up and dance. 34 years later, she’s still going strong. Here’s to Madonna. Thanks for giving us three decades of great music, Madge.
At 12:35 am, Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” comes on, but it barely registers with me. I mean I loved the King of Pop, and as a Gen X’er growing up in the 70’s and 80’s he was the best there was. But we can like him alot and still admit that his later career, particularly starting with 1991’s “Dangerous” album was pretty cheesy. So I let “Man in the Mirror” go by, and I think about closing the curtain on the 80’s. But wait, let’s see if Pandora has one more goodie in its vaults.
Wow! I’m instantly rewarded for sticking with it as Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” screams out at me. This was a 1983 song that was Cindy’s first breakthrough hit. It’s a lighthearted song about how girls, well, they just want to have fun. But it’s got a great rhythm, and Cyndi’s voice embodies youth and female sensuality. She was 30 at the time, so a little older than usual for a pop star’s first hit, but just like with Madonna, when you heard it for the first time you knew she was going somewhere. It’s just got a lot of buzz, and it makes you feel great. It’s all about positivity, and what’s not to like about that?
Finally, “Escapade” by Janet Jackson comes on. I love Janet, she’s pop royalty. But I don’t love this song, and my 80’s plate is just about full now. So I let the song finish out, and then I hit stop on the Pandora display.
It’s 12:48 am now, and the music is gone. I reflect on what a great time I had during this tour of 80’s classics, and how the decade had some really incredible tunes. Maybe I only think this because those were my formative years. I mean there’s no question there was a lot of cheesy stuff being done then. But it was all so new, innocent and great. And people actually played instruments, like guitar and drums. Everything wasn’t engineered to death like it is now, with reverb and auto tune and all that crap. I mean rap is mired in mumble rap, which is ok, I like it, but it just sounds like a computer talking. And pop is so pre-planned and scientifically tested that it all sounds the same. I like The Chainsmokers, Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus as much as anyone. But their sound is so cold and disconnected. The 80’s had power and emotional resonance, and perhaps that’s why everyone likes it so much, even if it’s with a wink and a nod.
All I know is, when I spend a night with 80’s music, I feel transported to a positive, happy, loving time. Whereas when I listen to Top 40 on Spotify, I like it, but I get a headache after just a little while. And I don’t like headaches. So I think I’ll stick with the 80’s, at least on Saturday nights. And thank you Pandora for providing the content for this blast from the past.
Now I’m gonna go eat something. Thanks for listening to my tour, and may music continue to move us in ways that only great art can. I know it does for me.
