80's is Crazies

Allow me to explain and indulge my crazy for a minute.

I struggle with 80's music, not because I don't love it, because there's too much to love.

Growing up, Heavy Metal was my muse. First show was Bon Jovi in 1986. I was 11. It all went down hill from there. Hair led to Thrash and eventually to a 41 year old man heavily spinning Allegaeon like he discovered something all his own. It's the curse of growing up Metal, its not too far away at any given time, and deservingly so.

BUT, as an child of the 80's, and a argumentatively intelligent adult, I appreciate much more of the decade than just the \,,/ obsession of my youth. From early Rap, Brit Pop, Alternative, Hardcore, Top 40, Dance Music, etc... The decade was pretty badass.

Now, as a guy who plays and sings, something I've always struggled with is finding a perfect cover song from the 80's. I would have loved to have found some magic bullet song for my band, Domicile, to cover, even though we definitely did "Ace of Spades" justice, I wanted to find that diamond in the rough song to blow people away. Case in point, years before Disturbed covered "Land of Confusion," a local Cleveland band did it during a sound check at a Domicile show they were booked to open, and we stood in awe. We also stood in fear of having to follow a band that good. I don't remember their name... Sorry (not sorry), I'm sure Louie has their name locked into his head. I digress.

Recently, I've been playing some acoustic stuff with very talented people here in Pittsburgh, and my mind is headed back to that same old "gotta find something special from the 80's" way of thinking. I have a few I'm messing with, but they are relative cheese meant to only entertain. "Stray Cat Strut," "8675309 Jenny" and possibly a few others are easy enough and probably crowd pleasers, but wouldn't it be cool to play something like "Mad World" to a group of people that never heard it before? Maybe get one of those percussion boxes, a looper pedal and figure out a rudimentary version of a New Order tune?

That's indulging my inner nerd. Let's get back to my crazy 80's:

First #1 song of the decade: KC and the Sunshine Band / Please Don't Go (Jan 5th 1980)

Last #1 song of the decade: Phil Collins / Another Day in Paradise (Dec 30th 1989)

Wow, that's pathetic. What a shite way to begin and end the decade. Let me pic another song from each year that better reps the street, yo:

#1 Song on my Birthday, 1980: Lady / Kenny Rogers

#1 Song on my Birthday, 1989: Blame it on the Rain / Milli Vanilli 

WORD UP!!! Much better. That is a good representation of a crazy time on this planet. 

A Jazz Singer, turned country, singing a song about being a "knight in shining armor" (cliche) to the object of his obsession. This song (penned by Lionel Richie) was so good and destined for greatness, Kenny released it off his "Greatest Hits" LP as a single that never did appear on any actual LP before it. 

AND

A fake band, stripped of Grammy's, ridiculed, tarred and feathered by the masses.

Yup, that's my '80's, and the end of this nonsensical blog. I'm going to nuke a Micro Magic Milkshake and cry over Heart's "Alone."

Forgive those who trespass against you, especially if its me.

Nago