What A Time It Was

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to heaven, we were all doing direct the other way."
It was The Eighties!

It has been called the decade of decadence, excess and greed.
Ronald Reagan & the "ME!" generation.
Yuppies, nerds & "Just Say No."
Video games, aerobics & minivans.
The Berlin Wall coming down.
However you remember them, the 1980's were a unique era in culture and history.

I graduated from high school in 1984. The thing that remains from those years, the thing that just screams "EIGHTIES" to me was the music.
Madonna, Wham! & Duran Duran.
Live Aid & We Are The World.
New Wave, Heavy Metal and Rap.
The 80's were all about music.

In this blog I will attempt to examine and share my love of the music of the 1980's, the age when "video killed the radio star." So come along and enjoy the ride, and remember, It's all about the 80's, baby!

"The Promise" - When In Rome (1988)

One album, one hit. But what a hit it is. It came late in the decade so it may seem odd that, for me, this is the quintessential 80's song. The musical style and arrangement, the lyrics, the video, it all comes together for a perfect 80's feel. It fits better with the music from 1983-85 and perhaps the group would have had more success had they been a few years earlier.

When In Rome was Clive Farrington, Andrew Mann, and Michael Floreale, all of whom came from the band Leisure. The only other thing Leisure gave us was Corinne Drewery, singer for fellow one-hit wonders Swing Out Sister ("Breakout").

"The Promise" is a song of true love, acceptance and comfort. Words from someone who will always be there and will always understand. It speaks of all the things we yearn for in a relationship.

"If you need a friend, don't look to a stranger,
You know in the end, I'll always be there.
And when you're in doubt, and when you're in danger,
Take a look all around, and I'll be there.
When your day is through, and so is your temper,
You know what to do, I'm gonna always be there.

I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say.
I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be.
And if I had to walk the world, I'd make you fall for me,
I promise you, I promise you I will. "

"The Promise" Lyrics

"Here I Go Again" - Whitesnake (1987)

10 years after leaving Deep Purple to form Whitesnake, David Coverdale finally scored a breakthrough with their self-titled album. The album built on the commercial savvy and success displayed on 1984's "Slide It In." This hit single was a new version of a song that originally appeared on 1982's "Saints & Sinners". Wisely, Coverdale replaced the phrase "...like a hobo I was born to walk alone..." with "...like a drifter..." (If you've heard the original you know what I mean!)

"Here I Go Again" gave the band it's first U.S. #1 and, along with the #2 follow-up, "Is This Love," carried the album to #2 on the charts. The song had enough pop panache to make it accessible to the female market but was hard-edged enough to keep the rockers interested. Of course, the videos featuring Mrs. Coverdale, Tawny Kitaen, may have helped on that score too.

Speaking of videos and visual appeal, it's interesting that between the recording of the album and the production of the videos, Coverdale fired the entire band and replaced them with the "prettier" lineup of Vivian Campbell, Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo, and Tommy Aldridge.

"Come On Eileen" - Dexy's Midnight Runners (1983)

Okay, I promise this blog will be more than one hit wonders. But you won't prove it by this entry. This song has been described as a fusion of "ramalama rock & roll, soul delivery, and Celtic/country flavor." Whatever you call it, it was perfect. For an all too brief period Kevin Rowland's Dexy's Midnight Runners exploded with this single and it's video.

Expertly treading a fine line between innocence and sensuality with lyrics like, "Come on Eileen, I swear, at this moment, you mean everything. You in that dress, my thoughts I confess, verge on dirty." It also bears the distinction of being one of my wife's favorite songs. (I can tell because she will slap my hand if I try to turn the radio down while it's on!)

Tom Ewing at Freaky Trigger does an excellent job expounding on the enduring (eternal?) charm and appeal of "Come On Eileen".
Some excerpts:
"It's at once a chantalong, fiddle-fuelled novelty; an enduring public pop landmark and the biggest hit of a band whose integrity was dearer to them than fame or sales or, well, anything. It is also, of course, partly a pop record about loving pop records, whose beautiful opening lyrics are some of the most evocative I know."
"[It] still stands alone - a perfect marriage of subject and effect, ... I find it tireless, moving, almost awe-inspiring, and its survival and popularity only adds to that awe."

Please click and read the rest of Ewing's paean to this classic chunk of 80's pop joy.

"One" - Metallica (1988)

With the release of "...And Justice For All" in 1988, Metallica ended their self imposed moratorium against making promotional videos and gained their first Top 40 hit with this 7 minute plus prog-metal song.

The video alternates between black & white footage of the band in a bare room, shadows cast by the blades of a slowly rotating fan and scenes from Dalton Trumbo's 1971 anti-war film, "Johnny Got His Gun." The song and film both tell the tale of a young soldier wounded by enemy fire. Due to brain damage he has lost all sensory functions. All the parts and thematic variations flow perfectly making this one of Metallica's best works musically. Metallica would abandon this progressive approach in favor of shorter, commercially accessible songs after "...And Justice For All".

"One" approaches very serious subject matter and treats it with dignity, power and artistry. At the same time it gave us a taste of Metallica's potential and prepared us for the untitled "Black" album.

"Vienna" - Ultravox (1980)

The album "Vienna" was the first with Midge Ure leading the "new" Ultravox. Ure shifted the direction of the band from glam rock tendencies to a new romantic/synth pop sound. Most of the members doubled on string instruments and the synthesizers frequently emulated orchestral sounds.

"Vienna" was the third single from the album to be released and, where Sleepwalk" & "Passing Strangers" had failed to make an impact, it succeeded with a vengeance. This lineup would create the most identifiable Ultravox sound and image. "Vienna"'s film noir style black and white video only enhanced the band's new romantic feel.

"We walked in the cold air
Freezing breath on a window pane, Lying in waiting
A man in the dark in a picture frame, So mystic and soulful"

The simple drumbeat of "Vienna" combined with Midge's vocal delivery of the haunting lyrics combined to take it to the top of the UK charts and caused America to take notice as well.