Continuing on with my 80's music theme, here are more songs that spark a memory or nostalgic flashback for me. I linked them to youtube videos for your viewing pleasure.
"She Bop" by Cyndi Lauper - In 1984 it was racy and scandalous to even talk about girls indulging in one-person-sex, much less sing about it. Cyndi busted through the uptight attitudes and celebrated "good vibrations" in her catchy pop tune. My friends and I giggled and blushed knowingly whenever it came on the radio.
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! - further cementing my love for gay men, I immediately fell for George Michael. My gay high school pal, Stace, was the first to clue me in on his sexual orientation...same as he did for Boy George. Yes, I was a bit naive back then and my gaydar hadn't developed yet. Now we know, if I'm attracted, the man is either gay or married. Or both.
"St Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" by John Parr - This song immediately calls to mind my first girlfriend, Angela. I can't hear it or see the movie without thinking back to that first love, the all consuming, young hearts on fire, passionate craze of emotion. That, and remembering the look on my sister's face when she walked in on us fooling around.
"The Wild Boys" by Duran Duran - Guaranteed to get me on the dance floor doing my best tragic dance moves, this song was also sung as loudly as possible while cruising Forsythe Park and the West Monroe mall. I think it is the perfect theme song for an all male burlesque review.
"Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco - Fresh off my falling in love with Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart's music, and the 1984 hit movie, Falco entertained me with his silly yet loveable song. I also loved "Der Kommissar". Like Amadeus, Falco died at an early age. When I hear this song, it makes me want to hear "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik".
"Wishing Well" by Terence Trent D'arby - The song that was playing the first time I ventured into a gay bar. I'll never forget the women-dressed-like-men and the bartendress who called me "baby" and checked out my legs. I was the only person there wearing a skirt, and that includes the one bad drag queen. I was terrified and honestly thought I'd have a panic attack or that somewhere in my parents' house a light had gone off on a board marked "She's gone to the dark side and will never be back...it's so much more fun there.". This is the song that started me on 20 years (and still counting) of hanging in the gay bars. What? You thought it would be something by Dead Or Alive?
"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes - There's nothing that will bring back my first semester at LSU faster than this song. I watched Dirty Dancing over and over and incorporated the message of the movie into my life. And what do I think that message is? "Nobody puts Baby in a corner!" Yes, thus cementing my lifelong role as an attention whore.
And last in my list, which could've been much longer than this two-parter is "Miss You Much" by Janet Jackson. I had just moved to Austin after a brief stint in OKC and this song never failed to remind me that life just isn't the same without Freddy. It also reminds me of Jo, the dyke who managed the Taco Mayo where we'd go for dirt cheap food. She liked me, so she'd let us bring beer in as long as we were discreet and poured it into TM cups. Toward the end "dirt cheap" meant "free" and "she liked me" warped into "was obsessed". It's all good.
No comments:
Post a Comment