And the Oscar Goes To...Kneel Before Zod!

Listening to: John Williams - Greatest Hits 1969-1999 (featuring songs from Star Wars Trilogy, Indiana Jones, Jaws...etc)
Weather: Warm and Windy again...

This has been a long journey travelling through the 80's...a heck of a lot of good laughs as my sister and I rehashed a lot of memories we had together growing up...

I thought I'd end my 80's blogs with one of my favorite topics: the movies.

I remember going to the movies and they cost I think $4.75 in the early 90's?  I'm sure they were in a correct adjustment with the standard of living at the time but still, it just sounds funny compared to the $9-$12 most theaters charge today.  Also, in 1984, the concept of PG-13 is introduced...which made it a lot easier to categorize those movies that were way too crude for a PG rating.

So with a big pizzazz-like hurrah, here is my blog for Top Movies of the 1980's...possibly the hardest list yet for me to come up with...

PS: Please, if you see a movie here that you haven't watched but plan on it and don't like reading summaries (endings included) then please don't read that movie description...you've been warned!
PPS: All quotes from IMDB.com
*Again, in no particular order unless specified*


Twins (1988) - Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito Rated PG
This was possibly one of the most ingenius concepts in modern-day film...no exaggeration intended, really.  I mean how else could you pair these two actors and make it work this hilariously?  I don't care what other people think, this movie was and still is hilarious...
Julian "My name is Julian and I am your twin brother." 
Vincent "Oh obviously!  The moment I sat down I thought I was looking into a mirror."


Ghostbusters 1 & 2 (1984-1989) - Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, and Annie Potts  Rated PG

We all know the concept: four guys run around New York getting rid of ghosts, poltergeists, etc etc...then somehow they discover this other, uh, dimesion?  World?  And a huge massive crisis is going to be hitting their city and only they have the correct back-pack wearing gadgets to stop it.  Though at the time it was a slight bit frightening (I was young after all) it was kind of like finding the Superman (or SuperMEN) to my boogeyman fears.
Janine - "Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster, and the theory of Atlantis?"
Winston on being interviewed for a job - "Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say."


Superman II (1980) - Starring Christopher Reeves, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, and the three scary people especially Zod.
Speaking of Superman: Three criminals whom were jailed by Superman's pops, Jor-El, are accidentally freed by a hydrogen bomb that Superman deployed in outerspace to thwart a terrorist plot...the three discover they have incredible powers upon Earth and wreak havoc trying to take down Superman and the Earth.  Meanwhile, Clark Kent and Lois have married and she finds out he's Superman.  But of course at the end of the movie, he is able to magically wipe her memories out so that she doesn't remember that she knows he's Superman.  And of course he saves the day at the end.  But I personally liked number one much better but it was 1978 so I have to choose this one by default...the next two Supermans ended up bombing sadly.  We'll see how all of these new Superman things do.
"Good afternoon, Mr. President.  Sorry I've been away so long.  I won't let you down again." - Superman, duh.


Crocodile Dundee (1986): Starring Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski - Rated PG13
Mick "Crocodile" Dundee is the object of Sue, a reporter, Charlton's next article.  They spend some time together in Australia where of course her big ol' bootie is being admired when she gets attacked by an crocodile who thankfully grabbed her water canteen around her neck instead and Mick kills it for her.  Scene still startles me today.  Then she asks him to come to NY with her where we experience Mick struggling with the modern things (escalators, food carts...) and of course a run-in with that thug kid where the most quotable line from the movie emerges:
Sue - "Mick, he's got a KNIFE."
Mick - "A knife?  That ain't a knife."  He takes out this HUGE knife, "now THIS is a knife."
Two things that bug: she kissed him a few times but she has a boyfriend, when you're a kid that stuff confuses you!  Secondly, when he put his hat in the bathtub, it grossed me out.

Either way, they end up falling in love and he leaves us with a crowd-pleasing moment of him walking on people's heads in a crowded NY subway but...why didn't he just tell her to stay and that he'd be right there when the crowd thinned out?


Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): Starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
By far my favorite of the trilogy, (I couldn't stand Temple of Doom) this one featured Sean Connery as Prof. Henry Jones, Indiana's father, as they search for the Holy Grail (the cup of Christ) against the Nazis who want it for selfish gain, and an evil American dude who wants it for a more eternal nasty purpose.  The chemistry and humor between Sean Connery and Harrison Ford is really the key here, they are hilarious together. 
Sallah - "Please, what does it always mean...this Junior?"
Prof. Henry Jones - "That's his name" he points to himself, "Henry Jones" points to Indiana, "Junior."
Indiana Jones - "I like Indiana"
Prof. - "We named the DOG Indiana."
Marcus Brody - "May we go home now please?"
Sallah laughing - "The dog?  You are named after the DOG?"  Laughs loudly.
Indiana - "I have fond memories of that dog." Cue theme song.


Back to the Future: (1985) - Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and of course BIFF Rated PG
Marty McFly travels to the past where his parents are teenagers...which also brings me to one of the WEIRDEST moments in movie history up to that point for me: that was Marty's mom for goodness sake!  But I think Crispin Glover's role is adorable...anywho, so they have to go through all these shenanigans to ensure that Marty and his sibs don't get erased from the future if his mom ends up with BIFF (why don't they just get away from this dude)...and of course rocks out 80's metal style at their Enchanted Prom...btw, their Delorean scene was filmed at our mall!  Another random fact, Angelina and Brad's shoot out scene in Mr. and Mrs. Smith was filmed at our defunct Ikea building.  Was wondering what all those cars were doing there!  Back to, Back to the Future...so it was a great movie, spawned two more pretty good movies and introduced the world to the hope of hovering skateboards!
Marty "Wait a minute Doc...uh, are you telling me that you built a time machine out of a Delorean?"
Doc "The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?"



Batman: 1989 - Starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger Rated PG-13
I don't care what anyone says, Christian Bale is great.  Heath Ledger was insane, Jim Carrey was zany...yada yada yada.  But I don't know, nothing beats this Batman movie for me.  Though Michael Keaton was an odd Bruce Wayne for me because of his unconventional looks, I thought he was the best we've ever seen so far.  Batman 2 became a little too creepy for me with Penguin (Danny DeVito) and I thought Michelle Pfeiffer was terrific as Catwoman (I hope Anne Hathaway will be decent but it's kind of a strange casting choice in my opinion), Batman Forever was Val Kilmer who I thought was decent, Nicole Kidman who was odd, and Jim Carey and Tommy Lee Jone as villains were great.  Then uh Arnold and Clooney take on the next one and I can't even bear to talk about it...I just can't.  I thought Tim Burton's Batmans (the first two) were good cause it had that kooky Gotham city feel to it, though I have to wonder...why didn't the people just get the heck out of that place?  It's like hell on Earth, literally!
Batman is dangling a criminal off the side of a building:
Criminal "Don't kill me x3" desperately.
Batman "I'm not going to kill you.  I want you to do me a favor.  I want you tell all your friends about me."
Criminal "What are you?"
Batman "I'm BATMAN"


Naked Gun: (1988) - Starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and yes...O.J. Simpson
Possibly one of the most overtly slapstick ridiculous comedies out there, this one is special to me because me, my sister, and my cousin would roll on the floor laughing clutching our stomachs until we had tears pouring out of our eyes when we watched this as kids.  It's funny too because I remember a few years later when they started showing this movie on tv, we were at a family party giggling as usual when we heard our uncles gasp and ask us what the heck we were watching.  Later, as I got older and watched it again I said YIKES!  It's sad too cause O.J. was pretty good in the movie...sad to know what he was going to be up to in a few years...
(After beating up a conference full of world leaders, including wiping off Mikhail Gorbachev's birthmark): "I'm Lt. Frank Drebin! Police Squad! And don't ever let me catch you guys in America!"


The Goonies: (1985) - Starring Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, Chunk and SLOTH! Rated PG
This movie was like every kid's dream come true: find a lost treasure map, go on treasure map adventure, get chased by bad guys, and...yup find the pirate ship...in the meantime, you get your first kiss, help trap criminals, and most importantly: you meet SLOTH - "Hey you guysssssss!"
Mikey: "Goonies never say die!"


Three Men and a Baby: (1987) - Starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, and possibly the cutest baby I've ever seen.
Three successful bachelors live together in this mega loft-like super cool apartment loft thingie...yea.  I was so jealous of it, and I was a little girl for goodness sake!  Tom Selleck was Peter the successful architect, Steve Guttenberg was Michael the cartoonist, and Ted Danson was Jack the actor, and father of the baby.  It's about watching these three manly men basically learn how to be loving caring dudes that care about something more interesting than just their own success...and of course to make it thrilling, you add some heroin packets in the diaper!  Woah, topic change!  And of course this movie took off on its own when the VHS came out (yes video) and people thought there was a ghost in the window of a scene.  I remember my brother bawling and jumping into my arms when he saw it and I had to rock him to sleep, he was so frightened of it...turned out it was a cardboard cut out of Ted Danson's character in a top hat...go figure!  Uh and yes, the director of this movie was none other than: Leonard Nemoy.  Yes, that  Leonard Nimoy (Spock for any of you sad sad people who missed out on a great show, go watch some Star Trek already!)
Michael opens the door and finds a baby on their doorstep:
Michael -"That's a baby."
Peter - "I know it's a baby.  What's it doing there?"
Michael - "It's sleeping."



The Karate Kid: (1984) Starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, and those karate guys in black.  Rated PG
As I've mentioned before, Ralph Macchio was my first ever love.  First EVER.  Creepy that I found out just now that he was 23 at the time...23!  He looks like he's 12, someone make sense of this please.  Maybe he has that Justin Bieber gene, cause that Bieber kid looks like he's 10 not 16 or 17 or however he is.  Anyway, possibly one of the most beloved movies of all time, this movie introduced such classic quotes as "Wax On, Wax Off" and of course the infamous Crane move at the end...oh and btw, Mr. Miyagi was nominated for an OSCAR for this movie!
Mr. Miyagi - "Karate come from China, sixteenth century, called te = "hand".  Hundred year later, Miyagi ancestor bring to Okinawa called *kara* te = "empty hand"
Daniel-San - "I thought it came from Buddhist temples and stuff like that."
Mr. Miyagi - "You too much TV."


Honey I Shrunk the Kids: (1989) - Starring Rick Moranis, a wife, two neighbors, four shrunken kids, and of course the dog that saves the day.  Rated PG
I went to the theatre to watch this and I thought my life had changed...it was literally that amazing of a movie to me back in the day...I still actually think it's pretty ingenious and hilarious...I also specifically remember that for the rest of that year, I would check my cereal bowl for little floating kids screaming for help, I was nicer to ants, and craved oatmeal-creme filled cookies everyday...sigh, talk about an easily influenced kid!
Diane (the mom): "Are you saying it works...the machine works?"
Wayne nods.
Diane: "Do the kids know?"
Wayne: "Well, yeah, the kids know."
Diane: "That's great!"
Wayne: "No, it's not that great."
Diane: "Why?"
Wayne: "I shrunk the kids"


The Little Mermaid: (1989) Starring Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Rene Auberjonois, Pat Carroll, Buddy Hackett Rated G
A singing mermaid princess wishes to be human, and even chooses to deal with an evil sea witch to achieve that goal, in exchange for one thing: her voice.  Her father, the buxom (yes I used this word) King Triton eventually has to save the day, with the love of her life, Eric saving the day as well...this is officially my dad's most hated movie (after 10,000 bc though, now that I think about it) because he thinks Ariel is selfish and caused grief on the poor father...any relations to me?  I sure hope not!  Also...this movie led to many fantastic moments in the pool where us girls would try to do that emerging out of the water gasping for breath pose she does when she gets her human lungs...never came out right like her Kool-Aid red hair did...this movie started the Disney-return where they focused on remaking old classics...love this movie!
Sebastian: "Ariel, listen to me.  The human world is a mess. Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there."


Sixteen Candles: (1984) Starring Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, and of course I HEART JAKE.  Rated PG
Samantha, Sam, Baker is sixteen.  She has a big crush on popular boy, Jake Ryan.  Nerd boy has crush on Samantha.  Her crazy sister is getting married, all these grandparents are arriving...and of course one of the craziest most absurd Asian characters ever to hit the screen: the Donger, appears.  And on top of everything: everyone forgets it's her birthday.  Don't forget: Lumberjack, panties, and a drunk prom queen plus of course the raving bride.  This movie resonated with me because of the way her family was, the way her grandparents would just grab her and say ridiculous comments was much of my life growing up...now if only I could find a Jake Ryan to share a cake with!
Samantha: Donger's been here for five hours and he's got somebody.  I live here my whole life and I'm like a disease.


Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer: (1982 & 1984) Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, and the coolest sidekicks ever...RATED R of course.
Personally I watched the Destroyer more than the Barbarian, just cause it seemed to be on tv more, but they were both equally great...I really actually thought Arnold was super-human and his sidekicks were great!  That horned demon monster scared the living daylights out of me, and probably scared the daylights out of Wilt as he thankfully never made another movie again.
Conan's Father: "For no one-no one in this world you can trust.  Not men, not women, not beasts.  This you can trust (hands him the sword)


Glory: (1989) Starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher and the 54th..sniff...RATED R
I'm a history lover, and this was a really great movie...also one of the most heart-wrenching movies watching racism of all things take over a country as free as America...definitely a most disgusting era in our short history.  It's about a Colonel (Broderick) who takes on the task of leading one of the first all-Black regiments which had formed quickly when Lincoln had called for it.  And the cast was incredibly incredibly stellar, Morgan Freeman as the kind of older brother figure, Andre Braugher as the intellectual softie, and Denzel had his breakout role as he was nominated for an Oscar for his great role as the rebel soldier...apparently during the scene where he is getting whipped for breaking the rules, the guy actually whipped him and the tear he cries is out of pain...but he kept on filming, what a guy!  What a movie!  My eyes are welling up as we speak...oh but randomly, the main song in this movie is the same song for Iron Chef (the original, superbly better Japanese version) how random is that?
Union soldiers - "Give 'em hell 54!"

*And of course don't forget, Clash of the Titans, Can't Buy Me Love, Adventures in Baby-sitting, Big, Amadeus...and so many more I'd go dizzy trying to write em all down and you'd go dizzy trying to read them...thanks for sticking through my reminiscent 80's blogs...until next time!

Punky Power! (All Rights Reserved by Punky and Co.)

Listening to: Ray Parker Jr's - "Ghostbusters" From the Ghostbusters Original Soundtrack
Weather: Stinkin' hot (peaked at 79 degrees!) and it's January for goodness sake!

There is something about cartoons that just sums up the 80's for me.  Though there are some stellar cartoons today (Spongebob is a great one) that instill the same silly somewhat innocent spirit, there just really is no substitute for the great tv that is the 80's cartoons...so here are ten of my favorite, and my ultimate favorite cartoon of all time...

 
He-Man: Masters of the Universe (1983-1987) and She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985-1986)
Spirit Unicorn, Cringer Tiger...the two coolest animals ever.  Twin siblings Adam and Adora (aka He-Man and She-Ra) spend their existence trying to maintain peace on their respected planets against their respected bad dudes...I went to Universal Studios when I was oh maybe about 6?  And there was this buff dude dressed as He-Man and he let me try to hold up his Sword of Power...I think I might have passed out that I was standing next to the immortal hero of all time.  That was the coolest moment ever...second was when I got to talk to KIT the car from Knightrider on the same trip.  Though, why is He-man look like he had one of those fake Hollywood spray tans?

 
Beverly Hills Teens (1986-1987)
Okay so technically this show was wack...spoiled rich Beverly Hills teenagers who for the most part are pretty nice ride around in a crazy stretched limo that has a hot tub in the back...led by Lark and her boy toy Troy, (I hated Lark by the way I liked Blaze the horse riding one) they went through life and as usual faced schemes by raven-haired Bianca, the usual vixen/bad guy of each episode and her bumbling dutiful servant Winston.  I don't know why they thought a story about rich spoiled teenagers would EVER make good money...what a dumb concept!  Ahem, cough cough...

 
The World of David the Gnome...only twenty-six episodes! 1988
 The voice of David The Gnome was none other than Mr. Cunningham, Tom Bosley, from Happy Days didn't know that...also didn't know that Christopher Plummer narrated it!  What a classy show!  And it only lasted one year?  The world wasn't and in my opinion never will be ready for a show like this...a show that promotes environmentalism, animals, etc...oh that's right kids today prefer blowing up stuff or animals that pop out of a ball to fight with...

  
The Real Ghostbusters 1986-1991
 With the popularity of the movies, of course the next logical thing is to make a cartoon right?  And don't forget the cereals and me and my sister's favorite, the Ecto Cooler flavored Hi-C.  You were considered one cool dude if you went to school with this in your lunch box/bag.

 
Rainbow Brite 1984-1986 but only 13 episodes: Twink

lunch box/bag.  My grandmother still has our Rainbow Brite doll...unfortunately we lost our Indigo doll, and our Twinks dolls (you know those cute furry things) but at least the Rainbow one has survived and will be a memento of remembering that a world with color is always better than a world without one.

 
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987-1996
Talk about a successful franchise...cereals, fruit snacks, and of course the standard action figures...and I just found out that the voice of Shredder the evil guy with the weird metal dentist mask over his face was voiced by none other than James Avery, aka Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  I don't know about you guys but the cool meter of this show just rose that much higher...

  
Smurfs 1981-1990
Ah the Smurfs...my older cousin who lived with us for awhile once took these three crab apples, piled them up on each other and said, hey this is how tall a Smurf is!  I freaked out imagining a hundred of those living in a mushroom village and have never been able to look at them the same since...and a CGI movie coming out later this year?  We'll see how that works out.

 
Garfield and Friends 1988-1994 Heathcliff 1984-1988
These two cartoons focused mainly on cats...which I actually don't really love...like the amiable ones are cute but my allergy to most cats tends to put me off...but what's weird is the Catillac Cats on the Heathcliff cartoon...a curvy sexy cat named Cleo, the others kinda acting like pimps...it's weird that in hindsight they were such adultish characters...but it was entertaining and Heathcliff walking with that plate of fish always made me laugh...though today, I prefer the Garfield comics over Heathcliff...
 
Care Bears 1985-1988
I love the Care Bears...was shocked to find out that they and Strawberry Shortcake were American Greetings characters and that Rainbow Brite was a Hallmark character...I also found out that Tenderheart Bear, the lead brown one, and the Raccoon were voiced by the same woman who voiced Rudolph in those claymation movies!  The trivia I'm learning is so enriching!

 
Jem and the Holograms 1985-1988
Jem is the precursor to any Hannah Montana type of show we ever dreamed of...and infinitely cooler than anything else ever brought to television...no exaggeration...that pink hair, the weird pink eyeshadowblush thing...and what was with the boyfriend thing?  It was weird...

AND FOR THE GREATEST 80'S CARTOON EVER!
EVER!!!!!!


 
Voltron: Defenders Of The Universe: 1984-1985
 Somehow by some unbelievably remarkably dumb luck and probably some dumb people, this show only lasted a year...there have been many times where they tried bringing it back, even in CGI form but it just didn't seem to have staying power...so tell me this: how the HECK did a show like Power Rangers become the biggest thing to hit since oh I don't know, The Beatles, when it was a way less cooler premise of Voltron?  Seriously beats me...and don't think I'm a freak but I had a major crush on the blue one...I still do...and apparently there are talks of a real-live movie in the works...Transformers has turned out pretty well, I hope this one does too, it deserves so much more attention and hype than it's been given...

So please...don't go out Thundercat oh-ohing to the horror of your neighbors, and please don't throw self-destructing notes at your boss because you are a weird trench coat wearing klutz with a hand coming out of your hat...but anyone who says that the Ipad or any other Tablet is cooler than Penny's computer book is seriously and sincerely delusional...

Tomorrow, the last 80's January blog...topic?

MOVIES!

WORD UP! Or Listen up on your radio!

Listening to: Cameo - Word Up! (Ok I'm not actually really listening to this song at this moment but I like this album cover and song so much I had to post it)
Weather: WARM and Incredibly WINDY

Today's list...Best 80's SONGS...

So far we've covered best tv, pop bands, big hair acts...now to one of the hardest topics out there: Best SONGS.  How do you try and narrow down thousands of amazing 80's songs into 10?  I sure can't.  So I'm going to cheat on a few and also do a Top 25 list...don't judge me!  :)

*Some of these songs were covered in other blog entries but I can't help it, some bands/singers were too great!*

*In no specific order unless otherwise indicated*

 1981
[David Bowie/Freddie Mercury: Under Pressure=A Single]
Great song and of course now famous for the Vanilla Ice did he or didn't he sample it for his "Ice Ice Baby" Song...he claims he switched enough of one beat for it not to be...I say give respect to where its due, and Queen and David Bowie wrote a fantastic song...

 1980
[Gary Numan: Cars=Pleasure Principle Album]
Okay so technically the song was released in 1979 but it hit big in America in the 1980's so I added it...plus how could you not with this great electronic melody?  Plus a guy in a three piece with eyeshadow screams this decade so there...

1981
[Journey: Don't Stop Believin'=Escape Album]
It was hard choosing one Journey song, there was of course: Faithfully, Open Arms...but something about this song stirs me!

 1985
[Whitney Houston: How Will I Know=Whitney Houston Album]
Another difficult choice...I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), Greatest Love Of All, Didn't We Almost Have It All...all amazingly sung by one of the greatest voices ever to hit radio...still sad for her, still hoping for her!

 1980
[Hall & Oates: You Make My Dreams=Voices Album]
Another band that had numerous hits throughout the early 80's, this song makes me bounce in my chair whenever I hear it, or go dancing across the kitchen floor...!

 1982
[Toto: Rosanna=IV Album]
Although rumored to be about actress Rosanna Arquette, this song's "Rosanna Rosanna" gets stuck in my head all day!  With a headbop to go with it...the key change is a tricky one when singing along though har har!

 1982
[Duran Duran: Hungry Like The Wolf=Rio Album]
"Doo doo doo doo...x100" that's a good chunk of the song and it's really fun to sing...they also had a bunch of hits such as Rio, Save a Prayer etc...

 1982
[Depeche Mode: Just Can't Get Enough=Speak & Spell Album]
This song came back to life with the movie, The Wedding Singer and also the famous GAP commercials...whatever happened to those commercials?  They were hilariously spoofed!

 1986
[Bon Jovi: Livin' On A Prayer=Slippery When Wet Album]
My current ringtone for my brother, this song is probably Bon Jovi's best known song...I remember dying laughing when I realized it was Richie Sambora making that synthesized sound in the beginning with his mouth with that little talk box instrument...great singalong song...

  1984
[New Edition: Cool It Now=New Edition Album]
Though I don't know why the lead voice sounds like a Chipmunk, this song is adorable and poppy...it spawned Bobby Brown and of course Bel Biv Devoe!

 1986
[Run DMC/Aerosmith: Walk This Way=Raising Hell Album]
I remember watching this video when the two groups are listening to one another through the walls, and they get together to produce this great track...their rapping with Joe Perry's guitar licks, Steven Tyler's scratchy vocals=perfect!  And apparently it revived Aerosmith's career as well.

 1988
[New Kids On The Block: Please Don't Go Girl=Hangin' Tough Album]
Although I was a huge NKOTB fan and liked almost all of their songs growing up, I have to give them this song because it's the one that made them hit bigtime...funny thing was, I remember watching either Nickelodeon or Disney Channel and they came on singing this song and Joey McIntyre at the time in his early teens made my heart drop to the floor...I was in love!  And their hits made them huge successes for awhile into the 90's: I'll Be Loving You Forever, Hangin' Tough, The Right Stuff, Cover Girl...etc.

  1984
[Wham!: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go: Make It Big Album]
I've talked about this song before because that's how much I love this song...it wakes me up and makes me happy the rest of the day...this album has a lot of great hit songs worth listening to.

 1985
[USA For Africa: We Are The World=Single]
I'm sorry but this song was just too amazing for me as a kid...I remember seeing all these famous people singing this unifying song trying to help poor people...it was one of the first charity-related things I had seen and it impacted me.

 1980
[Pat Benatar: Hit Me With Your Best Shot=Crimes of Passion Album]
She also had a bevy of hits that I love singing and dancing with: We Belong, Heartbreaker, Love is a Battlefield...she was fierce and sang like it!

Too difficult to pick just one song so I'll just say Prince and you can choose what song you think should go here! :)

 1981
[Rick Springfield: Jessie's Girl=Working Class Dog Album]
Loved this song, still love this song, and will keep on lovin' this song!

1983
[Blonde: Tide Is High=AutoAmerican Album]
Such an usual song with some kind of reggae sound to it, this with Heart of Glass showed the crass and style of Deborah Harry, whose country/folkish duets album is excellent btw

 1988
[UB40: Red Red Wine=Labour of Love Album]
Though they tend to do covers of other people's songs, they do great covers of other people's songs and I LOVE them with their reggae tone to it...

 1983
[Cyndi Lauper: Girls Just Want To Have Fun=She's So Unusual Album]
I've talked about Ms. Lauper quite a bit in my 80's blogs but that's because she was just so unique and outrageous which often if done right will lead to iconic status which she was able to achieve for herself with such hits as this one, True Colors, and of course Time After Time.

 1985
[A-Ha: Take On Me=Hunting High and Low Album]
Another song I've covered before, I just have to say their music video for this amazing song was so groundbreaking and traumatizing (a bloody cartoon guy coming out of the cartoon, did he make it, is he okay??) for me that it's something I'll always remember...

 1983
[Van-Halen: Jump=1984 Album]
I'm pretty sure the main reason I like this song is because it reminds me of going to NBA games...I'm a huge fan, and hearing this song brings it all back...har har.

1985
[OMD: If You Leave=Pretty In Pink Original Soundtrack Album]
I actually have yet to watch this movie, thoroughly enjoyed Sixteen Candles and didn't know this song was from this movie...duh!  Their song Walking On The Milkway is fantastic too.

 1985
[Tears For Fears: Everybody Wants To Rule=Songs From The Big Chair Album]
Another repeat contender, how could I not put them here with a song like this?  I also believe its remake by Adam Lambert was considered by Simon Cowell's as his favorite American Idol performance ever.  Is that significant?  I'm not sure but I like this song regardless.

 1987
[Beastie Boys: Brass Monkey=Licensed to Ill Album]
Whoever said three Jewish boys from Brooklyn could rap?  The Beastie Boys did.  Odd to call it 80's music, yet their sound personified the growing hip-hop movement and their childish playfulness captured the hearts of rebellious youths everywhere...in college I promise you, I'd turn on their music as I took naps because I listened to it THAT much and it had become a part of me...go figure.

 
[Michael Jackson]
Okay here I am again putting Michael Jackson down as winner of anything related to 80's music...heck I'd even be tempted to put him as greatest artist of all-time...I believe Rolling Stones put him number 2 after The Beatles...that's a hard call...but again, he basically ruled all things related to media during this era...and like I've said a further blog of just MJ is comin' up shortly, there's just no way to make one entry about him!

*Disclaimer: I did not include Madonna or Janet Jackson on here because I was more in love with their 90's sound than their 80's sound so we'll be hearing about them in a few...and trust me, this list is not conclusive, it was hard doing this and by number 10 I was going crazy...so enjoy, and hopefully you'll agree on some of my entries!*

So get out there, turn on your radio, get into some whip it action and roam if you want to...don't have a manic Monday and remember that it's never a good idea to get too physical in a shiny leotard and leg warmers even if you are as big of a babe as Olivia Newton John.