P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing) Michael Jackson
Thriller Michael Jackson
Freakshow on the Dance Floor The Barkays
Swoop (I'm Yours) Dazz Band
September Earth Wind and Fire
Truly Lionel Richie
Night Time is the Right Time Ray Charles
Burn Rubber The Gap Band
I'm So Excited The Pointer Sisters
You're the Inspiration Chicago
We Are the World Quincy Jones
Super Freak Rick James
Purple Rain Prince
No Parking on the Dance Floor Midnight Star
Jungle Love Morris Day and the Time
Mr. Telephone Man New Edition
Jam On It Newcleus
She's a Bad Mama Jama Carl Carlton
Shackles on My Feet RJ's Latest Arrival
Call Me Skyy
Greatest Love Affair Jeffrey Osborne
Oh Sheila Ready for the World
867-5309 Tommy Tutone
Time Warp The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Mony Mony Billy Idol
P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing) and Thriller- Asking me to choose a Michael Jackson song is like asking me to eat only one potato chip or french fry. It's cruel and inhuman...but I didn't want this entire playlist to be about the Michael Jackson "Thriller" album. Truthfully, it could be because I had it spinning constantly on my turntable for years. The "Thriller" video captivated our entire nation. My mom taped it on our VCR...remember those? I vividly remember "moonwalking" and imitating the Gloved One's fancy footwork. Kids at school wore gloves in his honor right along with their parachute pants. I bought earrings from the mall to show my devotion. One earring was a diamelle stud (very classy) and the other...drumroll...a white glove covered in diamelles that dangled to my shoulder. Just call me a P.Y.T!
Freakshow On the Dance Floor- My first boyfriend in high school was four years older than me. My parents loved him but in their infinite wisdom, they refused to let me go out on actual dates with him or anyone for that matter until I was 15. At the time of our "romance" I was a young 14. He was allowed to come over to hang out at our house plus he was able to drive me home from our community ballfield. BIG WHOOP! It was 500 yards from my driveway. Anyhoo...he asked me to the Barkay's concert, but of course, I couldn't go. He bought me a t-shirt. As the saying goes... My boyfriend went to the Barkay's concert and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.
Swoop (I'm Yours)- An older friend whom I danced with had her rich daddy wrapped around her finger. She received a gold (with glittery sparkled paint) 280-ZX as a present after recovering from spinal meningitis. Another friend and I would cram in the narrow passenger's seat while she spun us around the block. We'd go to the drugstore for real cherry Cokes or to Burger King for our lunch break during dance rehearsals. One awesome night she drove us to Quincy's Steakhouse, the finest eating establishment in our town, for dinner. What bliss! This song played that night over and over. I kept hitting the "rewind" button. Believe me, I knew I was in high cotton when the built-in tape player chimed like a bell while our song was rewinding.
September- Earth Wind and Fire is my ABSOLUTE favorite band ever! I have seen them in concert more times than I can count. I love every song they sing, but in particular "September" has special meaning. When I think of this song, there is a connecting and mingling of many nights or shall I say early mornings. My sister and I weren't allowed to receive phone calls after 9:30 p.m. Normally at this time I would be upstairs in my room reading or listening to my stereo. Of course, being a typical teenager, I wasn't going to let rules get in the way of my social life! I instructed my boyfriend to call at 10:30 p.m. What? How, do you ask, was I able to do this? Simple. My parents usually went to bed at 10 o'clock on the dot. Giving them a few minutes to drift off was the first part of my game plan. At 10:20 I would pick up the phone and call "Dial A Prayer." This was a local number where at any time day or night a person could hear a prerecorded devotion and prayer. Often I would listen to this devotion 2 or 3 times before I heard the magical "beep" of call waiting. I clicked over and talked away to my heart's content but only after I dragged my beanbag and the phone into my walk-in closet. My stereo provided the low background noise my parents were accustomed to. Perfect scam!
Truly- What teenage girl in the 80's didn't listen to Lionel Richie and cry her eyeballs out? My best friends and I would pile into our sleeping bags in the middle of someone's den, listen to this song and shed tears over our crush of the moment. The tears REALLY flow if you've just been to a high school dance where you watched the love of your life dance with another girl. Oh, the anguish and sorrow! We talked into the wee hours, always reassuring one another that those "other girls" were nothing but trash.
Night Time is the Right Time- I realize this song was released way before I was born. That small detail is insignificant. All I have to type is three little words and it will all come rushing back..."The Cosby Show." Yep, you know the episode! The wedding anniversary song for Cliff's parents with the family lip-syncing and dancing. Tiny Rudy was the secret weapon singing..."Baby, baby!" Best show ever!
Burn Rubber- The upstairs of my childhood home only had three rooms and a landing. One of these rooms belonged to me and the other to my sister with the landing in the middle. Down a narrow hall was our minute bathroom where I used to drag my younger sister and scare the pee out of her, but that is another story for another time. Picture this sister sitting on her bed looking into my room across the hall. I hit "play" on my stereo and the only sound heard was a motorcycle revving up at the beginning of the song. Daf would hold onto the pretend handlebars, crank the gas and as the motorcycle in the song took off so would she like a streak of lightning across the hall into my room. I can't tell you how many times we did this all the while laughing hysterically.
I'm So Excited- Who could forget Christie Brinkley driving that red Ferrari beside Chevy Chase in the family truckster? This movie and the song above makes me smile. Not only was I seeing a rated "R" movie ( I wasn't 17.) but I was sitting with a huge group of friends and more importantly, the hottest guys in our small town.
You're the Inspiration- Remember the curtain-pulling guy from my first playlist post? This song hummed in the background while we talked and fought and played mind games with each other in "The Parking Lot." This parking lot was the main place to cruise around, park, talk and act foolish. We drove around and around and around...two lanes of pure teenage heaven. It was a place to see and be seen. Even though the Curtain Puller and I never truly had a serious relationship, we stayed in close contact until I graduated college.
We Are the World- This song reminds me of spring chorus concerts, sitting outside on warm days at lunch, selling snacks in the canteen, rolling down car windows to leave school and making plans for the weekend. If anyone would like me to imitate Bob Dylan and his part in the song, please contact my agent.
Super Freak- When my photo albums come out of storage, I will scan this particular picture to illustrate perfectly what this song means to me. Three friends and I danced to this in our school talent competition which by the way, we won second place. We tap danced in leotards and tights with ENORMOUS white, curly wigs. Super Freaks we were! I cannot believe we did it and in front of the entire student body.
Purple Rain- I thought for sure Prince would win an Oscar for his work in this film of such merit and depth. Hahaha At the end of the movie I was sobbing with my hands in the air swaying. My life was forever changed. I bought the cassette. I searched far and wide for a raspberry beret. I wanted to be Apollonia. End of discussion.
No Parking, Jungle Love and Mr. Telephone Man- My sweet boyfriend took me to the Carefree Curl Summerfest where Midnight Star, Morris Day and I think, New Edition played. (I did see them all in concert but I'm having a hard time remembering if New Edition was with the others or if they had their own show.) Picture a huge wicker fan chair in front of a tropical backdrop and hundreds of couples in cocktail attire having their photographs professionally taken. Also picture fake roses complete with light kits being sold by the thousands. Then breathe in deeply the scent of "weed" wafting from the rafters the minute the lights went out. Listen to "Slow Jam" by Midnight Star as fake roses sway back and forth in the darkness. See New Edition in full length cloaks descend from the ceiling onto the stage. It is burned in my memory.
Jam On It- This song played constantly during an entire summer at our community ballfield. Church softball was supposed to be the main event. Sadly it wasn't for us. The main attraction was the parking lot of said ballfield where all the teenagers gathered. We congregated to drink beer and be social. Many relationships started there and ended there. Many practical jokes were played there. Many friendships strengthened there. My mom would ask..."Who won?" and I seriously had to hold my lips together on more than one occasion when I almost answered..."Won what?" Whoops!
She's a Bad Mama Jama, Shackles and Call Me- These songs remind me of my best friend from high school. She would drive us around in her mom's navy blue Celica GT during lazy summer days. We'd hit the Zesto, a drive-in paradise known for their burgers and banana splits. Next we would cruise around looking for boys and we knew just where to find them. One house in our town was the hangout for a huge group of baseball-playing hotties. (I mentioned them earlier with the Pointer Sisters.) Two brothers lived there...one being my first boyfriend...but at any given time, there would be 10 to 15 guys lounging on the porch, sitting on their cars or throwing the baseball in the field across the street. My bestie and I would stop the car around the corner, rewind to our favorite songs and cruise by at 10 miles per hour with the woofers thumping. Usually we wouldn't stop but instead we'd give the half-wave...cool and mysterious!
Greatest Love Affair- Here we go again! Curtain-puller guy! This was our unofficial but official song. We did actually go out on dates. We had a great friendship. We had so much fun together. We exchanged Christmas presents. The only problem was when I was in love with him, he wasn't in love with me. Then when he loved me, I wasn't loving him. However, we did share something innocent and special and wonderful. It was the greatest love affair of them all.
Oh Sheila- I worked in my high school canteen at lunch. To get to our canteen, students had to walk outside and up to a large counter with a garage door that we rolled up to sell things and rolled down to lock up between lunches. I worked with a close guy friend and one of my best friends since kindergarten. My girlfriend's mom made a ham and cheese sandwich for her every day. She split it with me without even blinking an eye. My mom worked an hour away and left home early. If I wanted a sandwich, I had to make it. Needless to say, I never did. It felt great to be "taken care of." I won't ever forget that.
867-5409- Who didn't want to change their number and be Jenny? Well, we didn't know what "for a good time call" meant. During those crazy half-days at the end of the school year, a huge group of us would party at the lake. One of the guys in our tight-knit gang lived on the lake and owned a boat. We sunbathed on his dock, water-skied behind the boat and grilled hamburgers on his patio. We were loving life and all it's possibilities.
Time Warp and Mony Mony- This is a two part story. A friend of mine and her older brother turned me on to Midnight Movies and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." A movie where you were not only allowed but were actually encouraged to throw toast, shoot waterguns, dance and scream profanities sounded like heaven to me. And it was! I was totally hooked! Alas, another plot started taking shape. I could use the Midnight Movies as a ploy to stay out until 3 o'clock in the morning. (My regular curfew as a senior was 12:00.) My two besties and I talked over our plan. Some older college guys we knew from our area were throwing a big party and invited us. We decided to tell our parents we were going to see "TRHPS" at midnight and come home immediately after. Right! My mom even helped us pack our supplies for the movie. Oh, the lies! Try to visualize three innocent girls in the middle of Animal House and you've just about got it. We couldn't believe our good fortune...a COLLEGE PARTY WITH COLLEGE GUYS! I won't go into detail what happened because it isn't for the weak of heart. I will share; however, how we stood on the coffee table and screamed "new" words to the tune of "Mony Mony" with the rest of the drunk college coeds. We couldn't wait to graduate.
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