80’s Sunday Rewind: John Hughes edition

As I drove home from Shreveport this afternoon, I put my 80's playlist on the iPod after the first hour on the road and something occurred to me: there are a great many songs I adore from John Hughes movies.  If you read my earlier post about the influence of Hughes' films, you know I love the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, but it's also worth mentioning that Hughes introduced many bands to America's youth in the 80's. 

What would the ending of Sixteen Candles be without Thompson Twins "If You Were Here"?

And my favorite scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off wouldn't be the same without the instrumental version of this Dream Academy cover of The Smith's "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want."  It's the museum scene — you know it as soon as you hear the melody.

I'll leave you with my all-time favorite.  I've written about this before, but it's The Rave-Ups (one of my fave bands) song "Positively Lost Me," which they play on stage at Cats, the club in Pretty in Pink.  It's the song playing over the scene where Andie brings Blane to the club.  This song is great for many reasons: 1. it was not included on the soundtrack 2. they were in the film because they were Molly Ringwald's favorite band 3. until very recently, the song wasn't available on iTunes and was considered rare 4. lastly, listen to the lyrics .  Jimmer lists things the girl has lost, it's brilliant.  The things are just things, but it also tells you quite a bit about their relationship, then he nails the last line with "you lost my face, you lost my laugh/and then you lost my confidence."   And also brilliantly, the song is playing while Duckie tells Andie off.  Great scene.  Here's the song.

"You lost a lot when you lost me
Six paperback books and a dying tree
A looking glass and a diamond ring
You lost me and you lost some dreams

Oh, you lost your cool, you lost your keys
And then you lost a sense of honesty

Two blankets and a bookshelf piece

Two blankets and a bookshelf piece
A picture frame and a couple keys

Two blankets and a bookshelf piece
A picture frame and a couple keys
Stole a couple of dollars that I won't see

Two blankets and a bookshelf piece
A picture frame and a couple keys
Stole a couple of dollars that I won't see
You lost a lot when you lost me

You lost my face, you lost my laugh
and then you lost my confidence"

goodbye, John Hughes

One of my heroes passed away today. 

John Hughes was a brilliant screenwriter and director and I know much will be written about him in the coming weeks about his contribution to the film industry, his impact on my generation, and the group of actors he introduced to America.  And while I marvel at those things, what sticks out in my mind is how he was able to develop characters like Andie Walsh, Samantha Baker, John Bender, Philip F. Dale, and of course Ferris Bueller. 

Those  characters had depth you don't see much in film anymore.  That saddens me.  Ferris wasn't just a guy who wanted to skip school any more than  Sixteen Candles was a movie about a girl's birthday.  Hughes made us care about his characters.  I was 12 when Pretty in Pink came out and saw it at the old Joy Theater in Shreveport, LA.  I knew little of the social dynamics of school at the time, which was the theme of the film — but I knew I loved Molly Ringwald's character because she believed in herself.  She was cool.  She had style.  When I reached high school, I appreciated the movie on different levels.  I understood the social element, the romantic element, and the setting.  PIP was the first movie I HAD to have the soundtrack of, which, as I have blogged before, I have replaced more than any record, tape, or cd I've ever owned. 

Hughes got teens.  He didn't talk down to them, he didn't dumb-down his movies.  He presented his stories and gave us something to think about as well entertainment.  I miss that in film and hope someone will take up his mantle. 

I've found a few of my favorite short scenes from my favorite Hughes films for you tonight.  The first and the last are great scenes without dialogue, the others are great lines.  Enjoy.   And watch a Hughes flick this weekend. 

getting this show on the road

I'll be driving up to Shreveport today to attend a funeral for my great uncle on Saturday, so you know what that means.  That's right:  I have to be "on."  This means seeing family members I haven't seen since 1977, my grandparents' church friends who will say "I haven't seen you since you were knee high to a grasshopper" — really, this has been said more than once by some of the folks at prior events.  I don't recall ever being knee high to a grasshopper, unless they're referring to when I was an embryo and I although I have a fantastic memory, it doesn't go back quite that far.

Iphone 025 On a completely different note, 'cause randomness reigns, I thought I'd share some pics from Orange Beach. 

Because I'm a narcissist (sarcasm), I took a pic of myself in the outfit our waitress complimented me on.  She said she liked my style and that I was adorable.  This made her my new bff.   

Nothing like a $25 Target dress and more accessories that I could carry and taking pics in the hotel mirror.  It was actually  nice hotel, which you can't tell but this shot of the mirrored closet.

Do you see how skinny my ankles are?  Is there any wonder I'm constantly spraining them?  They're like toothpicks supporting the Statue of Liberty.  And I choose to wear Votatiles with heels, which I've fallen in several times because I am that graceful.  It's a gift I have.  I'm auditioning for "Dance Your Ass Off" as we speak.  Not really.  But I would if I had any coordination whatsoever. 

We saw Flipper on a dolphin cruise with the Griffins. It was awesome.

Iphone 058

Iphone 085  We went bowling.  I fell down and sprained my ankle while trying to pick up Andrew's ball when he dropped it on the bumper.   You're not supposed to cross the line.  I crossed the line.  The lane is greased-down with the stuff body builders use to be all shiny and I slipped.  Did my hubs rush to my side?  No, he looked at me like the fool I am until I tried to get up and slipped again because the lane was made of Crisco.  After that he shook his head and helped me up.  

Check out Molly attempting to pick up that split.  I don't think it's fair that the kids get to have the bumpers. 

Whatev.  I'm off to Shreveport.  I have stress acne.  And I can't find my favorite bra.  Besides the sad occasion I'm going for, I'm also planning to visit a few friends and their babies which is always fun.  Still don't know where I'm staying, but I'm sure I'll update later.

This has all the makings of a successful visit to the hometown. 

80’s Sunday Rewind: Tom Tom Club

Here's a late Sunday 80's Rewind for you.

I've loved Tom Tom Club since back in the day.  Everyone's heard Tom Tom Club, even if you weren't aware of them, you know them.  I pulled the following from their website (which is impressive, by the way).

The Tom Tom Club was created by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth in 1981.
Graduates from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1974, they moved to
New York City where they founded Talking Heads as a trio with David
Byrne in 1975. Chris played drums, Tina played bass and David sang and
played guitar. In November of 1976 they signed to Sire Records and
released their first singles. In 1977 they were joined by Jerry
Harrison (of the original Modern Lovers) from Boston. Jerry played
guitar and keyboards. It was in early 1981, after five years of touring
internationally and four studio albums they wrote and recorded with
Talking Heads– Talking Heads: 77 (1977); More Songs About Buildings And Food (1978); Fear Of Music (1979); and Remain In Light
(1980)–that Chris and Tina were encouraged by Jerry and David, who had
each left the group to make solo albums, to do likewise. So they signed
with Island Records, then owned by industry legend Chris Blackwell, one
of the first people to fully appreciate the value of a great rhythm
section in and of itself. In March 1981 they flew down to Compass Point
Studios, Bahamas, to record.

So, yeah, Chris and Tina were in Talking Heads, but Tom Tom Club were revolutionary in the music industry.  They were ahead of their time with "Genius of Love" and that song has taken on a life of its own.  This is from the Wikipedia page on "Genius of Love":

This song is one of the most sampled rhythm tracks of all time,
particularly within the rap/R&B/hip-hop genre, with dozens of
unsolicited remixes and versions, most notably Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde's "Genius Rap" in 1981; GrandMaster Flash & The Furious Five's "It's Nasty" in 1982; Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" in 1995; and The X-Ecutioners' "Genius of Love 2002" in 2002. Also, Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack" in 1996.

Other artists have incorporated "Genius of Love" into their works, including: Public Enemy's "Leave This Off Your Fu*kin Charts," Redman's song "Brick City Mashin!," Cam'Ron's "Me, My Moms & Jimmy," 2nd II None's "Niggaz Trippin'," Fresh Kid Ice's "Roll Call," Tupac Shakur's "High Speed," Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack," Busta Rhymes' "One," Ant Banks' "Roll 'Em Phat," P.M. Dawns' "Gotta Be… Movin' On Up," Annie's "Chewing Gum," Menajahtwa's "I Ain't Nasti," and "Genius E Dub" by Eric Sermon.

Onto some video goodness.  Love this.  "Genius of Love," a hilarious video of "Wordy Rappinghood," "Pleasure of Love," and "As Above So Below" — the last being a weird video I know nil about, but features Judd Nelson for some reason.  I know, weird.

'til tomorrow,

blog makeover

Woo-hoo!  The blog makeover is complete!  Hannah of Sherbet Blossom Designs did a great job on my blog's makeover and I love it.  The old blog had needed a fresh coat of paint and a little sprucing up and I couldn't be happier with the remodel. 

The fam is back from the beach and I have a bunch to tell you and photos to share, but for now I'll just wish you a happy Sunday and I'm going to upload pics and read my 180 emails (no exaggeration there, btw).  Have a great evening and I may surprise y'all with a late edition of the 80's Sunday Rewind, who knows.

80’s Sunday Rewind: Simply Red edition

This has been a Simply Red kind of weekend for me.  Shut up. 

There are only a few bands that get me like Mick Hucknall's band.  And it has nothing to do him copying my red haired-blue eyed thing I've been working all my life (anybody from back in the day remember when I was Mick for Halloween in 1987?  Yeah, that was me).  I'm talking about some blue-eyed soul, though.  Few bands did that better than Simply Red in the 80's.  Now the band's just Mick and that's fine with me. 

Simply Red debuted in 1985 with the superfantastic album, Picture Book, and released the great "Money's Too Tight (to Mention)" — a song about tough financial times (hmm, strangely familiar, no?) with the line "we talkin' 'bout Reaganomics."  Now, does it get better than that?  If I could make a list of phrases for be included in a song, "Reaganomics" would definitely be on that list (along with "after school special," but that's a blog for a different day).  I used their title "Holding Back the Years" (their first US #1 single) as a title for a short story once, as I do love using song titles in my writing.  The other videos I'm including today are a fan's vid of  "Heaven," also from Picture Book, which is a lovely song about a bar; the song that never fails to make me tear up, Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" from 87's Men and Women and the cover of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me by Now" from 89's A New Flame.  If you're a fan, Simply Red has a nice You Tube channel with heaps of high quality vids, lots of concert footage and more.  It was nice to find high quality stuff for today's post, it's usually such a chore.  When you go to the channel, check out "Infidelity," "For Your Babies," and "Stars."  Enjoy.

EDIT:  shut up.  I found an 80's leftover.  1992's "Your Mirror," which I listened to relentlessly while going through a particularly hard time.  Here is the video, a live version, and the lyrics — because it's right on, baby.

"Your Mirror"

I've got to stand up for myself
This society don't care about nobody else
I've got to be strong
Even if I know that this feeling is wrong
I've got to not care
Even if I know that this world is meant to
Share

Wait a minute. This is wrong
Even the birds still sing their faithful song
And your beauty lies within you
Look in the mirror baby
Look in the mirror baby

What you gonna do when your friends have
Gone away
And deserted you
You'll have to be strong
24 hours can seem so long
You're taught to not care
And then not realise this world is meant to
Share

Wait a minute. It's wrong
Even the birds still sing their faithful song
And your beauty lies within you
Look in the mirror baby
Look in the mirror baby

We've got to stand up for ourselves
Even if a leader so cold wants to glory himself
We've got to be strong
Even if our reasons seem wrong
We've got to not care
Even if the world that we know may not even
Be here

Hold it! It's wrong
Even the birds still sing their faithful song
And your beauty lies within you
Look in the mirror baby
Look in the mirror baby