Shady's Eighties Greaties Vol. 4: Backfired Situation!

"The Guy Under the Seats"

Hello there, Shady. I'm sure you never thought you'd

be seeing me again. I'll bet you were hoping I'd stay

hidden away in my little cubby-hole forever so that

you could sit up there in your ivory tower as the

self proclamed ruler of the blog world. 

Let me ask you this, Shady. Do you happen to know how long

it's been since you ran an Eighties Greaties post? I'll tell you

how long. The last post ran in 2012. Do the math. That's

something like 20 years ago. Tell me, Shady, how does

it feel to play God year after year, foisting heavy metal

thunder, sugar-coated disco ditties and your granddaddy's

lame Hit Parade tunes from the 50s upon your readers?

 Well I'm back and things are gonna change around here pronto. You see, Shady,

the vast silent majority of my fellow Americans agree with me that the 80s

was the last great decade for music. Therefore, I am staging a coup.

 Effective immediately, I am taking over as host of your sorely neglected

Eighties Greaties. My first order of business will be to change the name

of the series to... Jennifer Jason Leigh Bridget Fonda Phoebe Cates

Christie Brinkley Bo Derek Morgan Fairchild Heather Locklear...

and, try as you may, there is absolutely nothing you can do

to stop me, mister smarty pants!

 DEBBIE HARRY 

Debbie Harry will turn age 74 this year, folks. Anybody feeling old?

In 1981, after a highly successful five year run as front woman of

the new wave band Blondie, Debbie began a solo career. Her debut

single, "Backfired," from her debut solo album KooKoo, backfired.

It didn't exactly burn up the charts in the U.S. or the UK. Blondie
fans were surprised and perhaps a little put off when they saw
the transformation in Debbie's appearance in the music video.
Check out her darker hair and sci-fi inspired look.

"Backfired" - Debbie Harry
(Sept. 1981, highest chart pos. #43 Hot 100,
#39 Cash Box, #32 UK, from July 1981 album KooKoo)

START PLAYING VIDEO

AT 25 SEC. MARK!

 EDDIE MURPHY 

In the early 80s actor and comedian Eddie Murphy began to try his luck as a
recording artist with varying degrees of success ever since. In 1985 Murphy
entered the Buffalo, New York, home studio of record producer Rick James
and recorded "Party All The Time," a danceworthy single that features
Rick on backing vocals. Eddie's party platter spent three weeks at #2,
bumping its head on Lionel Richie's chart-topper "Say You, Say Me."

Watch and listen as Eddie Murphy and Rick James lay down the
sound on their collaborative hit-- "Party All The Time!"

"Party All The Time" - Eddie Murphy

(Dec. 1985, highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100/#8 R&B)

START PLAYING VIDEO

AT 45 SEC. MARK!

 CATHY DENNIS 

Since the mid 1990s, Britain's Cathy Dennis has enjoyed a very successful career

as a songwriter. Cathy has penned hit songs for Kelly Clarkson, Kylie Minogue and

Britney Spears. Cathy's greatest success came in 2008 as co-writer of Katy Perry's

monster international hit "I Kissed a Girl", one of the best-selling digital singles

in history. In the late 80s, before she started focusing primarily on songwriting,

Cathy made a name for herself as a pop/dance recording artist. In November

1989, Cathy's dance single "Just Another Dream" was released in the UK

 but failed to chart. In the year that followed, the record was re-issued in

the UK and reached #13. The slab was also released in the U.S. where,

in the early weeks of 1991, it caught fire, finishing in the top 10

on the pop chart and top 3 on the dance chart. Here now is 

Cathy Dennis on Oprah with "Just Another Dream."

"Just Another Dream" - Cathy Dennis

(first released Nov. 1989, charted in U.S. Jan. 1991,

highest chart pos. #9 Hot 100/#2 Dance Club/#13 UK)

 TEARS FOR FEARS 

In 1985 the English new wave pop rock band Tears For Fears achieved
back-to-back #1 hits in the U.S. with "Shout" and "Everybody Wants
To Rule The World." That same year Tears For Fears extended their
American winning streak with a third single, "Head Over Heels,"
which cracked the top 3 that summer and turned up in
the soundtrack of the 2001 sci-fi film Donnie Darko.

"Head over Heels" - Tears For Fears
(Oct./Nov. 1985, highest chart pos. #3,
from Feb. 1985 album Songs from the Big Chair)

START PLAYING VIDEO

AT 30 SEC. MARK!

 YAZOO 

Yazoo (known as Yaz in North America because lawyers say so) was an English

synthpop duo, consisting of vocalist Alison Moyet and former Depeche Mode

keyboardist Vince Clarke. Yazoo enjoyed worldwide success in the New Wave

80s and their songs have been used in numerous movies and television shows.

In March 1982 the song "Situation" was released in the UK on the B side of

Yazoo's debut single "Only You" and therefore failed to chart. It was a much

different story stateside where "Situation" made the Hot 100 and topped

the Dance Club chart for four weeks. In this cool clip, Yaz performs their
U.S. club hit "Situation," better known to some as-- "Move Out!"

"Situation" - Yazoo aka Yaz

(Aug 1982, highest chart pos. #1 Hot Dance Club Play)

 FUN BOY THREE 

Fun Boy Three was an English New Wave pop group made up of Terry Hall and

two other vocalists who broke off from the popular late 70s British ska revival

band The Specials. Hall, together with Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's, penned

"Our Lips Are Sealed" which became a hit for Jane's girl group in 1981 and

was named by Rolling Stone mag as one of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs

Of All Time. In 1983 Fun Boy Three released their own rendition of

"Our Lips Are Sealed" and it made the top 10 in the UK. I like
this version better than the Go-Go's original! 

"Our Lips Are Sealed" - Fun Boy Three
(April 1983, highest chart position #7 UK,
live perf. on Top of the Pops)

Well Shady, I hope you got your jollies sitting on the side-

lines contemplating your navel while I hosted my new series

Eighties Greaties Jennifer Jason Leigh Bridget Fonda Phoebe

Cates Christie Brinkley Bo Derek Morgan Fairchild Heather

Locklear. Tell me, Shady... how does it feel to be cut down

to size? How does it feel to have somebody else up here

on your throne while you're way down there groveling

in he dirt and crying like a little girl? Knowing you, it

wouldn't surprise me one little bit if you pulled the

plug on this series just to get rid of me. 

Do what you must, my friend, but remember, what goes around

comes around. One of these days, instant karma's gonna get you,

gonna knock you off your feet, better get yourself together,

darlin'.. Billy Bob Thornton you're gonna meet.

But, until that day, I'm gonna be right here

making your life... a living HELL!