Blog

January 8, 2023Blog

Safety Dance by Men Without Hats

Revisit the classic 1982 hit song "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, an anthem for individual expression and resistance to authority
November 2, 2022Blog

Mr. Roboto By Styx

“Mr. Roboto” is a song written by Dennis DeYoung of the band Styx, and was featured on the band’s 11th album, Kilroy Was Here, which also became a rock opera. The song […]
January 29, 2021Blog

Pandering to America: Huey Lewis and James Brown List Cities

There's nothing a big stadium concert crowd loves more than hearing the name of their city shouted by their favorite rock star. In the 80's, a few performers figured out how to work the names of many U.S. cities into hit songs, in what can only be described as pandering to audiences hungry for recognition of their American hometowns.
June 19, 2020Blog

Taunting Virtue with Adam Ant’s Goody Two Shoes

Goody Two Shoes by Adam Ant was a hit in 1982, reaching number 12 in the US and number 1 in the UK. How did Ant shape this common taunt […]
June 19, 2020Blog

Fat by “Weird Al” Yankovic

In this episode, we unpack “Weird Al” Yankovic’s hit 1988 song “Fat,” a parody of Michael Jackson’s “Bad,” and discuss how it mocks heavy people in a way we now […]
June 19, 2020Blog

The Adorable Cynicism of Richard Marx’s Don’t Mean Nothing

In this episode we discuss Richard Marx’s breakout hit, Don’t Mean Nothing (1987). It may be one of the most cynically painted rock portraits of Hollywood in the 1980s, with […]
June 19, 2020Blog, Uncategorized

The Racist Background of Puttin’ on the Ritz

In this episode, we discuss the racist background of the 1983’s Puttin’ on the Ritz. While it was something of a novelty song when Dutch Indonesian singer Taco Ockerse took […]
June 19, 2020Blog, Uncategorized

She Bop by Cyndi Lauper

Did She Bop deserve the caution placed on it by the Parents Music Resource Center when it was released in 1984? How does its supposed or real message measure up […]
June 18, 2020Blog, Uncategorized

Asian in the 80’s: Turning Japanese by The Vapors

“Turning Japanese” by British pop band The Vapors was a big hit in 1980, relying on the “oriental riff” — an instantly recognizable musical shorthand for Western ears. The riff […]
June 18, 2020Blog, Uncategorized

Paradise By The Dashboard Light by Meatloaf

Technically recorded in the ’70s, Paradise By The Dashboard Light found its way onto thousands of’ 80s mixtapes with a thrilling combination of teenage car sex, ’50s nostalgia and… baseball? […]