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TAG: 80s music
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songspeak
What’cha gonna do? Ghostbusters!
Last night playing poker, I was watching the action after getting knocked out. It was down to the final 5 players, and one of them went all-in. The guy with the most chips called, and then the last guy, who had the least amount of chips, made a call that was mathematically correct, even though his cards weren’t really good at all. Turns out the guy who didn’t have very good cards ended up with a full house, winning the hand and tripling up. We were discussing the hand afterwards, and about how he had to call with garbage, beating two much better hands. One of the guys said, “What are ya gonna do?” and then the older lady who runs the tournament and was also watching burst out with, “Ghostbusters!” and started laughing. She knew that technically, you’re supposed to say that after someone says, “Who ya gonna call?”, but she couldn’t help herself.
And, I mean, really…what child of the 80’s hasn’t songspoken this? Last night reminded me of that, and it also made me search for the original music video. I found it, and boy, had I forgotten what a gem it is. The celebrity cameos are amazing, and Ray Parker, Jr.’s creep factor is through the roof. So I’m gonna post it here. Know why? ‘Cause bustin’ makes me feel good.
Tags: 80s movies, 80s music, bustin' makes me feel good, celebrity cameos, creep factor, full house, ghostbusters, ghostbusters music video, poker, ray parker jr, what are ya gonna do, what are you gonna do, who ya gonna call, who you gonna call
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songspeak
Journey to the Center of the Pennsylvania
Kristen and I are heading back to her home-town of Palmyra, Pennsylvania this weekend, and Heather sent me an email earlier.
Just wanted to wish you well on your trip to PA this weekend.
HWhat’s kind of weird was this coincidence.
It’s funny that you sent this because Open Arms is currently playing in my earphones.
Matt
So of course, Heather sends me a reply. Attached was a little file called Journey-CompleteBand.jpg.
Attached is a great photo of Journey that I found.
H
Can you guess which one is me?
We’re big fans of Photoshoppery here at Songspeak. I think it might be Heather’s fault.
Oh, by the way, the title is a reference to Journey to the Center of the Earth. Funny thing about that is– If you weren’t near Iceland and needed to attempt any kind of travel to the center of the earth, Palmyra might be a good place to do this. It’s known for its sinkholes. They even have a restaurant called The Sinkhole Saloon.
Another fun fact about Palmyra is that parts of the John Travolta movie, Lucky Numbers was shot there.John Travolta may not have been to the center of the earth, but he was in Battlefield Earth.
Love is a Battlefield. At least that’s what Pat Benatar said.
Okay, I think I’m done.
Tags: 70s music, 80s music, battlefield earth, john travolta, journey, journey to the center of the earth, love is a battlefield, pa, palmyra, pat benatar, pennsylvania, photoshop, photoshoppery
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songspeak
The Rick Springfield Conundrum
So I heard Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield on the radio yesterday, and I was reminded of the long held debate of “Just what DOES he say?” The one line in the chorus can be interpreted as “Where can I find a woman like that” or “Why can’t I find a woman like that”. Both make sense in the context of the song, and both sound extremely similar when sang to that particular tune. Googling the lyrics leads to the answer being “where can I”, but I’m still not convinced. Listen for yourself and weigh in with your comments.
Tags: 80s music, jessie's girl, rick springfield, where can i find a woman like that, why can't I find a woman like that
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songspeak
David Lee Roth’s canadian nuts emergency
On July 4th, 2008, a man “wearing a little silk scarf and flashy clothing” was pulled over for speeding in a rural town in Canada. When the officer approached the car, he quickly noticed that the driver was having a medical emergency. Later, it was discovered that it was David Lee Roth of Van Halen fame and that this was a near-fatal allergic reaction to nuts. The officer saved Roth’s life.Besides the many nutty references in the headlines of articles I’ve seen about this, I think the winner of the most cleverly written blurb about this incident goes to MusicRadar.com, whose article headline is, David Lee Roth puts nuts in mouth, almost dies.
David Lee Roth is famous for what comes out of his mouth, but the Van Halen vocalist almost died recently for what he instead put into his mouth.
Joking aside, this is a problem for millions of people, actually. Kinda freaky if you start thinking about all the stuff that has nuts in it. Here’s a wallet guide if you’re a nut allergy sufferer. Another exerpt from the MusicRadar.com article:
We at MusicRadar extend a heartfelt thanks to the police officers and medical staff, not only for restoring Roth to good health but, more importantly, sparing us all from having to deal with the thought of Sammy Hagar rejoining Van Halen.
We share MusicRadar’s sentiments. Nutty as David Lee Roth is, that had to have been a frightening experience. But what’s everybody’s problem with the Red Rocker? Is it because he can’t drive 55? I suppose no article about David Lee Roth can resist a Sammy Hagar dig, just like it’s hard to resist linking to the Just a Gigolo music video or say, doctoring a picture from said video.
Tags: 80s music, allergic reaction, allergies, canada, david lee roth, nuts, police, red rocker, sammy hagar, van halen
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songspeak
Helllllooooooo…la la la
No television show in recent memory has had the impact on pop culture that Seinfeld has had. It ended its series run over 10 years ago, yet to this day, people still quote it and many of its catchphrases are part the Amercan lexicon. One of mine and Matt’s favorite to whip out every now and then is “Prognosis Negative”.
This past weekend in Martha’s Vineyard, many Seinfeld references were made, including, but not limited to:
- Man hands
- The lady who looks gorgeous or ugly in different light because of her make-up
- The Korean nail salon episode when Elaine had to bring George’s father to the salon to find out if the women who worked there were talking about her
- The “helllooooo” episodeTo this day, Matt and I still do the “Helllooo” schtick. This video sums it up rather nicely (and the inclusion of Hello by Lionel Richie is pure genius):
Tags: 80s music, 90s tv, hello, lionel richie, man hands, prognosis negative, seinfeld
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songspeak
Do you really want to keep him out of the country? Do you really want to make him cry?
It seems everywhere you turn, Boy George is in the spotlight. Oh, wait…you mean it’s not 1983? Well, that hasn’t stopped Boy George from being in the news anyway.
It appears as though he was refused a visa to enter the U.S. because of an impending criminal trial in London. Looks like the Karma Chameleon has caught up with him for past transgressions, as the reason he was to travel to America was for a tour that would kick-off with a performance on The Today Show on July 7th.
Here is Meredith Vieria’s mind-numbingly scintillating interview with the pop icon himself:
Tags: 00s tv, 80s music, boy george, culture club, the today show, today show interview, visa
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songspeak
Kiss my sassafras
Don’t ask me how or why, but Matt and I got into an indepth discussion via IM today about sassafras, and Aerosmith’s usage of the word. The one that everyone knows is from Love in an Elevator (and does anyone else find it odd that Steven Tyler wants you to kiss his deciduous tree?), but I’m positive I’ve heard him use the words “sexy ass” in an uncut or live version. Maybe trees are more radio friendly than sexy asses, who knows.
I was insistent that this wasn’t Mr. Tyler’s only usage of the seemingly non-sensical word, and Matt challenged me to find another example. Please find the following lyrics from one of their older songs, Last Child :
“Take me back to a south Tallahassee
Down cross the bridge to my sweet sassafrassy”Also a note of interest, Green Day has a song entitled Sassafras Roots, however the word “sassafras” is never uttered throughout the entire song.
And speaking of sassafras, I had forgotten how ridiculous the video for Love in an Elevator is (I think my favorite part is the dancing chicks that turn into mannequins):
Tags: 70s music, 80s music, 90s music, aerosmith, green day, johnny gill, last child, love in an elevator, radio friendly, sassafras, sassafras roots, stephen tyler
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songspeak
Vince McMahon Gets Rickrolled on RAW
Last night was the first night of Million Dollar Mania on Monday Night RAW . Vince McMahon is basically giving away $1,000,000 every week on RAW until he feels like stopping. Fans register on wwe.com, and are given a password at the beginning of the show. Vince then calls people thoughout the 2 hour broadcast, asks for the password , and gives away some money.
Well, his first phone call (in addition to making three attempts to get through) had unexpected and hilarious results. First of all, it seems Vince McMahon has never dialed a phone before. Second of all, it seems he has no idea what a reverse ringtone is. On top of that, the reverse ringtone in question rickrolled Vince McMahon and the entire RAW audience. I don’t know what’s the funniest part of the video; Vince’s buffoonery, his goofy old man glasses, the reverse ringtone, or the announcers:
Tags: 00s tv, 80s music, million dollar mania, monday night raw, never gonna give you up, raw, reverse ringtone, rick astley, rickroll, rickrolled, vince mcmahon, wwe, wwe raw
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songspeak
Don’t you want Chips Ahoy baby?
Once I start thinking about commercial songspeaks, I can’t stop. So when Don’t You Want Me by Human League came on mix 93.1 in my office today, I was reminded of this fun little Chips Ahoy commercial from last year.
Tags: 00s tv commercials, 80s music, chips ahoy, don't you want me, don't you want me baby, human league
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songspeak
It’s always the same, it’s just a shame, that’s awl
When we used to work at the Smith College bookstore, we would get sent out to run errands from time to time. Upon arriving back at the bookstore after a trip to the hardware store, Matt walked over to where I was (behind the register) and calmly said, “It’s always the same, it’s just a shame… that’s awl”, holding out the awl for me to see when getting to the last two words. He was referencing That’s All by Genesis. The great thing is– I have no idea why we ever needed an awl in the bookstore.Tags: 80s music, awl, genesis, grecourt bookshop, hardware store, phil collins, smith college bookstore
