Does it have a good beat and can you dance (or work out) to it?
---American Bandstand
---American Bandstand
From Kelly's year:
#51. Raspberry Beret, Prince (Just typing that makes me break out in a dance sweat.)
#38. Neutron Dance, Pointer Sisters (Come on, it has DANCE in the title!)
#43 Freeway of Love, Aretha Franklin (Even an idiot can groove to this one. Just imagine you're in that pink Cadillac and careen on down the dance floor.)
From my year:
#57. De Do Do Do, De Da Da, The Police (What can I say? The title IS a dance beat.)
#94. Whip It, Devo (I can feel my head starting to bang already)
#68. While You See A Chance, Steve Winwood (Imagine me doing an embarrassing interpretive dance. Or running. Or cranking out pushups. Hey! Bonus! The YouTube video has Muppet commentary at the end!)
So there you have it. I'm a dunce, musically. My whole family discusses bass lines, chord progressions, and the histories of individual musicians in various, ever-shifting band incarnations. Yesterday, my husband helped my son re-build his guitar so the strings wouldn't buzz against the neck. My daughter sang a Latin mass last year. Me? I jokingly tell people that I'm "the audience." I absolutely adore music, but I can't discuss it intelligently at all. The only way I can express what I think about a song is to move to it. Which might explain why I've always wanted to learn how to...
I was watching the VH1 classic channel last night. Its the only way I can get my 80s fix.
ReplyDelete"Crush on You" by The Jets - that was my favorite back in the day.
ReplyDeleteBTW: Nice link to a combination anyone could love. Phil Collins, a gorilla, and a drum set. What does this have to do with chocolate? The weird dreams you get when you eat too much? Anyhoo - much enjoyed the distration from my blah day. Thanks!
Amy, maybe I'm hoping they'll SEND ME some chocolate. To eat while I'm watching VH-1. :)
ReplyDeleteWe can always hope!!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Sara. If we're talking pop/rock music, then you have to be able to dance to it. Or drive. What else is it good for?
ReplyDeleteThis is how I feel about books and reviewing and such. Being the spectator in the gallery is for me (the Bel Canto quote up-top this page. I'd rather be the audience, thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis was fun to read. I'm so behind on blog-reading and have had the busiest week, but I'm glad I quickly stopped by.
Thanks, jules. Sometimes, I worry about posting "fluff." I never know what people are going to want to hear/talk about on a particular day. Heck, I don't even know what I want on any given day!
ReplyDeleteI've just visited that greatest hits site, and my God, what a blast from the past! There were songs there I've completely forgotten about, but that I absolutely loved. And there were songs that I didn't really love, but were nevertheless so much a part of my life for one reason or other.
ReplyDeleteAs for music, everyone in this family except me plays a musical instrument. I play the harmonica after a fashion, but they claim that doesn't count. I think I know how you feel...
Mary, of course the harmonica counts! Look, I even found this for you, in Mother Earth News: How to Play Hardcore Harmonica
ReplyDeleteSara! This was my "Top 50" (well, I didn't love all those songs, but many of those have never crossed the Atlantic, for better or for worse!)
ReplyDeleteLove it, Mac...you just made my blog multi-musi-cultural. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd look! There are the Bangles on your list! Who can resist dancing to "Walk Like an Egyptian?"
Now that I think about it, 1984-1989 were my prime music/dancing years, and I'd rather claim them than my senior year of high school.
I've just looked at that harmonica article, Sara -- thank you!
ReplyDeleteMy kids don't mind my harmonica playing so much now that I've also acquired a tin whistle...