Sunday Night Video Flashback Pt. 43!!!

Sunday Night Video Flashback Pt. 43!!!

Oops…here it is. Monday style!!!!

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When Doves Cry – Prince
“When Doves Cry” is a song by the American musician Prince, and the lead single from his 1984 album Purple Rain. It was a worldwide hit, and his first American number one single, topping charts for five weeks. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year.

On 10/13/2008, the song was voted #2 on Australian VH1’s Top 10 Number One Pop Songs countdown.

According to the Purple Rain DVD, Prince was asked by the director to write a song to match the theme of a particular segment of the film – one which involved intermingled parental difficulties and a love affair. The next morning, Prince had reportedly composed two songs, one of which was “When Doves Cry”.

The song was #1 in the US for five weeks, from 07/07/1984 – 08/04/1984. It kept the other big hit of that summer, Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark”, from reaching the top spot. “When Doves Cry” was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics’ poll. Billboard ranked it as the #1 single of 1984; however, on American Top 40 it was ranked as the number two song of the year as AT40 did not use Billboard’s rankings that year.

The B-side was the cult fan favourite “17 Days”, which was originally intended for the Apollonia 6 album. A 12-inch single issued in the UK included the album track, “17 Days”, and two tracks from Prince’s previous album, 1999, namely the title track and “D.M.S.R.”

The music video (directed by Prince himself) was released on MTV in June, 1984. It opens with white doves emerging from double doors to reveal Prince in a bathtub. It also includes scenes from the Purple Rain film interspersed with shots of the Revolution performing and dancing in a white room. The final portion of the video incorporates a mirrored frame of the left half of the picture, creating a doubling effect. The video was nominated for Best Choreography at 1985’s MTV Video Music Awards.[2] The video sparked controversy among network executives who thought that the sexual nature of the video was too explicit for television.

I Melt With You – Modern English
“I Melt with You” is a song by the British post-punk new wave band Modern English. The song, produced by Hugh Jones, was a single from the 1982 album After the Snow. It reached #7 on Billboard’s Top Tracks chart and #78 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983. The song gained popularity due to its airplay on MTV in early 1983 and its inclusion during the courtship montage in the movie Valley Girl. The band re-recorded it in 1990 for their album Pillow Lips.

It is ranked #39 on VH1’s 100 greatest songs of the 80’s and #7 on VH1’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s.

London Calling – The Clash
“London Calling” is a song by the British punk rock band The Clash. It was released as a single from the band’s 1979 double album London Calling. This apocalyptic, politically charged rant features the band’s famous combination of reggae basslines and punk electric guitar and vocals

The song was written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. The title alludes to the BBC World Service’s station identification: “This is London calling …”, that was used during World War II, often in broadcasts to occupied countries.

The lyrics reflect the concern felt by Strummer about world events with the reference to “a nuclear error” to the incident at Three Mile Island, which occurred earlier in 1979. Joe Strummer has said: “We felt that we were struggling about to slip down a slope or something, grasping with our fingernails. And there was no one there to help us.”

“London Calling” was released as the only single in the UK from the album and reached #11 in the charts in December 1979.[2] The song did not make the US charts as “Train in Vain” was released in a single and broke the band in the US reaching #23 on the pop charts.

“London Calling” was the first Clash song to chart elsewhere in the world reaching the top 40 in Australia. The success of the single and album was greatly helped by the music video shot by Don Letts showing the band playing the song on a boat (Festival Pier), next to Albert Bridge on the south side of the Thames, Battersea Park in a cold and rainy night at the beginning of December 1979.

Word Up – Cameo
“Word Up!” is a funk/hip hop song originally written and recorded by Cameo. Due to its heavy play on American pop and R&B radio, as well as music video play on MTV, the single became the band’s most well-known hit. From the album of the same name, “Word Up!” was Cameo’s first top-forty US hit, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. It also spent three weeks at number one on the US Hot Black Singles chart, one week at number one on the US Hot Dance Singles chart, and reached number three in the UK. The song has now become a common phrase. It is the title character’s catchphrase in American television cartoon WordGirl.

Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Video Version

Freaking Awesome.  Just watch, read and listen.

Sunday Night Video Flashback Pt. 42!!!

Okay, here we go again!!!

(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) – Beastie Boys
“(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)” was the first single released from the Beastie Boys’ breakthrough album, Licensed to Ill (1986). One of their best-known songs, it reached #7 on the Billboard 100, and was later named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The Beastie Boys also included the track on their hits album, The Sounds of Science in 1999, and Solid Gold Hits in 2005.

Ironically, the song was intended as a parody of party and attitude songs, such as “Smokin’ In the Boys Room” and “I Wanna Rock.” However, the irony was lost on most listeners. Mike D commented that, “The only thing that upsets me is that we might have reinforced certain values of some people in our audience when our own values were actually totally different. There were tons of guys singing along to ‘Fight for Your Right’ who were oblivious to the fact it was a total goof on them.” The guitar solo was played by Slayer guitarist Kerry King.

Despite probably being the group’s most famous song, the Beastie Boys have expressed distaste for it. In The Sounds of Science liner notes, MCA jokingly says the song “sucks,” though they did not feel the album would be complete without it. The group has not performed the song live since 1987.

Orinoco Flow – Enya
“Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)” is a 1988 UK #1 single by Enya. The song is often incorrectly referred to as “Sail Away”, a phrase repeated during the chorus. The American version of the single, however, was retitled “Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)”.

The song was highly popular in the early 1990s and was featured on many pop music compilations. It shares part of its name with Orinoco Studios (now Miloco Studios), where it was recorded.

The division of syllables to follow the pattern of music may trick the listener into thinking that the song is written in Latin (as some Enya tracks are), but the lyrics are in fact English. At the end of the song she pays tribute to Warner Brothers Music UK CEO Rob Dickins and makes a more veiled reference to producer Ross Cullum.

In 1998 a special edition 10th anniversary remix single was released.

Hold Me Now – Thompson Twins
“Hold Me Now” is a song by British pop / new wave band the Thompson Twins. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alex Sadkin, and the group’s lead vocalist Tom Bailey, and released as the first single of their fifth studio album, Into The Gap, released in 1984. The song is a new wave ballad that uses a varied instrumentation, including a xylophone, a piano and latin percussion.

Released in the United Kingdom in late 1983, the song peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart in November of that year, and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 1983, becoming the band’s biggest-selling single, and their first top five in that country. The song was released in the United States in February 1984. It became the band’s highest charting single, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in May, and remained in the chart for twenty-one weeks. In addition, the song topped the Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart for one week in April 1984.

The music video for “Hold Me Now” was directed by Rupert James, produced by Tim Bevan, and edited by Brian Grant, and Nick Morris. The video features the Thompson Twins in a set with a blue background.

Each member is standing in a platform, singing or playing a different instrument, a guitar or a piano for Bailey, a xylophone or another percussion instrument for Currie, and a guitar or drums for Leeway.

The video is heavily edited, with frames sliding from the sides, doubling or tripling, split-screen edits, and close-ups of the band while singing or dancing. At the end, the background changes from blue to red, and the three members are featured together singing, and clapping while the song is fading out.

“Hold Me Now” was released in the United Kingdom in November 1983, debuting on the UK Singles Chart at number thirty-one, peaking at number four, and staying in the chart for fifteen weeks. It became the band’s first top five in the country, and their biggest seller earning a gold certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in January 1983. The song was a moderate hit in Europe, reaching the top ten in Germany and Ireland, and peaking at eighteen in Switzerland.

The single was released in North America in February 1984. In Canada the single entered the RPM singles chart at number forty-three,] peaking at number three on 28 April 1984. The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) certified “Hold Me Now” gold in May 1983. In the United States the single entered the Billboard Hot 100 on 11 February 1984 at number seventy-three, peaking at number three on 5 May 1984, and staying twenty-one weeks on the chart, becoming the band’s biggest hit in the country. In addition, it topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart for a week on 28 April 1984, becoming the band’s third number-one single on this chart.

Once in a Lifetime – Talking Heads
“Once in a Lifetime” is a song by Talking Heads, from their album Remain in Light, Written by David Byrne and Brian Eno, it was later used for the promotion of the concert film Stop Making Sense, and was named one of the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century by National Public Radio. It made #14 in the UK charts and #31 in The Netherlands.

The verses of the song consist of David Byrne speaking rather than singing. With the lyrics “Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down”, the song has a rather existential vibe to it, although it is usually interpreted to be a song dealing with the midlife crisis and the inevitable sacrifice of youthful ideals and dreams for conventional success:
And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!

The main portion of the lyric is said to be based on a preacher heard on the radio by Byrne and Eno while they were driving through New York.

The music video features a bespectacled David Byrne dancing much like a marionette. The choreography was done by Toni Basil, famous for her hit song “Mickey”. Byrne is shown making sudden flings of his arm, tapping his head, and getting on his hands and knees to pat the floor, much like simple tricks which can be done with actual marionettes. In the background, we see several David Byrnes dancing in perfect synchronisation, in the foreground, a large David Byrne is getting further and further out of synch. Some of Byrne’s mannerisms (such as physical spasms, unfocussed eye movements, and sharp intakes of breath) were inspired by choreographer Basil showing him footage of epilepsy sufferers.

The video is noted for being exhibited in the New York Museum of Modern Art.

Sunday Night Video Flashback Pt. 41!!!

Sorry about missing last week…it was my birthday. I wasn’t going to sit in front of the computer. HAHA

Hope you enjoy this week’s videos!!!

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I Wanns Rock – Twisted Sister
“I Wanna Rock” is a song from the album Stay Hungry (1984) by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister. In 2009 it was named the 17th VH1 Greatest Hard Rock Songs by VH1.

The song was also covered by the pop punk band Lit on 2001 Twisted Sister tribute album, Twisted Forever. This version was also featured on the Triple Play 2002 videogame soundtrack.

Like the earlier “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” the video features actor Mark Metcalf, best known as the sadistic Neidermeyer from the movie Animal House. Here, he plays a ferocious teacher who harasses a student for drawing the Twisted Sister logo on a book, shrieking: “What kind of a man desecrates a defenseless textbook?! I’ve got a good mind to slap your fat face!!” (echoing his line from Animal House: “What kind of man hits a defenseless animal [a misbehaving horse]? I’ve got a good mind to smash your fat face in.”).

After his attempts to stop his rock-loving students fail, he crawls into the principal’s office – only to be confronted by the principal, played by Stephen Furst (Flounder from Animal House). Furst even gets to reprise one of his big lines from the movie: “Oh boy, is this great!” as he squirts water at the mean teacher.

The song has been featured in an advertisements for Avis Rent A Car System and Washington Mutual.

The song was heard in the 2000 movie Road Trip, where the characters sing along to it on a bus while it is on the radio. Mackdawg productions used the song as the intro of their 2001 snowboard movie called “The Resistance”, featuring the forum team. It was also heard in the 2008 movie The Rocker.

In addition to Triple Play 2002, “I Wanna Rock” is the title song for the 2003 game Will Rock, and can also be heard in 2008’s Burnout Paradise.

The song is a playable track on the PlayStation 2 video game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s as a master track. However, it appears as recorded in the Stay Hungry remake album, Still Hungry, thus sounding quite different than the original. Also, strangely enough, this song and Scandal’s “The Warrior”(which was also appears as a master track) are the only ones that end with fade-outs, contrary to the usual ending treatment given to them in other games.

It also feature on the radio station “V-ROCK” on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

There is a SpongeBob version called “Goofy Goober Rock” in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

Rapper Negro sampled the song for his song entitled “I Wanna Shock”

Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French made a political song supporting Barack Obama titled “I Want Barack” that’s to the tune of this song.

New Jersey singer-songwriter Christian Beach recorded a bluegrass version of “I Wanna Rock” for “Hair Apparent – The Main Man Records Tribute to Hair Bands,” released in 2008.

The song will return to the Guitar Hero Franchise in June 2009 in Guitar Hero: Smash Hits.

Voices Carry – ‘Til Tuesday
’Til Tuesday (often written as ’til tuesday) was an American new wave band formed in Boston in 1982. Its original lineup was bassist/vocalist Aimee Mann, guitarist/vocalist Robert Holmes, keyboardist Joey Pesce, and drummer Michael Hausman.

The group first gained fame six months after its formation when it won Boston’s WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble in 1983. Their original composition “Love in a Vacuum” (credited to all members of the group) received a fair amount of airplay on the station, and the group was eventually signed to Epic Records.

‘Til Tuesday’s debut single was the album’s title track, which went to #8 on the Billboard singles chart and remains the band’s best-known song. The title song was originally sung to a woman, but due to record company pressure for less controversial lyrics it was changed to be sung to a man. [1] The “Voices Carry” video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist and was played heavily on MTV. It depicts a boyfriend trying to convert Aimee Mann to his upper-class lifestyle; she finally lashes out at him during a concert at Carnegie Hall, standing up from her seat in the audience and belting the lyrics (“He said, shut up! He said, shut up! Oh God, can’t you keep it down?…”) as she removes her cap to reveal her signature spiky, rat-tailed hair.

Except for one short establishing shot of the exterior of New York City’s Carnegie Hall, the video was shot completely on-location in Boston, MA. The Strand Theater in Dorchester’s Upham’s Corner doubled for the interior of Carnegie Hall during the video’s final crane shot.

The album’s second and third singles were “Love in a Vacuum” and “Looking over My Shoulder”; the latter peaked at No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds
“Don’t You (Forget About Me)” is a song written by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff for the soundtrack to the film The Breakfast Club and performed by Simple Minds. The songwriters were disco producer Keith Forsey (who won an Oscar for Flashdance… What a Feeling) and Steve Schiff (guitarist and songwriter from the Nina Hagen band).

The lyrics recall the theme of the movie of people who were strangers before an encounter, revealing their inner selves to each other and becoming intimates.

Forsey asked both Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol to record the song, but both declined; Idol would later perform a cover of it on his 2001 greatest hits compilation. Schiff then suggested Forsey ask the Scottish New Wave band Simple Minds, who initially refused as well, but then agreed under the encouragement of their label, A&M. According to one account, the band “rearranged and recorded ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ in three hours in a north London studio and promptly forgot about it.”

The track would become their most famous song and is considered a defining song of the 1980s. Continuing the rock direction recently taken on Sparkle in the Rain but also glancing back at their melodic synthpop past, it caught the band at their commercial peak and, propelled by the success of The Breakfast Club, became a number-one hit in the U.S. and around the world. It is the band’s only number-one hit on the U.S. Top Rock Tracks chart, staying atop for three weeks. While only reaching number seven in the UK, it stayed on the charts from 1985-1987, one of the longest time spans for any single in the history of the chart.

Despite its success, the band continued to dismiss the song; the most obvious slight being its absence from their subsequent album Once Upon a Time. It finally appeared on the 1992 best-of Glittering Prize 81/92.

The music video, directed by Daniel Kleinman, takes place on a dancing floor in a dark room with a chandelier, a rocking horse and Sony televisions, whose screens are displaying scenes from The Breakfast Club. Jim Kerr, the band’s lead singer, dances in many scenes.

Solsbury Hill – Peter Gabriel
“Solsbury Hill” is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel, about a spiritual experience atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England. Gabriel wrote the song after his departure from the progressive rock band Genesis, of which he had been the lead singer since its inception, explaining the reasons behind his departure. It was his debut single. The single was a Top 20 hit in the UK and reached the Top 70 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It has been used in a number of movies, for example in the soundtracks of the 2001 film Vanilla Sky, and the 2004 film In Good Company. The song has been covered by many artists, including moe., Dave Matthews, Erasure, Sarah McLachlan, Saga, and Justin Hines, among others.

The song uses a 7/4 time signature for the vast majority of the song. The last two measures of each chorus are in 4/4.

“Solsbury Hill” was recorded by British synth pop duo Erasure in 2003 for their cover versions album Other People’s Songs. The track was chosen for the album by Erasure member Vince Clarke. Clarke and singer Andy Bell turned the song into a mid-tempo electronic dance tune, displaying the signature Erasure sound. The only major change made to the structure of the song was the modification of the 7/4 time signature to a more basic 4/4 — except for the chorus, which slips back into 7/4 time for one line.

The song has also been covered by indie-rock outfit Ruby Isle, as well as Dave Matthews & Friends. There is also a cover by the Celtic rock band Jiggernaut (out of Texas) on their debut cd, “In Search of More.”