Sunday Night Video Flashback Pt. 64!!!

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Here we go!

Land of Confusion – Genesis

“Land of Confusion” is a rock song written by the band Genesis for their 1986 album Invisible Touch. The song was the third track on the album and was the fourth track from the album to become a single, which reached #4 in the US and #14 in the UK in 1987. It made #8 in the Netherlands. The music was written by the band, while the lyrics were written by guitarist Mike Rutherford. The lyrics, further emphasized by the music video, discuss the greed and uncertainty of the Cold War-era 1980s, but evoke a sense of hope for the future. The song is remembered by many Genesis fans because of its video, which featured puppets from the 1980s UK sketch show Spitting Image.

The song is widely remembered for its music video, which had heavy airplay on MTV. The video drew controversy for its portrayal of Ronald Reagan as being physically and cognitively inept. The video features puppets by the British television show Spitting Image. After Phil Collins saw a caricatured version of himself on the show, he commissioned the show’s creators, Peter Fluck and Roger Law, to create puppets of the entire band, as well as all the characters in the video.

The video opens with a caricatured Ronald Reagan (voiced by Chris Barrie), Nancy Reagan, and a chimpanzee (parodying Reagan’s film Bedtime for Bonzo), going to bed at 16:30. Reagan, holding a teddy bear, goes to sleep and begins to have a nightmare, which sets the premise for the entire video. The video intermittently features a line of stomping feet, illustrating an army marching through a swamp, and they pick up heads of Cold War-era political figures in the swamp along the way (an allusion to Motel Hell).

Caricatured versions of the band members are shown playing instruments on stage during a concert: Tony Banks on an array of synthesizers (as well as a cash register), Mike Rutherford on a four-necked guitar (parodying Rutherford’s dual role as the band’s guitar and bass-player), and two Phil Collins puppets: one on the drums, and one singing.

The video, directed by John Lloyd & Jim Yukich and produced by Jon Blair, won the short lived Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video during the 1988 Grammys. The video was also nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Video of the Year in 1987, but lost to “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel (coincidentally, Genesis’ former lead singer). It also made the number-one spot on The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau’s top 10 music videos in his year-end “Dean’s List” feature, and number three on the equivalent list in his annual survey of music critics, Pazz & Jop (again losing out to “Sledgehammer”)

Photograph – Def Leppard

“Photograph” is a 1983 single by British hard rock band Def Leppard from their album Pyromania. It was written as a tribute to the late actress Marilyn Monroe, as singer Joe Elliott often stated before playing the song live onstage. When released as a single it reached #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart and #12 on the Pop Singles chart. In 2006 the song was used in promotional ads for the DVD release of Blades of Glory. In 2009 it was named the 13th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.

The 1993 live recording of the song in Sheffield, England appeared in the music video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock as part of a Def Leppard downloadable track pack, as did the 1993 live recording of “Rock of Ages”. The song was also included in the tracklisting of the rhythm music video game Battle Of The Bands. In 2008 they performed the song with country star Taylor Swift on CMT Crossroads.

Joe Elliott comented on the Vault album that this song was a big hit in the US and that he felt disappointed that it didn’t become a hit in the UK. Nationally syndicated sports talk show host Jim Rome commonnly refers to “Photograph” as one of the all time great rock songs ever.

There are two versions of the music video. The uncensored version shows a knife scene at the beginning, and on the censored version of the video, it is almost the same except the knife scene is replaced with a stationary black cat. There are several appearances by the late Marilyn Monroe in the video, as the song is actually about her and lead singer Joe Elliot’s declaration that he doesn’t “want [her] photograph” but that that’s all he’s got and he must admire her from afar.

The music video was directed by David Malletand was shot on Friday December 2, 1982 (Bassist Rick Savage’s 22nd birthday), in Battersea, London, England. It featured the video debut of guitarist Phil Collen.

I’ll Be There For You – Bon Jovi

“I’ll Be There for You” is a Billboard Hot 100 number one single written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora and performed by American rock band Bon Jovi.

Originally released on the 1988 album New Jersey, it became the band’s third single from the album when it was released as a single in 1989. As the band (and hard rock music) was at its peak popularity at this time, the song quickly climbed to the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their fourth and final number one single. The song has remained as one of Bon Jovi’s signature songs and a classic in the power ballad genre. The song was also a peek into a more mature sound heard on their following albums Keep the Faith and These Days.

The video for the song features the band performing on a dark stage with an almost monochromatic blue color due to the stage lighting, with close-ups of each member, most notably lead singer Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora. The video footage then switches midway to black-and-white footage from a Bon Jovi concert at the old Wembley Arena in London, England.

Cher performed the song at some early North American dates of the “Heart of Stone Tour” in 1990. John Cooper of Skillet often plays an acoustic version of the song during the bands live shows.

In the 2005 film A Lot Like Love, the lead character played by Ashton Kutcher serenades his love interest (played by Amanda Peet) with the song “I’ll Be There for You.”

Heart of Glass – Blondie

“Heart of Glass” is a song by American New Wave band Blondie. Featured on the band’s third studio album, Parallel Lines, it was released as a single in 1979 and topped the charts in several countries, most notably in the United Kingdom and United States.

Rolling Stone ranked the song number 255 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

“Heart of Glass” was originally recorded in 1975 under the name “Once I Had a Love,” and was much slower with a blues/reggae vibe to it. The song was frequently performed on tours, then was re-recorded with the same title in 1978, when the song was made a bit more rock-oriented. When Blondie recorded the album Parallel Lines, disco was big on the music scene, and producer Mike Chapman decided to give the song the disco twist that made the song what it is today, and one of the best-known Blondie recordings. For the single release the track was remixed by Chapman with the double-tracked bass drum even more accentuated.

The song was released in January 1979, and reached number one in both the US and the UK. The UK B-side was “Rifle Range”, from Blondie’s self titled debut album while the US single used the Parallel Lines track “11:59″. The accompanying music video for “Heart of Glass” was filmed at Studio 54 in New York City.

The versions appearing on the 7″ single issued in early 1979 varied from country to country, some used the regular album version (UK, 3:54), others an edited album version (US, 3:22) and others an edited version of the 12″ Disco Mix (4:10), which is the one usually found on current hits compilations like the 1994 anthology The Platinum Collection, Greatest Hits: Sight + Sound (2005) and Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision (2006). For the band’s very first hits compilation, 1981’s The Best of Blondie, producer Mike Chapman created a special mix including elements from both the 12″ Disco Version and the 12″ Instrumental (4:33). The 1981 version appears on 2002’s Greatest Hits.

Almost immediately after its release, “Heart of Glass” became the subject of controversy because of its disco sound. At the time, Blondie was one of the bands at the forefront of New York’s growing New Wave musical scene and were accused of “selling out” for releasing a disco song. According to Blondie front woman Deborah Harry, “Heart of Glass” made the band pariahs in the eyes of many of their fellow musicians in the New York music scene. The band was accused of pandering to the mainstream that many punk/new wave bands at the time were actively rebelling against.

There was also the issue of the use of the expression “pain in the ass” within the lyrics which, at the time, did not sit easily with the BBC. The radio version changed it to “heart of glass.” In Australia, the song was banned from radio for its “strong language.”

Despite the controversy, the song was a huge hit and helped propel Blondie from cult group to mainstream icons. The band itself has acknowledged the success of the song in helping their careers and has downplayed criticism of the song, pointing out that Blondie always experimented with different styles of music and that “Heart of Glass” was their take on disco. The band itself has jokingly taken to referring to the song as “The Disco Song” in interviews.

The “Heart of Glass” promotional video was filmed at the Studio 54 discothèque in New York City with director Stanley Dorfman. The video begins with footage of New York City in the night before joining Blondie perform at Studio 54. Then, the video alternates between close-ups of Harry’s face as she lip-syncs, and mid-distance shots of the entire band. In the video Harry wears a silver dress designed by Stephen Sprouse. To create the dress, Sprouse photo-printed a picture of television scan lines onto a piece of fabric, and then, according to Harry, “put a layer of cotton fabric underneath and a layer of chiffon on top, and then the scan-lines would do this op-art thing”.The popularity of the song helped Sprouse’s work earn a lot of exposure from the media.

“Draped in a sheer, silver Sprouse dress,” Kris Needs summarized while writing for Mojo Classic, “Debbie sang through gritted teeth, while the boys cavorted with mirror balls”. Studying Harry’s attitude in the “effortlessly cool” video, music writer Pat Kane felt she “exuded a steely confidence about her sexual impact … The Marilyn [Monroe] do has artfully fallen over, and she’s in the funkiest of dresses: one strap across her shoulder, swirling silks around about her. Her iconic face shows flickers of interest, amidst the boredom and ennui of the song’s lyrics”. Kane also noted that the band members fooling around with disco balls, “taking the mickey out of their own disco fixation”. Reviewing the Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision DVD for Pitchfork Media, Jess Harvell wrote that while “owning your own copy of ‘Heart of Glass’ may not seem as cool [anymore] … there’s the always luminous Deborah Harry, who would give boiling asparagus an erotic charge, all while looking too bored to live”.

Sunday Night Video Flashback Pt. 63!!!

Alright, Alright…let’s get this thing rolling.  #63.  I love that number.

Jump (for My Love) – Pointer Sisters

“Jump (for My Love)” was the opening track (and third single) of the Pointer Sisters’ 1983 album, Break Out.

Released prior to the 1984 Summer Olympics games, the song’s video featured footage of athletes competing in track and field events. The song was the second of four Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles in a row for the sisters in 1984; it peaked at #3 in July. It also appeared on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart and reached the Top 10 in the UK, peaking at number six.

The original title given to the song simply was “Jump.” The title was modified to “Jump (for My Love)” prior to its release to avoid confusion with the Van Halen song Jump, which was released earlier the same year.

The song netted the group a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1985.

In 2003, this recording was used in the movie Love Actually.

Do That To Me One More Time – Captain & Tennille

“Do That to Me One More Time” is a song performed by American pop duo Captain & Tennille. It was their second chart-topping hit in the U.S., following “Love Will Keep Us Together” from 1975. The song was included on the duo’s 1979 album, Make Your Move. The song was written by Toni Tennille.

After a decline in popularity from the height of their success in the mid-1970s, the Captain and Tennille signed with Casablanca Records under the guidance of Neil Bogart. “Do That to Me One More Time” was a comeback for the duo, but they failed to achieve further success on Casablanca and their contract was not renewed. Vocalist and songwriter Toni Tennille played the song for Bogart at her house with husband Daryl Dragon in Pacific Palisades, California on an electric piano. Bogart reacted enthusiastically, saying: “That’s a smash! There’s no doubt in my mind that’s going to be your first single.”

“Do That to Me One More Time” became Captain & Tennille’s second and final number-one hit when it reached the pinnacle of the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week ending February 16, 1980. The song had logged four consecutive weeks in the runner-up position on this chart behind Michael Jackson’s hit “Rock with You” before ascending to the top of the chart. The song also achieved some crossover success on the Billboard adult contemporary and R&B charts. It was their highest-charting hit on the UK Singles Chart, where it reached #7 in March 1980. The duo also recorded a version of the song in Spanish.

Harden My Heart – Quarterflash

“Harden My Heart” is the most popular single by the rock group Quarterflash, off their Quarterflash album, released in 1981.

The song was originally released as a single in early 1980 by Seafood Mama, Quarterflash’s predecessor band. It featured more sparse instrumentation but a more dramatic vocal arrangement than the hit version and was a regional success on radio stations in Portland, Oregon.

After changing their name, Quarterflash released their self-titled debut album in 1981 which contained the new version of “Harden My Heart”. This version was released as the album’s first single. In January of 1982, it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart. The song also reached the Top 20 in Germany and in France, though it stalled below the Top 40 in the United Kingdom. It was the group’s only Top 10 single on the Hot 100, although their follow-up single off the album, “Find Another Fool”, and their 1983 hit “Take Me to Heart” both entered the Top 20. This song is included in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, in the radio station Emotion 98.3.

Let’s Hear It For The Boy – Deniece Williams

“Let’s Hear It For The Boy” was the second number-one song for both Deniece Williams and the soundtrack to the feature film Footloose. It climbed to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1984, as well as number one on the dance and R&B charts, and peaked at number two on the UK singles chart. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.

The Australian group Young Divas covered the song on their debut album in 2006. The 2008 soundtrack of the hit Nickelodeon show iCarly features this version of the song.

It is a pivotal song in the US Queer as Folk continuum. This version is performed by Katty B and is a theme song for the character Justin Taylor.

The Mexican Latin Pop singer Byanka has sung by the 1985 song title “Escucho al Muchacho” and composed by “José T. Martinez”.

Sunday Night Video Flashback Pt. 62!!!

After a week break, It’s back!!!

Oh, by the way, did I see ANOTHER Saints win? Eat it suckers.

Notorious – Duran Duran

“Notorious” is the 14th single by Duran Duran. It was released internationally by EMI on 20 October 1986. “Notorious” was the first single issued from the album Notorious, and the first released by Duran Duran as a 3-pieces band after the departure of Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor. It was a smash hit all around the world, reaching #7 in the UK, #2 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 5 in several countries. Duran Duran’s success was on the wane, however, and the band would reach the Top 10 in the US only once more with “I Don’t Want Your Love” in 1988, before 1993’s “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone”.

“Notorious” marked the debut of the new streamlined trio version of Duran Duran, as both Roger and Andy Taylor had left the band by the time the single and album were released. In fact, the acrimonious nature of Andy Taylor’s departure was reflected in the song to a certain degree. According to songwriter Simon Le Bon, the lyric “Who really gives a damn for a flaky bandit” was a direct dig at the guitarist.

As a trio, the band had enlisted the help of Nile Rodgers to take over production duties. His funk influences can be felt all over the single, from the tempo to the use of The Borneo Horns brass section. Rodgers also plays guitar on the single.

The video for “Notorious” was shot in November 1986 by directors Peter Kagan and Paula Greif, and bore an uncanny resemblance to the video the duo had filmed in June of that year for Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love”. The video was shot in black and white Super-8 with a hand-held camera, with quick cuts and changes of zoom and focus. It featured the three-piece band performing the song on a sound stage, with scantily clad dancers in the background choreographed by Paula Abdul.

The young model Christy Turlington appeared in outdoor scenes with the band. A still photo from this location was used as the cover of the album Notorious.

You can hear the gasping from a girl who is falling in love with a boy.

When the track made its debut on Montreal radio station CHOM during the 20 October, 1986 edition of the nightly radio show “Rock And Roll News”, DJ Randy Renaud declared that by the next night, the song “Amanda” by Boston (which had been holding on to the number one spot on CHOM’s charts for several weeks) could “Kiss the number one spot goodbye”. Sure enough, by the next night, CHOM had received enough requests for the song that it supplanted “Amanda” from the #1 spot on the stations nightly countdown show, “The Top Six At Six”.

Ask – The Smiths

“Ask” is a song by The Smiths. It was released as a single in October 1986, reaching #14 in the UK Singles Chart. As with most of The Smiths’ singles, it was not included on an original album. It can be found on the compilations The World Won’t Listen and Louder Than Bombs as well as the live album Rank, where it is introduced as the band’s new single. The UK cover shows Yootha Joyce who starred in the UK television series George & Mildred. The song features Kirsty MacColl on backing vocals.

There are two versions of this song. The version that appears on the single releases and the album The Very Best of The Smiths fades out slightly sooner and has the vocal track lasting until the end of the song. The backing vocals in this version are also mixed differently and are louder. The version that appears on all albums (save for the one listed above) fades out later (though the end of the track is audible, albeit at a very low level) and has the vocal track ending before the fade begins.

Dancing With Myself – Billy Idol

“Dancing with Myself” is a song by the band Generation X released in 1981, from their album Kiss Me Deadly. It was one of their first true hit singles. At the time of its release, the band shortened their name to simply “Gen X.” Also of note, the band contained only Billy Idol and Tony James from the original line-up. Idol went on to have great success with the single when he released a more pop friendly version (absent of the driving guitar and bass in the Gen X version) on his first solo release, Don’t Stop.

Some have speculated that the song is about masturbation, but more likely it was inspired by what Tony James and Billy Idol witnessed in a Japanese night club during the band’s 1979 Japanese Tour as patrons watched themselves dance in the space enhancing mirrors which covered the walls.

The music video was directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Poltergeist).

The song is featured in the 2007 film Flushed Away. It is also featured in a 2008 advertisement for the French health insurance company La Mutuelle Générale. A cover version by The Donnas played at the end of the 2004 film Mean Girls.

Dancing with Myself was used in the 1998 film Gia, starring Angelina Jolie. The song was also featured and is sung by Gonzo in an episode of Muppets Tonight. The song was recently featured in the TV show Gossip Girl. It is also featured in the music video game Guitar Hero 5. Artie from the TV show Glee sings the Nouvelle Vague version of the song in the ninth episode “Wheels. It was also the closing song of an Ugly Betty episode (Plus None, Episode 5 of Season 4).”

In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel

“In Your Eyes” is a song by musician Peter Gabriel from his 1986 album So. It reached #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. It was not released as a single in the UK. Gabriel later released an extended version of the song which was nearly 9 minutes in length (as compared to the original 5:29 version that appears on the album). Like many of his songs, “In Your Eyes” contains significant African influences, even more so when performed live (on the So tour) as an extended vocal duet with Youssou N’Dour.

The song was the finale of the Secret World Tour, and is the final track on the Secret World Live album.

In 1993, Gabriel performed the song on Saturday Night Live.

The song was included on the US version of his 2003 compilation Hit, but not on the European or Japanese versions.

In 2005, after 19 years of accumulated sales, the song brought Gabriel his first Gold single, certified in the U.S. by the RIAA.

American singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Gaines included an acoustic live version of “In Your Eyes” as a bonus track to “Scares Me More”, the second single off his 1992 self-titled Chrysalis debut album. Though neither of the single’s tracks charted nationally, “In Your Eyes” received more radio attention than the A-side (particularly in the Northeast, where the album hit #4 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers Northeast and #5 on the Heatseekers Mid-Atlantic charts despite not containing the track) and became a fan favorite.

After two more albums which failed to match the modest success of his debut, Gaines included both a new live version and a studio recording of the song on his 2001 album Always Be. Released to radio, the recordings found their greatest success at the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks format, where Gaines had a long-running minor hit, peaking only at #22 but remaining on the 40-place chart for 24 weeks. Always Be peaked at #25 on Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart.

In 1988 (at the end of the 1987 NFL season), NBC Sports used “In Your Eyes” in for the prologue (narrated by Dick Enberg) of the AFC Championship Game between the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns.

The song was used twice in the 1989 Cameron Crowe film, Say Anything…, as well as in its trailer. An iconic scene from the film occurs when broken-hearted Lloyd Dobler serenades his ex-girlfriend, Diane Court, outside her bedroom window by holding a boombox up above his head and playing the song for her. The scene has become a standard pop culture reference for romance. Repopularized by its usage in the film, the song reentered the charts but narrowly failed to crack the top 40 in its second run, reaching as high as #41.

Peter Gabriel asked to see Crowe’s film. Crowe had the production company send him rough cut. He approved the use of his song, but told Crowe that he was uneasy about the overdose of the main character at the end. The studio had sent Gabriel the film Wired instead.

In the 2005 Cold Case episode entitled “Family”, the song appears towards the end as a 1988 murder case is resolved.

In the American Dad episode “It’s Good to Be the Queen”, Stan Smith, in an attempt to get Francine to forgive him, forces Gabriel Byrne—whom he mistakenly believes to be Peter Gabriel—to sing “In Your Eyes” while holding the actor above his head, a la the Crowe film’s Lloyd Dobler character.

Wait? What?

Sorry, no flashback this week.  I was otherwise occupied. 

Back next week with more for you!!!

Sunday Night Video Flashback Pt. 61!!!

It’s November already?

Livin’ On A Prayer – Bon Jovi

“Livin’ on a Prayer” is Bon Jovi’s second single from their Slippery When Wet album.

Jon Bon Jovi did not like the original recording of this song, which can be found as a hidden track on 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong. Richie Sambora convinced him the song was good, and they reworked it and included it on their Slippery When Wet album. It spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987, from February 14 – March 7, and two weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks, from January 31-February 14. It also hit number four on the UK singles chart.

After the attacks of September 11th, 2001 — in which New Jersey was the second-hardest hit state after New York, suffering hundreds of casualties among both WTC workers and first responders — the band performed an acoustic version of this song for The Concert for New York City. Bon Jovi performed a similar version as part of the special America: A Tribute to Heroes.

In 2006, online voters rated “Livin’ On A Prayer” #1 on VH1’s “list of The 100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s”. More recently, in New Zealand, “Livin’ On A Prayer” was #1 on the C4 music channel show’s “U Choose 40″, on the 80’s Icons list. It was also #1 on the “Sing-a-long Classics List”. On January 28, 2008, “Livin’ on a Prayer” re-entered the official New Zealand RIANZ singles chart at number 24, over twenty years after it was first released.

Australian music TV channel MAX placed this song at #18 on their 2008 countdown “Rock Songs: Top 100″. In 2009, the song returned to the charts in the UK, notably hitting the number-one spot on the UK Rock Chart.

The song is noted for its use of the talkbox for the “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” backing lyrics.

The song is about a fictional working class couple, Tommy and Gina, who struggle to make ends meet and maintain their relationship.

Tommy “used to work on the docks” “union’s been on strike, he’s down on his luck”. Gina works at a diner, “workin’ for her man”.

Some have interpreted the lyrics to be anti-labor, as the striking labor union seems to be the catalyst for the troubled chain of events for Tommy and Gina. However, others have pointed out that the song does not clarify the circumstances behind the strike, and that the rest of the song does not appear to have a political message.

“I wrote that song during the Reagan era and the trickle-down economics are really inspirational to writing songs….” – Jon Bon Jovi

New Jersey is the only state in the union without an official state anthem, but Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” is cited by many, after Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run, as a sort of unofficial anthem. “Livin’ on a Prayer” was one of the theme songs for the 2004 presidential campaign of Democrat John Kerry.

That same year, “Livin’ on a Prayer” was the “theme song” for the 2004 Boston Red Sox after their historic comeback in the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. During halftime at Philadelphia Soul Arena Football games, the song is played, paying tribute to their owner Jon Bon Jovi. For a commercial about the Arena Football League that Bon Jovi did with John Elway, he asks the quarterback (who is suiting up to go into the fictional game) “What? Are you living in the past?” To which Elway says, “Better than living on a prayer.” The song is often played during Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles home games, during an offensive rally when the home team needs a big clutch hit. The Washington Nationals use this song in-between innings karoake contest. The song has been performed by many college marching bands including Michigan State University, The University of Tennessee Auburn University, Purdue University, Notre Dame (Where it is also, as of 2008, a very popular song on campus), Northern Illinois University, Boston College, Pennsylvania State University, Eastern Michigan University, Niagara University, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, Columbia University, and Georgia Tech and it is frequently a crowd favorite. The song become a theme for the George Mason University Patriots during their run to the Final Four in 2006. The Rutgers University Scarlet Knights football team plays “Livin’ on a Prayer” in the 4th quarter of all home games.

“Livin’ on a Prayer” is the unofficial theme song of the Stimson Superfans, a group of Fanatic Washington State Volleyball fans, and the song is sung by the group before every WSU Volleyball game.

Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” was featured in the film Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, and appears on its soundtrack album. The song was also featured on the trailer and a commercial for the 2009 film Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

A brief a cappella set of “Livin’ on a Prayer” was included as part of the November 7, 2006, episode of the TV show Gilmore Girls. In 2009 the song was featured on an episode of the hit UK series Skins.

The song is in the 2008 version of the Cadbury’s “Trucks” advert. The song’s chorus was used in an old Filipino Zesto orange juice commercial in the 1990s. The lyrics were reworked as “Cool and refreshing, that’s the way to go-o. Oh! Way to go, Zesto!”

It is a playable track for the music video game Rock Band 2 and for Guitar Hero World Tour. On the latter of the two, the ending is changed. Instead of it fading out on the ending chorus, it finishes the chorus and then has an “outro” riff. The song is also featured in the musical video game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2.

On May 8, 2009, the song was featured prominently in the final scene of “Everybody Hates G.E.D.”, the final episode of the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. The scene was a tribute to “Made in America”, the final episode of the HBO drama The Sopranos, which featured Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” in its final scene.

An altered version of this song, entitled ‘Livin’ on a Grant’, is the anthem of the New ERA cohort of students within University College Dublin. The chorus is amended to reflect New ERA students’ defiance of the status quo within Irish university society.

Working For The Weekend – Loverboy

“Working for the Weekend” was a song released in 1981 on the rock band Loverboy’s second album Get Lucky. The song contained more of a pop feel than the other songs that the band produced, but this new sound proved to generate a lot of success, as the song reached #29 on the pop singles charts, and #2 in mainstream rock in the United States in January 1982.

It is ranked #100 on VH1’s 100 greatest songs of the 80’s.

Hey Ladies – Beastie Boys

“Hey Ladies” is a song by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, featured on their album Paul’s Boutique. It was the album’s only charting single, hitting #36 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is also the first single in history to chart in the Top 20 of both the Billboard Hot Rap Singles and Modern Rock Tracks charts, hitting #10 on the former and #18 on the latter. It also appears on Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science.

The lyric “cutting up the rug” is common slang for dancing.

A music video, in the vein of Saturday Night Fever, was made for the song.

A Little Respect – Erasure

“A Little Respect” is a song written and recorded by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in September 1988 as their tenth single. It was issued as the third European (and second American) single from their album The Innocents.

Known as one of their signature tunes, “A Little Respect” continued Erasure’s success on the UK singles chart, where it hit number four to become the band’s fifth Top 10 single. It was also Erasure’s second consecutive Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, where it climbed to number 14, and hit number two on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.

Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the heavily synthesized instrumentation is accentuated by acoustic guitar and Bell’s use of falsetto in the chorus. The lyrics are an empowering plea to a lover to show compassion and respect.