By L'Eighties Night Productions
4.8
2222 ratings
The podcast currently has 24 episodes available.
"The Safety Dance" is a song by the Canadian new wave/synth-pop band Men Without Hats, released in 1982. It hit #3 on the U.S. charts the following year. The song was written by lead singer Ivan Doroschuk after he had been kicked out of a club in Ottowa for “pogo dancing,” a bouncy dance that was a precursor to mosh dancing. Why do people have such a problem with dancing? And why did “The Hats” decide to set their music video in old-timey England around a maypole? We may never know, but we’ll get as far to the bottom of it as we can in this episode.
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"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 hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1983 and reached #1 in Canada.
The band’s ambitious song and concept album dug into themes like censorship and the dehumanization of the working class. The band also thumbed their noses at anti-rock activists’ attempts to prohibit backmasking, which some thought contained hidden messages.
If you’ve ever wondered who Mr. Roboto was, or Kilroy for that matter, then this episode is for you!
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We’re back from long hiatus with one from the Sick Burns vault! Recorded in summer 2021, this episode features a dive into systems of power, their latent hypocrisy, and that feeling of adolescent elation that comes from giving the finger to both.
Twisted Sister released “We’re Not Gonna Take It” in 1984 and landed on the PMRC’s “Filthy Fifteen” list for the song’s violent lyrical content (eye roll.). This hard-rocking anti-authority anthem was based on a notable Christmas carol and has become the song of choice for anyone wanting to stick it to “the man” (including politicians who actually ARE “the man.”)
The video answers the question: What would happen if the menacing ROTC student Douglas C. Niedermeyer from the movie Animal House grew up and had a kid who wanted to rock? Actor Mark Metcalf is game to reprise his role and winds up getting pushed out a lot of windows.
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Between multiple interviews, a biopic and a broadway show, Tina Turner's story is well known. But there's an HBO documentary about her and it confirms that she is the queen of rock-n-roll, the empress of resilience and the grand duchess of self-respect.
Tina Turner's appearance in 1985's Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome was her second movie appearance-- she had appeared in Tommy ten years earlier. While we think her outfit in that movie was chef's kiss mwah!, she revealed in an interview in 1988 that she felt her character Aunty Entity would have been more fierce if she had more practical clothing.
Her hit song recorded for the movie, "We Don't Need Another Hero," was written by the same team that wrote "What's Love Got to Do With It?"-- Terry Britten and Graham Lyle. The song was a bridge between her albums Private Dancer and Break Every Rule. It was nominated for a Golden Globe (losing to Lionel Richie) and a Grammy (losing to Whitney Houston).
We think maybe it was hampered by the goofy lyrics that reference the movie, tying it down! We also think Mel Gibson is beyond icky and wish Tina hadn't been tainted by his garbage presence. And yet she somehow continues to be. . . simply the best.
Give a listen and tell us what YOU think!!
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Cold war chess matches and show tunes collide in "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head. The song went to number one in many countries and topped out at #3 in May 1985 in the U.S. and Canada. The song was a single from the concept album “Chess” by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA (and Mama Mia fame) with lyrics by Tim Rice. It later became a musical, starring Murray Head.
In the musical, Head plays “Freddie Trumper,” an American Chess master who is in Thailand to face off against his opponent from the USSR in a big chess match. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it was inspired by the 1972 Bobby Fischer/Boris Spassky match in Reykjavik.
In the song, Trumper is trying to stay focused on the match and not succumb to Bangkok’s many distractions. Listening to it with 2021 ears, it’s hard to miss the transphobic overtones or the way it hypersexualizes Asian women. If you were transfixed by the flute solo, you may have missed all that in 1985, but the Thai government didn’t.
Check out the video.
Note, this song is not to be confused with Musical Chess by Burger King Illuminati.
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Editing by Ghost Label
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The American treasure that is Dolly Parton wrote “9 to 5” as the theme song for the movie of the same name, in which she co-starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The song topped the charts in 1980, tapping into women’s growing frustrations in the struggle for equality and the never-ending challenges of juggling work and life. The movie follows three women co-workers seeking vengeance on their lecherous boss for his constant sexual harassment. The song and the film took their titles from the non-profit organization 9to5, which advocated for fair pay and equal treatment for women in the workplace. We discuss how far -- or not --women have progressed since 1980, especially in pandemic conditions.
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Editing by Ghost Label Video
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When the “Godfather of Soul” James Brown died on Christmas Day 2006, his cause of death was listed as heart failure. But intrepid reporting from CNN’s Thomas Lake has surfaced dozens of unanswered questions about Brown’s life and final hours, most importantly to allegations that Brown was murdered. The story starts with one courageous woman named Jacquelyn Hollander who captivated Lake with her outrageous claims and her many, many receipts. In this special episode, we go down the rabbit hole of Lake’s multi-part article called “The Circus Singer and The Godfather of Soul.”
Check out Thomas Lake’s article on CNN.
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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.
In 1984, Huey Lewis and the News had a hit with "Heart of Rock & Roll," which worked 15 cities into a top-10 hit. In 1985, the Godfather of Soul James Brown made it to number four-- and scored a Grammy-- with "Living in America," squeezing in nine mentions. The song is also well remembered for being a breakout hit from the movie "Rocky IV."
We break down both songs with our 21st-century lens.
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In this Very Special Episode of Sick Burns we look at one of the biggest charity records of the 1980’s -- a decade full of charity records. “A Very Special Christmas” has been a holiday juggernaut since the first album was released in 1987. A compilation of Christmas standards from music’s hottest 80’s stars, the album was produced by Jimmy Iovine, who was inspired to make something special to commemorate this special time of year after losing his beloved father during the holidays. He called out the big guns, dusted off the Phil Spector playbook, and produced something truly special. All proceeds benefited the Special Olympics, which now counts VSPs many albums as its largest source of funding. It’s a super boffo episode with coverage of not one but 15 different songs! Put on your elf hat, grab a cup of wassail and join us, won’t you?
Inspired by the music? Why not consider a direct gift to Special Olympics?
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And give us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Podchaser!
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"Material Girl" was the second single from Madonna’s ridiculously successful 1984 album “Like a Virgin,” peaking at #2 in 1985. By borrowing some powerful imagery from another iconic blonde (Marilyn Monroe) for the music video, Madonna earned a nickname that stuck. We discuss the making of the song and video and chat about materialism, influencer culture, Marie Kondo, and even Karl Marx and Cartesian dualism. (Gulp.) Join us as we make our first foray into the catalog of the best selling female artist of all time, the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna Louise Ciccone.
Check out the video for Material Girl directed by Mary Lambert.
***AND***
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Support the show
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Email us at [email protected]
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The podcast currently has 24 episodes available.