Your 80s Hip Hop Lives!: 'Just A Friend' by Biz Markie (1989)

Your 80s Hip Hop Lives! is back with American rapper/comedian/actor/dj Biz Markie and his #9 hit from 1989 Just A Friend. Biz Markie (Marcel Theo Hall) originates out of Baltimore, Maryland and has been active on the rap music scene since 1983. The Biz has been called the Clown Prince of Hip Hop, he's been involved in shows with stars like Chris Rock, Nick Cannon, and he's appeared in movies such as Men in Black II. Just A Friend was released in 1989 on his The Biz Never Sleeps album and it peaked at the #9 position on the US Billboard charts. It is considered a comedic hip-hop song and alternates between rap and singing.
Biz Markie - Just A Friend by rikma

Rockin' In The 80s: 'Bonzo Goes To Bitburg (My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down)' by The Ramones (1985)

Rockin' In The 80s returns with a weekly issue, and this week we have the 1985 Ramones track Bonzo Goes To Bitburg. We all know who the Ramones were right??.. For those who don't remember they were and American punk-rock band from Forest Hills, Queens, New York, which began in 1974 and all members of course took on pseudonyms with the surname ending in 'Ramone' and so I won't go over the band members here. The song Bonzo Goes To Bitburg was a single released in the UK, and it was actually a protest song about a visit by ex-US President Ronald Reagan to a German cemetery where SS combatants were buried. The song became a big hit on college radio and the second release (re-titled as Bonzo Goes to Bitburg (My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down) of it appeared on the groups 9th studio album Animal Boy, which was released in 1986. And so there is another Rockin' In The 80s track, and believe there are countless numbers of them so there will likely be many posts under this title so stay tuned.

Mentionable 80s Mashups: 'Sweet Sweet Dreams' by DJ Schmolli (2011)

It has been ages since I posted an 80s mashup, although there are plenty of them out there and so I feel I should include some on this 80s site. Today's Mentionable 80s Mashup is Sweet Sweet Dreams by DJ Schmolli, which was just released on the Bootie Top 10 for June 2011. The song involves the 1983 smash hit song Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
by Eurythmics, and it has been mashed with German dance group La Bouche and their 1994 song Sweet Dreams. That particular song title seems to show up in lots of places doesn't it? Well, I will seek out more 80s mashups for future posts so stay tuned for that, and if you want to hear more from this mashup artist than click on the names or titles above.

#11 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: 'Never Say Never' by Romeo Void (1982)

The Top 100 80s Dance Hits is back, and this time we are looking at #11 which goes to American new-wave/rock-band Romeo Void and their 1982 song Never Say Never. Romeo Void were active as a band from 1979-1985, they were based out of San Francisco California, and they consisted primarily of members Benjamin Bossi (saxophone), Debora Iyall (vocals), Peter Woods (guitar), Frank Zincavage (bass guitar), and a few different drummers which I won't name here. The song Never Say Never was released in 1982 on the band's Benefactor album. It was also featured in a high-school dance scene in the 1984 film Reckless, which starred Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah, so be sure to check that out if you like the song. And there is #11, which leads us now to the final 10 of the Top 100...what are we going to do when this is over?? Perhaps I will have to feature more specific countdowns because there are always more 80s songs out there and I am always discovering new ones myself. Stay tuned for the final 10!

The Saxxy 80s: 'Power Play' by Eddie And The Tide (1987)

Those Saxxy 80s are back again and this time its American rock band Eddie And The Tide and their saxxy 1987 track Power Play. Eddie And The Tide were a San-Francisco-based rock band founded by Steve "Eddie" Rice in 1983, produced 5 albums and one EP, and then disbanded in 1993. Steve "Eddie" Rice continued on with a solo-career with an album released as recently as 2009. The very saxxy Power Play was released on the motion picture soundtrack for the 80s cult-classic teen-vampire film The Lost Boys, so you will find it there. Stay tuned, there's always more saxxy 80s songs to listen to.

Hot 80s Nights!: 'In The Night' by Pet Shop Boys (1986)

Hot 80s Nights! returns once again, and this week features a London-based 80's synth-pop duo known as the Pet Shop Boys, and their 1986 song In The Night. Neil Tennant does the main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar and Chris Lowe works the synth keyboards. Pet Shop Boys are one of the best-selling artists out there having sold over 100 million records worldwide, and God knows I bought this album! In The Night was released on Further Listening (side 2) of their 1986 Please album. Pet Shop Boys are listed as The Most Successful Duo in UK Music History by the Guinness Book of World Records. They are also 3 time BRIT Award winners and 6 time Grammy Nominees, and since 1986 they have produced 42 Top 30 Singles and 22 Top 10 Hits on the UK Singles Chart. And yes, this was a repost, but it fits the Hot 80s Nights! category...you stay classy 80s fans.

Tragic Love In the 80s: 'If You Leave' by OMD (1986)

This week's Tragic Love In The 80s track goes to 80's English synth-pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)
and their 1986 hit If You Leave. OMD originated out of the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside, England back in 1978, which presently consists of members Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Malcolm Holmes, and Martin Cooper. McCluskey and Humphreys were the founding members of the band and are considered the 'core members' to this very day. If You Leave was a single recorded specifically for the John Hughes classic 80's film soundtrack to his film Pretty in Pink , and it was used mainly for the final scene of the movie. It would be OMD's biggest hit in the USA, peaking at #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart that year, at the same time it would only reach #46 on the UK Singles Chart. Also, for those of you who follow this vlog closely you will notice that this song was featured at #45 on VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown.

The Beachy 80s: 'I Want Candy' by Bow Wow Wow (1982)

This week's The Beachy 80s track goes to the clearly-beach-influenced 1982 Bow Wow Wow hit song I Want Candy. This song (originally written and recorded in the 1960's by US group The Strangeloves) was even filmed on a beach, as a beach scene, and so there it is. Bow Wow Wow were an English 1980s New Wave band created by Malcolm McLaren in order to promote his and business partner Vivienne Westwood's New Romantic fashion lines. The band was made up primarily of members Annabella Lwin, Leigh Gorman, Phil Gough, and Devin Beaman with many other members coming and going and has been on hiatus since 2006. I Want Candy was released in 1982 on Bow Wow Wow's The Last of the Mohicans EP and hit #9 on the UK Singles Chart, but only reached #62 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 despite being considered one of the "enduring new-wave classics," which is also partly due to having lots of airplay on MTV in the 80's as well.

Your 80s Hip Hop Lives!: 'Its Like That' by Run–D.M.C. (1984)

This week's Your 80s Hip Hop Lives track is another repost from before (I figure get through thosebefore I introduce new ones) and the song is It's Like That, by the infamous 80's American hip-hop group Run D.M.C.. Run D.M.C. came out of Hollis in the Queens borough of New York City. Run D.M.C. formed back in 1981, and consisted of members Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizel. It's Like That appeared initially as a single on cassette release in 1984 which was accompanied by another track titled Sucker M.C.'s. Run D.M.C. is considered by many to be one of the most influential hip-hop groups in music history, and along with other acts of the time (such as LL Cool J) they were pioneers of the new school of hip hop. According to wikipedia, they were the first group in the hip-hop genre to achieve a Grammy Award and a Gold Album, and Rolling Stone Magazine named them #48 on their list of Greatest Musical Artists of All Time. Finally, in 2004 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, (despite the fact that they were a hip-hop group) and they were only the second hip-hop group in history to have achieved this. It's Like That comes off of their 1984 self-titled debut  Run-D.M.C. album. There are heaps more trivia items about Run D.M.C. on their wikipedia page, so I suggest you look there for more info on the group. Also, there has been a very popular and well done remix version of It's Like That by Jason Nevins (released in 1997) which I also highly recommend checking out. However, the original is a classic so what I would truly recommend is getting a hold of both versions, and thats the way it is!

#12 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: 'I Ran (So Far Away)' by A Flock Of Seagulls (1982)

Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80s Dance Hit Countdown! Today we present you with #12, which goes to the British Grammy Award-winning new-wave band A Flock Of Seagulls and their most successful single I Ran (So Far Away). A Flock Of Seagulls began in 1979 out of  Liverpool, England and was formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score (keyboards, vocals) and Alister "Ali" James Score (drums), with Frank Maudsley (bass) and Paul Reynolds (guitar). I Ran (So Far Away) was released in 1982 on their A Flock of Seagulls album where it would reach #1 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart,
and #9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. This song is one of the songs that really defined 80s music in my own mind and that is partly why I put it so high at the top of the list, that. the beat, and the of course the fully-sick hairstyles! Stay tuned for the rest of the countdown, we are nearing the top 10!

Rockin' In The 80s: 'It's In the Way That You Use It' by Eric Clapton (1986)

Yes yes its another 80s weekly series category, but well needed, and so the first Rockin' In The 80s post goes to English guitarist/vocalist/and songwriter Eric Clapton and his 1986 #1 hit It's in the Way That You Use It. Eric Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England in 1945, has had a long and prolific musical career, and according to his Wikipedia page:

  

"Clapton ranked fourth in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's Top 50 Guitarists of All Time." and "Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream."

Need I say more?? It's In the Way That You Use It was released in 1986 on Clapton's August album, and the song would reach #1 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart that year. If you check out the video below you will also notice that the song was used on the soundtrack for that 1986 Tom Cruise/Paul Newman film The Color Of Money.  So there is the first Rockin In The 80s post, keep on rockin...boom boom!

The Saxxy 80s: 'Thorn In My Side' by Eurythmics (1986)

And now for another Saxxy 80s track, and yes this is a repost, but I figure I would like to get the reposts under their respective genres over with so I can get on with the ones I haven't yet featured. So, without further ado, straight out of 1986 is the very saxxy Thorn in My Side by the Eurythmics. Eurythmics are a British rock-pop-new-wave duo consisting of  Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart from London, who hit it big in the 80's (though currently they are disbanded). Thorn In My Side was released in 1986 on their Revenge album, and would become their 9th top 10 single. The song peaked at #5 on the UK Singles chart, #1 on the Swedish Chart, and #68 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Hot 80s Nights!: 'Running With The Night' by Lionel Richie (1983)

Welcome back to another issue of Hot 80s Nights!. Today we are revisiting a previous post under this issue, and the song is Running With The Night, by American singer-songwriter-musician-music producer Lionel Richie. This song was the second single release from his 1983  Grammy Award winning/multi-platinum album Can't Slow Down. Richie co-wrote this song with fellow song-writer Cynthia Weil and then co-produced it with James Anthony Carmichael. It would peak at #7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at #9 on the UK Singles chart. Since 1968 Lionel Richie has been a member of the musical group Commodores on the  Motown Records label, and he made his solo-debut in 1982. I thought it also interesting to mention this song was featured on the  Grand Theft Auto: Vice City video game in 2002.

Tragic Love In The 80s: 'In Your Eyes' by Peter Gabriel (1986)

This week's Tragic Love In The 80s track goes to British singer/songwriter/musician Peter Gabriel and his 1986 release In Your Eyes. Peter Gabriel was one of the founding member of progressive rock group Genesis and he also had a successful solo-career. In Your Eyes was released in 1986 on Gabriel's So album, which was his 5th studio album. In Your Eyes reached #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986 and I specifically remember this song being featured on the soundtrack of the 1989 Cameron Crowe film of Say Anything.

Your 80s Hip-Hop Lives!: 'Brass Monkey' by Beastie Boys (1986)

How about another 80s Hip Hop Lives track?! Aight, so this week goes to hip-hop champions the Beastie Boys, and their 1986 track Brass Monkey. Beastie Boys are another of those legendary groups that have managed to remain successfully prolific through 3 decades and now have recently released yet another major album in this 4th decade! For those who don't already know they consist of Mike D (Michael Diamond), MCA (Adam Yauch), and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz), and they originate out of New York City, USA. Brass Monkey was released as a single from their 1st (and still my favorite of theirs) album in 1986  Licensed to Ill. Now, I was always told that brass monkey was a drink consisting of beer mixed with orange juice, but according to Wikipedia a brass monkey can also consist of

"a mixture of gin, triple sec, tequila, orange juice, sour mix and grapefruit juice, or to a mixture of rum, vodka and orange juice (with or without Galliano). An alternative version of the brass monkey is a 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor that has been consumed to the top of the label and then filled with orange juice."

No doubt it's an excellent and tasty beverage to imbibe...stay tuned para mas.