Hey Ricky!

For some reason, I woke up with this song stuck on the brain...

It was in this morning's dream for some reason.  It's been redone by a whole bunch of people, but it seems the Skyliners were the first.

I was thinking about trying this song myself... but then another song came creeping in.  It was an old song by Weird Al Yankovic.  I hadn't heard it in many years until this morning, when I found it on YouTube.

"Hey Ricky" was one of Weird Al's first hits...  I give him credit for being very creative with the lyrics. I'm not sure it would have occurred to me to connect I Love Lucy with "Mickey".

Since Weird Al was born in the 50s, he no doubt used to watch I Love Lucy.  He probably saw it when it originally aired on prime time television.  In the early 80s, he turned the show into the subject of his parody song, "Ricky", which was inspired by the original hit, "Mickey", by Toni Basil.  Toni Basil's hit was a staple on MTV and HBO's Video Jukebox, so the video for that is etched on the brain.

It doesn't get much more 80s than this...

I always have something stuck on the brain.  My head is like a radio that never shuts off.  It usually plays what are now considered "oldies".  

I'm kind of giving some thought to playing around with some music today.  Hopefully, it'll rain.  That makes making music easier, mainly because people don't tend to linger outside when the rain is falling.  I feel less self-conscious.  Also, rain puts me in a moody frame of mind that lends itself to making music over writing blog posts.  

I wish I could remember what this morning's dream was about... but I do know it had a soundtrack.

Rest in peace, Tom Petty...

Damn...  I am a little heartbroken this morning to hear that Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is dead.  He had a massive heart attack and went into cardiac arrest.  Physicians were unable to revive him.

I read about his death last night, but then awoke to news that reports of his death were premature.  It's now been confirmed that Petty is gone at 66.  He joins so many great artists from my youth who have died too young.

When there was a flicker of hope that Petty wasn't going to die, a friend of mine on Facebook said, "If he pulls through, he will enjoy the iTunes downloads."  I did chuckle at the black humor and I must admit that I did go and download a couple of Petty's albums this morning.  There are still a lot that I don't own, but I figured I had to buy Damn the Torpedoes at the very least.  That was the first of his albums that I remember.  It was released in 1979 and I always loved his song, "Don't Do Me Like That".

I always loved this song for its powerful keyboard intro and timeless rock appeal...

As I mentioned in this morning's post on The Overeducated Housewife, I was reminded of Petty about ten days ago, as Bill and I were driving home from a fest in a town called Weil der Stadt.  Petty's song, "Listen to Her Heart" came on and I found myself listening closely to the lyrics.  They struck me as very sensitive and poignant.

"Listen to Her Heart"

And then there were songs he did that were just really sexy...  I always thought the song "Breakdown" was very sensual.

This is an old song, but it still sounds great today.

"Here Comes My Girl" is another really sexy number.  Timeless and pulsating with lust, this song never fails to make me think of a man who just really appreciates his girl.

Shit... I could sit here all day and play Petty's hits...  

I learned while reading Don Felder's tell all about his time in The Eagles that he was one of Tom Petty's guitar teachers.  They were both from Gainesville, Florida and, I guess, knew each other when neither was a big star.  I'm sitting here trying to imagine Felder teaching Petty and then years later, seeing his student become a rock star.  It must have been very gratifying for them both.

Well, this post is not very eloquent.  I am not finding the right words I need to express myself right now.  I'm just really sad Tom Petty is dead.  Too many great artists are dying before their time.  That makes me sad because really great music is one of the few things in life that make being here worthwhile for me.  Many condolences to Tom Petty's family and friends.  At least we're left with a treasure trove of great music to remember him by...  He had forty great years in the music business.  I'm glad I was around for them.

Spandau Ballet

I can't believe I've taken so long to write a post about Spandau Ballet.  When I was in my early teens in the mid 80s, they were quite a popular group.  I was a big fan of their song "True", which was featured prominently in the movie, Sixteen Candles.   No 80s teen worth their salt missed that movie.

Ah... "True" is such a romantic number.  So many school dances, so many clunky attempts at slow dancing, so many thanks that I didn't marry someone from my hometown...

"True" was probably their biggest hit, but they had a few other dramatic, exciting, 80s era numbers.  I remember loving "Gold".  Every time I hear it, I'm reminded of Thanksgiving in Natural Bridge, Virginia, which is where my father grew up.  In the 80s, my uncle still ran the hotel in Natural Bridge and it was a nice place to stay.  I used to go with my then best friend and we'd listen to 80s hits... and boy, do I remember Spandau Ballet and "Gold".

This song is so exciting!  It reminds me of a James Bond film!

And then there's the ever popular hit, "Only When You Leave"... also very thrilling for a pre-pubescent version of myself.

Here's a live version of "Only When You Leave"...  I wish I could post the album version, but Germany is strict about such things.

It occurs to me that I have very little Spandau Ballet in my personal music collection.  I may have to rectify that later.  What an awesomely amazing 80s group they were.  

On another note, happy new year...  

ELO!!!

I have a dear friend from college who freely admits that his taste in music sucks.  One of his favorite bands is Electric Light Orchestra, popularly known as ELO.  ELO's music is a mix of rock and roll, classical music, opera, and pure theatre.

"Telephone Line"...  

I'm not sure why my old friend thinks liking ELO means his taste in music "sucks".  I think a lot of ELO's music is pretty good.  It's certainly creatively done.

"Livin' Thing" is good and peppy... guaranteed to inject a little spring in your dance step.

My old friend is a good dancer.  He can't sing or play any instruments, but he has a great sense of rhythm and boogies like a pro.

"Evil Woman" is a song you can dance to... and perhaps relate to.

I always remember "Hold On Tight" from the Coffee Achievers ads in the 80s.

I always liked "Confusion", though it's probably not one of ELO's most popular songs.

Of course, ELO is also known for collaborating with Olivia Newton-John in the box office bomb, Xanadu.  I was a big ONJ fan back in the day and I loved Xanadu.  

ELO's "All Over The World" in a scene from Xanadu.

I really miss bands like ELO.  Seems like what we have nowadays is a lot of boring stuff that sounds the same.  But then, I haven't been listening as intently as I used to because I'm forever in my Dungeon of the Past.

Don Johnson

Remember Mr. Miami Vice?  This morning, I posted a picture of David Hasselhoff on my Facebook wall...

I can't imagine who thought this was a good idea...

And I was reminded that David Hasselhoff famously enjoyed a lively music career, especially in Germany...

This is the epitome of cheese...

And a friend then reminded me of Don Johnson's foray into music.  He had this song...

I actually kind of liked this song when it was popular...

And then I remembered that Don Johnson also sang a duet with Barbra Streisand of all people... and it was even somewhat well received.

Not too bad...  I don't know if Babs chose to sing with him for his vocals or his hunk factor... in the 80s, anyway.

I think I like the duet better than Don Johnson's solo effort.  His song with Streisand is kind of romantic and sweet.  But I guess now that music videos are no longer as popular as they once were, hunky actors might be less likely to sing.  Of course, what it all boils down to is what will make a buck for an investor.

As actors who sing, Don Johnson isn't so bad, though.  I'd rather listen to him than David Hasselhoff.