Ya Mama!

I just have to share this hilarious song from 1982 that I discovered (or possibly rediscovered) today.  One of my husband's friends from high school shared this popular rap song that his former suitemates at Sam Houston State University in Texas used to play all the time.

This song is funny!

I was ten years old in 1982, but I swear I don't remember this song, which was a one hit wonder for Wuf Ticket, an American hip hop group that consisted of Mustafa Ahmed, James Mason, Earl McField and Karin Wolf.  Although this song was fairly successful and got to number 21 on Billboard's Black Singles chart, their follow up song, "The Key" didn't chart.  Looks like these folks are now relegated to musical obscurity... but I sure had a good laugh listening to them today.

My friend, Andrew, calls this a "diss track".  I guess it's because the song mostly consists of two guys cutting each other down.  But then, when it gets to "Ya Mama", they rein themselves in, because it's not cool to cut down someone's mama.

I should have posted about this on Mother's Day.  I'm glad to have found it today, when I needed a good laugh.  This definitely qualified as crap from the past that belongs in the Dungeon!

Fly Robin Fly

For some reason, this song is stuck in my head this morning.

Nothing like a little disco from 1975 in the morning...  On another note, these women need a new choreographer.

Fly Robin Fly by Silver Convention is certainly a catchy tune.  Some might even say it's uplifting with its lilting strings, striking bass, and thudding percussion.  Based on the video, I'm wondering if this dance was something done at clubs.  It looks a little like the "Electric Slide".

Here's another mindlessly catchy number by the same group... more heavy bass, percussion, and strings.

These songs are definitely not for mental giants.  On the positive side, at least it's hard to forget the words, right?  Maybe these songs are mostly instrumental because Silver Convention was a German Euro disco band.

This song is flat out idiotic.  At least they don't have camel toes in the video.  They seem to be channeling ABBA a little.

Based on YouTube, I can see that these ladies had a career that endured awhile.  I read they were considered "new and fresh" in the 70s.  I dunno.  I was new and fresh myself in the 70s.  I do think this is one group whose music wears thin after about ten minutes, though.  I'm going to be singing this shit all day.

Horrible song by one of the girls... AAAAGGGGGHHHH!  And check out the moronic dance moves... especially from the chick in plaid.  Gadzooks!

Debbie Gibson...

If you were a teen in the 1980s, like I was, you have heard a lot about Debbie Gibson.  Back in those days, she wrote a lot of cutesy dance hits.  She was kind of the Taylor Swift of my generation, though I don't think her career was quite as successful as Taylor Swift's.  For some reason, I started thinking about her this morning.  I ran across several interviews she did back in the day.

I remember this so well...

Jeez... I hear she goes by Deborah Gibson now.  

I actually have some respect for Gibson.  She writes her own music and sings.  I hear she even has perfect pitch!  But sometime after the 90s, she kind of faded into oblivion.  Last I heard, she was working on Broadway, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

She comes across as pretty down to earth...

In the 80s, there was a lot of competition between Tiffany and Debbie Gibson.  Tiffany was famous for having a big voice and doing covers of songs she turned into dance music.  I was never really into dance music, even when I was a teen.  For that reason, I never purchased an album by either Tiffany or Debbie Gibson.  I do remember the music well, though...  And if I had to choose, I think I'd choose Debbie over Tiffany.  

Gawd, I feel so old!

Samantha Fox...

Back in the 1980s, a vapid model turned blonde pop star named Samantha Fox was burning up the airwaves with her dance hits.  Her first hit was by far the best of the songs she released…

"Touch Me" made Samantha sound like a bitch in heat, but it was probably the best of her songs…

Then she did "Naughty Girls Need Love Too", which was sort of a frisky dance hit.

Following up with "I Want To Have Some Fun", which sounds suspiciously like "Naughty Girls Need Love Too."

Then she sang a cover version of "I Only Want to Be With You"… clearly selling the sexy bimbo image to the hilt.

As of 2013, she was still around, making music…

I have to admit, her songs are just ridiculous enough to be entertaining, though I don't know that I think she's the greatest singer.  In the 80s, she was about being sexy and promoting a party image.  She was popular for several years… and frankly, I'm not so sure she would be if she did the same thing today.  Her songs are kind of a guilty pleasure for me, though.  

According to Wikipedia, Samantha Fox fancies women rather than men… and at one time, people said she was a born again Christian.  I dunno.  I don't think these are the greatest songs, but I do admit they're fun to listen to.

Bananarama...

Someone got me thinking about Wham! the other day and in the course of learning whatever happened to Andrew Ridgeley, I found out that he's the boyfriend of one of the original members of the 80s era girl group Bananarama...

This is a classic song from my junior high years...  Makes me feel ancient to hear it.

And wow... this is pure 80s dance music.  I can't believe how long ago this song was on the airwaves.

This song makes me think of beauty pageants.

And this might have been their biggest hit.  It makes for a good exercise song, anyway.

Man, I feel so old.

Seven Seconds Away...

Unlike the other songs I have profiled on this blog, Youssou N'dour's and Nenah Cherry's "Seven Seconds Away" is not from the 70s or 80s.  This song was popular in the late 1990s and every time I hear it, it reminds me of the two years I spent in Armenia.

Armenians seemed to love this song and blasted it all the time from their dilapidated mini vans which served as public transportation for so many people.  It's a pretty soulful song with deep lyrics about how newborn babies don't have any concept of the world's problems or the color of their skin.

I think the Armenians liked it for its exotic sound and dance beat.  I'm not that much of a dance music fan myself, but I do kind of have a nostalgic enjoyment for this song.

The Armenians also loved this song... Again, it's all about dance music.  Now it's on the brain.