5 for playing: Tears For Fears

blending psychology with pop music, Tears for Fears burst into the music scene categorized under the New Wave banner. international success came easy as hit after hit followed, blowing that category to smithereens as TFF made danceable, thoughtful pop songs that slightly differed from the norm. but their shining moment was coming out after their long break with their third album, The Seeds of Love, where they scrapped their psychology-driven songwriting and just listened to the pulse of the world. a big bonus: the discovery of Oleta Adams (which explains the song on the top of my list here). their overall body of work is respectable, and you're a hypocrite if you say you don't love great pop hooks.

5. Mothers Talk, Songs from the Big Chair (1985)


4. Break It Down Again, Elemental (1993)


3. Change, The Hurting (1983)


2. Head Over Heels, Songs from the Big Chair (1985)


1. Woman in Chains, The Seeds of Love (1989)

5 for playing: Michael Jackson

yes, we do have to make a tribute to the Peter Pan who mesmerized and confounded the world in the last 30 years. i'm sure this is like the eleventieth million blog to do so at this very moment.

let's start with my most-remembered Thriller moment. back in early '83, i was over at our landlord's listening to the seminal album, the coolest thing to have back then, that would go on to become the best-selling album of all time (and maybe will even gallop much further away after this). they had a stereo radio/cassette player (which i didn't). somebody said to rewind the song that just played. Jeremy, the landlord's youngest son, immediately pressed the Rewind button without stopping the song first (anybody who grew up with mp3 players will go "what's the big deal?"). that action ate the tape, and i told Jeremy not to do that and he should press the Stop button first. Jeremy, being a 6 year old prick at that time, snarkily blamed me for not teaching him that before he pressed the Rewind button. prick.

oh, and the 2nd-most remembered Thriller moment: 2nd year high school, group dancing field demonstration, dancing to Thriller, much, much earlier than those Cebu inmates.

here's a fact ... Prince songs outnumbers Jacko's on my iPod 3-to-1. and the reason is obvious. Prince went for long-term, sustained excellence, with highs and lows, for his career. which is why he's still making songs now, and even made a SuperBowl halftime appearance two years ago. Michael Jackson's star, brilliant as it was, peaked with Thriller. therein lies the irony: his best work burdened him and forced every succeeding album to be, unfairly or not, compared against this bar. considering his gifts, he could have been still making records at this time. who knows what might have been if despite his unhappy childhood, the early notoriety and fame, he managed to keep his head straight and just churned out music? i guess musical star celebrities need to go out in a spectacular tragic way (the list is long) - after craving and crawling and climbing their way up that mountain, there's nowhere else to go.

well, fans should just be thankful he wasn't found lifeless along with 10 other dead kids [insert other details here].

in this episode of 5 for Playing, we double the songs, because, well ... he is who he is. no need to embed YouTube vids here.

10. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing), Thriller (1982)

9. Billie Jean, Thriller (1982)

8. Beat It, Thriller (1982)

7. Human Nature, Thriller (1982)

6. Rock With You, Off The Wall (1979)

5. One Day in Your Life, Forever, Michael (1975)

4. Thriller, Thriller (1982)

3. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Off The Wall (1979)

2. Smooth Criminal, Bad (1987)

1. Wanna Be Startin' Something, Thriller (1982)

5 for playing: Eurythmics

here we are again, trying to filter 5 (plus 1) songs i can call my favorites, and the band of choice for this post is making it difficult. the Eurythmics do not sound like your regular rock band or pop minstrels, yet they have a body of work that made them the best selling British duo of all time. the distinctive Annie Lennox remains one of my favorite female vocalists, and she can outsing anybody. it is a testament to their creative vibe to stay in the game so long, despite her and partner Dave Stewart's early romantic mis-entanglements. in the interests of keeping it with the name of this post, i have to cut other classics like Sweet Dreams, the Aretha Franklin-jam Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves, and yes, Sex Crime. (sorry, embedding is disabled so clicking the screenshots brings you the YouTube page).

5. tie - Angel, We Too Are One (1989)


Missionary Man, Revenge (1986)


4. Here Comes the Rain Again, Touch (1984)


3. There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart), Be Yourself Tonight (1985)


2. I Need A Man, Savage (1987)


1. You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart, Savage (1987)

5 for playing: Janet Jackson

the other successful Jackson out of Gary, Indiana (sister city of Fuxin, China - not kidding!), Janet stepped out of the family shadow in general, and in her brother Michael's, in particular, and carved out a pretty good musical career for herself. her musical peak in the mid to late '80s was rooted deep in her Minneapolis sound, masterminded by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (that decade's Neptunes, if you will). with a hit song list rivaling her now-white freak brother's, it was difficult narrowing down five (well, i always fudge it with six, hahahaha) i'd always have for my iPod. but here you go. notice that they're all pre-'90s and pre-wardrobe malfunction. just like most pop-slash-rockstars, they never know when to quit and leave with their dignity intact. or i'm just an old-school fart.

5. What Have You Done For Me Lately, Control (1986)


4. tie - Runaway, Design of A Decade (1995)


Love Will Never Do (Without You), Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)


3. Control, Control (1986)

kinda long: jump to the 3:20 mark.

2. When I Think of You, Control (1986)


1. Miss You Much, Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

5 for playing: The Jets

via Tonga and Minneapolis, the Wolfgramm siblings usurped the name of New York's storied green-garbed football team and turned themselves into a hit machine worthy of teenage adoration and gyration. there exists a state of music called bubblegum pop, where everything is perfect and eternal, and very few pop artists achieve this state, and even fewer stay in it. the Jets (who are still doing performances from time to time to date) encapsulated their careers by being in this zone. if that's not enough, they also have three things going for them: (1) they knew when to throw in the towel; (2) they're no slouches in musical talent and living the Minneapolis funk served them well; and the best part (3) they're not the Jacksons - do you know of any (U.S.-based) musical family that didn't disintegrate into an ego-centric, feuding, mudslinging, little-boy-molesting, drug-sniffing, scandal-ridden, discombobulated mess? case closed.

stop laughing and lower those eyebrows. wait till i unleash my Debbie Gibson post, hala.

5. tie - Anytime, Magic (1987)


Make It Real, Magic (1987)

4. You Got It All, The Jets (1985)


3. Curiosity, The Jets (1985)


2. Crush on You, The Jets (1985)


1. Cross My Broken Heart, Magic (1987) & Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack (1987)

Jets - Cross My Broken Heart
Uploaded by jpdc11 - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

5 for playing: Cutting Crew

pretty boy bands (as opposed to boy bands, who are just pretty) don't really last long. the road to rock stardom is littered with the corpses of those who never made it, and those who at least made an effort. Cutting Crew is one of the latter, despite critical scorn, to have at least a few hits (hey, don't they all?) and earned a few bucks. too bad the '90s happened, and they all got relegated to nostalgia radio. actually, its not too bad because some people still remember them. and the songs.

5. One for the Mockingbird, Broadcast (1986)



4. Tie - (I Just) Died in Your Arms, Broadcast (1986)


I've Been In Love Before, Broadcast (1986)



3. Any Colour, Broadcast (1986)



2. The Last Thing, The Scattering (1989)
(can't find a video - sorry; listen to the song here)


1. Everything But My Pride, The Scattering (1989)

5 for playing: A Flock of Seagulls

everybody knows the Seagulls most well-known hit (#5 here), and their singer Mike Score's iconic appearance in The Wedding Singer. wait no, that was a stand-in. sorry, it was William Broad who played himself in that funny movie. anyway, the Seagulls proudly hail from the Liverpudlian music factory, which count among its prestigious members, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Elvis Costello, Echo and the Bunnymen, Dead or Alive and Sporty Spice. oh, and that little band called The Beatles.

the Seagulls had a pretty short career - they pretty much Scored (heh) during the first half of the 80s, and their timing couldn't be better because of MTV exposure. Score's hair was all the rage, even as the decade wound down. someday, i hope to track the man down in Cocoa Beach, Florida and shake his hand for contributing to the soundtrack of my growing-up years. at least before he croaks.

5. The More You Live, The More You Love, The Story of a Young Heart (1985)



4. I Ran (So Far Away), A Flock of Seagulls (1982)



3. Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You), Listen (1983)



2. Transfer Affection, Listen (1983)



1. Space Age Love Song, A Flock of Seagulls (1982)

5 for playing: The Bangles

let's hear it for girl bands ... they don't make 'em like the Go-Go's and the Bangles anymore. outside of Bond, there isn't any all-girl group (playing their own instruments - the Corrs don't count) that had made much of an impact in recent years (or made my iPod playlists).

the Bangles had a relatively short shelf life, and their gender may work against the possible longevity of such bands. think about it: if male rockstars have bloated egos, what more for women, who spend most of their waking hours trying to one-up the rest of their species? an implosion is always inevitable, someone will always try to get a bigger credit or a bigger share of the spotlight, and we can only speculate about the specter of dressing room catfights and snarky discourse behind the curtains.

the girls had a great 5-year run, and even though they have recently reformed sans bassist Michael Steele, they'll really be remembered for their '80s work. i know i do.

If She Knew What She Wants, Different Light (1986)


Walk Like An Egyptian, Different Light (1986)


Manic Monday, Different Light (1986)


Hazy Shade of Winter, Less Than Zero soundtrack (1987)


Eternal Flame, Everything (1988)

5 for playing: Lenny Kravitz

his best song makes me break out into a rockstar stance and break out the air guitar, and do a funky dance wherever i am. and that's the highest compliment i can pay Lenny Kravitz, who helped made the '90s a much interesting musical place.

5. (tie) Heaven Help, Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993)


Believe, Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993)



4. Fly Away, 5 (1998)



3. I Belong to You, 5 (1998)



2. Again, Greatest Hits (2000)


1. Are You Gonna Go My Way, Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993)

5 for playing: ABC

ABC graduated from campy new wavers to smooth soulful pop music purveyors worshipping on the altar of Smokey Robinson. peaking with 1987's Alphabet City, the camp was still evident but channeled it in soul-tinged winners. Martin Fry's (and his ubiquitous mic) lyrics may leave some songs wanting (right on the target, but wide off the mark ... make up your mind!), but the music (Mark White, take a bow, TinTin haircut and all) was at least finger-snapping and toe-tapping.


5. Poison Arrow, The Lexicon of Love (1982)


4.(tie) The Look of Love, The Lexicon of Love (1982)


The Night You Murdered Love, Alphabet City (1987)



3. Vanity Kills, How to Be A...Zillionaire! (1985)



2. Be Near Me, How to Be A...Zillionaire! (1985)



1. When Smokey Sings, Alphabet City (1987)

5 for playing: Def Leppard

they're responsible for one of my favorite shout-outs: "no serenade, no fire brigade, just pyromania!!!" pop-metal, hard rock, who cares? i prefer melodies and intelligible vocals rather than just noise and grunts. Def Leppard embodies the big hair and big sound of the '80s, and we're all the better for it. admit it, though you weren't blessed with Joe Elliot's pipes (or even hope to sing within screaming distance), you sang along too, karaoke-slash-air-guitar boy.

5. Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad, Adrenalize (1992)


4. Photograph, Pyromania (1983)


3. Pour Some Sugar On Me, Hysteria (1987)


2. Rock of Ages, Pyromania (1983)


1. Hysteria, Hysteria (1987)

5 for playing: Texas

today am starting a Top 5 list of songs of bands/musicians i like. i'll try to see if they have them up in YouTube (in any case, you can at least listen to it). some videos have been disabled , so clicking on the pics will bring you to the YouTube page itself.

today's featured band is Texas, which has no affiliations at all to the Lone Star state except the name. led by the bodacious Sharleen Spiteri, the Glaswegian Texas is more of a Euro/Asian phenomenon rather than a truly global one, which is a shame, since they wrote strong songs and knew their audience. their American highlights would be the reworked Say What You Want performed memorably with Method Man, and appearances in Hollywood movie soundtracks. they are still recording to date, but they've already peaked, and my favorites are from that era.

5. In Our Lifetime, Hush (1999)


4. I Don't Want A Lover, Southside (1989)


3. (tie) Say What You Want, Put Your Arms Around Me, White On Blonde (1997)




2. In Demand, Greatest Hits (2000)


1. Inner Smile, Greatest Hits (2000/1)