Hello music lovers! I’m back and ready to accept the challenge, and come up with a brand new Friday Flash Review.
You all know the drill: mt58 randomly selects a genre, category, or some other musical common denominator for you all to think on… and then I talk about the song that you choose.
OK, mt, what’s up for this Friday?
Well… It’s another wide-ranging category! It’s:
“Nationalistic Anthems That Honor Despotic Korean Leaders!“
Too limiting? 미안 동지 존. Let’s try that again. How about:
Songs from the 80s that SHOULD have been Billboard Number Ones”
OK, we have a category!
In the comments below: nominate ONE favorite that you’d like to see in a Flash Review. Definitely chat and reply with each other about the choices, but remember:
The comment with the most upvotes get the nod.
See you Friday!
7
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
Views: 134
How about a song that never even made the Top 40: The Romantics’ “What I Like About You”?
Oh, wait.
I was going to nominate Devo’s “Beautiful World”, but the damn thing didn’t even reach the bottom half of the Hot 100. What the heck is “bubbling under”? It bubbled under at #102. #102! That’s a perfect piece of synth-pop.
I’ll be back with something more reasonable.
Ooh, good category.
Gonna go for some Philly pride and nominate “And We Danced” by the Hooters.
Arriving late to this conversation. Count my vote, my irrational love for this song is speaking.
“Fall on Me” by R.E.M.
I’m gonna play to the tnocs canon and nominate……. Biz Markie: Just A Friend.
We all know it peaked at #9 and Tom B thinks it’s a 10 but can we be sure without Jon’s expert analysis?
And I know it reached its chart peak in early 1990 but it was recorded and released in ’89 so that qualifies it for me.
Yes! I was going to say some Talking Heads or Pretenders song, but “Just A Friend” deserves a full review. Great idea, JJ.
Bruce! Bruce! Bruce! Bruce!
Gotta finally get some justice for the Boss and “Dancing in the Dark.”
Purple Rain.
Prince was my 2nd choice after Bruce (Raspberry Beret specifically).
I checked to see what song chartblocked “Raspberry Beret” from attaining the top spot.
Nicely played.
Only looked it up after you mentioned it; it was not intended as a backdoor slight to dutch or Duran Duran. But yes, “Raspberry Beret” is an objectively better song than “A View to a Kill”
Ha! Whatever. 😉
Well, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go I believe was Purple Rain’s topper-blocker, so Prince has double issues with me. Ha!
(Funny. that just reminded me of a Canterbury Tales rewrite our senior class English teacher had us do. Everyone had a different subject to write about in a Canterbury Tales style. I wrote mine involving Prince. Remember nothing of it, except it got the loudest reception when I had to read it in front of everyone, everybody was laughing pretty good. What a strange recollection to have just now!)
Wake Me Up Before You Go Go deserved to beat Purple Rain, so I’ve got no heartache with that one.
Your story reminds me of a buddy who wrote an essay for Senior English that posited the theory that people who liked mustard were more spiritual / connected than people who liked ketchup. (On a separate occasion, I got kicked out of that class for flipping off a girl who made fun of Jane’s Addiction. Then I got out of it because a different girl had a seizure while I was waiting for my punishment.)
So sorry, but, as much as TNOS + Dutch has gotten me to seriously upgrade my opinion of Wham! / G. Michael songs, there’s no way that “Wake Me Up” is better than “Purple Rain”. Like, none.
No upvote. I’m just acknowledging your mastery of comic tone.
The guitar in “Faith” sounds amazing. Arguably, George Michael could have pulled a “When Doves Cry” by dropping the bass. Even with the bass, it sounds pretty minimalist. And a 10. I can imagine “Faith” appearing on Sign o the Times. I’d like to hear “Faith” without the vocals.
His whole solo career rested on the success of “Faith”. Amazing first impression. He played here. Elton John made a cameo. I recognize the stage design in the “Monkey” video. My aforementioned old friend the pharmacist in Florida probably still has the audio.
Confirmed, though I love “A View To A Kill”
One of the best 3/10s! 🙄
The Kings ‘The Beat Goes On / Switchin’ to Glide.’ Also flabbergasting that it didn’t crack the Top 40. ‘Hey Judy / Get Trudy…’
I think we should avoid anything that made the top 40 – that’s cheating. My vote: Modern English – “I Melt With You”
I’m going for “General & Majors” by brits XTC – got to #28 in the US in 1980. Suppose they were more famous for “Dear God” stateside. Blinding live band until the frontman had stage fright due to drug complications a few years later.
Good welcome to you, @PJSyndicate !
Thanks for coming on board!
I wish XTC was famous for “Love on a Farmboy’s Wages”. That’s my fav. It sounds like an answer song to The Go-Between’s “Cattle and Cane”. There was a time when I loved “Dear God”, and I still do, but when Sarah McLachlan sings it. I grew up without religion, but “Dear God” annoyed my mother tremendously. I can still hear her:
“So angry,” as she cooked.
Just to be crystal clear: at this moment, the winning bid is Biz Markie’s Just A Friend.
It’s up to YOU, dear TNOCSer, to reaffirm or unseat this current lead.
Voting ends at 5pm today (Wednesday)!
Any other song than “Just A Friend” will do, thank you. Hopefully, another vote for “Purple Rain” will nudge it into the lead. It’s a snoozer for me; perhaps a good JD review will open my mind a little more.
Oh, I’ve realized that my vote came way too late. “Just A Friend” is a good song and I think it will get a nice review.