Remember When, vol. 1

I'm playing Remember When ...?, where I listen to random songs, and put down whatever thoughts come to mind, especially ones associated with the song, when I first heard it (if I remember that far). My iPod is on shuffle mode, and definitely on my just-refurbished 500-song gorilla '80s playlist. As it is relatively completely random, I expect there would be songs I've never heard before or completely forgotten about, or even (gulp) be totally embarassing. But what the heck ... let 'er rip.

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Theme from S'Express (1988)
S'Express
First time I heard of S'Express, it was in Bomb The Bass' Into The Dragon. But I never really heard any of their work. So might be a good place to start. Didn't seem familiar to me. Didn't seem that appealing either.


Puttin On The Ritz (1982)
Taco
Definitely heard it about a year later. Where was I then? In the family compound of my mom's extended kin. Finding all these cassette tapes, and my first interest among the pile was The Caribbean Disco Show. What kind of a name is Taco? I didn't even know then what a taco was. Or Irving Berlin.


Cross My Broken Heart (1987)
The Jets
Ah, high school memories. On the list of artists-you'd-be-embarassed-to admit-you-liked, I would have Debbie Gibson and The Jets. Played to death the cassette. With a killer bridge and danceable hook

you're my morning sun
you're my shining star
you're my number one
cross my broken heart
in your eyes i see
what you mean to me
you're my destiny

this was the epitome of great bubblegum pop.


Summer of '69 (1984)
Bryan Adams
What I can remember was my H.S. classmate Vincent Frederick Dancel doing his best Adams impersonation with this song during a school program. Vinfred, pretty much considered the class pretty boy, was the trendy purveyor of trendy music of the day - Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, etc. Already then, he already showed some rock star attitude. No wonder he ended up as the frontman for his own band, Twisted Halo. Hey, man, buy back the rights to your domain. Incidentally, Vinfred's wife Kris (Fatal Posporos) replaced Ely Buendia in the Eraserheads/Cambio.

What does this have to do with Bryan Adams? Dunno.


Living On A Prayer (1987)
Bon Jovi
Again, what do I remember? Ah, first year college, first sem at UST. Me and my new-waver classmate Gary went to another classmate's house. Paul was Chinese, one of those rich kids who lived in apartment buildings and not normal houses. He goes, "Pare, ito ang trip kong music!" and proceeds to play the Slippery When Wet album full blast. We did our air guitars and the requisite lipsynching. Needless to say, Bon Jovi had a longer career than Paul had tenure in UST. He was gone next sem. Gary too.


Amanda (1986)
Boston
Hmmm. 1986. Part of a karaoke/multiplex collection. Bwahahaha.


Caribbean Queen (1984)
Billy Ocean
I didn't recall who Billy Ocean was until 1988's "Get Out of My Dreams". Then, I remembered this song. Better than the Caribbean Disco Show.


When Smokey Sings (1987)
ABC
No, I did not think it was a song for Smokey Manaloto. I imagine when Martin Fry composed this, he was hoping to flatter his idol. Its an odd yet gorgeous tribute to the great soul crooner (with nods to Luther, Sly, James, and Marvin), and on its own, its a great pop song. An unexpected hit for a synth band more popular for dancefloor burners "Look of Love", "Be Near Me" and "Vanity Kills" (the opening track for Vilma Santos' weekly musical show, o di ba?).


Rise To The Occasion (1988)
Climie Fisher
If Climie Fisher started out in the mid '90s, they'd call themselves Savage Garden. Or not. They're a bit softer actually. But they did manage to produce a couple of good hits - this and my fave "Love Changes (Everything)," before being relegated as an answer to the occasional trivia game (Blarney's Pub, Makati, 1999).


Kiss (1988)
Art of Noise (feat. Tom Jones)
When I saw the funky video, I thought, 'okay, what is that geezer doing there?' Turns out he can still belt it out. And again, musical moron that I am, I barely remembered Prince originated the darn song. The makeover re-ignited Jones' career somewhat and after that, he was back in the Vegas circuit. Nobody even remembered Art of Noise. This song is still a surefire dancefloor burner and pretty much brings a smile to anyone who hears it.


Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now (1987)
Starship
Asus. One of the staple ballads for late 80s J/S Proms and parties. No one cared that the members of Starship at that time were like, in their 70s; they just wanted to feel this song, and score. *lol*. Ok, i made that part up.


The Power of Love (1985)
Jennifer Rush
My first thought was, okay, let's have a few moments of silence for the woman who foisted the "Name Game" on us. Turns out it's not Ms Branigan's version. If its the first time you hear this, which was back in 1985, it'd be okay. Then Branigan and subsequently, that Canadian Eardrum Destroyer (a.k.a. Celine Dion), made a hit out of it, and then it became really grating.


Take Me Home Tonight (1986)
Eddie Money
Easily a radio staple. You really didn't know who sang it. Especially when DJs are lazy to provide the information. I didn't know who Eddie Money was till he sang one of my favorite heartbreaker ballads ("I'll Get By"), and that was already 1992.


Oops, here's my stop ... see you next time.