It's been a while since we did a Guilty Pleasures and Fearless Maria is joining me tonight to help talk about some songs.
Halt! Who goes there! Who has awakened Fearless Maria from her deep sleep?!
Uh, guess that would be me, Maria. So why were you in a deep sleep? Just because your school has conferences and you were sleeping in?
Oh. No, never mind. I thought it was Benster and the "Who Goes There" is only marketing!
10 years old and you already understand marketing better than some of my co-workers.
Well, maybe if they don't understand marketing, maybe they need to go back to school and have a conference!
Good thinking, Maria! Speaking of being in school, I was thinking about doing something tonight that relates to when I was in school.
When you were in school? That was a long time ago! Didn't you go to school with Cleopatra? Or was that Grover Cleveland?
No, I went to school with a lot of girls named Lisa. But not Lisa Simpson.
Good thing, too -- on the show she was only 8 and she has weird spiky hair. So anyway, what on earth are you going to do with your school days. Was there even music back then? Or did you just scrape your fingernails on the blackboard?
No, it wasn't that long ago. Anyway, since it's March, I'm thinking about songs I used to hear on the radio when we would go down to the state basketball tournament in Milwaukee. I was lucky because my high school made the state tourney six years in a row, from 1976 through 1981.
So that means that Grover Cleveland played basketball for your high school? And was Cleopatra a cheerleader? And maybe Lisa Simpson was in the pep band!
No, I didn't go to school with any of those people, but I did hear this song on the radio when we driving down to Milwaukee in 1976. It's the Bellamy Brothers, appearing here on German television, with:
Dad, it's a pretty good song, but I'm kinda confused. Why is the audience watching their backs? Were they trying to imitate Miles Davis, except dressed liked cowboys? There's a history lesson -- clothes change! Or maybe that's what they do in Germany! P.S. If you didn't know that clothes change, your nickname should be Tweedledumb.
Well, that could be it. I don't know -- maybe it is a German thing.
Next time they ought to turn around, don't you think?
Good advice, Maria. Shall we move on to 1977?
Okay. So did this next band peform with their sides to the audience? Maybe they played the Hokey-Pokey! That's what it's all about!
No, but they were interested in dancing. It's ABBA, in the middle of their 1970s period of world domination, singing one of their biggest hits:
Dad, I was right! They were singing sideways a little bit! And the audience certainly is suffering from the usual really bad 70s outfits! Although it does like everyone washed their hair, which is more than I can say for some of the videos you've shown me, Dad!
It's funny, but ABBA might be more popular now than they were then, Maria.
Well, they had the Mamma Mia movie and all that. At least that's what my classmates tell me.
Well, do you notice something about what happened in the 1970s, besides the bad clothing?
Looks like they did a lot of dancing. That was when disco was happening, right?
Oh, yeah, Maria. Oh, yeah. And when you got to 1978, it was all disco, all the time, especially these guys:
Dad, you said guys, right? They look and sound like girls, except for the weird bald dude with the beard! Are you sure they are guys?
At the time I wondered, Maria, but I have it on pretty good authority that they were. They are actually 3 brothers from Australia.
They don't sound like Aussies, Dad! And I like these Aussies better!
Me too, Maria. But the world didn't see it that way in 1978 and the Bee Gees had all the big success.
Well, if that's what the world thought, it must be what a fool believes!
Funny you should mention that, Maria. The next year (March, 1979) we heard a song by the Doobie Brothers that was called:
Hey, welcome to the French Braid Factory! Well, that's what they could do with all that long hair! My goodness, they could really help out the Locks of Love. It was a good song, but my goodness, how did the singer get the words out from behind that big old beard he has. I'm surprised the song didn't get lost in there!
Grooming wasn't always a big thing in those days, Maria, which is why I don't have a lot of pictures of myself from that era.
Burned them all, didn't ya?
Well, no, but they are being held in a safe house in Wisconsin. Anyway, shall we move on to March, 1980?
Sure. What else would we do? Now were they dancing still?
Oh yeah, Maria. Oh yeah.
Dad, admit it. The reason you don't want me to see any pictures from 1980 is that you had a pair of glitter pants just like Michael Jackson, right? That's it, isn't it? Uh huh. I knew it! You were a dancing fool, weren't you, Dad!
No, all we wore in those days were Levi's corduroy pants from Fischer's Boys Store in Appleton, which is where everyone at my high school bought their pants.
I'm going to check with Auntie Coco and Auntie Margie about that one, Dad! I'll bet you had glitter pants. And I bet Uncle Pat and Uncle Paul had 'em, too! And maybe Uncle Mike had on some glitter Garanimals!
They won't give me up, Maria. They're sworn to secrecy. Anyway, we're on 1981, my senior year in high school. Xavier got beat in the first round that year and what did we have to hear on the radio?
So that's some weird stuff! I didn't know Blondie was rapping! I hate rap, Dad! You know that! I said so 2 years ago! Read that post, people! And the other ones, too!
Okay, are you done with the commercial for your blog now, Maria?
No, I can go on for at least a 100 more years, Dad! Psych! Anyway, I told you I'm all about marketing, Dad!
Good point, Maria. Do you want to market the big finale, then?
Certainly. And my fee is only--
Well, we'll negotiate that offline, okay?
Darn it! Anyway, it's time to vote, people! Pick your favorite and put it in the comments section. And I want to give a big shout-out to Gino, who always votes and is a good example for the youth of America!
I'll bet that's the first time Gino's ever fielded that compliment, Maria!
Well, Dad -- you're okay, too. Almost as good as Gino, at least.
That's high praise indeed, Maria. High praise indeed.
5 comments:
as long as Maria has my back, i know i'll be alright.
this is a tough list your dad put together. you see, all of these bands had some cool songs in their time, but your dad picked all the worst hits they ever put out.
hey mark! ever heard of rock n roll? you couldnt have done worse if you picked 'jamma be there' for the doobies offering.
grudgingly... and every bit of it as well, i'll vote for Blondies Rapture song. but that only because i kinda like debbie harry, and this was before rap was obnoxious.
Rapture
Although if it were between Blondie and ABBA overall, it would be hard. However, droves of college-age female peers ruined "Dancing Queen" for me on many a weekend night, oh, a few years ago now.
hey mark! ever heard of rock n roll? you couldnt have done worse if you picked 'jamma be there' for the doobies offering.
I have, but the key to this list was that each song had to be a hit in March of the year listed. That's what the Doobies sounded like in March, 1979. I liked them a lot better before they became a fully-owned subsidiary of Michael McDonald, but what are ya gonna do?
There's a bit of the March hare slipping in here from somewhere back in your long ago.
My wife used to enjoy roller-skating to "Dancing Queen" but this collection really doesn't do much for me. Nevertheless, how can I not cast a vote for "Night Fever"?
thanks for the quote maria.
its now in my header.
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