Rock Me Amadeus

There's some debate as to whether Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus" was released in 1985 or 1986, but I seem to remember it being when I was young, so I'm guessing 1985.  Not that there is a big difference, but for me the difference was between age 10 and 11, and this video and song scared the daylights out of me.  For that very reason, I'm guessing I was only 10 when it came out.  At that age, I was just on the cusp of being scared or not scared of things like freaky synthesized pop.  That plus the crazy rainbow wig in the video just threw me over the edge in terms of fright.  Listening to the song today, I think the synthesized ostinato may have contributed subconsciously as well.

It's kind of ironic that I would be afraid of something that would become such an integral part of my life.  At that age, I had just started playing clarinet.  Who would have thought that I would grow-up to become a professional musician, playing Mozart K.191 and 622 over and over and over...  I love Mozart's music, don't get me wrong -- all of it.  His chamber wind music, wind concertos, operas, symphonies -- they are all the foundation from which we learn much of what we need to know as classical musicians.  Anyway, back to the tune.  So, my older brother loved this song and could recite the spoken part verbatim.  He said that was how he remembered all the important dates in Mozart's life.  As for me, well, I had those dates ingrained in my head after many years of music schooling.  Now that I listen to the song again, I realize that that may be the only part we could recite, because the rest of the lyrics are kind of an English-German hybrid.  Of course, we get the gist of it all, and we can certainly understand the chorus and other repeated lines -- "Baby, baby do it to me, rock me, baby, baby do it to me, rock me..."  "Ooooh -- rock me, Amedeus..."  Kind of silly and tongue-in-cheek for sure.  Oddly enough, I never saw the movie, but I will put that on my to-do list!  There are two videos that I found rather interesting -- the movie version and the extended American mix.  They are very different, so I am including them both.  The extended one is certainly, well, you'll see.  Good thing I was so young when this came out and completely unaware of any of the stuff in the extended mix video.  Wow.  Enjoy!

I Can't Wait - Nu Shooz

Well, it's getting pretty late, and I wanted to write about something this evening.  I guess I got distracted chatting on the phone with friends, but that is always a nice distraction in my opinion!  I thought about a couple of songs but still had the Stevie Nicks "I Can't Wait" on my mind, so I thought I would take a look at the Nu Shooz version.  Somehow, I thought the group was international (from Sweden or something) but in actuality, they are from Portland, Oregon.  I read that they were picked up by a Dutch record label, who did a re-mix and then helped them top the charts in the U.S. and around the world.

This song was released in 1986 -- when I was in middle school.  I was probably in 6th grade, and I loved this tune.  Listening to it always makes me smile and think of school dances.  Watching the video today was a bit sad though, because I found myself becoming bored about two-thirds of the way through.  The dog with goggles in the beginning of the video is neat, but that's about it.  The rest of the video is a bit odd and disjunct, with magnets floating around and so forth.  The lead singer did have some amazing shoulder pads in her jacket, though.  I guess all in all this song is best on the radio.  It's the kind of tune you have to enjoy without a video.  It has some very interesting sonic elements -- chimes, bells, all kinds of synthesizers, interjections of an awesome brass and sax section, and a pretty groovy guitar ostimato (with a nice little bass guitar bit thrown in the mix).  Not much else I can say other than I think it must have been fun to mix this all up in the studio!

I Can't Wait - Stevie Nicks

I had to make sure to put "Stevie Nicks" after the title of this song, because there is another song with the same title which was released around the same time by the group Nu Shooz.  Stevie's song was released in 1985 just four weeks before the Nu Shooz tune (in 1986).  In fact, I hate to say it, but the Nu Shooz song comes to mind when I hear the title.  I happened to find the Stevie Nicks song on YouTube courtesy of YouTube's shuffle o' suggested videos based on my browsing.  I couldn't believe that I had forgotten about this song.  I think I may have heard it once before in 1985 -- maybe twice.  It was definitely familiar, although I don't recall it being in heavy rotation on MTV.

So, if you do not know this song -- check it out.  It is electrifying.  In fact, I would consider it "Stevie Nicks plugged in" -- as opposed to "unplugged."  It is pretty heavy on the synthesizers and drum machines, but it still seems to work for her.  I wonder how it would sound in an acoustic performance with lots of percussion and just a guitar and keyboard.  I know that's not really truly acoustic, but it would be interesting.  Stevie has such a powerful voice, and it doesn't get lost here, but I think it would be great to hear it leading the instrumentals.  In this version, her voice is truly electric -- powerful and exciting, as if it was amplified by some magic electricity.  The synthesizers added to her vocals make the song burst with energy.  Meanwhile, the lyrics are very classic for Ms. Nicks.  She sings about a man she can't wait to see.  She's sitting there thinking about him -- talking to him in her dreams.  The tempo of the song coupled with the lyrics makes the listener feel just as full of anticipation as the singer.  I think my favorite part is when she sings, "she wonders how many more hours her heart will feel broken."  It's interesting, because the song is so upbeat -- that lyric just kind of sneaks in.  Anyway, check out this tune -- not much more I can say other than WOW.  If you like "Stand Back," this video is like that times 10.  In fact, I think she may have on the same dress that she wore in the "Stand Back" video.  So, stand back and get ready to be blown away by the electrical fire of Stevie Nicks in this tune!

We Don't Have to...

Take our clothes off to have a good time?  Correct!  I heard this song while shopping at BJ's and just had to write about it this evening.  It seemed to go on forever, and everytime I hear it, it just seems cheesier and cheesier to me.  I do remember when it came out in 1986.  I was pretty young -- had just been playing clarinet for about 2 years.  All of my 6th grade buddies and I giggled over it.  Of course, we really had no idea what the song was about.  To this day, I am still baffled by "cherry wine," so I did a bit of research.  Seems that many of the cherries for this type of drink are grown in Michigan, and Jermaine Stewart was from Chicago -- so it kind of makes sense.  I lived in Elkhart, IN for a long time, and I know that Chicago, Michigan, and Northern Indiana are all kind of in the same area -- so I guess they share certain regional foods and beverages.

Anyway, back to the song.  I had no idea that Jermaine Stewart died at such a young age.  Yes, he passed away in 1997 at the age of 39.  Very sad.  I saw a couple of references to Jermaine as a "one hit wonder" because of this song, which is probably true.  I can't think of any other songs by Jermaine.  This one will forever live in the minds of those of us who grew up in the 80s, and those who happen to be shopping in BJs or a similar store will get hit with this tune from time to time.  The message for the song is clear -- well, sort of.  I get it.  People can have fun without "going too far too fast," but again, I am stuck on the cherry wine.  "We can dance and party all night...and drink some cherry wine...uh huh..."  Well, okay.  Dancing seems to be pretty important in this song.  "Take my hand, let's hit the floor...shake our bodies to the music, maybe then you'll score..."  Hmmm.... maybe a bit of a mixed message.  Guess this girl better show some class and start groovin' on the dance floor before she has a chance at a romantic relationship here.  Wait -- I know there is a girl in the video, but maybe the song isn't about a girl now that I think about it...  Well, the song is fun, cheesy, and silly all at the same time.  My favorite parts: (1) trumpet lines, and (2) "na na na-na na-na...na na..."  Hope you enjoy this one!