Stand Back

Wonder Woman: Amazon, not witch.

I heard "Stand Back" by Stevie Nicks this afternoon while driving and thought, "Hey, why haven't I written about this?"  You see, "The Wild Heart" was the very first album I purchased.  When I say album, I mean exactly that -- vinyl LP.  Anyone remember those?  Well, I was pretty young when this came out in 1983, but I had to have it.  I was truly mesmerized by Stevie Nicks -- especially in the video.  She had this amazingly perfect hair and the most stunning, flowing outfits.  She'd have these translucent shawls that she would drape around her shoulders and then lift her arms and spin around -- kind of in a mystical variation of Wonder Woman's transformation spin.  In the video, there must have been a huge wind machine blowing right at her, and I swear it looks like she is about to take off and soar -- which in my mind is a good thing.  Yeah, lots of people talk about her being (supposedly) a witch, but come on.  That is just nonsense.  Capes and shawls and gypsies and so forth mean you're a witch?  Of course.  Yeah.  What about capes on superheros?  Aha!  Philosophical question...

Anyway, back to the video and tune.  The video is simple, and we see Stevie singing right before our eyes, looking straight at us.  I think she also spins around in the "rain," too, which always made me sad as a child.  Now I think it's cool.  She has a group of perfectly choreographed dancers, which was very typical of the time.  They move together in synchronicity with the dance moves.  Today's videos can have much more complex dancing, but this sure was cool.  It was like a dance team.  As for the song, I think the first thing that struck me this afternoon was the awesome synthesizer in the beginning.  Later in the song, we hear this really cranking kind of electro-funk guitar line.  Between the synthesizers, guitar, and drums, I like to think of this tune as "Stevie Plugged In" or "Stevie Electrified."  It's kind of like plugging a giant power cable into her music.  Oh, and her voice sounds terrific on this, too.  My absolute favorite part is at the very end where she sings "why don't you taaaaaaaaaaaaaake me hoooooooome."  I swear she goes from chest voice to head voice -- just like an opera singer.  You can actually hear bits of this chest/head voice switch right before, when she sings, "well I need a little sympathy...STAND BACK...well I need to be standin' in...STAND BACK..."  It is just completely awesome.  When I was a little girl, I didn't even realize that it was her voice through this entire sequence.  Wow.  Still blows me away.  Supposedly, the tune was inspired by Prince's "Little Red Corvette."  I could almost see the similarity with the use of a synthesizer, but uh, not much more.  I definitely prefer "Stand Back."  No offense, Prince.

Dirty Deeds Done With Sheep

Just found this on the Nights with Alice Cooper Facebook page.  It is hysterical.  Well done.

Can't Fight This Feeling

I had just written about "The Warrior," which came out in 1984, so I thought I would take a look at some other songs that came out that year.  Low and behold, there are so many terrific songs, and it was hard to choose.  Actually, I didn't get very far down the list before I saw REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling."  Okay, I know -- some people might find this song to be sappy, silly, or even "cheesy."  But, I heard it on the radio the other day and felt that it was particularly uplifting.  I read through a couple of comments on a music message board, and it seems that some younger folks (probably teenagers) are really, really into this song.  They feel it identifies their thoughts and sentiments perfectly.  I guess I take for granted how powerful lyrical music is, especially when we are at a certain stage in our emotional development. 

So, obviously this is a love song.  It is heartfelt, and the lyrics are very touching.  My favorite line is "it's time to bring this ship into the shore--- and throw away the oars -- foreverrrrrrrr."  Yeah, I realize that it might seem silly ("corny" is one comment I read).  I think it's beautiful and poetic.  It's striking in its simplicity -- and it is vivid.  It's a figurative line of speech, and of course, it can be interpreted many ways.  You may snicker over some.  Sometimes I do -- I admit it.  What I was mostly surprised about was that I had the wrong lyric in my head -- yet again -- but for only one word.  I always heard the lyric, "even as I wander," as "even as I wonder,"  Wow.  Sure makes much more sense now!  Whew.  Thank goodness I got that cleared up.  Listening to this song didn't really make me think about love because I was so hung up on the "wander/wonder" thing.  It actually made me think about life in the '80s and how we didn't have computers to look everything up instantly.  In fact, you'd have to have the album to know the lyrics (they were printed inside the cover).  Or, I seem to remember some magazines that published lyrics.  Not positive on that one.  Nevertheless, the '80s were a simpler time with less distractions.  Maybe that's why the music was so good!

Shootin' at the Walls of Heartache...

Okay -- so!  I am sure that everyone recognizes that line from Scandal's 1984 hit, "The Warrior."  I loved that song back in the day, and it seems to never get old for me.  But, alas, I didn't seem to remember the video very well.  Considering it came out in 1984, well, that's about the time I started clarinet -- so I must have been busy practicing.  Anyway, I had absolutely no idea what this song was about all these years.  I could only remember "shootin' at the walls of heartaaaaaaaaaache.... bang, bang...I am the warrior."  I seem to recall bits and pieces of the lyrics, "who's the hunter, who's the game" and something about breaking out of captivity.  So, I looked at the lyrics this evening and discovered that it's about love -- and how love is kind of primal.  It's primitive as Patty Smyth tells us.  She sings, "Well isn't love -- primitive?  A wild gift that you wanna give."  Hey, I can understand that.  In fact, yes, it's true.  Love is primitive.  It is surely a wild gift that you wanna give!  Hasn't everyone felt this way at some point?  So, it's a love song -- but not your typical heart-wrenching one or upbeat bauble like Janet Jackson's "When I Think of You."  Nope, this is the real (raw) deal.

The video is something that I definitely did not remember.  In fact, it creeped me out a bit at first.  After watching for a while, I settled into the sort of musical theater feel and finally relaxed.  It seems to have a "Cats" element to it.  If you've ever seen that Broadway show, you'll know what I mean.  Actually, it has the theatrics and dancing of many Broadway shows with all the slithering and stuff.  But, it's fun, and the stage make-up and costumes are extraordinary for the day.  Pretty cool I must say.  Hope you enjoy this, and heart to heart you'll win -- if you surviiiiiiive.....

Glamorous Life

I've wanted to write about Sheila E's "Glamorous Life" for quite some time, and I stumbled upon it this evening.  The song came out in 1984, and I admit that I never really knew the lyrics -- other than the chorus.  In fact,  I hadn't paid much attention, because I was always so mesmerized by the percussion.  As we all know, Sheila E is a percussionist, and she really tears it up in this tune.  Twenty-eight years after its 1984 release, it still sounds vibrant, fresh, and amazing.  I just can't seem to get that percussion out of my head!  The video always scared me a bit.  It's a weird juxtaposition of Sheila E on stage and Sheila E playing the woman who she sings about.  You know -- the one wearing the long fur coat of mink, even in the summertime.  I had always understood that lyric, but it wasn't until this evening that I discovered the rest.  "She's got big thoughts, big dreams, and..."  Well, I had no idea until tonight that it's "big thoughts, big dreams, and a big brown Mercedes sedan."  WHAT?!  A big brown Mercedes sedan?  Yikes!  That is intriguing and disappointing at the same time.  I mean, kudos to Prince for using "sedan" in a pop song, but, sheesh.  Sedan sounds a bit dull.  Wouldn't have expected it in the "Glamorous Life," but hey, it is a Mercedes.  So...  I guess it's alright.  This is a terrific tune, and I also never realized it was a soprano sax in the sax solo.  Guess I hadn't paid attention.  If you're looking to find a Mercedes in any other songs, well, check out "Mercedes Boy" by Pebbles.  This song was the coolest in 1988 when I was in 8th grade, but boy am I embarrassed to even admit that today.  Thank goodness for Sheila E!!!!

Just What I Needed

I'm going to cheat a bit here with "Just What I Needed" by the Cars.  The song was released in 1978, so it is shy of the '80s by just 2 years.  It has that distinctive Cars sound, though, and they were pretty popular in the '80s.  So, I think it's okay.  I've heard this song many times on "Nights with Alice Cooper," and it always cheers me up.  I hate to say it is "cheery" or "cheerful" because it is a rock song after all, but...  Well, it's just what I needed -- especially after a bad day.  This song should make everyone feel recharged and rejuvenated with its kickin' guitar lines and totally "new wave" keyboard licks.  Funny to think that I was kind of scared of the Cars when they came out with videos, but this song is a classic, and I am perfectly happy listening to it on the radio.

I had forgotten that a while back I read about the song being sampled in "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne.  That song really cracks me up -- although it does have some enviable harmonies.  The video is hysterical and has bits of '80s pop culture -- namely the "fantasy scene" at the end which is reminiscent of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."  If you have never seen that movie, check it out.  If you have -- go watch it again!  Kudos to Rachel Hunter, too, because she does look pretty amazing in this video.  To think she had all those kids with Rod Stewart and still looks great -- wow.  Okay, it's actually only two children.  Guess he just has tons with a few different ladies.  No problem -- he's Rod Stewart, so he can have as many kids as he likes in my opinion.  He's a winner with the ladies.  Anyway, I digress.  I hope you'll enjoy both of these songs.  I'm not sure exactly what all the lyrics in "Just What I Needed" mean -- especially in the chorus when they sing "I needed someone to bleed."  Yeah, I have no idea.  But I do like the line "you look so fancy I can tell."  Pretty awesome.  Gotta look fancy!  Enjoy!

Blondie, Madonna, and Gaga

This weekend I spent quite a bit of time watching Blondie videos and listening to interviews with Debbie Harry.  I have to say that I was pretty shocked by the number of interviewers and reporters who compared her to Lady Gaga -- and actually had the guts to mention that to her.  No offense to anyone, but come on.  Blondie and Lady Gaga?  I am SURE that Debbie Harry must have had some influence on Lady Gaga, but is it really fair to compare them?  I often read about comparisons between Madonna and Lady Gaga -- and that seems more logical to me.  I'm still pondering the Blondie/Gaga connection.  Okay, both Debby Harry and Gaga were NYC natives, right?  They both started out sort of "underground" on the dance circuit, right?  Uh, wrong.  Blondie as a group seemed to be very anti-establishment and counter-culture, although punk was a "counter culture culture" in and of itself.  I actually found some videos of Debbie Harry when she was in her twenties, and she was singing '60s folk kind of stuff.  This made me think of Pat Benatar, who went through all kinds of genres with her band, and so did Debbie Harry.  So, it's fair enough to compare Debbie Harry and Pat Benatar, I think. 

Meanwhile, I guess there's more of a connection between Madonna and Gaga.  Madonna started as a dancer and was pretty broke when she moved from Michigan to NYC.  Her early hits were very "dancy," and so were Gaga's.  Remember "Holiday?"  How about "Just Dance?"  Okay, so the former was Madonna and the latter Gaga.  I think Madonna really paved the way for Gaga.  Madonna seemed really intrigued by commercialism and marketing, and I think Gaga does as well.  I don't think Debbie Harry cared one iota.  Both Madonna and Gaga like the "shock factor," too.  When Gaga first came out, I was pretty engaged by the quality of her music and her musicianship.  She seemed so incredibly talented for such a young woman.  I think it's getting a bit creepy now, and I may have lost touch with her message and direction.  Meanwhile, Madonna was always pretty straightforward.  She liked to shock people.  She loved to throw religious images into the mix just to cause a ruckus.  She also really liked to push her sexuality in everyone's face for shock value.  Hey, no problem.  At least it wasn't creepy.  Seems pretty mild in retrospect.  So, I thought it would be fun and nostalgic to share one of he big shockers, "Justify My Love."  It was written by Lenny Kravitz and basically features an awesomely provocative and "dirty" drum track underscoring Madonna whispering about sexual stuff.  It was extremely controversial back in the day (1990, just at the dawn of the new decade).  It has sort of R-rated images.  Yeah -- but the video is very artsy.  Not really creepy at all.  Just very Madonna.  I think Gaga's last equivalent was "Bad Romance," so I threw that in, too.  I absolutely love the hairless cat -- and the message of the tune.  So, enjoy these two -- I think they are light years closer than Gaga and Blondie (in fact, that comparison is a non-issue in my mind).