1999 by Prince

     Fall of 1982 saw the release of not only a career defining single for Prince, but a career defining album as well.  1999 made Prince a star, and it's a delicious slice of funk/pop/electro/r&b that's just too funky for its own good.  The title track, "1999", was released in September of '82, followed by the album in October.  "1999" is to this day one of Prince's best known songs, and like many of his hits, timeless. Although 1999 offers up far more gems than just the title track.  "D.M.S.R", "Delirious", "Let's Pretend We're Married", and the smash hit "Little Red Corvette" are insanely awesome tracks.  Setting the stage for the grand Purple Rain album on the way,  Prince wowed the MTV generation with this masterpiece- playing most of the instruments himself on many of the tracks.  1999 is one of the most important Prince albums of all time.  It's audacious.  It's funky.  It covers many genres effortlessly.  It's surprisingly minimalist and needed no gimmicks- the music speaks for itself.  Ranked #215 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of all Time, it's been packing dance floors for decades now and shows no signs of losing its utter coolness.  This is hands down one of the greatest albums to come out of the 1980's, and along with Madonna's first album, truly took   disco (which was dying)  and merged with the British synth pop to create a whole new sound in dance music.    1999 is one hot mess of funk, dance, synthesizers, and stunning commentary on society all rolled up into one big delicious package.  It's epic, it's timeless, and it's grand.  It's Prince we're talking about here.  C'mon.

 

Greatest 80's Music Icon?

poll by twiigs.com

Sixteen Candles

      Easily a contender for the funniest film of the 1980's, "Sixteen Candles" made household names of John Hughes and Molly Ringwald and easily went on to become one of the most popular and well-loved comedies of the decade.

      "Sixteen Candles" tells the tale of angst-ridden Samantha, memorably played by Molly Ringwald in an iconic performance.  Sam is celebrating her 16th birthday, but her older sister is getting married. In all the ruckus of the impending wedding, it seems Sam's birthday is over-looked.

     Samantha is hopelessly in love with dreamboat Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling), who doesn't know she exists and instead dates the most beautiful (and bitchy) girl in school.  The horrors of being a teen in the 80's.  To make matters worse, she has the Geek to contend with- a nerdy stalker deliciously played by Anthony Michael-Hall, who relentlessly tries to get in her pants.  It's another iconic performance.

     "Sixteen Candles" is chock full of familiar faces- too many to name.  (Although Joan Cusack is a personal favorite...)  The jokes come in a constant barrage,  and the pacing never dulls for a second.  It's truly a riotous comedy that has entered the annals of pop culture.  Say the lines "What's happening, hotstuff?", "They fucking forgot my birthday..." or " Frank, she's gotten her boobies..." at a party and someone will know what you're talking about.

     This is one of the ultimate 80's teen classics, and one of John Hughe's finest moments on film.  If you were born in the early 70's as I was, then you loved this movie and watched it a thousand times on HBO.  "Sixteen Candles", although a wonderful time capsule of the early 80's, still plays quite fresh today.  I think it ages better and better as the years go by- I find it more inspired and hilarious each time I watch it again. It's also very well-written.

      This movie was what the 80's were all about, and I know of quite a few tweens today who literally obsess over any movie starring Molly Ringwald.  Or any of the Brat Pack, for that matter.  It's 100% enjoyable, and an undeniably rad classic of the 80's.

Lucky Star by Madonna

   

     This was the one, folks.  This is classic Madonna all the way, in all her Boy Toy glory.  This was the video that truly got her noticed, and put her first album firmly in the public eye.  She only went up from here.  "Lucky Star" is magnificent 80's synth dance pop- this was just one of the first of many club anthems Madonna would propel into pop culture.  "Lucky Star" was Madonna's first Top 5 hit, and the first of a record-breaking string of 16 consecutive Top Ten hits on the Billboard charts.

 

Whisper To a Scream (Birds Fly) by Icicle Works.

   
     The summer of 1984 saw the release of this New Wave gem.  "Whisper To a Scream (Birds Fly) by Icicle Works, peaked at #37 on the US Billboard charts and went on to become a legendary example of 80's New Wave.  The song would be covered by SoHo for the "Scream" soundtrack in 1996.

The Blues Brothers

     Where to even begin with "The Blues Brothers"?  It's just about as perfect of a movie as there ever could be.  Everything about this movie works.  Dan Akroyd and John Belushi, for one.  I cannot imagine anybody else in these roles.  They were born for these characters.  The script is wickedly sharp and witty. There are lines wizzing past here that Groucho Marx himself would heartily approve of.  It's got one of the greatest car chases in film history. Not to mention countless car crashes, and the utter and astonishing destruction of an entire mall.  It's a madcap mix of hilarious comedy, mind-blowing action scenes, out-of-this-world musical numbers, unforgettable cameos- Aretha Franklin, Steven Spielberg, Twiggy, James Brown, Carrie Fisher (who steals the damn show!), John Candy, Cab Calloway,  Bill Murray... need I go on?  The plot is basically this- two brothers, one just out of prison (Belushi), are on a mission from God to save their childhood orphanage.  Seems simple enough.  But Mr. John Landis has plenty of tricks up his sleeve here.  This is truly a monumental piece of filmmaking.  It's really that good.

     "The Blues Brothers" has achieved legendary cult status, and is easily one of the most beloved comedies of all time.  It's epic comedy- director John Landis really tops himself here with the sheer spectacle of it all.  It's truly outrageous.  "The Blues Brothers" phenomenon is quite big. It's amazing that it all started as a 4 minute sketch on Saturday Night Live, and is arguably the most famous film ever adapted from an SNL skit.  It's a timeless comedy.  It's truly just as funny and fresh today as it was back in 1980.

      This film borders on genius.  It really does.  If you have not experienced "The Blues Brothers", I highly suggest you hightail outta here right now and rent it.  Because I honestly don't know how anybody couldn't be thoroughly entertained by this movie.  This is one that I can watch a hundred times and never get tired of it.  There is not a dull moment to be found anywhere in "The Blues Brothers"- a sad reminder of classic comedies.  It's gleefully destructive, exuberantly infectious.  It's impossible not to be one over by this movie.  That's really all there is to say about it.

   

I Know There's Something Going On by Frida

     As of February of 1982, super-group ABBA was officially on break.  Frida wanted to branch out a bit on her own, and recorded "I Know There's Something Going On" for a solo project.  Attempting to shy away from ABBA's extremely successful but extremely pop sound, Frida instead went for a more rough and 80s approach.  She collaborated with Genesis frontman Phil Collins, who produced and played drums on the track.

     Released in the fall of 1982, the song became an instant smash hit.  Eventually selling over 3.5 million copies, it hit #1 around the world and reached #13 on the US charts.  The very chic and stylish video quickly became a staple on the new and hot MTV music video channel. This song hasn't lost one ounce of its cool factor.