MTV in the 80s Song of the Day

[KevShmev]

Tears for Fears - Sowing the Seeds of Love

This was hands down my favorite song of 1989 at the time, not to mention the best song this band did by a wide margin.  I love the Beatles feel it has at times, and it is very epic in feel and scope, what with the different changes it goes through melodically and structurally.  I still know almost every word to it, so singing along to it is still quite easy.  This was one off the best MTV hits of the 80s, without question, IMO.

[DebraKadabra]

No complaints here.

[bosk1]

You're on a roll with the pop, Kev.  Another great one. 

[King Postwhore]

Love this song and loved them live.  Great melody and hook.  They know how to write a good catchy tune.

[wolfking]

Love Tears for Fears

[Jaq]

It did this song no favors with me that the phrase "ripping the Beatles off" fit the chorus of this song PERFECTLY. None in the least. To this day, me and my older sister still sing that if the song ever comes up. I never really liked it when any band so openly copped the particular sound of another band-which explains my dislike of DT's Muse-like songs-and I think it goes back to this song. 

[King Postwhore]

It did this song no favors with me that the phrase "ripping the Beatles off" fit the chorus of this song PERFECTLY. None in the least. To this day, me and my older sister still sing that if the song ever comes up. I never really liked it when any band so openly copped the particular sound of another band-which explains my dislike of DT's Muse-like songs-and I think it goes back to this song. 

But that's really just one song.  Their catalog, though having some influence from the Beatles is very varied.  After the bass player left they were even a bit proggish.

[wolfking]

Yeah the variety in their albums is incredible.  I still need to check out more of the later stuff Roland did on his own.

[Jaq]

It did this song no favors with me that the phrase "ripping the Beatles off" fit the chorus of this song PERFECTLY. None in the least. To this day, me and my older sister still sing that if the song ever comes up. I never really liked it when any band so openly copped the particular sound of another band-which explains my dislike of DT's Muse-like songs-and I think it goes back to this song. 

But that's really just one song.  Their catalog, though having some influence from the Beatles is very varied.  After the bass player left they were even a bit proggish.

The fact that they generally didn't ape other bands so stridently was what made this one stand out to me so much. I rather liked Songs From The Big Chair, and actually like the rest of this album a great deal. But man, for me, this song just didn't work. 

[King Postwhore]

Like Wolfie was talking about , if you never checked out the sans Curt Smith music, very proggy and I can not say enough about Elemental and Raul and The King Of Spain.  Plus Roland's solo albums.

[masterthes]

I've always been more partial to "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Head Over Heels"

[DebraKadabra]

I dig those two muchly as well, along with Shout.

[KevShmev]

David Lee Roth - Just Like Paradise

This was another winner of a song and video by DLR.  DLR could always make an entertaining video out of (mostly) just him and his band performing on stage.  The guitar Steve Vai plays at times in the video was definitely of the -variety at the time.  And this song was huge enough to where his tour that year was pretty successful.  I was in high school at the time and there were kids everywhere wearing the Skyscraper T-shirt to school the day after he played here.  I was not one of them. 

[Zydar]

Great song

[BlobVanDam]

Great song, although it's one of the few songs on the album I like (sorry, really not a fan of his Vai era stuff. The later stuff was much better overall).

Another classic video too. One of the all time great rock n' roll frontmen. I have to give DLR the "Most Vigorous Thrusting" award for this one-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMQttqas_WA&feature=player_detailpage#t=81s

[KevShmev]

Haha, I totally knew which part was going play.  He always threw a hilarious moment like that in his videos, like shaking his butt in the screen in Yankee Rose.

[BlobVanDam]

I thought this one also had the grinding the mic stand bit, but maybe that one was in the Yankee Rose clip. I really can't keep track of that man's pelvis.

[King Postwhore]

I always looked at that song as the weak link on the album.  Not bad but not as good as other like Stand Up and Hot Dog & a Shake.......

[DebraKadabra]

Good song and all, but I liked the stuff from Eat 'em and Smile a bit better.

[KevShmev]

Wham! - Everything She Wants

Kind of an odd song in that the studio version almost sounds lifeless, but the way it is presented in the video (link below), with crowd noise included to give it the impression of the video being a live performance, gives the song a lot more life.  Wham! is of course the butt of many jokes, and are often used as an example of those who like bashing the 80s, but they did have a few good songs, this being one of them.  No, this song isn't great or anything, but it is a good pop song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf_Lwe6p-Cg

[Jaq]

If you were around in the 80s, you have a Wham! story. I had three...the one where I kissed my first long term girlfriend for the first time to Careless Whisper, the song that was dubbed, despite being about infidelity, the theme for my senior year prom, and this one.

A guy I went to high school with joined the Air Force when he graduated and by sheer luck was stationed at the Air Force base in my home town, so we took to hanging out again, like we did in school. Since he'd come home, he remained involved with the girls he knew before he left, and wound up dating a girl we'd both known in high school. She was totally gorgeous and totally a ditz, and drove my friend crazy with her silliness. One weekend, he called me and wanted to go out and hit the bars. I said "what will your girlfriend say?" He sighed and said "we broke up."

"What caused it?" I asked.

"She called me at 5:30 in the morning and told me Wham had broken up. She was in tears."

Found I couldn't argue with him. 

[King Postwhore]

All I remember is those stupid white with the black lettering T-Shirts all over school. "Choose Life" ans such.

[DebraKadabra]

I honestly liked George Michael's solo stuff a LOT better than that Wham! shit.

All I remember is those stupid white with the black lettering T-Shirts all over school. "Choose Life" ans such.

Those, and the Frankie Goes to Hollywood shirts.

[black_biff_stadler]

He sighed and said "we broke up."

"What caused it?" I asked.

"She called me at 5:30 in the morning and told me Wham had broken up. She was in tears."

Found I couldn't argue with him. 

  Fantastic!

I honestly liked George Michael's solo stuff a LOT better than that Wham! shit.

I like 'em both but will give the edge to the solo era. Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 has a lot of awesome singles.

[DebraKadabra]

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 has a lot of awesome singles.

Word on that, bruh.

[KevShmev]

Robert Palmer - Simply Irresistible

The song was okay, but the girls in the video were hard to ignore (despite being plastered in makeup).

[masterthes]

Eh, Addicted to Love is much better

[King Postwhore]

I got tired of this song fast.  Way overplayed.

[wolfking]

Just Like Paradise I remember being my favourite song when it came out and I was like 5, killer tune.

[Jaq]

Eh, Addicted to Love is much better

This.

[wolfking]

Those two Robert Palmer songs were interchangable, and neither were very good IMO.  I prefered Bad Case of Loving You

[KevShmev]

I thought I Didn't Mean to Turn You On was his best of his 80s hits (Bad Case of Lovin' You is from the 70s).

[DebraKadabra]

Eh, Addicted to Love is much better

Yep.  Although...

I thought I Didn't Mean to Turn You On was his best of his 80s hits (Bad Case of Lovin' You is from the 70s).

I Didn't Mean To Turn You On was a favorite of mine.  Awesome song.

[KevShmev]

Mike + the Mechanics - Silent Running

I've always liked this song a lot.  I didn't realize in then, but it definitely has that blend of pop and prog feel that a lot of post-Steve Hackett Genesis material had, which makes sense since Mike Rutherford was one of the principle writers of the song.  The keyboard work is pretty sweet, and most of the atmosphere in the song comes from the keyboard melodies.

[Orbert]

Agreed.  Good song, one of my favorite Mike + The Mechanics songs.

(plus sign, not ampersand)