80's Rock/Metal/Pop Song Wars - Part I

[KevShmev]

Let's have some fun with this as well regarding 80's rock, metal and pop.

Vote for which grouping you like best.

This was tough, but I went with option 4.

[Cool Chris]

Dang each group has a song I hate (Sister Christian, Africa, Dude Looks Like a Lady, Shock the Monkey, Still of the Night). I hate SotN the least but don't like the U2 song either.

I'll go with 4.

[KevShmev]

How does one hate Africa?

[Cool Chris]

Because it has the worst lyric in pop music history (the one about the Serengeti).

I dunno, I just do. Over-saturation I guess.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I had to go with the group that didn't have a song that I hate. So I went with Photograph, Burnin For You, Africa.

Cant stand Panama, Dude Looks Like a Lady, Shock the Monkey, Where the Streets Have No Name, or You Shook Me All Night Long.

I'm not sure how one hates Africa (Serengeti lyric or not) or Still of the Night.....

[jjrock88]

Option 1

[Ben_Jamin]

The Sawyer Paradise Dude seems like a good fit.

[WildRanger]

Second group easily. I dig every tune: Photograph, Burning for You and Africa.
Every other group has one tune I don't care for or can't stand.

[King Postwhore]

Henley, Journey, Gabriel is the strongest grouping. 

[TAC]

Screw you, Kev!

[King Postwhore]

 

[KevShmev]

Screw you, Kev!

Save those 12 seconds for the mrs. 

Because it has the worst lyric in pop music history (the one about the Serengeti).

I dunno, I just do. Over-saturation I guess.

I don't see the issue with that line.

Some hating on feels like one of those things brainless critics railed on about back in the day, it stuck, and now it is pulled out any time someone wants to rag on the song.

[T-ski]

this could be fun.

tough choices but went with #2

[TAC]

Screw you, Kev!

Save those 12 seconds for the mrs. 

Alright alright. What are we? In Junior high now?

[KevShmev]

Yep, hence the 80's talk, hehe.

Okay, back on topic...

[cygnusx1jg]

Because it has the worst lyric in pop music history (the one about the Serengeti).

I dunno, I just do. Over-saturation I guess.

Nope. Second worst.

"I'd rather be a tortoise from Galapagos...." --Dog Years.

[Stadler]

Because it has the worst lyric in pop music history (the one about the Serengeti).

I dunno, I just do. Over-saturation I guess.

Nope. Second worst.

"I'd rather be a tortoise from Galapagos...." --Dog Years.

Third:  "Net boy, net girl..."  Haha.

I love Sister Christian, and not in an ironic hipster way.  Always did; was then and am still a huge Night Ranger fan.

For me, Group 1 or Group 5 wins. 

[Fritzinger]

Africa is the greatest song in the universe.

[ProfessorPeart]

There really isn't a bad song in the list, but my top choice was pretty easy.

Tom Sawyer (Rush), Paradise City (Guns N' Roses) & Dude Looks Like a Lady (Aerosmith)

[The Walrus]

I had to vote for the group with Toto because, well, Toto

Africa is the greatest song in the universe.

say word son

[Ninjabait]

The Boys of Summer (Don Henley), Separate Ways (Journey) & Shock the Monkey (Peter Gabriel)

Option 5 would be my second choice. I don't like half the songs on this list tho tbh.

Because it has the worst lyric in pop music history (the one about the Serengeti).

I dunno, I just do. Over-saturation I guess.

Nope. Second worst.

"I'd rather be a tortoise from Galapagos...." --Dog Years.

Third:  "Net boy, net girl..."  Haha.

I love Sister Christian, and not in an ironic hipster way.  Always did; was then and am still a huge Night Ranger fan.

For me, Group 1 or Group 5 wins. 

Fourth:

"Your words are like Chinese water torture (?)
And there’s no finish line, always one more corner (??)
Yeah, they slither like a centipede ()
Why do you keep me
At the end of a rope that keeps getting shorter? (?)"

[Volante99]

Because it has the worst lyric in pop music history (the one about the Serengeti).

I dunno, I just do. Over-saturation I guess.

I agree, I don’t know why everyone started losing their shit over this song in the last couple years. If I would have said ““Africa” by Toto is an amazing song!!” to anyone 10 years ago I would have gotten nothing but confused looks and disapproving stares. Because it’s become such a “thing”, makes me hate this song.

[Big Hath]

time to rank and assign points

Man, all of these are great and among some of my favorite songs of all time
Africa (Toto) - 5 points
Burnin' for You (Blue Oyster Cult) - 5 points
The Boys of Summer (Don Henley) - 5 points
Separate Ways (Journey) - 5 points
Still of the Night (Whitesnake) - 5 points
Panama (Van Halen) - 5 points
Tom Sawyer (Rush) - Rush has much better songs (from the same album even, but similar to Maiden I see why you chose this one) - 5 points
Sister Christian (Night Ranger) - 4.5 points

Really, REALLY good
Photograph (Def Leppard) - 4 points
Where the Streets Have No Name (U2) - 4 points
Run to the Hills (Iron Maiden) - Maiden has much better songs IMO, but I see where you were going with putting it on the list - 3.5 points

Good but starting to get into meh/overplayed territory
Dude Looks Like a Lady (Aerosmith) - 3 points
You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC) - 3 points
Paradise City (Guns N' Roses) - 2.5 points
Shock the Monkey (Peter Gabriel) - 2 points


Run to the Hills (Iron Maiden), Panama (Van Halen) & Sister Christian (Night Ranger) - 13 points
Photograph (Def Leppard), Burnin' for You (Blue Oyster Cult) & Africa (Toto) - 14 points
Tom Sawyer (Rush), Paradise City (Guns N' Roses) & Dude Looks Like a Lady (Aerosmith) - 10.5 points
The Boys of Summer (Don Henley), Separate Ways (Journey) & Shock the Monkey (Peter Gabriel) - 12 points
Still of the Night (Whitesnake), Where the Streets Have No Name (U2) & You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC) - 12 points

[The Walrus]

I will never understand why people think the Serengeti lyric is 'the worst lyric in pop music history' or bad in the first place. "Just like Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti" is a poetic line that flows just fine. Big words, many syllables scary, make moozik ungood!

Because it has the worst lyric in pop music history (the one about the Serengeti).

I dunno, I just do. Over-saturation I guess.

I agree, I don’t know why everyone started losing their shit over this song in the last couple years. If I would have said ““Africa” by Toto is an amazing song!!” to anyone 10 years ago I would have gotten nothing but confused looks and disapproving stares. Because it’s become such a “thing”, makes me hate this song.

I realize I'm a Toto fanboy and all but that's a really bad reason to dislike a work of art

[Cool Chris]

Boy I sure touched a nerve didn't I? 

I was being a little cheeky and very hyperbolic in my criticism. I personally think that line is ridiculous, both as a bad simile and as being clunky and cumbersome.

But I will concede the music for an 80s pop song is quite good. I just don't ever need to hear it again. And I was unaware of it being fashionable to hate on it now.
 
Run to the Hills is a song I don't ever strive to listen to, and I say that being a big IM fan.

Tom Sawyer is one of the most overrated songs ever. And I only say that because I think Rush has 26 better songs I could see becoming a "hit."

Separate Ways is awesome. I love the NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO at the end.

[The Walrus]

Not really struck a nerve, I just see that criticism a lot and just don't get it 

[Volante99]

But I will concede the music for an 80s pop song is quite good. I just don't ever need to hear it again. And I was unaware of it being fashionable to hate on it now.
 

That’s just the thing, it’s the opposite...it’s fashionable to LIKE the song now. It’s taken on some weird life of its own within the past two years that transcends anything to do with the actual quality of the song. Literally no one gave a shit about this song 3-4 years ago but someone made a meme somewhere and now people act stupid whenever it comes on the radio. Hate it. 

[King Postwhore]

Yeah, it's Toto's only #1 song and until the last 2 years it's was so hated. Lol. Grammy winning album, their only #1 song.  Sounds live to me you have this all wrong.

Btw, sometimes other generations find a great tune and it has a comeback.

[SeRoX]

I'll go with 4 because Separate Ways is my all time favourite.

[KevShmev]

I will never understand why people think the Serengeti lyric is 'the worst lyric in pop music history' or bad in the first place. "Just like Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti" is a poetic line that flows just fine. Big words, many syllables scary, make moozik ungood!

As I alluded to earlier, blame the brainless rock critics of yesteryear. Toto was one of their favorite whipping boys already, and they latched on to that line and flogged them for it.  Had Springsteen or Dylan written the exact same line, they would have called it genius, and no backlash over that line would have likely ever happened.

Separate Ways is awesome. I love the NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO at the end.

Pretty much everything about the song is awesome!

The video, on the other hand...

[King Postwhore]

I need Coz's play by play for this video.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Journey is awesome.  The following video - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) - is 80's cheese at its most heinous and I f*cking love it. This song kills. But the video. lol

Several points of interest:

Steve Perry = Young Demi Moore
0:35, 0:49 - no instruments
0:52 - Jon Cain bear-pawing his air keyboard
1:07 - awkward zoom-in
1:25 - keyboard on the wall
1:37 - Brigitte Nielsen chick becomes Jon Cain, which probably says more about him than it does her
1:43 - In today’s episode of “Keyboard Egomaniacs”, Jon Cain demonstrates arpeggios with a flourish
1:52 - Woman, you have PISSED Steve Perry off
2:00 - Ivan Drago “I must break you” look
2:11 - slow-mo marching band "ABOUT FACE!" move
2:16 - advertisement for Steve Perry's dentist
2:18 - why are they in a dockyard full of shipping skids?
2:29-2:36 - sequences like this are what make 80's videos so excellent
2:41 - Christ you guys are a bunch of losers, I’m out.
2:44 - 2nd from left: Ross Valory = Jeff Foxworthy
2:47 - There’s a reason my contract demanded valium and Jack Daniels
2:56 - Oops! Almost lost my balance!
3:02 - 55-gallon drumset
3:06 - HURRR-STOMPA-STOMPA *follows camera*
3:11 - Pulls out just in time to avoid inevitable Jon Cain collision
3:12 - Jon Cain's patented "Camera Bitch-Slap"
3:17 - Check out how awesome I am. I may have tried to kick Santana out of the band, but at least the afro's gone!
3:22 - guitar face
3:27 - weird slow-mo
3:49 - more wall keyboard
4:01 - Brigitte Nielsen chick approaches: "You guys are still at this??"
4:06 - This is what daddy issues and coke habits look like
4:22 - Whew!  It was all just a nightmare!

https://youtu.be/LatorN4P9aA

[King Postwhore]

Homework for all of you. Get ready to laugh your ass off.

Thanks Coz!

[KevShmev]

Amazing.

I just watched the video with that play-by-play and was in awe.

Well done, Cozmo.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

*bows*