The 80's.....What A Music Haven!

Recently we had a birthday bash for Cikgu at Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel and we had this rare opportunity to hang with our old friends, the Lembingers, and among the many fun conversations we had was on the topic of the songs of the 80's. As we were all graduates from the US (and almost during the same era), we could relate to each other when we were talking about songs of the 80's. I mean, we went on and on talking about all our fave bands, soloists and gigs of the 80's. Especially Fireblade and Anis.... they remember more songs, singers and gigs than I could. Hehe.

There were groups and soloists who were so big in the 80's but we don't hear them anymore afterwards. Like for example, the Culture Club, the DeBarge, Cyndi Lauper, Ah-ha, Bonnie Tyler, Chaka Khan, Glen Frey, Spandau Ballet, Rick Springfield, REO Speedwagon, Huey Lewis and the News, Stray Cats (with that stray cat's strut song and cat's style!), Taylor Dayne, Wang Chung, Styx, Sade, Journey, Nena, Sheila E, Rockwell, and a whole bunch more. I don't know about you, but I HAVEN'T heard from them in the 90's or even in this new millennium. Maybe I'm so blur...or maybe I'm out of touch...maybe I don't stay tune to the right radio station (meaning that Hitz.FM is out-dated!!), or maybe I don't hang with MTV...whatever "maybes"....so because of that, I am out of touch with these artistes and therefore, if they did make new musics after the 80's I don't know about them. Well, that is quite possible. But I think not. Because I think I'm still up-to-date (to a certain extent) with the music industry. Hahaha.

Fireblade, Anis and me were recollecting and naming some of the hotstuff gigs of the 80's and oh boy, did we come up with a whole bunch of songs and I can remember SO vividly all the popular songs of the 80's. I mean these are the kind of songs that make the 80's. Without these songs, there would not be anything of the 80's to remember by. They are the character, personality and attitude of the 80's. They are so special and so impactful in our lives that we all agree that oh man....these songs baby...they ARE (excuse me) the 80's. Pronto! And they do NOT make songs like those anymore in this time. What a shame indeed.

How many of you could still remember these songs?? Let me tell you. Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bonnie Tyler), Eye of the Tiger (Survivor), Summer of 69 (Bryan Adams), Owner of a Lonely Heart (Yes), Jump (Van Halen), Africa (Toto), Separate Ways (Journey), Missing You (John Waite), Listen to your Heart (Roxette), Love is a Battlefield (Pat Benatar), Everyone Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears), Let's Go Crazy and Purple Rain (both by Prince), Abracadabra (Steve Miller), I Feel For You (Chaka Khan), Down Under (Men at Work), Talking in your Sleep (The Romantics), True (Spandau Ballet), One Night in Bangkok (Murray Head), Hungry Like A Wolf (Duran Duran), Dreams (Fleetwood Mac...I love Stevie Nicks!), I Want To Know What Love Is (Foreigner), Young Turks (Rod Stewart), Bette Davies Eyes (Kim Carnes), You Can Do Magic (America), Somebody's Watching Me (Who? The IRS...Rockwell. Heh), Rock the Casbar (Clash), Always Something There To Remind Me (Naked Eyes), Another One Bites the Dust and That Crazy Little Thing Called Love (both by Queen), Maneater and Private Eyes (both by Hall and Oates), Don't Talk To Strangers (Rick Springfield), Footloose (yeahh...Kenny Loggins), Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper), You're Simply the Best (Tina Turner), my old time fave Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns n Roses), Celebration (Kool and the Gang), Play that Funky Music (Wild Cherry), Karma Chameleon (Culture Club), Material Girl (Madonna), Money for Nothing (Dire Straits), Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye), Red Red Wine (UB40), You Can't Hurry Love (Phil Collins), The Power of Love (Huey Lewis and the News), Poison Arrow (ABC), Every Breath You Take (Police), Would I Lie To You (Eurythmics), Hurts So Bad and Jack & Diane (both by John Cougar Mallencamp), Thriller, Beat It, and a whole bunch of his other hotstuff (Michael Jackson), and the list can go on and on. I'm sure you all have your own hot favorites of the 80's as well. I guess all these are mine, among so many other hits of the 80's.

We all can still remember the great works of Airsupply, Genesis, Aerosmith, Rick James, Pet Shop Boys, Inxs, James Ingram, KC and the Sunshine Band, Salt 'N' Pepper, Paul Young, Simple Minds, Miami Sound Machine, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Eagles, The Bangles, Bee Gees and so many many many more whose music are so "into" me. You know what I mean. How can anyone who had lived through the 80's ignore such great music and pretend that these musics were not impactful and meaningful to their lives. I can't imagine if there is anyone around. I'm sure at least some of these masterpieces and great works of composers, song writers and lyricists still bring many good smiles and laughters to our faces. Or some of them still bring us tears. Or some of them still bring us a lot of pain and heartbreaks. Whatever it may be, these songs had left us such deep impact and the memories they bring us are etched in our minds forever.

The songs that are especially special to me are Always on my Mind, Kiss on My List, Hurts So Bad and Jack & Diane, Sweet Child Of Mine, Celebration, Karma Chameleon, Sexual Healing, Eye of the Tiger, Stray Cats Strut, Footloose, Young Turks, Waiting for a Girl Like You, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Summer of 69, Owner of a Lonely Heart, Africa, Separate Ways, Missing You, and Truly :) :). The song "Waiting for a Girl Like You" welcomed me when I first stepped my feet in the snow of Winter 1982 in Pittsburgh. The song "Young Turks" put us in trouble with the Pittsburgh Police (Heh...long story). The song "Always On My Mind" was, believe it or not, my first slow dance number, and I thought I was in love!! The song "Karma Chameleon" was the number one hit when we partied on board of a love boat that sailed on the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh. Oh well.....the 80's. Such fun! Such footloose, fancyfree, carefree, worry-free and stressfree phase!

All I did was partied and partied as my friends and I were really party hard people (during the early to mid 80's). I cannot imagine why and how we could party so hard. And it was a wonder to me how I managed to get the Dean's List and President's List every semester. Must be some luck! I guess I'm a child of the "Baby Boom" era and therefore, I grew up with the songs of the 80's and they give me character and attitude in the choice of my music. The generation X babies will probably not agree. Would you agree?

If you are stuck on an island and you have to choose between your mp3 that is loaded with your favorite songs and your handphone, now which would you choose? Tough question aye? Hehehehe.