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Pop Rock Nation

Category: People

all-about-musicians-and-the-people-who-help-them-make-music

  • Friday Throwback – Part Time Lover

    My Stevie Wonder fanaticism started as a very young child. I can remember my dad playing songs off Hotter Than July and Original Musiquarium Vol. 1 on his record player. I remember that when it was my birthday, he played Happy Birthday. Years later I would learn that the song was created for Martin Luther King Jr. and it was Stevie’s way of saying that his birthday needed to be a National holiday. But it wasn’t until Part Time Lover did I start to seek out and find Stevie. I would listen on the radio and wait for this song to play and record it on my baby boom box. LL would’ve been so proud. I didn’t even know what the song was about. All I knew was that Stevie was cool, with the beads hanging from strands of his hair.

    • We are undercover passion on the run.
    • Chasing love, up against the sun.
    • Why would dude check out that skinny girl’s butt?
    • Is that Grace Jones with a wig?
    • Look at Steve in that hat.
    • I guess two can play the game.
    • I think Luther Vandross helps Stevie by singing back up here.
    • This version of the music video cuts off the beginning where the couple is watching an old movie and the phone rings, but neither answers. Foreshadowing~!
    • But the best part of the beginning is that dude is wearing moccasins with no socks.
    • This video was directed by Bill Parker. I bet he wrapped it up by saying, “Wham!”

    I think that song is something like 22 years old. And Stevie’s still making music today. If you asked me which album I would take on an island with me, it’d probably be one of Stevie’s (Songs In The Key Of Life?), and alongside MJ, he’s one of my two favorite artists of all time.

  • Friday Throwback – I Wanna Sex You Up

    After being on Mission: Man Band, former Color Me Badd lead singer Bryan Abrams was shown as a drunk and as my buddy Speeddeezy put it, someone who ate the rest of Color Me Badd. But he still had that voice. As the lead singer of CMB, he was one of the voices of the early 90s. Though I Wanna Sex You Up wasn’t a US number 1 hit, if not for this song, I Adore Mi Amor and All For Love would’ve never hit number 1. Maybe the apex of their career was when they were the focus of an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 where they were horded by fans all over, and then invited a non-fan in Kelly Taylor into their room to chat. Yes, to chat. You mean they didn’t wanna sex her up? Well, I don’t think Kelly was into the 4 on 1 action.

    This song sampled not only Slick Rick, but also Betty Wright.

    • You had one guy who was a George Michael look alike and one guy who was a Kenny G look alike. Both in the same group!
    • Did you know that this song was originally on the New Jack City soundtrack?
    • Can you really make love until you drown? What are they, on a boat?
    • Does a song like this really need the running man choreography in the background?
    • And then the New Kids/New Edition choreography in the dirt?
    • Kenny G kind of got lucky there didn’t he? No game!

    I do hope that Abrams finds some success with Sureshot, the group created out of the Mission: Man Band show. The music business is rough. How Abrams, who had star written all over him, could miss for all these years is a mystery.

  • Friday Throwback – Can You Feel It

    When I was working back at Blockbuster Video, we’d play videos before the store opened. There was one assistant manager who always put Michael Jackson videos on while we were prepping the day. There was one video called Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues which showed the video to the Jacksons’ Can You Feel It, a single on their Triumph album. I think the video was actually produced in 1980. Dick Clark said at the time, that when Michael told him he wanted to show him this film they created based on the song, Clark told him no one wanted to see that, and they just wanted to see Michael and his brothers perform. Clark also said that he completely missed the boat on music videos and the Jacksons were before their time. I’m not sure what the first official music video was, but Can You Feel It had to be one of the first, as far as music videos as we know them today.

    • What’s up with the National Geographic spoken word intro?
    • Did they steal those sound effects straight out of Star Wars?
    • I’ve always wanted to spread pixie dust over the world like that.
    • Did the golden hues that surrounded the Jacksons signify all the Grammys that Mike was about to win in two years?
    • Mike just lifted a rainbow over his head. I’m at a loss for words.
    • All of the people turned golden because of that ring of fire? What?
    • I think Mike should’ve just moonwalked across the water. Wait, that came about 4 years later.

    All the herky jerky sound effects hurt the video, but in 1980, those special effects were on fire like that ring. It’s an odd video, but hey, the Jacksons were some odd folks. And Mike would use his powers for good in future videos. Don’t you remember how he healed the elephant in the Earth Song?