Bon Jovi had five Top 40 hits in 1986 and 1987. Can you name them all? Livin’ On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name, Wanted Dead Of Alive, Never Say Goodbye and Edge Of A Broken Heart. Of course!…. Wait a second. What is Edge Of A Broken Heart? Stumped you, huh? Don’t worry, even the most die-hard Bon Jovi fans don’t even know what I’m talking about when I refer to this magnificent tune. I wish I was making this up.
Edge Of A Broken Heart was Bon Jovi’s fifth Top 40 hit in the 1986/1987 period, peaking at #39 in 1987. It was never issued on Bon Jovi’s classic album Slippery When Wet. So how did it become a hit song?  It was surprisingly featured in the camp classic movie Disorderlies starring the Fat Boys. Which reminds me, why aren’t the Fat Boys given more credit for their influence on hip hop music. Oh yeah, that’s right, because they sucked!
The Disorderlies soundtrack has been out of print since 1995, and the song was tough to get my hands on until a fun little internet program called Napster. I don’t think you’ll find any music outlets carrying a copy of this soundtrack, although the album did feature songs by other noted artists like the Fat Boys, Gwen Guthrie, Bananarama, and Art Of Noise. This album could be a nice little find in a local record shop. Edge Of A Broken Heart was eventually was released in 2004 on Bon Jovi’s box set of B-sides, demos, and rarities, 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong.
I personally think it’s one of Bon Jovi’s best songs. Don’t mistake this song as a predecessor to Vixen’s hit song of the same name. Edge Of A Broken Heart has a great hook. and features the typical 80’s pop/rock sound. David Bryan’s keyboard work is outstanding on the track, and it makes me yearn for the days when Bon Jovi rocked. The country shit they have recently put out really bothers me. Enjoy!
Bars and clubs all across the country promote their 80’s nights every weekend. As a fan of 80’s music, you would think I would want to hit the 80’s nights and enjoy the sounds. You thought wrong! Because the dim-witted DJ’s refuse to play anything out of the ordinary because the paying customers don’t want to think outside the box. We’ve all been reading Mike Heyliger’s outstanding Infatueightes countdown to know there are more than just the same 40 danceable tunes that came out of the 80’s. Isn’t it the DJ’s job to inspire with new sounds and different beats?
Don’t they get tired of spinning “Come On Eileen” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me” on a constant basis? I get frustrated when I hear the opening notes to the same tunes, so much I want to find a stick and repeatedly hit the DJ over and over and over again for having no sense of originality. It pains me when I request a song from Dokken, and they don’t even know what I’m talking about. I’m not saying the DJ even has to play obscure songs that you read about in my Out There! column. Mix it up! I envy these guys and girls, don’t they realize they have the best job in the world?
Here are some examples of songs we hear all of the time that need to be removed from the weekly playlist immediately, or else we still continue to dumb down the musical educations of future generations!
Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
Now look, I’m a huge Leppard fan, maybe one of the biggest Def Leppard fans on the planet. Pour Some Sugar was one of my favorite songs until I’ve heard it replay thousands of times over the years at dance clubs and bars. Does the DJ realize there are other fast-beat songs/hit songs on the same album (Hysteria)? Why not think outside the box and play Animal? That will get people singing along. “An I Want, An I Need, An I Love, Animal! C’mon, I just got that stuck in your head. You telling me if you were drunk and you heard this anthem, you wouldn’t start shaking about. Can’t we give some loving to some other pop metal bands like Ratt and Poison as well. And I don’t mean hearing “Nothing But A Good Time” which is another bar staple.
Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
Do the 21 year olds understand that this song has overstayed it’s welcome? It’s a fun song to dance to with a group of friends, this I understand. But aren’t there a whole slew of songs from the 80’s just like this from corporate rock giants such as REO Speedwagon and Journey? Wouldn’t “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” be a song to huddle up with your buddies and belt out the worlds. “Some day love will find you,break those chains that bind you..” You know the rest. Guitars and keyboards just like the Bon Jovi classic, c’mon DJ, put that record on.
Come On Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners
You know when the opening of this song comes on, people are getting ready to throw up their legs and pretend they are a Rocktette. Do aye do aye do aye do aye YAY! Ugggh! Can’t we maybe replace with a fun 80’s tune from a similar band like Men At Work or Madness? How about “House of Fun”, it could work and get people lifting their legs in the air? You know, I haven’t heard “Who Can It Be Now” at a bar in a few years, this might just work also.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston
Another R&B 80’s staple that is sometimes played more than once in the night. Is it supposed to automatically remind the girls that there are tons of meat int the bar and they need to dance with some of them? How about “The Neutron Dance” by the Pointer Sisters? I’ve always defended this song as a classic dance hit that hasn’t aged one bit. I never understood why I have never heard this song ever at a club. It has a great beat, is totally familiar to the naked ear, and heck, the DJ can even work up some new steps and create a new dance sensation to compete to the Electric and Cha Cha Cha slides.
Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield
The DJ always has to include the 80’s pop rock tune. Another great tune, but does it need to be played every time? There are other pop/rock songs just as good. How about something from J. Geils Band? “Love Stinks” or “Freeze Frame”?
Tainted Love by Soft Cell
You know it’s not a true 80’s night without this staple. Doesn’t the DJ realize there are plenty of syntho-pop songs that would work so “Tainted Love” can be played every fifth night instead of every night. How about some lesser-known gems like “Space Age Love Song” from A Flock Of Seagulls or “Love Plus One” from Haircut 100? A lot of bands experimented with synthesizers in the 80’s, is “Tainted Love” the only one that still works? I think not.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
I know, I know, it’s the popular tune for all the girls out there. But if Girls want to have so much fun, how about kicking off the shoes to “Girls” by Dwight Twilley (if you don’t know this one, you will in a future Out There! column) or “Valley Girl” by Frank Zappa?
And the list goes on and on. The clueless DJ’s need to do their homework. Watch old MTV clips on youtube, do some research on Wikipedia, sample songs on iTunes, read this blog!! Play some more Rick Astley! Play some more Human League! Play some more A Flock Of Seagulls! Play some Romeo Void or Yaz! Play some more lesser known hair-metal bands. Play something else off of AC/DC’s Back In Black besides “You Shook Me All Night Long”! Hell play more Michael Jackson and Madonna, just play different songs you don’t hear on a constant basis! Because the next time I hear “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey even if it’s remixed with a dance beat, I’m gonna drop my pants and pee all over the DJ’s equipment!
Oh how I miss the Culture Club! Although come to think of it, they could have used some lessons as well!!
In most years, there’s a period from mid-July to mid-August during which NOTHING comes out. As a record buyer, this is frustrating because you’re walking into record stores and not finding a thing that strikes your interest. On the other hand, with the holiday selling season closer than you think, it might be a good idea to save your money for the deluge that awaits.
Anywhere, here’s my five picks (if I must) out of this week’s releases. How bad is it? I’m actually mentioning one of the same releases this week that I mentioned last week. Thank God for semantics.
Sugarland “Love on the Inside”-The hottest country duo in the land took an interesting tactic with their new release. It came out last week in a “deluxe” edition, while this week marks the introduction of the presumably less-bells-and-whistles containing (and cheaper) regular version. Ten years ago, if you were to tell me that I’d even be considering buying an album like this, I’d have laughed you into September, but I’ve acquired a fondness for modern-day country. Although I’ve not heard much of Sugarland (aside from the godawful duet with Bon Jovi that I mentioned in last week’s column), I could very well be tempted to check this one out.
http://www.sugarlandmusic.com/splash.html
Rick Springfield “Venus in Overdrive”-Here’s something that just might freak you out. The guy that teenage girls drooled over in the early Eighties (my cousin had a picture of him hanging in her bedroom back in the day) is approaching 60. SIXTY. Nevertheless, the indefatigable Springfield continues playing and touring. This is Rick’s first album of original material in five years. His last album, “The Day After Yesterday” was an interesting collection of covers. I said “interesting”, not good.
