“Dancing Queen.” Rumours. Punk. “Sir Duke.” Saturday Night Fever. Disco. “Hotel California.” What a great year for music!
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Throwback Thursday: 1980
Nineteen eighty wasn’t a game changing year on the US pop chart. It wasn’t 1964. It wasn’t 1991. For the most part it was music business as usual. The death of disco was greatly exaggerated. Just ask any member of Lipps, Inc., should you have any idea what any member of Lipps, Inc. looks like. Seventies hit makers stayed on the charts. Paul McCartney. Diana Ross. Stevie Wonder. Barbra Streisand. The Captain & Tennille did it to us one more time, it meaning having a hit single. A few outsiders snuck into the top 40 with sounds unlike the rest – Devo hit with “Whip It,” Gary Numan with “Cars,” and The Vapors with “Turning Japanese.” In the coming years more such weirdos would make their presence known.
While many of 1980’s hits were great singles, many classics were born outside of the mainstream. Releases such as Bob Marley & the Wailers’ “Redemption Song,” Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” Peter Gabriel’s “Biko,” Prince’s “When You Were Mine,” David Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes,” and Funky 4 + 1’s “That’s the Joint” are often referred to as classics these days. In 1980, not a single one of them troubled the US Hot 100. Change was on its way. In 1980, rap wasn’t a fixture on the top 40, though its influence was heard in Queen’s #1 smash “Another One Bites the Dust.” The next few years saw #1 hits from Peter Gabriel, Prince, David Bowie and a rap song, plus a top ten reggae song.
Today’s Throwback Thursday playlist shines a spotlight on 1980.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (2-13-21)
Inspired by the February 13 birthdays of Peter Gabriel, New Order/Joy Division’s Peter Hook, Robbie Williams, Feist, The Monkees’ Peter Tork, C + C Music Factory’s Freedom Williams, Stockard Channing, King Floyd, Black Flag’s Henry Rollins and Tennessee Ernie Ford.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (11-22-20)
Inspired by the November 22 birthdays of Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club’s Tina Weymouth, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O, Cypress Hill’s Sen Dog, The Youngbloods’ Jesse Colin Young, The Trashmen’s Steve Wahrer, Max Romeo, Jason & the Scorchers’ Jason Ringenberg and Climax’s Sonny Geraci.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (10-29-20)
Inspired by the October 29 birthdays of Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, Toni Childs, Pilot’s David Paton, Quiet Riot’s Kevin DuBrow, Neal Hefti, and Melba Moore.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (10-9-20)
Inspired by the October 9 birthdays of The Beatles’ John Lennon, PJ Harvey, Jackson Browne, The Who’s John Entwistle, Heatwave’s Rod Temperton, and Ini Kamoze.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (10-1-20)
Inspired by the October 1 birthdays of Shalamar’s Howard Hewett, Donny Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Youssou N’Dour, Peaches & Herb’s Herb Fame, Shocking Blue’s Mariska Veres, Richard Harris, Brownsville Station’s Cub Koda and The Capitols’ Samuel George.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (9-8-20)
Inspired by the September 8 birthdays of P!nk, The Cars’ Benjamin Orr, Patsy Cline, Aimee Mann, Neko Case, Peter Sellers, The Beau Brummels’ Sal Valentino, Wiz Khalifa, Slim Thug and Bob & Earl’s Earl Nelson.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (2-13-20)
Inspired by the February 13 birthdays of New Order’s Peter Hook, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Williams, Feist, Black Flag’s Henry Rollins, Freedom Williams, the Monkees’ Peter Tork, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and songwriter Boudleaux Bryant, who, sometimes with his wife Felice, composed many of the Everly Brothers hits, including “Bye Bye Love,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Bird Dog,” “Devoted To You,” and “Love Hurts.”
Peter!
Today is the birthday of Peter Gabriel. It’s also the birthday of Peter Tork of The Monkees. And Peter Hook of New Order/Joy Division fame. Those three inspired today’s playlist of guys named Peter. Only on Tunes du Jour, folks. And before anyone drags me on social media for not including any women, I couldn’t think of any female Peters. #SorryBernadettePeters
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