On Your FM Dial:1983—Supersized Edition

Kristin Nilsen 0:01

Did you know that the pop culture Preservation Society depends on support from listeners like you to keep our podcast up and running. We are an independent operation creating, producing, distributing and promoting the podcast by ourselves and paying for it out of our own pockets, because we love it and we think it's worth it to preserve the well loved cultural nuggets from our Gen X youth. If you'd like to become a supporter of the PCPs go to patreon.com pa t ar e o n, and search for pop culture Preservation Society. Our Patreon supporters are like our pit crew giving us the fuel we need to keep on truckin. And as a Patreon supporter, you'll also get special thank you gifts, like video recordings of our episodes after the episode discussions, invitations to live events over zoom and the occasional blooper delivered straight to your inbox. Thank you so much for listening and for being a part of our society. Welcome to this summer rerun of on your FM dial 1983. Just like when you were a kid and all the TV shows went away for the summertime and you watched all those shows and reruns. We're doing the same thing here at the pop culture Preservation Society. But this episode is going to be super sized. When we bring you an encore episode we're going to add another conversation to the tops just to give you a little more information.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:17

I want to have a little jingle that goes like supersize, supersize.

Kristin Nilsen 1:24

Supersize, supersize. Yeah, just in case we have any new information to add, which we always do

Michelle Newman 1:29

no information. Or if we just have something we forgot to say. What

Kristin Nilsen 1:33

and as you know, so many of our conversations are really two hours long, and we cut them down to about an hour. If we're lucky. Sometimes we can't and you get a longer episode. So there's an awful lot of information that we can bring to you from the cutting room floor. That's just this summer, we decided to ask you what summer reruns you would like to have, what episodes you would like to hear again. And this is the very first one that you chose on your FM dial 1983. Yeah, it's

Michelle Newman 2:00

really fun. Throughout the summer, we'll be having polls and our Instagram and Facebook stories. And we have a little question box, you can tell us which one you would like to hear again, we do some math. We there's there's way more math involved in this podcast than I originally thought no idea. I

Kristin Nilsen 2:19

didn't know.

Michelle Newman 2:20

I didn't know it keeps us sharp, though. And um, yeah, so like Christian said, this was the first one of a group of music related episodes, and you chose 1983. And

Carolyn Cochrane 2:31

I wanted to say that I love doing these encore episodes because it never fails that we learn things after the fact. And you know, I love my little rabbit hole facts. And lots of times our listeners will share those facts with us after they hear the episode as well. So it's really fun to get to go back and revisit and share the stuff that we've learned since. Today

Kristin Nilsen 2:53

we'd like to bring you an article that we read related to this episode that we did in 1983. It was an article in Rolling Stone called the 100 best songs of 1983. The year pop went crazy. And it's written by a man named Rob Sheffield, who we're going to talk about in a minute. But 100 songs of one single year, we're not talking about the best songs of all time, we're talking about the best 100 songs of 1983. That's a lot of songs. And we have a lot of opinions about what's on this list. It's not a definitive list at all. It's Rob Sheffield's personal list of his favorite songs of 1983. And that's what our episode is to these. This is our choices are not a definitive list. These are personal choices to us what we enjoyed the most in 1983 and Rob Sheffield has done the same and have to add Rob Sheffield is a guy that you should know all of us should know Rob Sheffield.

Michelle Newman 3:49

Oh, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Not only is he probably most well known for being a music writer for Rolling Stone for decades. He writes autobiographical books that often read like fiction, and he weaves in music and all of his books. In fact, music is actually a main character, I would say, in his books, and the result is compulsively readable and enjoyable stories about his life. There's three that I want to tell you about. And then one that he has upcoming that I don't even know about. Love is a mixed tape is a book that centers around his love story and marriage and tragically the subsequent death of his wife. And it's basically a story told through mixtapes, and I just I highly recommend reading his books, but I'm going to tell you, I've also listened to a couple of them, and he reads them and I love listening to these very personal stories and also hilarious stories. He is so funny and witty. And when he reads them his voice he's a little droll, which I kind of love right I, but I just loved this from the very beginning, he finds an old mix tape after his wife has passed away that she's made. And he's never heard this one before. And so it's late at night and he puts it on and he says, we've done this before we get together sometimes in the dark and share a few songs. He follows that book up with turn around bright eyes. And this is the story is continuing after his wife's death, but this one is how karaoke surprisingly, played a huge part in his recovery. My favorite of all of his books, though, is not because of what you guys are like, I know what everybody's gonna think. But it's called What a great title though, right, we have to admit is called talking to girls about Duran Duran, one young man's quest for true love and a cooler haircut. This book really documents his awkward adolescence in the 1980s, which right there is hilarious and relatable, but it's how he used Duran Duran and many other bands to help him navigate that awkward and relatable journey. So that one, I just recommend all of them. And then you guys guess what's coming in November. It's called Heartbreak is the national anthem, how Taylor Swift reinvented pop music. Oh, my God. And look at this cover.

Carolyn Cochrane 6:25

Wow, Ariston. That sounds like it was written for you.

Kristin Nilsen 6:31

He's a real professor of 1980s music of all music, really. But obviously, because he just did a book on Taylor Swift, but of all music from the beginning of time, and he's one of us. He's a solid Gen X er, and like you said, this list that he created. It's not just a list of songs, with an accompanying playlist I might add on Spotify, which we'll put in our email newsletter. But each song comes with its own paragraph full of factoids and analysis that is so interesting, because a lot of this list I'm sure you guys found, there were tons of songs that I had never even heard us before. Right. But because of the way he talks about them, and gives us information, it makes it all interesting because what he's trying to do is show that 1983 is really the most important year in music. This is the launchpad for everything that was to come including today. Yes. And let me just read this first paragraph from you. From you. Let me just read this first paragraph from the article. He says it was the year pop went crazy. 1983 shook up all of the old rules about how music worked. Suddenly, anything could happen. All the music that matters in 2023 This actually came out in 2023 this list, it kicks off somewhere here in 1983. So many timeless classics, so much wild innovation all around the margins. every genre is booming. Literally. That's what part of this list is is every every genre. The old stylistic boundaries, don't hold anyone back anymore. It's the Year of the pop revolution. And I think he's right,

Michelle Newman 8:08

I think well, because he goes on a couple paragraphs later what I thought was interesting is he I just love his writing so much. Yes, I've just said but he says rock rap disco new romantic synth pop metal electro funk. Yeah, they all start sharing bottle. Yes.

Kristin Nilsen 8:28

Yes, totally. And he named drops all of these bands that we wouldn't know in 1983 necessarily, but we might know them. A few years later, they appeared in 1983 without us even knowing Rob Sheffield knew. And then they became famous later. So he says Run DMC take rap from the Disco's to the streets kicking off the golden age of hip hop a word we didn't even have in 1983 REM Husker do the replacements and Sonic Youth revitalize underground rock Kenny Rogers dances with Dolly Parton. Echo dances with the Bunnymen ZZ Top and became MTV studs without shaving their beards, changing their clothes or even taking a bath and old school legends like Stevie Nicks Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Isley Brothers, that Bowie guy, they all figured out how to reinvent themselves. This is all in 1983. Well,

Michelle Newman 9:21

and he even includes, I mean, speaking of him saying every genre. Rodney Dangerfield gets

Carolyn Cochrane 9:30

totally forgotten about that song. I'm getting old, it's hard to face, you know, or during sex, I lose my place.

Kristin Nilsen 9:41

Steak and sex my favorite vote the same way very rare.

Michelle Newman 9:48

My husband and I were reading this list last night and he's like, Oh, come on Rodney Dangerfield and I was like, right? And then I started thinking about it. And I was like, yes, but this all supports what he was asserting at the beginning. In what he was saying at the beginning, yeah,

Kristin Nilsen 10:02

that's right. And he points out that one of the reasons for this might be that MTV is really transforming the way we take in music. He also says the Walkman and the boombox have something to do with it, because they're putting us the fans in command. We're not completely and utterly reliant on the radio. Okay, so tell me what you guys thought of the list?

Carolyn Cochrane 10:23

Well, I can tell you that. One, it was super informative. It was so fun to go through his list because I had forgotten about some of the songs had never heard about some of the songs. And when we did our own 1983 episode, and I was just looking at like billboards, top 100 pop songs, like some of the songs didn't even show up on those lists. And really, that was the music I was probably listening to most back then was popular, you know, whatever was on the radio. So top priority, so to see like, I'm embarrassed to say I didn't even know some of these bands got their start, it sounded like in 1983. I thought it was much later. But much to your point, Kristen. We heard about them much later, but they originated here. And there were the people that knew about REM from the get go and the Smiths and people that I'm embarrassed to say I'd never heard of. And I'll even go so far as to say when we made our own list, remember that the qualification for what we were looking for was songs that meant something to us personally during 1983 When we chose our three songs, I'm not going to ruin it for those of you who haven't listened to the episode yet because you'll hear hear that coming up what my three songs are, but I must say that not one of them made Rob Sheffield's 1983

Kristin Nilsen 11:55

but actually 100 songs, that's actually

Michelle Newman 12:04

because of Carol, no, but yeah, Carol, but, and it's okay because that actually segues nicely into my thought about this list was that at first glance, I was like, No, you know, put uptown girl at number 100 You know, whatever, but then I started realizing this was the beauty of music. This is just rob Sheffield's opinion that this is not a definitive this is it and so I then just started looking through it and regardless of what spot some of my favorites made, I was very very pleased to see things like at number 37 Do bars time meal time loves

water of my Carol type songs but then I didn't feel so much like Carol when I saw Rob Sheffield put that at 37 You guys seriously that song? No in the gut every time. So like that song. Very pleased to see where Duran Duran ranked at number 18 But not one of my favorite songs New Moon on Monday, but not what you would expect from 1983. So that's where Rob Sheffield's musical genius you know, comes in. Karma Chameleon coming in at number five. I practically did like a cheerleader jump when I saw that because I was like, Yes, I was so jealous, but I think no, I think it's okay because I think this is the beauty of music. We all can have our own opinions of what we like and it's all okay there are no wrong answers correct. That's right there. There should be no wrong areas and there should be no judgment right right I mean back in the day I probably would not have made it how much admitted how much I love to time will reveal but now you know, who cares?

Kristin Nilsen 14:01

And it was a very diverse list. It wasn't just a music snobs list because it had things like time will reveal and it had all the different genres I was who screw dude like crazy so many times with songs that I had forgotten, like dead giveaway from Shalimar and just be good to me from the SOS band which was definitely on my makeout mix. You all have them right everyone Miss Candy Girl by New Edition. Her mom found it Yeah. Make out on it. I still have your room honey.

Michelle Newman 14:35

We still have one and I still have to disguise it with the voice since our you know we share Spotify accounts. Oh

Kristin Nilsen 14:46

now we all know what mellow mix means.

Michelle Newman 14:48

No, that's not mine. I'm not telling you guys what mine is.

Kristin Nilsen 14:51

Secret even from home. Yeah. Now I want to know what it is.

Michelle Newman 14:56

Well, speaking of mixtapes, I want to go back really quickly to The first book he wrote called love as a mixtape because every chapter starts with a different mixtape that's actually one of him and his wives. mixtapes. And I learned so much I just like you said I was learning about new bands and new music. I remember the first time I read that looking some of the songs in these bands up. So that's a fun, that's a fun reason to read that book. Yeah. Besides the wonderful storytelling and you know, the wit the humor, you'll

Kristin Nilsen 15:28

find that witty writing, you'll find that his writing is just so good. And you'll find that here on this list. To wit, I would like to read to you the number 83 entry, which is Elton John, I'm still standing

if you've seen this video recently, if you haven't seen it recently, go watch it again because it will fill you with joy. And it is so 1983 But what we had forgotten is that in 1983, Elton John had been gone. For a long time he hadn't had a hit since I don't know crocodile rock. It had been a really long time. And 1983 was his comeback. And so what Rob Sheffield says is is so good. The bitch was back. Many people figured Elton John was washed up at this point, and he was serving them plenty of evidence. But Captain Fantastic came back strong and I'm still standing his kinkiest hit in years. He proved his new romantic cred and the video of pansexual MTV Smash, where he frolics on the French Riviera with an army of naked gay clowns. And it's true. It's true if you watch it, you it's so it's such a queer focused video that we really didn't take in at the time. And I think it was sort of like Elton John's official coming out. Oh, yeah.

Michelle Newman 17:08

I never thought of it that way.

Kristin Nilsen 17:10

I think so. Yeah. There's a really cool factoid in in this write up also about I'm still standing he says you can spot future Dancing with the Stars judge Bruno, you know, you know, right as the leather fogged hotel doorman, who else and tips with a fistful of glitter. That's Oh, no. And he points out that Elton John would never be hitless again. His popularity would never go away again. Boy,

Michelle Newman 17:38

that's true. I can picture that part of the video so perfectly. Yes. I love it. Oh, my God, I love it. Yeah. So I also love this. This is on his entry for Karma Chameleon. He says, Boy, George was a quintessential pop icon, the gaudiest the prettiest, the bitchiest, the most scandalous pinup boy of the moment. He was also the least interested in sticking to the closet, asked if he was bisexual. He replied, I never have to buy sex. I just love that he included that quote from Boy George. But the way he set it up, it's so funny the bitchiest. So great.

Kristin Nilsen 18:14

So I think at your next dinner party, you should like hand out this article and have everybody read it before they arrived to your house. So you can discuss Yes, that's so fun. Isn't that a great idea? There's so much to discuss here. There's there's so many more entries that I want to bring to you. But I don't want to read you the whole article. So everybody, we'll put this link in the show notes. We'll put it in our email newsletter. And then this is also your invitation to make your own 1983 playlist. Yeah,

Carolyn Cochrane 18:41

love it. Listeners, you really need to take Kristen's advice you need to make playlists for 1983. And really, for any years that you were younger, because there is research out there now proof that this listening to these songs, these nostalgic songs that meant something to us in our younger days, directly affects our brains. And I want to share with you some of that research. So they had two groups of people 30 were younger, 30 were older. And they each of these groups gave the researchers a playlist of songs that evoked powerful memories and emotions. The participants then entered an MRI scanner to scan their brains as they listened to the nostalgic songs, the control songs and then completely unfamiliar music. Okay, scientists are saying this was amazing to see these areas of the brain light up when these individuals were hearing nostalgic music. So they have come up with the idea that if nostalgic music could help dementia patients access some memories that are typically not accessible to them. It can enhance the quality of their lives, even if it's only temporary, which made me think like, okay, we're not like saying we're going to cure this or anything, but we're helping people bring back this memory that is so vivid. So it's like a quality of life. Totally Exactly. And it really helps us to connect to our sense of self is kind of what they ended up saying like who you are. Feel

Kristin Nilsen 20:08

like yourself. Yeah, exactly. Instead of feeling like Fuddy duddies because we're not into current music and we only like old music. That doesn't mean that we're out of state. It means that there's a neurological reason that we're turning to that music is

Michelle Newman 20:25

that we're smart, Kristen. Yeah. It means that we believe in science. We're smart, and our quality of life is way better self care.

Kristin Nilsen 20:33

Hashtag self care.

Michelle Newman 20:34

Right. So yeah, so So next time, someone hears air supply blasting in my backyard.

Kristin Nilsen 20:47

Oh, that's right. Oh, my goodness. So true. Thank you, everybody, for joining us for this summer of reruns. And please enjoy this encore presentation of on your FM dial 1983.

Michelle Newman 21:03

I cannot talk about the song without talking about the music video. It is so fabulously early 80s Bizarre finally to the little person who's dressed like a jester. There frolicking through the countryside. Complete with Maypole dancers. There's a there's some people dressed in rooster costumes with like a rubber rooster chicken head. There's that blonde peasant woman who keeps popping up and bopping along, and like just rolling her skirt?

Carolyn Cochrane 21:31

A song that was saying,

Michelle Newman 21:34

Come on get

Kristin Nilsen 21:41

we're gonna be great.

Carolyn Cochrane 21:43

We'll make you

Michelle Newman 21:45

welcome to the pop culture Preservation Society. The podcast for people born in the big wheel generation who wisely use their after school time to catch up on three hours of reruns. We

Carolyn Cochrane 21:56

believe our Gen X childhoods gave us unforgettable songs, stories, characters and images. And if we don't talk about them, they'll disappear like Marshall will and Holly on a routine expedition.

Kristin Nilsen 22:08

And today, we'll be saving the music that came out of our tape decks and boom boxes. When FM radio was the new kid in town, specifically from a year that was massive in the world of music history. 1983

Carolyn Cochrane 22:20

I'm Carolyn.

Kristin Nilsen 22:22

I'm Kristen.

Michelle Newman 22:23

And I'm Michelle and we are your pop culture preservationists.

Kristin Nilsen 22:30

Welcome to our first installment of an ongoing series called on your FM dial celebrating the songs we heard when FM radio was becoming the dominant force behind popular music. You might remember our episode called am radio gold when we highlighted the music of 1977. This is the 1980s counterpart to that series, because 1980 was kind of the dividing line between when am dominated radio and when FM rose to the top. Do you guys remember like pushing the buttons on your car stereo to switch it from? Right Yeah, junk junk. Junk junk? Yeah. Minor like rectangles. Yeah, little skinny rectangle.

Michelle Newman 23:05

Yeah, that's a really good challenge. That's a good sound. That's a good ASMR feeling.

Kristin Nilsen 23:11

So somewhere between the years of 1980 and 1983, you probably received a boombox for Christmas. You no doubt posed with it for a photo in front of the Christmas tree. And the beauty of the boombox was that it had a tape deck, maybe two tape decks. And you could take it on the bus.

Michelle Newman 23:30

Do you guys see mine behind my head? Do you see my my pink? Sharp?

Kristin Nilsen 23:35

boombox? Yes, I do. I just like 1985 or

Michelle Newman 23:40

it's a little bit older. Yeah, but you guys that was my first one though like that, though. Like I didn't have I just had a great idea. Sidenote, do you know how when your kids were little you had these busy boards and things for them to do like you could buckle things we had them to zip? Right. What we need is to create a Gen X tactile board where we have phone dials, Rotary to rotors we have we have radio buttons to push.

Kristin Nilsen 24:06

Yep. Right. When ABS knob knob wouldn't Yeah,

Michelle Newman 24:11

okay. Everyone listening can handle changer trademark. trademark. You can't use it. We just thought out loud. Yeah, yeah, these EPS TM.

Kristin Nilsen 24:18

Okay, here we go. Today we're focusing on the year 1983. A year that is so historic. It deserves its own history book. 1983 gave us some of the most memorable music in history, much of it in the form of one hit wonders. But this is also when we see the emergence of some of the biggest stars in music of all time. To see how big 1983 was, all you have to do is look to the Grammy Awards of 1984, which gives awards to music released in the previous year. This was the 26 Grammy Awards, and just like 1978 This was also hosted by John Denver.

Carolyn Cochrane 24:53

Yes, well, if 1983 deserves its own history book than the 1984 Grammys deserve several chapters in that but oh my gosh, yes, because it an actually it could be an entire podcast episode The 1984 Grammys, that's when they aired on February 28 1984. And I was no doubt watching that episode on a small black and white portable TV in my freshman year dorm room. It is notable for having the largest Grammy award televised audience ever even till today.

Kristin Nilsen 25:26

I know why. I know why I'm not gonna say it right now. Okay, you don't have to but I just have a feeling I just want a feeling I know I don't

Carolyn Cochrane 25:32

know that there's a science behind the why but I might guess to you mentioned that John Denver was our host, and he entertained us on that Grammy night with a duet with Floyd The Muppet singing gone fishing.

Michelle Newman 25:46

That's why that might be it. Their Western

Carolyn Cochrane 25:50

summers that evening included Donna Summer, George Thorogood in the destroyers Irene Cara, Sheena Easton. But one of the most iconic moments of that night for me was seeing Michael Jackson bring his dates to the event. Oh, we had Did you say date on one arm? His date? Yes, plural is one arm was our friend Brooke Shields. And the other was Emanuel Lewis, aka Webster, right?

Michelle Newman 26:20

I can picture I can see the pictures in like People Magazine right now.

Carolyn Cochrane 26:25

That's exactly what I was gonna say some of those in those images are burned into my memory. And Mike speaking of burned, this was also the Grammys where Michael was recovering if you remember from the burns he received on his scalp when he was taping the Pepsi commercial. Now despite what your feelings are about him now, there is absolutely no doubt that his talent was otherworldly. And his impact on the music industry is probably second to none. On that night, he won eight Grammys, which is still the record for the most Grammys one in one year. It still stands that still stands today. pretty iconic, he won four Album of the Year. Do you guys remember what that name of that album was?

Kristin Nilsen 27:10

Well, that was thriller.

Carolyn Cochrane 27:12

Thank you very much. It was thriller,

Kristin Nilsen 27:13

because there's no underestimating the impact that Michael Jackson had on the culture, it was everywhere. And when I hear P YT. Or want to be starting something, I get extremely warm, nostalgic feelings, because I'm just starting high school. I'm like walking onto the high school grounds for the very first time

Michelle Newman 27:40

to take that away

Kristin Nilsen 27:49

and then when you when you learn to sing mama say mama Samba, MACUSA mama saying I'm Osama MACUSA when you finally learn to do that, you were like I've arrived

Carolyn Cochrane 28:03

all of those songs are so visual to me too, because of, you know, MTV in the music video. So when I ever I hear those songs, it's not just singing along to the song. It is a visual of those videos. And yes,

Kristin Nilsen 28:16

yeah. Yeah. Because he was famously we know I think we've talked about this in the podcast before they weren't playing any black artists on MTV. And when thriller got so big and they wanted to play Michael Jackson songs, his record labels like unless you start playing black artists, you don't get any Michael Jackson you get no Michael Jackson. And so MTV was like okay.

Carolyn Cochrane 28:40

And yeah, that's right. I think it was we had Nancy Davis CO on she was she talked about that to TV episode. Yeah, that's a

Michelle Newman 28:47

great episode listeners that go back to Oh, my goodness, May or June of 2021.

Carolyn Cochrane 28:52

Okay, so really quick. I'll give you some of our other winners of that year. So our best new artists that year would be Culture Club. Okay. I know pop female vocalist Irene Cara. Good rip, best powerpop Male Vocalist also rip Michael Jackson. Best Pop Vocal group, the police. Best Rock female vocalist Pat Benatar and I was gonna guess that rock male vocalist, Michael Jackson. Okay, Song of the Year. So our nominees were every breath you take all night long, beat it, Billie Jean, and maniac

Kristin Nilsen 29:33

Oh boy.

Carolyn Cochrane 29:35

What do you think I'm gonna let you guys know

Kristin Nilsen 29:36

he say Billy Gene. It was every breath you take I stay was yes, it was one. That's good. I wanted to be well rounded. Yeah.

Carolyn Cochrane 29:45

So that's just the highlight a little smattering of who some of the Grammy Award winners were. That year gives you a little taste of what kind of music was on our FM dial And

Kristin Nilsen 30:06

and so many of the artists from 1983 were bringing us what we call it the time New Wave music, most of it from British artists, so much so that in retrospect to this period is now known as the second British invasion. Well, I

Michelle Newman 30:19

cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have been given this topic to discuss listeners, because pretty much all of my favorite songs from about 1982 to 1985 are thanks to the second British Invasion, and I am not even kidding. You're going to hear in just a minute I am not even kidding. So, the second British Invasion is just basically what it sounds like. If the first is marked by the Beatles and The who the Rolling Stones etc in the 60s. The second is the early to mid 80s bands from the UK that became super popular in the United States, primarily thanks to MTV, right. Bands like soft sell a flock of seagulls Billy Idol Simple Minds, the police Depeche Mode Tears for Fears Def Leppard Howard Jones, the Human League haircut 100 Culture Club to Rhythmix wham and oh yeah, a little band of boys called Duran Duran.

Everything I just all those bands I just said pretty much all I was listening to and the early to mid 80s Fun fact that I'd like to enter as exhibiting on July 16 19 8318 singles of British origin charted in the American Top 40 topping the previous high of 14, which was set when? In June of 1965.

Kristin Nilsen 31:49

Oh my god, do

Michelle Newman 31:50

you want to know who they were? Yeah, 19 8318 of the top 40 were from British bands, as almost half Yeah, almost half the number one and number two spots, police and Eddie grant. But then I'm just going to give you the names of the bands that held a spot in the top 40 On July the week of July 16 1983. Besides please Eddie grant, we have kinks kajagoogoo madness Duran Duran Culture Club Elton John eurhythmics Human League, a flock of seagulls. Fix Def Leppard David Bowie, Culture Club and naked eyes. Wow, wow, crazy. And

Kristin Nilsen 32:27

those were like all our favorite songs they know.

Michelle Newman 32:29

Right? So why the sudden influx of Brits you may be asking, I could go into why synthesizers played a big role. And who boy did they write big time. Or I could get into the big hair and sleek outfits, androgynous makeup and style Hello Boy George and Annie Lennox. But what I'll tell you is this the reason for the popularity and success all boiled down to MTV. They really did. Music videos that were more like short films had been popular on British music television for years. But not in the United States. The only music videos that existed really here were videos of concert footage or live performances. So when MTV launched in August of 1981, it had little choice but to play mostly music videos of British bands, which in turn, led to radio stations getting inundated with requests to play the music, which in turn, led to record sales spikes, obviously. And Rick Carroll, who was the very influential program director at K rock and Los Angeles said there wasn't American product worthy of being played every three hours. So we had to look to British imports to fill the void. So it's this whole cyclical thing right with MTV and leading to at all but I mean, God bless it is what I say. God bless the southern British Invasion

Kristin Nilsen 33:52

Italy marked our adolescence, I put a timestamp on on our adolescence, like a very particular sound to our adolescence,

Carolyn Cochrane 34:00

right, and it made music, visual.

Kristin Nilsen 34:09

So it is not possible to talk about the music of 1983 without highlighting its historic value, but today is also personal. And Carolyn and Michelle and I are going to share the songs we waited for on the radio will tell you who we were, where we were, and what the songs meant to us. And the reason that we do this, the reason that we connect the songs that we liked with the people that we were is because there's actual science backing up how we feel about the songs of our youth. Studies show that we are not hyper focused on the music of our youth because we think it's better, although I think it is. Yeah, it's because it's closely linked to our personal memories. Well, we could have told you that right. So music that was on the radio during your adolescence was associated with more autobiographical memories than any other age. They call this music related reminiscence, and it seems to peak at around age drumroll please.

Michelle Newman 35:01

14

Kristin Nilsen 35:02

I was gonna say 14 songs popular when people are 14 evoke the most memories overall.

Michelle Newman 35:10

Well, that's going to be why I have so many feelings coming up because I was 14 in 1983. Because 1983 took me from eighth grade to ninth grade, which is a big huge year for a lot of reasons in someone's adolescent development. And I can sum up the entirety of my 1983 In two words, Duran Duran.

Kristin Nilsen 35:38

That's the episode. But honestly,

Michelle Newman 35:40

you guys, it was such a big year for me. And it was such a great year for me. I was showing to my friends and fun and puberty and in Duran Duran, and we all loved it together and it was so fun

I mean, I had no idea at the time I was we're months away from having an all ripped out from under me and having to move away from it all. But so when I go back to that 83, slash 84, beginning of 84, it's, it's gold. It's gold for me. And and the music of that era has played a huge part and why it's so gold to me. That's

Kristin Nilsen 36:23

your soundtrack.

Carolyn Cochrane 36:26

Well, I can tell you guys that I think 1983 was perhaps the most impactful year of my entire life. Up until now, if I have to look at a year. I turned 18 in September of 1983. I start the year as a senior in high school. So I've got prom, I've got graduation, and all those other moments of senior year. And that summer, I experienced what at the time was the most soul crushing sadness of my life. We move halfway across the country from where all my friends were to Texas, because my dad was transferred. A few months later, I start college music plays a huge part in that first semester of college, whether it was bonding with new friends over our shared musical interests, or the songs being played at my first college parties, or the posters that were hanging in dorm rooms. My I distinctly remember my roommate having a prints poster and a police poster. And I admit I was a little bit skeptical about the mean the prints posters, I wasn't sure like, am I gonna get along with this young lady. And when I hear songs from that year, I can immediately be transported to a beer crusted dance floor or my Mara meadow inspired bedroom, or my boyfriend's dodge duster. It, it can literally suck me back into time. It's like a transportation device. That's

Kristin Nilsen 37:47

a huge, that's a huge, huge period of life. You Oh my gosh, I went from a high schooler to a college student. And I was on similar ground because in 1983, it was the end of junior high. And my very first taste of high school. Talk about impactful, right, I was just having so much fun. And I was starting to get naughty. And I was meeting people who are older than me, girls that were older that they weren't girls, they were women. They were like adult women. They looked like adults. And they smoked and they drank and they had boyfriends. And it was like it was like I was turning the channel from eight is enough to Dallas. So choosing a favorite of 1983 is not possible for me. Maybe because I was 14 You know, they're just too many memories. I settled on the signs that stitch together my story of going from a junior high schooler to a high schooler, just some of the many, many songs that carved out a space in my adolescent heart. So even though we were supposed to pick three, that was literally impossible for all of us. None of us did that. Everybody just like settle in grab a pillow because we're going to be here for a while. So I put my songs into themed categories. And the first category that I would like to talk about is called Boys, boys. So I remember I'm cracking myself already cracking myself up. Only you by the band yes from the UK

I fell in love with I'm not going to use his real name. Ronald McDonald. We're gonna call him Ronald McDonald fell I fell in love with Ronald McDonald to the son. My quote unquote Ronald McDonald crush was like, a full time job when I was in ninth grade. And this song only you was the soundtrack to that crush. It was so delicate, so poignant. It was so different in its approach to a love song. And it was actually the first song that married electronic music and a ballad and this was a sing feel to me that a new era and music was here. It sounded like something from a John Hughes movie. And Ronald McDonald was the reason I had no absences in the last half of ninth grade. I couldn't imagine missing school, how would I see him? How would I see him? So in the US, only you peeked on the charts at number 67. So although got a lot of radio play in my area, it still might be classified as sort of an underground hit. But in the UK, it's been ranked as the eighth best pop song of all time.

Michelle Newman 40:31

Wow.

Carolyn Cochrane 40:33

Wow.

Kristin Nilsen 40:34

Isn't that amazing? Somehow, I don't know how but Ronald McDonald just wasn't getting the message. Even though this was not a secret crush, not even close. And the Stein girls were very instrumental in orchestrating and publicizing my crush, but still nothing. And finally, I decided to do the bravest thing I've ever done in my whole entire life. And I called him and I boldly said, it's time to check the box. Do you like me or not? And he said, no. Oh, that I couldn't believe it. He was just like, No, but

Michelle Newman 41:15

you were adorable.

Kristin Nilsen 41:16

I agree. I was adorable.

Carolyn Cochrane 41:18

But this is monumental. I mean, this is why Kristen is sometimes on a pedestal for me. The balls it took for you to pick up the phone and call I mean, I'm still I'm a senior in high school. I have a boyfriend at this point. But I'd still be a note with the little boxes, I would not have the confidence it took to pick up that phone. So whether or not he's saying yes or no to you, Kristen. That is a moment that defined who you were, and are really did.

Kristin Nilsen 41:46

You're right, Carolyn, because I'm not so sure that I had the confidence. But sometimes the difference between you know what they say what is courage, courage is being afraid and doing it anyway. And I think that's what it was. I was terrified, but I knew I had to do it. I had to do it. And so I remember sitting on my couch with the phone in my lap just being like

Carolyn Cochrane 42:09

who answered when you call? Did he answer the phone? Or did you know

Kristin Nilsen 42:13

he didn't his mom did? His mom answered the phone. And I did.

Carolyn Cochrane 42:17

This is Kristen Nelson is Ronald McDonald. There's Ronald

Kristin Nilsen 42:19

McDonald. Tell me if the script is answered. Yeah. And she said just a minute, please. So, you know, when he says no, I tried to be super casual and chill. And I said, you know, okay, whatever. And we chit chatted, and I was like, you know, so when you're getting hot lunch tomorrow, I'm just trying to act like I don't care. But once I hung up, the dam broke. And I put my 45 of truly a high Lionel Richie, yes, on my record player. And I cried, and I cried.

When the song ended, I picked up the needle and I set it back down on the record at the beginning again, and I did this 11 times in a row. It took 11 True leaves to get all the crying out. And I was I it's very clear, I was using music to process my emotions,

Michelle Newman 43:27

music, there are a lot of times there's a whole there's a whole major in that now. You know, you can go to school for music therapy for a reason. There's a reason I

Kristin Nilsen 43:36

could write a whole paper on truly by Lionel Richie. Thank you, Lionel Richie for helping helping you do that very difficult moment.

Carolyn Cochrane 44:01

As Kristen has pointed out, 1983 had amazing iconic songs. So to choose three to share, it's virtually impossible. So I had to give myself a little framework. So I made my choices based on what songs gave me the most visceral experience when listening to them now, like I could feel myself being teleported back back to a time where I'm in a particular place and I can see what's around me and I can smell what's around me. So those were my criteria for how I chose my six. So I'm going to share my first one with you guys and it is Allentown by Billy Joel.

Actually, okay, my co hosts are just nodding.

Kristin Nilsen 44:52

No, I do like that song. And that is a timestamp for me to like I can feel the time and the place and I am where I am

Carolyn Cochrane 44:59

right and I think place for me plays a very big part in this because at this point, I live right outside of Philadelphia, and not very far from Allentown. And it was just the grittiness of it. I think that Philadelphia, they really love their image of hard working scrappy, we don't do it the easy way. And that's kind of how I lived. So living outside of Philadelphia, this song was on the radio a lot. And I loved Billy Joel. At the time, it was almost the antithesis of some of the music we've previously talked about. I mean, this wasn't a flashy Prince, or a made up, you know, Boy George, or this dazzling Michael Jackson, this was Billy Joel telling it like it is and, and we prided ourselves on that in where I lived, so Allentown will always be that kind of a memory for me, it transports me, I go back for some reason to my high school cafeteria. That's where I am when I think of this song. And then you had to leave that area. You have hit the nail on the head there, Kristen. And then I had to leave and I wasn't just going, you know, over to New York or Connecticut. I was going to Texas this was going to be a huge change. Yeah. So

Kristin Nilsen 46:13

that I mean, the difference in culture the difference in people between those two places and the way that you told people that you were from New Jersey, you were clinging to an identity.

Carolyn Cochrane 46:21

Oh, without Yes. Without a doubt. Yeah.

Michelle Newman 46:25

Wait, Carolyn, this is off the this is out of this out but a question. You said that was like such a hard move for you like you were crushed because you had to leave your friends. Where are you going to college in Texas anyway?

Carolyn Cochrane 46:34

No, I don't know. If you didn't know that story. But my mom I was going to be going to school in New York, but my mom said I could not because it was too far away when they are moving. So I had to find a college in Texas. I may of my senior year of high school. I went in to my guidance counselor and I applied to three schools and I said Whoever accepts me first Oh, I'm so

Michelle Newman 46:58

sorry. So not only are you having this very horrible move you're you're everything you've envisioned since you were New York went to New York that got I am a little bit upset at Lilian for that decision.

Kristin Nilsen 47:11

I am too I know but

Carolyn Cochrane 47:13

you guys I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if it wasn't your move because that's right have me asking Andy and all of that but but yeah, it was traumatic.

Michelle Newman 47:32

Okay, you guys, if you guys listening can actually feel my passion and my feelings coming through any device or listening on it will not be surprised because all of my favorite Duran Duran songs had been released by the end of 1983 show I honestly could fill my entire list with Duran Duran songs. But don't worry, I did not. I have instead devised a workaround to get three songs into this one spot. So as luck would have it, my favorite Duran Duran song was actually released in November of 1983. My second and fourth favorite songs charted in 1983. But honestly, after my number one song, they all pretty much tie. And if you don't get all that it's fine. It's fine. I'm going to hold a Duran Duran one on one class right after the episode for anyone else to stick around. Because right now, I'm going to be focusing on my feelings. So my number 119 83 song, and my very favorite Duran Duran song, which is a little like choosing a child is the reflex

which was released on November 21 1983, on the very incredible album, seven and the ragged Tiger I'm holding it up right now. And you guys I want to show you this. This is not my album because this is 1983. So I didn't go buy an album. What did I buy? instead? You got a cassette tape. I want everyone to look at my cassette tape. And hopefully if there's segments on YouTube, you guys can see this too. But Carolyn and Kristen, could you tell what tape this is?

Kristin Nilsen 49:04

No, because oh no, all of the words are rubbed off. I'm I'm scared about what you were doing with that cassette tape and all

Michelle Newman 49:10

of the words are rubbed off and there's still a little piece of of masking tape that says Michelle s I don't even know where to begin with the song because I have so many feelings. The opening Tanana, you turn on, and then the reflex Flick, flick, Flick, flick flex, and then the drums doo doo doo doo doo. You guys, I want to cry every time I hear it. And that has a lot to do with seeing them perform that song live on February 3 1984. In Seattle, Washington. My very first concert. I'm wearing my T shirt right now. This is not actually the t shirt but it's a replica I found on ebay because my T shirt would never fit me now. You guys, when the drums hit, Simon John and Andy did this big synchronized jump forward before starting to Seeing you've gone too far this time

Kristin Nilsen 50:10

around

Michelle Newman 50:12

and Simon is insanely dreamy in this song, I swear I'm 14 again every time I hear it. And as luck would have it, they filmed the concert performance, but another one on the same tour for the official video so I can watch it anytime I want to on YouTube. God bless YouTube. And lucky you listeners because I'm putting it in this week's Weekly Reader because I love this song so much. And most especially this performance so so much and I have to share it with all of you because I have to have you see the beginning where when the drums hit, they do the synchronized jump forward. It will it will give you an Apple Lightning for the rest of your life. I'm so passionate about the song and this video you guys I can't even tell you. And then quickly my second and fourth favorite Duran Duran Songs chart in 1983. Is there something I should know came in at number 55 on the hot 100 chart. And as I think the first Duran Duran video, I remember seeing it was the classic. You'd see it on MTV with your friend and then you'd wait up all damn night until you can see it again. And then you'd wait another three hours until you can see it again. And we did the same with hungry like the wolf, which charted at number 17 and 1983 Oh sweet Jesus to be the boy squeezing the sponge and to Simon's mouth and hungry like the wolf video

Kristin Nilsen 51:37

that is the video that did it for me too. Yeah, like the wolf. I was just like, What is this hat Simon's

Michelle Newman 51:42

glasses. So since we have yet to do a Duran Duran episode here at the pop culture Preservation Society. If you'd like to hear me gush and educate and get into the details of the songs and videos of the wonderful REO album, I was a guest last spring on the Untitled Gen X podcast educating our Gen X Little Sister Laurie, the host of that wonderful podcast, who had missed out on the whole Duran Duran boat because she was born in like 1979. And it's a really great conversation for Duran Duran fans to listen to, and I'm going to share the link to that podcast episode, as well. And this week's Weekly Reader, boom wow,

Kristin Nilsen 52:18

I can feel the enthusiasm coming through my screen right now. Okay.

Michelle Newman 52:22

I need to take a moment. So if someone else was just taking you there,

Kristin Nilsen 52:26

I'm gonna need like a palate cleanser getting out.

Michelle Newman 52:29

I don't take it down.

Kristin Nilsen 52:31

Okay, you Everybody ready? Yeah. Okay, so my next category, the next category is called, I'm a new wave girl. And that's because in 1983 music was changing, and I knew it. I took notice. I'm like, what is happening? It was just you couldn't ignore it. It felt so radical and fresh. And they were songs mostly from these British bands or artists who were invading our airwaves. Like Michelle was talking about the second British invasion they weren't rock and roll and they weren't r&b But they seem to give me what I needed from both songs like come on Eileen dare coma SAR Major Tom, she blinded me with science. I used to say that come on, Eileen was my favorite song of all time, like of my whole life. But my but I changed my mind now. And so my current favorite from the New Wave era is big country by big country, which I thought was on the album big country, but that's just wishful thinking. And it's actually also known as in a big country. This is the song you guys with the iconic bagpipe solo

because they're from Scotland, I love the bagpipes in the song. So this is from Songfacts song faxes from its opening notes in a big country bursts with fresh energy. The Celtic guitar parts produce a signature bagpipe sound as lead singer Stuart Adamson Yelp's Shaw it's so much shot and then he and the song is like urging the listeners to remain resilient. So in America this was the only big country hit really of significance it got a lot of airplay got a lot of radio play in Minnesota in my area, but I don't think it did around the country. But it was a huge hit on MTV, just like a lot of these other British Invasion songs got a lot of rotation on the video got a lot of rotation. So according to the lead singer, the lyrical idea from Big Country was about having hope, a sense of self in times of trouble, and he told a group of fans that his favorite lyrics from the song were I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert, but I can live and breathe and see the sun. And to me, that's exactly what I felt this song felt so bright, and it made me want to dance a J I don't know if they do jigs in Scotland, but I it's right next to Ireland. So but they do. Yeah. And it sounds like that was kind of their intention was to make people feel like that. But there's sort of a haunting irony with this song. So when Big Country disbanded, his second marriage collapsed and the lead singer suffered from a deep depression, and his wife declared him missing in November of 2001. And the following month, he was found dead by suicide. Oh, the working title of big country, you guys is stay alive. That's the working title of the song. And in concert, Stuart Adamson would often introduce the song with the words stay alive. That's how he would introduce the song. And Songfacts says that reconciling the resilient message of that song with Adamson's eventual suicide was very difficult for fans.

Michelle Newman 55:57

I never knew it's almost like it was it's almost like his fate was he wrote his fate you know? Yes, it's spoken decades before Yeah, it

Kristin Nilsen 56:05

makes me treasure the song all the more like I'm singing these words but I wasn't listening to them. I wasn't listening to I'm not expecting to grow flowers in a desert but I can live and breathe and see the sun in winter time.

Michelle Newman 56:18

Now I hear it maybe the big country to him was heaven country dream

Kristin Nilsen 56:24

I was I was Scotland will probably soon but

Michelle Newman 56:27

now I'm just you know now I'm just getting into it more than I need to but

Kristin Nilsen 56:32

so rip big country he made a big lasting impact on me in 1983 Country

Carolyn Cochrane 56:51

Okay, so my second choice is Gloria by Laura branigan?

I love that song.

Kristin Nilsen 57:15

I'm trying so hard not to say like every time you guys say a song, I just want to like galling glory. And it just doesn't help.

Carolyn Cochrane 57:24

That line is one of the reasons I love that song. This song I would belt out the song I'm by myself usually when I'm remembering it. I'm in the car in the Buick LeSabre that I drove to school, and I'm just belting out because I could buy myself in the car. You Yes. Staccato kind of fun. Be it just. It lived in me. I just I love that song. And I think to me, it was almost kind of an anthem. There was some kind of independence I felt when I sang it. Maybe it was because I yelled it out and maybe because I have this memory of driving by myself in the car but it's it really affects me like an anthem does and it's not really about the lyrics. It's about that entire experience I had when being with this song. And it was sad. I looked up that Laura branigan had several hits in 1983. And she passed away in 2004. She was only like 52 years old. Isn't

Kristin Nilsen 58:24

that are

Michelle Newman 58:26

young? Oh no.

Carolyn Cochrane 58:27

Yeah, isn't it though, and

Kristin Nilsen 58:29

I can picture her she was one of those people that was not super comfortable on stage. Like she was a little awkward in her movements. And yet nobody seemed to care. And everybody just loved going Oh, yeah. Did you ever sing Carolyn? Kevin? Kevin, every young me yeah I always thought they were I know these lyrics aren't correct. I but I was so she was asking for the area code because she's asking for the number the number and then you get that every year every year and I know that's not right. They had I just figured Laura branigan needed to know the full phone number because you know in those days we just use the seven numbers

Michelle Newman 59:29

okay, my second song is one Kristin just mentioned and that is come on Eileen. And come on Eileen for me is in a dead like tie with Karma Chameleon. You guys I wasn't kidding about all my favorites from 1983 being British Invasion bands. Both of those songs give me the same exact feeling anytime they come on one of my playlists which is often it raises my mood. I'm gleeful. I feel light, I'm happy. But I'm going to talk about come on Eileen today because you guys This is a song that's been one of my very favorites for 48 years that I still only know about 10 words.

Kristin Nilsen 1:00:07

You got to look them up you'll die. You'll die now you see what I'm saying? But

Michelle Newman 1:00:12

from the Celtic fiddle open NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO NO. And then what happens due to the drums and the bass 48 years of nipple lighting. I'll just say it right now. And honestly as a song that I have not ever been able to do more than kind of Bumble along to I really can't explain why I've loved it for so long. But I think it's like what I just said before, it's the tune the melody, the music, the spirit of it. It's just all for me. It's just it makes me happy. It makes me smile. I love it so much. And I want to ask you guys a couple of things. Speaking of the lyrics, fun facts, and you're probably Christian probably does know this. And actually Carolyn, you probably do too. But do you know who Johnny Ray is? Ray I O until until like Johnny Roy because of because of their accent. Johnny Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll. He had jazz and blues influence music and you guys I just feel like such an idiot that makes the video make a lot more sense because I loved this video. First like 30 seconds is black and white footage of Johnny Ray they actually have it on their shoes. He's getting off the airplane. The girls are all screaming the lyrics say poor ol Johnny Ray sounded sad up on the radio moved a Million Hearts in mono. So what the hell is this song about right? This is comes from American songwriter.com Come on. Eileen spins off from that basic concept to articulate the youthful urge for separation from an older generation hoping to indoctrinate these youngsters into their tired society. Roelandts a singer named checks weepy 50s crooner Johnny Ray at the beginning of the song to symbolize the kind of sorrow that hangs over the entire scene he wishes to escape. These people round here he sings were beaten down eyes sunk in Smoke dried faces so resigned to what their fate

you could have paid me $14 billion dollars and I would never have known that's what it says no. He promises Eileen, that their fate will be different. No, not us. We are far too young and clever. And then of course he wants to take her dress off and he wants them to be naked and

Kristin Nilsen 1:02:37

clever. Far too young and clever enough. I got that part. Having now

Michelle Newman 1:02:41

watched the video. But having done this research, why haven't I done it decades before? I don't know whatever it is what it is. But with this in mind, I have an entirely new appreciation for this song. I loved this video. I mean, the overalls, they're all in overalls. I

Kristin Nilsen 1:02:56

like my style right now. Like the dirty overalls and the in the thing like the little bandana and your hair. That's what set my style for the rest of my life. So that an Apollonia right, just marry those two things together.

Michelle Newman 1:03:08

American songwriter.com wonders if it's the greatest one hit wonder of all time, they say oh, there's nothing wrong with having one hit when it's as memorable as come on Eileen, yo hum this tune for

Kristin Nilsen 1:03:40

Okay, my next pick is still in the category of I'm a new wave girl. And I think it segues really nicely with come on Eileen. And that is goody two shoes by Atomy.

This was another example of a song that was a sign that something was changing. And I put Adam Ant in the same category as Boy George just flamboyant at all costs. I'm doing things my way. And just look at me everybody. Look at me. Look at me. They were like screaming for people to look at them. And they just dared you to judge them. I dare you to judge. So I remember goody two shoes from the ninth grade school dance. And it's probably the hardest I've ever danced in my whole life. So this song, I threw my body around like a rag doll. It was I was just drenched and sweaty. And my ponytail was all askew. It was the last dance in junior high and it felt like we were leaving everything behind. I was just leaving it on the floor, right? Like I could do what I wanted, like Adam and right I was just doing whatever I wanted. And I didn't have to worry about embarrassing myself because tomorrow I'd be in high school and none of these people would matter anymore. Except of course that all of these people from junior high are going with me to the high school so I don't know why But I thought there was gonna be any sort of dividing line there really wasn't. This school dance was also the scene of another embarrassing tantrum. Okay, well, you'll hear you'll hear coming up in our, we have an episode coming up about the movie Fame where you're going to hear about an epic tantrum that I threw with my parents. Here's another one. So before the dance, my parents informed me informed me that they would be chaperoning. Oh, no, and this was tragic news. They were gonna ruin my life. And I told them, so I said exactly that.

Michelle Newman 1:05:33

ruining my life.

Kristin Nilsen 1:05:35

I screamed, I cried, I threw myself on the floor, you would think this was like the worst thing that ever happened to me in my entire life. And my parents weren't giving in. And they treated me exactly like a toddler throwing a tantrum, they completely ignored me, they like stepped over my body, you know, and just like kept unloading the dishwasher or whatever. Like she's not even screaming and crying. But they did agree to some ground rules. And I made them promise that if they saw me, even if they caught a glimpse of me out of the corner of their eye, they had to run to the other side of the gym. They had to cross the gym, and be in a different hemisphere of the gym than I was. And I think they really did. Because I never saw them. I didn't see them the whole night. But wait, there's more. So at the school dance, I got one very special slow dance with Ronald McDonald. And it was a pity dance, because this is after the phone call. And so I was both excited and also humiliated at the same time. And then, after my slow dance with Ronald McDonald, they played truly.

No, they didn't. What do you think I did? Yes, they did. I ran dramatically from the gym, wailing like I was some jilted lover from a high school play or something like Oh, so much so that people ran after me. Like people who like knew me from gym class. We, Kristen, Kristen, are you okay? And it was like, yes, leave me alone. I'm waiting for the Stein girls. And they're like, No, Kristen, you'll find another. It was very, very dramatic. It was such a pity dance. It really was.

Michelle Newman 1:07:35

That's kind of cruel of him, though. He probably thought he was doing a nice job by giving a pity dance. But I think that's kind of mean because he How does he know it wasn't going to like, inflate your expectation, right? Like, oh, she's gonna be my

Kristin Nilsen 1:07:47

feelings. Right? Maybe

Carolyn Cochrane 1:07:49

it wasn't a pity dance. Maybe he started to have some feelings.

Kristin Nilsen 1:07:54

Too late, buddy. Well, yeah,

Carolyn Cochrane 1:07:56

that's right, his loss, but

Kristin Nilsen 1:07:58

and it wouldn't be. I mean, this is the thing about moving from junior high to high school. I leave that crush behind. And months later, I'll just tack this song on. All this love by barge would be the first song I ever made out to.

Michelle Newman 1:08:13

I love to Marsh. I'm gonna whisper that because I feel like, I feel like I have to whisper to admit, I'd love to barge all of it. Why are you feeling like you're gonna get lost? If you love to park? It's sort of like me. I also feel like I have to whisper that I love air supply.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:08:33

Oh, they're on my list to just go to Carolyn. Because I think that every song on my list and everything could be mocked. I'm thinking I'm like a 45 year old woman in an 18 year old 17 year olds body with my song choices. Compared to Kristen's I mean, I've got air supply on here. I think I might have read a Coolidge and I've got some different ones. But I'm going to share my third choice right now. Okay. And much like I told you Gloria was kind of this anthem about my independence. This song would be the one that accompanies my heartache of 1983 Oh, and there was a lot of that for me in 1983 It would be faithfully by journey.

Lots of sad moments for my 17 year old heart that included the heartbreak of first love the moving that I've talked about. Many songs fall under this umbrella truly being one of them. It just makes me super sad. And I go right to my striped bedspread, in my yellow bedroom, where I am bawling about something. And these were the songs that we're playing and much like you Chris and I probably played faithfully 45 times over and over and over again and just felt sorry for myself and just thought this is this what it is. This is all I know and I really had a good 90 I mean there were so many wonderful moments 9819 83 but this one just pulls me back to a lot of those just heartbreakingly sad in my gut just feeling sick to my stomach kind of Oh

Kristin Nilsen 1:10:26

and this also be under Do you have a category also called boys?

Carolyn Cochrane 1:10:30

Well there was only sadly boy and this time in my life and yeah, they will be probably these really sad songs that would go along to boy those of my friends who are listening now who boy is but we'll just leave it at those two

Michelle Newman 1:11:07

my last song is I chose for the same reason Kristin did school dances and my last song is safety dance by men without hats

Carolyn Cochrane 1:11:22

why

Michelle Newman 1:11:28

didn't do to do today to do so to me. That's what the song is. This song is school dances and in 1983. I was a freshman in high school. So these were the very first school dancer dances that really mattered. I went to a very small high school in Ridgefield, Washington my freshman year and we had after game dances on Friday nights, when we'd have a home football game. And when this song came on, everyone was on the dance floor, which was actually the dark cafeteria me. And I mean, Kristen, when you said you threw yourself around to goody two goody two shoes. That's what safety dance was. We all became the coolest dancers you can ever imagine. Because while in middle school, we were doing a lot of step touch, step together, step touch step two, you know, back and forth when you would fast dance and you can almost picture the boys kind of like awkwardly maybe not really to the beat, going step together, step together. Yeah. High school dances were when you just I don't know, we just felt free. And I think it has a lot to do with the music of that time with the synthesizers and everything allowed us the freedom to kind of just go nuts, right. And safety dance for me is one of those songs still is we sang. We clapped our hands after looking at them, of course, everybody looked at your hands. You know, we've had in mind the hell out of the s s s s a f f f f e e t t t t y y safety dance. Dunton Tilton and it was so electrifying. And it was just a whole new type of music right, it was just so danceable and I think that allowed us to just like I said, to just let loose the music video I cannot talk about the song without talking about the music video. It is so fabulously early 80s Bizarre finally to singer Ivan Dora. Schuck is with the little person who's dressed like a jester. They're frolicking through the countryside. Complete with Maypole dancers. There's a there's some people dressed in rooster costumes with like a rubber rooster chicken head. There's that blonde peasant woman who keeps popping up and bopping along, and like swirling her skirts. You guys it turns out she was later and editor at Cosmopolitan magazine. The video is all kinds, all kinds of wonderful. It doesn't go with the song really at all because do you guys you know what a safety dance is?

Kristin Nilsen 1:13:51

I never even questioned it. What is it? The lyrics

Michelle Newman 1:13:55

were penned by the band's frontman Ivan Doris shock and it refers back to a time when he himself was rejected from a nightclub in Ottawa by a bouncer. Okay, I'm going to describe to you what he was doing. And you guys are going to know because we're all from the same time you're going to be able to picture it listeners you will be too. He was he was ejected because this is how he was dancing. He was Pogo dancing to the B 50. Twos Rock Lobster, which is the punk rock style dance in which the participant jumps up and down. Why keep while keeping your arms and legs very rigid. You know that Pogo to Rock Lobster. People would jump so high in the air when we would dance and then sometimes you get down on the floor and you wiggle and wiggle. And so so he learned I guess after that, that there's there's a term called a safety dance. And that's what it's turned. It's coined by

Kristin Nilsen 1:14:42

as in that's assuming that that's not safe, safe and you have to do a safer dance

Michelle Newman 1:14:50

style the pogo stick dance to that he was doing to be 50 Choose Mark lobster was not considered a safety dance. I'm guessing the frolicking down the lane to the little village with the maypole dancers is considered a she

Kristin Nilsen 1:15:03

may pause safe maybe

Michelle Newman 1:15:05

maybe that's okay Oh you guys are such a great song I love it so much still

Carolyn Cochrane 1:15:15

everybody we can dance or we can dance everybody's making the

same

Kristin Nilsen 1:15:36

Do you guys have any songs that you couldn't fit into your top three I mean this is where we're cheating now well we just can't we just couldn't fit them all in but we're gonna fit them all in there's gonna be we didn't fit them in

Michelle Newman 1:15:46

yeah I won't tell you I'm not gonna tell you why or anything you'll know why just based on what so my runners up were all the Duran Duran songs the entire catalog and then they were WAM wrap which I can still see to this day and my my both of my girls can sing all the words we're all very proud of that. Actually the whole fan fantastic album, Bad Boys Club, Tropicana. Just such great songs make it big had not been released yet, so but that whole wham fantastic album. I love. Never gonna let you go by Sergio Mendes. Such a beautiful song. And you guys that one? That one charted really high. Oh yeah. Jacob for the terms 102 So

Carolyn Cochrane 1:16:28

that was probably on my sad soundtrack. Oh, for sure.

Michelle Newman 1:16:33

It's on. I have one of my favorite playlist is all my kind of cheesy 70s 80s ballads and it's called just like mellow or something. And believe me that song is on it. Totally clips to the heart by Bonnie Tyler. Oh, gosh, we loved that song. cegcon

Kristin Nilsen 1:16:48

That's a great karaoke song.

Michelle Newman 1:16:50

I love it. Another one on my list is chat stret I love the stray cats. I love all of stray cats music I love we we've talked about this before, I think in our 1976 episode, oddly, but because that's when everybody was kind of throwing it back to the 50s and I think I shared how obsessed I was with that whole 50s culture. So when the stray cats came on the scene, I loved everything about them rock this town. stray cat stret I love I won't stand in your way. It's such a beautiful like 50s ballad. Oh god, I love that song. And then the last one on my runners up was Culture Club. Well, I'd already mentioned Karma Chameleon had tied in my top three but do you really want to hurt me? I love still to this day love that's yeah.

Kristin Nilsen 1:17:30

You don't my favorite culture club song is time. And what is in the parentheses? I don't even know clock of the heart clock or the heart. Yeah, that's that perfect marriage of like a British invasion and dance beat. I could I could listen to that song over and over again and throw myself around like a rag doll.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:17:51

Well, I will now share some of mine. This one I wanted to be in my top three. So it's going to be my honorable mention top four. It's you can't hurry love by Phil Collins. Oh, yeah. And let me tell you why this was you just talked about a perfect meld of musics. This was Diana Ross and the Supremes who I worshipped. And Phil Collins, how often can a song just come on the radio and you know every single word that I use every single word so Collins, because in where I grew up on Saturday nights, one of the radio stations played basically it was like Motown Saturday night like Golden Oldies. And we were addicted to that. That's what we played at parties. So I could sing every Diana Ross and the Supremes. I had every iteration of their anthology album, from the album to the eight track to the cassette. I love like Bill, Jeff, Buttercup, all of those kinds of songs. And so imagine the feeling of Phil Collins who I also loved in worship, and he is singing with Simon Ross in the supreme song. And it's so happy and I know every single word no misheard lyrics in that one.

Kristin Nilsen 1:19:04

Oh, he really did honor that.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:19:06

I think he did too. And I loved it. Other songs that I will share with you from that time that I that are memorable. I don't know once again, favorite just doesn't really jive with me but that aren't memorable and I can go somewhere would be Mickey by Tony Basil. Truly true. stray cat strat, Little Red Corvette, Every Breath You Take Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, you know that video with Christie Brinkley? In the garage? Rock the Casbah and I'll tumble for yeah probably the only sad I'll tell before you for most words, I really like to know the words that I'm singing that's really important to me.

Michelle Newman 1:19:51

That's one reason that I've always been so like, pumped like puffed up that I know all the words to rent wham rap be cuz it's so not actually but it goes really fast. And there's words, and I'm singing them so fast, you know, like, and I always feel like I'm rapping when I sing wham round.

Kristin Nilsen 1:20:12

I'm trying to like get one line out from wham rap and I can't even do it. I can't even start. Oh, my God is amazing.

Michelle Newman 1:20:21

Maybe I'll record myself doing it.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:20:24

I'm just realizing how much I listened to older songs like Simon and Garfunkel that was on repeat. When I was in high school, I could sing every song on that Greatest Hits. I could sing the boxer, you know, I can all of those. And so I don't know how much that influenced, you know, some of the big songs in 1983 when I was spending my time choosing what to listen to, I guess. Yeah, it was a lot of this older music.

Kristin Nilsen 1:20:52

And we're Yeah, here's a question for you. Were you were your friends also listening to all these? Or was it just, you

Carolyn Cochrane 1:20:57

know, we were all I mean, like I said, this Saturday radio was playing Matt, my boyfriend at the time really liked Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. So I mean, even our song is a song from them back in the whatever. 70s. Yeah, so a lot of the things we listened to were kind of older, or at least my friends, a little bit older generation, which is why I think maybe I knew all the songs that you guys are talking about. And I think MTV had a lot to do with that. But if I had to say words, or songs, I knew all the words too, and we're on repeat in my life, it would probably be these other artists that I've mentioned, I feel like there's

Kristin Nilsen 1:21:38

a little bit of, there's an East Coast thing too, that listening to older music, because I would visit in the summertime, I would visit my relatives on the East Coast. And these are like boarding school people too. So they were these were, you know, elite intellectuals. And yet, they would listen to some music that I was like, wait, what that's from, like 20 years ago, or that's like burnout music. And it just goes to show that region has a lot to do with what you listen to and what you think is cool. And what I would think of as burnout. Music is what the intellectuals were listening to on the East Coast. It was fascinating to me.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:22:13

Well, I'm just sitting up a little taller, because you just compared me to an intellectual on the east.

Kristin Nilsen 1:22:17

comparing you to an intellectual, you are an

Michelle Newman 1:22:20

intellectual, you are an intellectual.

Kristin Nilsen 1:22:24

Okay, I have two that I want to add to the list really quickly. The first one is pass the duchy pass the GED on the left hand side as the country on the left. That's

Michelle Newman 1:22:33

another one that I passed the only part I know. Yeah,

Kristin Nilsen 1:22:36

I know. There's I can't sing anything besides that. But in the Malala Melinda Allah, Allah Allah, but in the Mahna Mahna Lilia so pass, the duchy is a bus song for me. When somebody you get on the bus and somebody has a boombox. And now we've got past the duchy, and you just, you're having fun with your friends on the bus. And this is the soundtrack to having fun. And of course, nobody knew what a duchy was. And after a while you're like, oh, it has to do with pot, right? Yeah, well, that's what we said in the 80s. We said it has to do with pot. So I decided to dig a little deeper. And maybe I'm late to the party on this and everybody already knows. But this is a cover. So it's by musical youth. They were children. And they were passed. They are covering a song that was by adults that was called past the coochie. And the O G is a pipe pipe. I don't know what they call it pop pipe today. That's such an 80s word. And so they're like, well, when these kids are singing this song, they can't say pass the pot pipe. What are we going to do? And somehow they come up with duchy and it really does refer to a Dutch oven. Like past the Dutch oven to the left hand side. Like why are you passing a pot? It is it is yes. That's literally

Carolyn Cochrane 1:23:43

like jumprope because isn't there like Double Dutch?

Michelle Newman 1:23:47

Yeah,

Carolyn Cochrane 1:23:49

maybe, you know,

Michelle Newman 1:23:50

I was thinking dutch oven like, you know, when someone like you know, you fart in bed and then you pull the covers over the other person's head. Oh, yeah. Okay, a pot pipe today would be called a vape pen,

Unknown Speaker 1:24:01

I think. Oh, yeah, maybe.

Kristin Nilsen 1:24:14

And then the other song that I want to bring up is I know that I said that big country is my number one song of 1983. But really, I think this is my number one song of 1983 and it didn't even get in. I know I'm so confused. This is just

Michelle Newman 1:24:25

sorry listeners. We have to rerecord you know, we're starting over so sit tight. Grab a snack. And

Kristin Nilsen 1:24:33

this one has to do with a dance I learned from a very famous choreographer in Chicago named Gus Giordano. And he taught the choreography to a song talk talk by talk talk shows I did big country by Big Country and talk talk my talk time. i Oh my god talk about throwing myself around like like rag doll. I adore talk talk to this day. I

Carolyn Cochrane 1:24:56

adore talk time. Do you remind me of the sing some of it Do

Kristin Nilsen 1:25:00

Me is Talk Talk be or near any meaning any any talk talk talk I did me is Talk Talk okay you're gonna listen to it Yeah,

Michelle Newman 1:25:09

I know that they have it but I don't know that song is it sounding familiar to me?

Carolyn Cochrane 1:25:15

I don't see it on any of the lists all the 1983 songs either well,

Kristin Nilsen 1:25:19

okay, this is a good example of a song it came out in November of 1982. It didn't get to me until 1983 Probably like so this was I went to Chicago take these classes in February of 1983. And that's when he taught us this dance. Okay, are you ready? Here we go get ready for the good party here comes

that sounds like it sounds like

there are no lumps of familiarity on your faces at all. Wait till we get to the chorus. We'll get you to the chorus

Michelle Newman 1:26:13

Oh, yeah, that part. But it's not super

Carolyn Cochrane 1:26:22

embarrassed to say how I know that. Please, I'm pretty sure that somebody's probably saying that about me to me like oh, all you do is talk to and I see things going Oh. What's used for me so I do know the words but yeah, there you go. Okay,

Kristin Nilsen 1:26:44

coincidentally, or ironically, I guess the whole song is about the singers, social anxiety and his torment and social situations because communication particularly talking was he talked about this in his songs all the time about how he didn't like talking. He was notoriously terse and sort of elusive and interviews and things like that. So talk talk was supposed to be the next Duran Duran. They thought all they need to do is get with the right with the right audience, and there'll be the next Duran Duran, so they put them on tour with Duran Duran, they opened up for Duran Duran, but this guy would not play ball. He's like, No, I'm not cozying up to the audience. I'm not talking to the media. I'm not doing any of that. And you know, because all you want to do is talk talk. And so clearly, they did not become the next Duran Duran. But this song is it was a huge club hit. It's still a big club hit. And it's sort of an underground content as well. For me, it feels like the moment that I'm in a dance studio with one of the most famous choreographers in the world. And so you think that after hearing a song for 100, you know, hundreds of times that you do it over and over and over again that you would get sick of it, but the opposite is actually true. Every time you do it, and you do the things with your body. It's like the song gets into your cells, and I love it forevermore. Oh,

Carolyn Cochrane 1:28:03

well, can we see the dance? Oh, I

Kristin Nilsen 1:28:06

don't remember it. Oh, not even close.

Michelle Newman 1:28:09

Kristen, you know who did become the next Duran Duran Duran Duran because they are still killing it.

Kristin Nilsen 1:28:18

They really are.

I feel so lucky to have been a teenager in 1983. To be primed for music. At this moment when the radio gave us something so new and so different. It fed our creative souls. Whether you were a creative or not, it didn't matter. We all felt freed in some way by this crazy new wave sound and all of the new things that were coming the clothes, the hair, the makeup, it was like nothing was off limits. Even if you went to school every day, in your preppy sweaters and your Darksiders you still felt the energy of this rebellion. So if you were a teenager in 1983, consider this. What songs do you associate with happy memories? Make a list, then make a playlist and call it therapy? Because these songs absolutely have therapeutic value for you. It is medicine, and how lucky are we that the music of our youth was so distinct, so unique to its time and place? So historic, and frankly, I'm just gonna say it so much better than the music of anyone else's you. Thank you everybody for listening today and enjoy that playlist.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:29:35

And speaking of playlists, you can find a link to each my Kristen and Michelle's 1983 playlist in our Weekly Reader. That is our email newsletter that gets to you every Friday. And we also include things like what we're reading what we're listening to and some of the shows that we're watching. So if you are not already subscribed, you can sign up at our website. pup preservationists.com Or at the link in our bio on Instagram. And

Kristin Nilsen 1:30:05

Carolyn, you're talking about not just the songs from this episode, but like all of the contenders that we considered.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:30:12

Yeah, you had like 29 on your list last night or whatever.

Kristin Nilsen 1:30:15

And I think listeners this is gonna be really fascinating for you to compare and contrast. You'll see how distinct each one of them is. It's like a game then tell us what you think.

Michelle Newman 1:30:26

All the Duran Duran albums on her. And if you want to see portions of this conversation, and see me freak out over Duran Duran and see us off, get emotional over our song choices head on over to our YouTube channel. We are pop culture Preservation Society on YouTube. And this episode, like all episodes of the pop culture Preservation Society is brought to you today by the lovely people who support us on Patreon. Honestly, we could not keep tracking without them. Today, we are giving a shout out to patrons Amy, Jeremy, Ally, Michelle, Amy, and Felicia. And that is to Amy's spelled two different ways and honestly, was there a more popular name in the early 70s than Amy, I think there was not. Thank you all for sharing our podcasts with your fellow Gen Xers and for leaving those lovely ratings and reviews on Apple podcasts and elsewhere. And it's working you guys. People are finding us and that's really exciting. And it's all thanks to you. Thank you.

Kristin Nilsen 1:31:25

Thank you guys so much. In the meantime, let's raise our glasses for a toast courtesy of the cast of Three's Company to good times to happy

Michelle Newman 1:31:32

days. To

Carolyn Cochrane 1:31:34

Little House on the Prairie. Cheers, cheers.

Kristin Nilsen 1:31:38

The information opinions and comments expressed on the pop culture Preservation Society podcast belongs solely to Carolyn the crush ologists and hello Newman, and are in no way representative of our employers or affiliates. And we truly believe we are always right. There's always a first time the PCPs is written produced and recorded in Minneapolis, Minnesota Home of the fictional w j m studios and our beloved Mary Richards nananana who keep on truckin and may the Force be with you.