Friend of mine changed the chorus of Electric Avenue to "We gonna walk down to K-Mart to buy some shoes. They only cost a dollar." and now that's how I sing along with it. lol
I don’t know all the words to Beat It, so one part always sounds like Show ‘em Hot Pockets Show ‘em tonight It doesn’t matter Who’s wrong or right Just beat it. . .
I was playing “Let’s Get Physical” on my little 45 record player when I was in about first grade. My mom came in my room, listened to about 30 seconds and took my favorite record!! I had to go back to Tinkerbell telling me when to turn the page. 😂.
My sister (who was probably 10 at the time) had this one. My folks didn't say a thing about it, but God forbid I should listen to Black Sabbath back then.
I remember an interview with Sting about Every Breath You Take. He said people would come up to him and say, "Oh, that's a great song, we fell in love to this song!" and he'd think, "That's just sick." 😂
Haha well he shouldn't have made it such a good song, then! It's weird how artists will create these songs with a happy or romantic sounding melody, but then add subtly disturbing lyrics and expect the listener to associate more strongly with those lyrics than the actual music. People usually go off the vibe of the music to interpret what the song is about, especially when it's pop music. It's like these singers/bands are trying to set people up to misinterpret the meaning of their songs haha
Friday night videos is where you saw some of the hair bands on MTV. I also loved watching "heavy metal bands videos at 11:00 to midnight on Mtv back in the day. I was a "hair band girl" too! I still and will always love 80's music!!
I think we can all cut ourselves a little break since singing along to a song is probably more often about enjoying the rhythm rather than agreeing with the message.
The racy parts of these songs flew right over most of us from the 80s, which made them cleaner to the listener where current-day lyrics spell it out directly. Love the 80s! Money for nothin!
There was still censorship on music. What I heard was that artists used code language and innuendo to get around it, so adults would know what the song was about, but kids didn't.
@Amber J - I watched Dee Snider's testimony on what you're talking about, a few years ago, and I know what you mean. What he revealed was going on was kinda weird, because part of what was really happening was the people who wanted to censor more heard the lyrics in certain songs, they were interpreting the innuendos in sexually lascivious ways, and the artists were saying, "Hold on. That's not what we were saying." It was *because* the music of the day was typically not explicit that the censors were reading things into the music that really required them to get into the artists' heads. Snider testified because one of the targeted songs was his, and he said he wasn't thinking of anything sexual when he wrote it. He was thinking about some surgery he had. What they missed was that because the lyrics were suggestive or vague, people could interpret them in more than one way. That's why children could keep their innocence around these songs, because they interpreted them from their perspective, enjoyed the tune, and that was it. If there was anything sexual in the songs, they were none the wiser. I mean, to give people an idea, a few years ago, I was asked to give a list of dirty songs from the '80s, and I came up with several. Some of them were on regular radio, and some were from the Dr. Demento Show. Some I can remember that were on pop radio were "She Bop," "Sugar Walls," "Me So Horny," and "Humpty Dance." The first two were so muted in their overtones that I had no idea they were about anything sexual until I was in my 30s, and I heard others point this out. The last two I figured out real quick, though "Me So Horny" was the only one of the four that was that explicit. When we heard it on the radio, we got the censored version, but there was no mistaking what it was about. What the censors complained about was what kids were able to buy in the music stores, since they could get the uncensored versions there, with no warning label. Whether warning labels are "effective," I don't know. Some could reasonably argue that they just make teens want the marked music more, because it's forbidden fruit. "Oooh! This is going to make my parents upset? Alright! That's what I want!..." Just going through the songs of the '80s, it seems like songs in the later part of the decade were becoming more explicit, and censorship was becoming more lax. That could've been part of why the censors started screaming more. They were losing control of what kids were being exposed to.
Winger literally had a song called 'Seventeen' and the lyrics were 'she's old enough for me.' If anything, they were just as explicit. Especially once you hit the 90s.
@Amber J it's a square piece of paper folded into a little 4 cornered contraption with different numbers, colors, questions, and answers on it: www.dltk-kids.com/World/japan/mfortune-teller.htm
As a teacher, I can confirm we get immense joy from kids just not getting what things really mean. Makes up for all the screaming and 'will you hold this used kleenex' we have to live through.
I remember thinking the song "Maneater" by Daryl Hall and John Oates was about a tyrannosaurus rex. ;) Love the innocence of youth. Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop" was about dancing, of course. ;)
I had a cousin get freaked out by the Man Eater video! She lived in a house that only allowed Christian programming. Me? I watched MTv from the day it premiered!
Yup, even the 40s was pretty provocative. Christmas songs themselves were written, of course the one we all know as controversial, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" in 1949
After six years, my husband has gone through enough of all the music made to convince me all the songs ever, except the bunch that are about drugs or the few about killing someone, are 100% about sex
@@-astrangerontheinternet6687 "After six years, my husband has gone through enough of all the music made to convince me all the songs ever, except the bunch that are about drugs or the few about killing someone, are 100% about sex" All the music? So you're saying that church songs are about sex rather than praising God and worshiping Him. Your perspective is skewed and warped. I get it, if all you hear is music made for the radio; a good deal of it is about sex but not 100% of it. Amy Grant's Baby Baby is said to be about sex but Amy Grant said she wrote it thinking about her new born laying in the crib. If I remember correctly; the video for the song is directed as all songs about sex. The Moral of that story; make sure you have your lawyer read the fine print and get rid of the right that allows those buying the copyright; to interpret it contrary to the author's intent.
@@scotttovey Why’d you have to go there? You knew what the poster’s intent was. You knew she wasn’t referring to all genres of music. That’s just being a troll. As far as Amy Grant and “Baby, Baby”, she surely didn’t market that song like a lullaby for her daughter. She was the star in the video. And it doesn’t even come across as having anything to do with sex in the lyrics or video. It comes across as a love song. That was a terrible example.
I still listen to a lot of '80s music, but generally not the stuff that was all over Top 40 radio at the time. It was during that decade that I developed a taste for metal and progressive rock.
My mom was playing "every move you make, very breath you take" on the radio and I was like, " a this is about a stalker...... " And she's like " no it's not!" And I'm like, " yes it is." Can't believe that I saw that and she didn't 😂😂
Those "likes" in your comment were like totally 80s. Not sure if that was deliberate or not. ;) (Talking about replacing "she said" with "she was like." Not the actual thumbs-up likes on RU-vid.) haha
Me: “Mom, what are they saying? ‘The chicks’ll cream?’ What does that mean?” Mom: *totally innocent look* “I’m not sure?” Me: *shrugs and goes back to doing the dance with the arm movements* I still don’t really know if she knew what it meant, lol.
Love me some darling nikki! However, I had no idea what Little Red Corvette was all about. Then my older sister explained to me what a "smooth ride" is...😲😂
Thank you for again ruining my childhood (born in 77). This and your 90’s songs are hysterical and very eye opening. My wife and I both were like “OMG! THAT’S what is was about?”
I was born in late 77 😂 and I started actually listening to the lyrics of my parents songs when I was a late teenager....to THIS DAY... I still tell my parents “ EWWWA GROSS!” “ How could you have played this in the car with young children?” “ OMG MOM ( or dad ) Do you guy’s even KNOW what this is about?!?” which of course they do 😂😂🤣🤣🤣 thought they could get away with it 😂🤣😂😂
Also born in ‘77. Never realized what i was listening to or singing at the top of my lungs. But also remember listening to my parents records and cassettes and 8 tracks. Every generation seems to have dirty minds and pushed the envelope.
My brother and I were obsessed with the “Boom boom song” by peter lekakis and would ask for it on repeat in the car. It wasn’t subtle at all but kid innocence. I loved “I think we’re alone” by Tiffany and sang it constantly. And one last word:Madonna
"I think we're alone now" isn't an 80s song and not by Tiffany though. It's a cover of a song from 1967. A lot of big hits sung by female artists in the 80s was actually covers, and originally sung by men; "I think we're alone now", "I love Rock'n'Roll", "Girls just wanna have fun", "Mickey", "Gloria", "I found someone", and "You keep me hanging on" to name a few.
We didn't have cable but, I was lucky enough to be staying up late at my grandparents house the night MTV came on air. I was 9 and thought it was sooo cool just to stay up past midnight.
In a teaching program the prof said never use current music cuz it was too inappropriate, use music from her gens music 60s and 70s. You know because there's no sex or drugs in those songs ;) I REALLY wanted to tell her.
Every era has them.....The Wanderer and Run Around Sue by Dion, Return to Sender by Elvis, My Ding a Ling by Chuck Berry....too many songs about 16 yo to list!
Roxanne. Really. It says, “You don’t have to go out and sell your body in the night.” Yeah, I have never seen that video but I knew it was about a..... shall we say “lady of the night” or “street walker”, “someone participating in the oldest profession”.
@@barkboingfloom The police weren’t big when they wrote the song. They were actually staying in one of those cheap sleazy hotels that the street walkers used to take their customers for their “business meetings”. The band had only formed in 1977 and was running around doing whatever gigs it could get. One of those was in Paris and the guys in the band couldn’t even afford the company of any of the ladies but then Sting kind of had the idea of wondering what might be like if you actually were dating one of these girls and got her off the street and that’s the whole premise of the song. Of course you may already know that.
She Bop cyndi Lauper, Talk Dirty To Me Warrant, Funky Cold Medina Tone-Loc, Hungry Like The Wolf Duran Duran, Urgent Foreigner Sooo many!! 🤣🤣 thanks for the laughs as always!!
Great job! 😁 AND.....80's music is STILL THE GREATEST music EVER!!!! The lyrics were good, they didn't just try to copy old songs and try to remake them like they do today, and they actually MEANT something! Some of the BEST bands (and songs that you still hear on the radio today) came out of the 80's.
My 21 yr old enlightened me about She Bop. In disbelief, I listened to it again and was just stunned! But, I figure I never heard or sang anything but the chorus and that one phrase “danger zone” because at that time it just sounded like mumbling to me. :)
I remember singing with my best friend on the playground "Playing with the Queen of Hearts, you know it isn't really smart, joker is the only fool who do anything for you" and the teachers giggled.🤣🤣
When I was a little kid (maybe 7) I was in a musical with a bunch of other little kids and some teenagers. We all sang this song at the cast party with girls on one side and boys on the other.
I am older than my husband and I was 16 when that song came out. It was playing one night on the radio and I was teasing him - did he have paradise by the dashboard light - wink wink? He said "I was 11. I didn't get it". Made me feel ancient!
I'm all about my 80s music. No matter if it was metal or dance..I loved it. When I'm cleaning house..I turn on Spotify..crank up the speakers..and blast away at my 80s Playlist.
@sam zuriel yeah that was definitely messed up... but don’t get me wrong, it’s a good song but the meaning and of you listen carefully to the lyrics then tell someone the meaning the song and read the lyrics and understand them, then the song is probably ruined for the person.........
I danced to pop lock and drop it in 4th grade in a talent show at this camp with another girl, and we made it to finals and performed it in front of the entire camp. Like 300+ people watched us literally pop lock and drop it.... I need to know what the adults were thinking letting us perform that dance. Man, I wish I had a recording of it so I could go back and watch it 😂
The first minute MTV went on air my mom and I watched it together. She watched with me for about 2hrs. Thank you for reminding me of that happy memory.
G’day mate. I’m 56 years old. I’m an Aussie born and bred. I managed to survive the tail end of the psychedelic 60s and the entire groovy 70s. But what I found tough to survive was the freakin weird 80s! Big hair, shoulder pads for the women, power suits for the ladies too, usually with their sleeves scrunched up to their elbows. Pastels, white cotton pants. Neon colours were hot. Miami Vice was hot and the Who Shot JR? Episode of Dallas was also very hot.A lot of music here in OZ was cheesy ballads and pop songs. But the AIDS virus was in its very early days too. Dynasty was real popular, especially Joan Collins. ABBA finally called it quits too.Man, what times they were.👍🇦🇺😁🤪☮️✌️
I'm remembering a high school trip to Montreal where the teachers and chaperones had very mixed emotions at a dance that was set up for Anglophone kids and Francophone kids to mingle and meet. It was a complete flop, with kids from different schools staying on completely separate sides of this fancy party room overlooking the St. Lawrence Seaway (side note? Seeing ice bergs for the first time was very cool). And then a song came on that every kid knew, every kid shouted along to and got up and jumped around to on the dance floor, and the adults wanted to congratulate themselves on this cultural triumph _except_ the song was Mony Mony by Billy Idol, and the kids were chanting "Go mother_____! Get laid, get f_____!" during the chorus. I think most kids just felt naughty, not rebellious or sexual, but I still don't recall ever hearing that song played at school dances after that night ...
People on here have horrible memory timing. What Is Love was released in 1993. How could we forget that it was made super famous from Night at the Roxbury in 98.
@@kevins.6971 haha What is Love from Howard Jones's Human's Lib album was released 1983. Night at the Roxbury was Haddaway's What is Love. Both great songs!
@@shaynaformity1384 crazy....I thought Haddaway wasn’t the 80s until I looked it up, then I thought the Roxbury movie was around 93-94....looked it up and was shocked it was released in 98! God I hate getting old!
@@angelag.hunter9679 you could interpret it that way or he's just saying they are doing pretty much nothing compared to what he's doing you know if you watch the music video but yeah many ways of interpretation
The irony is that "Into the Night" is the only one of these songs that's NOT about sex, stalking, or romance. It was inspired by Benny's then 16 year old neighbor whose father left her and her family to fend for themselves. Benny's paternal instincts kicked in and he became a sort of platonic mentor, friend, and protector for the girl and even paid her to walk his dogs daily. They remained friends for years until Benny's death, and she has supposedly confirmed that their entire relationship was innocent. BTW- that opening line of "...leave her alone" comes from a conversation Benny had with his friend, Robert Tepper ("There's No Easy Way Out" from Rocky IV) about the girl. Tepper was concerned for Benny about how that friendship could and would be misperceived. Nevertheless, Robert helped Benny write the song which became a hit.
Even one of my favorite movies (Say Anything) was kind of about an obsessed guy. Never occurred to me at the time. Then there's Flashdance, Sabrina, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Dirty Dancing where older guys go after much younger women. Labyrinth has that vibe, too.
Definitely should have been in the video!! First listen as kids, *This teacher is a great guy, he's definitely being upfront and doing the right thing* Getting older and realizing what the lyrics are actually saying, *OH, he's a damn pervert. She's a little girl man*
I'm not exactly sure why this is so questionable. It is about cold war fear. The only line that is the least bit risque is "I don't care as long as she comes tonight" and while it probably means exactly what we think it does it isn't blatant. He could just hope she comes to visit tonight. But yeah, it really wasn't a sex song. It was political and more along the lines of the song Russians.
If I remember right, in the video she put her hand to her chest like she was swooning. It looked perfectly innocent. But I was *just* old enough not to fall for that. 😉
Brought physical album to 5th grade music class. Passed around the album cover... snatched up by teacher and music abruptly stops. In third grade Brought 1950s and 60s Ronco album to show and tell, listened to My Dingaling. Yea, I just liked the melody I told my horrified teacher.
That was probably the first song I remember thinking, “how is the on the radio?” And, “how is this not censored”. Not much doubt to the meaning of that song!!!!
Or, sounds systems were just bad in the 80's, and we weren't able to understand the words. 🤣 Now that we have Google, I've actually learned what the real lyrics are, and some of them are shocking!
We're talking away I don't know what I'm to say I'll say it anyway Today's another day to find you Shying away I'll be coming for your love, okay? Take on me, (take on me) Take me on, (take on me) I'll be gone In a day or two So needless to say I'm odds and ends I'll be stumbling away Slowly learning that life is OK Say after me It's no better to be safe than sorry Take on me, (take on me) Take me on, (take on me) I'll be gone In a day or two Oh the things that you say Is it live or Just to play my worries away You're all the things I've got to remember You're shying away I'll be coming for you anyway Take on me, (take on me) Take me on, (take on me) I'll be gone In a day I'll be gone (take on me) In a day (take me on, take on me) (Take on me, take on me) (Take me on, take on me) (Take on me) Name that tune, who sung it and what it actually meant
I am 77, and I was still young enough to enjoy this music as I still. My High School class President in 1963 was Jim Branigan, who was Laura Branigan's older brother, before she was famous, though I never met her, may Jim and Laura, RIP.
Old man Johnson’s farm? OMG. I was in college and knew this was about sex but I NEVER got the double entendre of old man Johnson’s farm. She Bop by Cyndi Lauper, You Shook Me All Night Long & Big Balls by AC/DC
Lionel Richie’s “Hello” video. I remember seeing it when I was a kid, it was sweet and lovely. I watched it with my 10 year old a couple of months ago and oh…MY… god! A grown a** dude in a high school creeping around a blind female student and eventually he’s in her home, standing super still while she goes about her daily routine,oblivious. 🤮
@@leslie6938 of course we aren't OK. 😨😲 but then again, I have this old book on my shelf titled "I'm OK, You're OK" written by a PhD doctor that's a big deal shrink. So now I don't know again if we are not Ok. 🙇
I forget the Joel-era episode, but the bots asked him “What’s the deal with the Pina Colada Song?” It ended up being a hilarious breakdown of how flawed it is, including the verbatim observations that the characters are “cheating on each other with each other.”
The 80’s took me from age 16 through 26. Gotta admit I had no idea what most of the songs were referring to. But, then, I had a lot of the words wrong, too.
I was just on another channel talking about the 80s. I was too young to appreciate it 😔 Music today...don't get me started...I mean, who hasn't won a Grammy? 😄 Other of my favorite 80s songs: Karma Chameleon, Safty Dance, and Borderline. Hmm now you got me started...Kyrie, Walking on Sunshine, Take on Me, Everybody Wants to Rule the World...I could almost go on forever 😀
Back then, the Take On Me video was so different from all the others. I told people they wouldn't last and were ahead of their time. When my kids were teens I got to tell them the same thing when looking at a lot of the things they were watching. I love that song!
Laura Branigan: Self Control. I remember thinking the creatures of the night are ghosts and such. Saw the music video for the first time now in my 40's and nothing will ever be the same. It's a great song though, and she was a great artist.
It's a cover though. Most of Laura Branigans songs are covers of Eurodisco hits. A lot of big hits sung by female artists in the 80s was actually covers, and originally sung by men; "I think we're alone now", "I love Rock'n'Roll", "Girls just wanna have fun", "Mickey", "Self Control", "I found someone", and "You keep me hanging on" to name a few.
The radio of my previous car got stuck on the "everything before 1990" channel for about 2 years. I alternated between rocking out & shutting off the music because OH MY GOSH THE LYRICS 😳
If it makes you feel any better, I remember Tipper Gore (who I like) testifying about the lyrics and saying that they should be clean like Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" from the 1970's- let me just say even then I knew that they weren't singing about enjoying a trip to the bakery.
I was a little kid in the 80s, so its a pretty big eye opener when I hear the songs now a days. As a teenager in the 90s I knew what most of the songs were talking about on some level at least. My parents never censored what we listened to though, that certainly didn't make me any less clueless.
My daughter has fallen down an 80's rabbit hole and wants to know if stalkers were a problem Every Breath Police, One Way or Another Blonde, and Flock of Seagulls...
I remember being a teenager and my Dad going crazy when I wore a 'Frankie says relax' slogan t shirt. I had no idea why. Our weekly school disco during Thursday lunch used to play a song called 'I was a male stripper in a go go bar' with the chorus 'strip for me babe, strip for you, strip for me, 'cause I want you to'. 😂😂😂