I realised I had no idea what Cheryl Lynn looked like even though she is behind this most iconic of disco songs. As it turns out, she looks like a sweetie-pie.
I will always associate this song with one of my favourite moments in Sex and the City:
Seriously, SJP looks terrible. And that's meant to be high fashion?
I also associate this song with The Last Days of Disco as it's on the rather fabulous soundtrack.
It's a great tune and impossible to sit still to. So enjoy it on this lovely sunny bank holiday. And check out the dancing in this...
This opening scene is brilliantly acted by Jennifer Aniston who manages to make the whole thing look like a coincidence. Plus, she looked so good in the early episodes before she went Atkins diet crazy and ironed her hair.
The thing is, I am actually really fussy about musicals. People expect me to blanket love all musicals but there are plenty that simply annoy me, I also have to be in the mood for them.
No such troubles with Joseph however, I adore this. This is everyone's entry level musical as a child and with good reason. It's brilliant. Tim Rice is a genius with his lyrics and never more so than in this. One More Angel In Heaven makes me laugh every time I hear it: "Joseph we'll never forget you, it's tough but we're going to get by!"
Listening to the Joseph soundtrack is the ultimate balm to a troubled day. Nobody can be in a bad mood listening to Joseph's Coat.
I found this on YouTube which is pretty good but it seems to be located in the American wild west! Enjoy.
It's been a long week and rather stressful, what better way to unwind than with this little gem? I mentioned in my Burt Bacharach post how much I liked this song. Actually I adore it, it's so cheesy and it makes me want to drive around in a cab at 2am in Manhattan. I think a song more than delivers if it puts you in that mood.
Pour yourself a G&T, kick back and enjoy. Happy Friday.
What I love about Friends is how much of it seeps into every day living. I find myself saying "it's a moo point" and wondering why the other person doesn't get it. Yes, some people have never watched Friends, the weirdos.
Joey and his moo point kills me. I think my favourite bit is when he says: "It's a cow's opinion." The line is delivered perfectly by Matt Le Blanc. I've accepted I can't embed any links from Friends so click on that link above and have a Wednesday night giggle.
Some celebrities you want to be friends with and top of my list is Dolly Parton. Look at her, who doesn't want to have a nice lunch with her and a little gossip with her delightful Southern accent? She can bring the guitar and we can sing a few songs.
Dolly is wonderful. First of all, she is called Dolly. All other names seem so dull and suburban in comparison. She has always been a very astute business woman and therefore she is a great role model and we don't have enough of them. I love that she clearly has a brain. She writes truly delightful songs. Where would we be without Jolene, 9 to 5, I Will Always Love You and many more? The world would be a poorer place. One of my favourite films is 9 to 5. I remember watching it when I was fairly young - maybe about 10 - and finding it side-splitting funny. Dolly is wonderful in it. Let's have another photo of her from the 70s.
I want her hair! I want to be her actually. I am dying to go to Dollywood. I found this interview very interesting.
Of course she has a great voice - look at how effortlessly she sings this. We worship you Dolly.
I always liked Ross and Rachel together, especially in seasons 2 & 3 before they split up and then got back together and blah blah blah. I think Jennifer Aniston is a gifted comedic actress which must be why I have sit through many of her, frankly dire, films.
This scene in which Ross laments that he didn't put Isabella Rosselini on his laminated list of women he gets a free pass from Rachel to hit on is hilarious for the way Rachel delivers the line: "Honey, he's about to hit on Isabella Rosselini, I'm just sorry I don't have popcorn!" Makes me laugh every time.
I'm too young to properly remember The Streets of San Francisco but posting a reply in my Romancing The Stone post made me think of it and I do remember it had awesome opening credits, and we've not done any of those for a while. Nothing could have prepared me for how amazing they are however.
Credits where a narrator talks over and introduces us to the cast! I am loving it. And the San Francisco scenery is so pretty. I can't embed so watch it here, I really recommend you do.
A new series in which I highlight some of my favourite scenes from Friends. I still miss Friends, it was so perfect, I watch it when it's on TV (which is pretty much all the time) and I do wonder if we'll ever have a sitcom quite so comforting again. Every cast member is wonderful, the lines are hilarious and it's just pure escapism for 23 minutes.
I couldn't choose a favourite character as it depends which season I am watching. For example, I dislike Joey in season 1 but by season 7, he's a firm favourite.
I give you Rachel and Monica when I really did love them both in season 2. I can't embed so you'll have to watch it here. Still makes me giggle now.
I thought I had blogged about The Bee Gees because why wouldn't I have done? I am really never going to run out of things to post about on this blog when after nearly eight months I still haven't got around to something as fundamental to life as Bee Gees.
Where to start? The early years? Disco? Their collaborations? I feel people forget how talented the brothers Gibbs are and it bothers me. Have you sung with Barbra Streisand? Written a world-class hit for Dolly Parton and Kenny Rodgers? Penned a multi-million selling soundtrack? Had big hair both on your head and on your chest? I thought not.
This picture above has always been my favourite picture of them, it's so iconic. It makes me want to go and wear some gold pants immediately. I love most of their songs although I could have done without Immortality thanks. They have a gift for melody and are inimitable. How many bands can say that? So enough Bee Gee bashing, they are fabulous.
I adore the whole of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Stayin' Alive is one of my desert island discs and the introduction of that film is still five minutes that I can watch again and again. I like early Bee Gees too - Massachusetts is a winner. I adore Barry and Barbra singing Guilty. Tragedy is a masterpiece.
Tonight I am in the mood for one of the finest ever love songs, How Deep Is Your Love. It is such a lovely song but YouTube won't let me embed it - boo! Watch it here. And then feast your eyes on this, it's a bit short but it makes me want to move to Brooklyn in gold pants.
Once upon a time Michael Douglas really was hot. I know that sounds insane but he was. And never more so than in Romancing The Stone, an Indiana Jones rip off that was better than it should have been thanks to a stellar cast.
I love this film, it's another film I first saw with my sister but I can't remember whether we went to see at the cinema or watched it on video. It's a ridiculous story but it's done with charm and wit and Michael and Kathleen had great chemistry. Kathleen Turner is one of my favourite actresses - where is she now? I demand to know. It's been years since she played Chandler's father in Friends.
This film spawned the sequel - Jewel of the Nile - which was pretty terrible but I'll still happily watch it if it comes on television. One mustn't forget Danny De Vito although I want to. I don't really get Danny, I never find him very funny to be honest. Having said that, check out the trailer and watch it to the end. LOVE IT! Danny, you're somewhat forgiven.
Back to the groove my friends. Luther Vandross. When I was an actual teenager rather than a virtual one, my friend Caroline loved Luther Vandross. And she was proper cool, she wore blue mascara and had long blonde hair and I used to think she was the most glamorous friend in Essex. That may not sound like a compliment but it is. Anyway, I used to go round and hang out in her bedroom playing with make-up and taling about Sweet Valley High and she would often play Luther Vandross.
I liked Caroline very much but I never got the Luther love until now. I think I just thought he was cheesy and too 'soul' for me. What did I know? As it turns out, he's kind of awesome and we can forgive the later years and duetting with Mariah Carey. Well, forget if not forgive.
Never Too Much, Give Me The Reason and I Really Didn't Mean It are all on the 80s Groove (1&2) and I see no shame in admitting that I like them. The man is smooooooth as silk. This video made me giggle - nice shell suit Luther.
Moving away from 80s Groove for a while to an all-time classic, Jaws. Remember when Spielberg was great? I do because I am old. Jaws was a film that changed lives. In the little village I grew up in, when this was shown on TV, the whole village stayed in to watch it. Not kidding, they cancelled Girl Guides that night.
This is a brilliant film, it's sheer genius. The fact that special effects weren't up to showing a realistic shark made it so much more menacing. Spielberg built that suspense and you didn't need to see the shark, your imagination did all the work for you. Imagine Jaws today? It would be terrible with a great white shark in every scene and blood gushing everywhere. The joy of Jaws is that you imagine you've seen so much more than you have.
It has one of the great openings of films with the campfire and the girl running into the water. The way she is jerked under the water is truly terrifying. No scene is wasted in Jaws, it's a film student's dream to watch it. I see something new and different every time I watch it. The cast is fantastic, I especially like the kids in this, they are very real.
Basically it's a perfect summer movie. A generation of us were scared to go in the water for years after watching it. And it gave us the line "we're gonna need a bigger boat." This is my favourite scene but I can't embed it so let's watch the trailer here.
Have you seen Billy Ocean lately? No, me either. In my head, he still looks like he does above. Prepare yourselves...
This blog educates me daily, I Googled Billy Ocean and imagine my surprise! As always, I was inspired by 80s Groove. Ahhhh Billy Ocean, what a guy. I can't think of a better speaking opener to a song than Caribbean Queen, "she's simply awesome." LOVE it.
This is the man who also gave us When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going) from the marvellous Jewel Of The Nile (yes, a posting about that and Romancin' The Stone will be imminent). And of course, the fabulous Suddenly and Love Really Hurts Without You. Plus, he is called Billy Ocean. The man has it all!
I am still obsessing over my 80s Groove. This is one song I simply can't stop playing, I remember it but it came out in 1980 when I was nine and before I started buying singles so it bypassed me. It's a work of total genius and some Googling tells me it was produced by the legendary Quincy Jones. Once you know this, it's obvious of course. It has all the Quincy trademarks.
Like I say, I cannot stop playing this song, I love it. Let me share the joy with you.
There may be rioting in London but that's not what I refer to, oh no. I read this morning that Dirty Dancing is being remade and will be directed by Kenny Ortega, the man who brought us High School Musical. This is so completely unnecessary, do they really think they can improve on the first one? I don't mind Dirty Dancing 2 (in fact, I kind of like it what with the Cuba setting and all) but it wasn't a remake.
I weep for the future, I despair for mankind. I need to watch the original again and cleanse my mind of the horrors that a remake will inflict upon us. As if anyone could ever top the mighty Swayze. I am sighing deeply.
One of the things I love about Gilmore Girls is how much Lorelei loves The Bangles. It's perfect scripting as Lorelei would absolutely love The Bangles. All the cool kids loved them. They had three memorable hits, I don't have a huge amount of time for Eternal Flame but Manic Monday is fantastic. Of course as Prince wrote it I'd expect it to be fabulous. It was one of my mum's favourite songs, she loved the chorus: "I wish it was Sunday, that's my fun day, my I don't have to run day" - so clever and so true.
However, for me, it's all about Walk Like An Egyptian. A novelty record that manages to be completely awesome. I wish I had thought to have this played at my wedding but alas, if I'd had every song I wanted played at my wedding we'd all still be at my wedding. It had one of the best videos of the 80s, it's so cute and endearing. And it will forever win for this lyric: "gold crocodiles, they snap their teeth on a cigarette."
Love, love, love Chaka Khan. I am still loving my 80s Groove album (I have now bought the first one as well!) and this opens it. It's a total classic and demands that you sing along loudly and tunelessly.
It has one of the best introductions ever recorded. Sing along and strut your disco pants.
I always feel I should be a bigger fan of The Human League than I am. Phil Oakley has such a unique voice and I do like them but I am heartily sick of Don't You Want Me, it has to be one of the most overplayed songs of all time. I was at a wedding yesterday where they had guest DJs for an hour at a time. This is a great idea and works well if your friends understand a wedding crowd. Wedding discos demand cheese and something kiddies and great aunts can bop along to. I can tell you right now what they don't demand, The Pixies. Yes, really, we had a hour of someone who was clearly a muso. Nothing makes me yawn more than a muso. The floor remained resolutely empty. Pixie fans don't tend to dance at weddings now do they? They sit on the edges nodding and stroking their beards.
Thankfully he eventually handed over to a lovely lady who understood that everyone actually did want to dance and in the middle of her set she played Love Action by The Human League. The crowd went wild. She also played Jackson by Johnny Cash which I consider a stroke of genius.
I have a clear favourite Human League song and it's this one, I love it. Funnily enough I wasn't asked to DJ but if I had been, this would have made an appearance.
I am loving my 80s Groove 2 album and so I am going to talk about another forgotten classic. Nu Shooz, I Can't Wait. I bought this single back in the 80s and thought it was the best thing ever. What do you know? It turns out it really is. Another song to bop around the kitchen to. Yet more research for this blog tells me that Nu Shooz were a husband and wife team from Portland, Oregon. I was not expecting that, I thought they'd be Danish or something.
I am amazed to discover the video on YouTube has over two million hits. Wow, that's a lot of Nu Shooz fans! Check out her hair - pure 80s style.
Yet again I am wondering why I've been so slow to blog about something so fundamental. The Pointer Sisters; one of the best bands ever. There's not even a trace of irony in that statement. So tonight I was cooking supper and decided to listen to a new album I bought on iTunes the other day. When I say new, I don't mean new music, I rarely buy new music seeing as how I am stuck in the 80s. I bought 80s Groove Volume 2 - it's by the Ministry of Sound so that makes it cool, right?
I was grooving on down and then Jump by The Pointer Sisters came on. What a song this is. I appreciate Girls Aloud as much as the next pop-obsessed chick but come on, The Pointer Sisters version blows theirs out of the water. It's groove-tastic, I defy anyone to sit still during it, even Hugh Grant couldn't in Love Actually (a film I must blog about at some point, not because I love it, quite the contrary).
The Pointer Sisters had some classics. Along with Jump, I offer you Automatic, I'm So Excited and Neutron Dance for your delectation. All fantastic. Did you know they were actually sisters called Pointer. I love that. I'm a bit upset to discover June Pointer died in 2006 and I didn't even know. It's five years too late but RIP June.
Almost Famous is such a great movie and if you've not seen it, you really must. #3245 reason to feel old: it's eleven years old - how on earth did that happen?
It's a wonderfully innocent movie about a kid who goes on the road with a band and learns about life. It has some fabulous performances including Frances McDormand's classic line: "rock stars kidnapped my son!"
Kate Hudson isn't totally annoying in this (just quite annoying) and Anna Paquin looks about twelve.
I love that the tour bus is called Doris, that the groupies are called Band Aids and most of all I love it for the line, "I am a golden god!" It is a total desert island movie and it has one scene I never tire of watching, here it is. Thank you Elton.
At last we have some sunny hot weather in London and my thoughts turned to cheesy summertime hits. These fall into two categories: classic summer hits (Club Tropicana, La Isla Bonita etc) and one-hit wonders that remind you of two weeks in the Costa Del Sol. Today we shall be focusing on the latter.
First up, Sabrina with Boys Boys Boys. There are no words for this other than to say this was before FHM magazine and teenage boys had to look at something. Really one of the worst songs ever made but without a doubt, a summer song.
Baltimora, Tarzan Boy. I have something of a soft spot for this. It's so ridiculous, how could you not smile when you hear it?
Moving into the 90s, we have Saturday Night by Whigfield. It's worth remembering that a dance routine being involved adds to the summer fun.
Speaking of which, Macarena! I love this one. The two old dudes look like they can't believe their luck!
Finally, Las Ketchup! I kid you not when I say this is Teenboy's favourite song. Maybe not of all time but he certainly likes it enough to comment when it comes on the radio. It's worth pointing out he is a Motorhead fan. I also like this, it's very summery and happy.
What have I missed? I know there are loads so comment me up people. You've all been very quiet recently, are you on a Spanish beach somewhere sipping sangria?
