You dressed like this didn’t you?  You did!  You totally got into it, I can tell by the way you’re bopping around.  You and your oversized overalls.

I totally had a crush on Jon Bon Jovi.  He not only had killer bangs, he smiled like he loved rock and roll.  Not something you saw very often, then or now!  I remember my mom sitting down to watch MTV with us, not always a comfortable situation.  This video came on and she said, “Now, there’s a good looking young man, and he smiles!  I can appreciate this song.”  After recoiling in horror that my mom found Jon Bon Jovi attractive, I slugged back a Cherry Coke and tried to forget.  He was too cute to let my mom get in the way.

I’m sorry to say I forgot about this song, but now that I’ve rediscovered it, I wonder why!  A sappy love ballad every big-haired girl longed to get a dance partner for.  Of course, my hair wasn’t that big.  Not really.  Alright, alright.  So it defied gravity.  I’m not too proud to admit it.

It’s a little scary how excited I used to be when this video would get playtime on MTV.  Nick Rhodes wore more makeup than my babysitting money could ever afford me, and in good 1980’s style, the video makes no logical sense.  I guess that’s why I still love it.  And why I finally went to see them in concert long after it was cool to do so.  A die hard fan, what can I say?

Popular during the ’80s and ’90s, this English rock band is still at it today.  Something About You was Level 42’s 1985 hit.

Wondering what Level 42 is up to these days?  They’ve got an official website at Level42.com.

Bruce Springsteen. The Boss. One of the biggest musical artists to come out of the 80’s.  For most, his music represents small town America.  For me, it conjures up memories of high school dances, the smell of Aqua Net, and driving in my car until I thought I might fall off the edge of the earth.

From its beginnings in the late 1970’s, The Dream Academy strove for a different sound from the average pop band. Implementing heavier instrumentals in the form of strings and woodwinds, they rose to popularity in 1986 with this hit, Life in a Northern Town.

 

The Bangles formed when Susanna Hoffs joined forces with her sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson in 1980, later to be joined by Anette Zilinskas and Michael Steele.  They’re still at it today, and if you’d like to visit and see what they’re up to, try The Bangles’ official website.

Formed stateside in 1974, Talking Heads enjoyed almost 20 years together before calling it quits in 1991.  They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.  Four of their albums were listed in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003).

Joe Jackson, British singer-songwriter, released this song Breaking Us in Two in 1982 as part of his album Night and Day.  Night and day was actually a tribute to musician Cole Porter, and was his only album to reach the Top Ten.

Jackson authored a book in 1999 entitled “A Cure for Gravity” which he claims is a “book about music, thinly disguised as a memoir”.  Jackson currently lives in Berlin. 

Check out Joe Jackson’s official website.

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