Tag / La Bamba

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Fifty Years Of Music – 1987

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1987, the year I wrapped up seventh grade, moved to eighth grade, and turned 13.  I started to have some awareness of the pop music of the day, but still have many blind spots, even to this day.  35 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only 13 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#98: Beastie Boys – (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Named one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it peaked at #7 the first week of March in 1987.

#93: Huey Lewis and the News – Doing It All for My Baby
iTunes stats: N/A

The song of choice for my eighth-grade music class critic report, it reached #6, making the band the first group to have five top ten singles from one album.

#74: Bon Jovi – Wanted Dead or Alive
iTunes stats: 29 plays

Hitting #7 on the Hot 100 and #13 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, it made Slippery When Wet the first glam metal album to have three top ten hits.

#72: Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine – Rhythm Is Gonna Get You
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from the group’s tenth studio album, it topped out at #5.

#67: Ben E. King – Stand by Me
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Originally peaking at #4 in 1961, the song was re-released alongside the film of the same name in 1987, reaching #9 and giving King a top ten hit, either as part of a group or as a solo artist, in four decades.

#59: Michael Jackson – Bad
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally intended to be a duet with Prince, the song spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 and was Jackson’s eighth #1 hit.

#58: Madonna – La Isla Bonita
iTunes stats: N/A

The fifth and final single from the True Blue album, it peaked at #4, giving Madonna her eleventh top five single, trailing only Elvis Presley and the Beatles at the time.

#52: Suzanne Vega – Luka
iTunes stats: N/A

Vega’s highest charting US hit, it reached #3 and earned Vega multiple Grammy nominations in 1988. Continue reading →

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Concert Flashback: Fiona Apple II

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After over 2 1/2 years, I returned to the live music scene, going with Tina to once again see Fiona Apple, this time at the Chicago Theatre.  The tickets were ungodly expensive, but we didn’t have normal seats, instead sitting in booths in the balcony that gave the show a different experience.

252754_10151091718224796_1864746358_nThe opening act was a member of Apple’s backing band.  The only thing I remember of his set was that he closed with a cover of Santo & Johnny’s Sleep Walk, which they reminded me was, in addition to the closing theme to the Wendy & Bill show, used in La Bamba when they find out that Richie died.

Fiona came out after that, and she continued to be an awkward stage performer.  She played all of her hits from back in the day, and mixed in some tracks from her new album.  Aside from her songs, there was very little interaction with the audience.  She didn’t say a non-song word to the audience until the show was over, when she thanked us and said good night.  But. that is what you expect from Fiona Apple.