They're.....Bah, Haa, Haa, Haa, Haa...Bah, Haa, Haa, Haa, Haa...

Back In Black by AC/DC

What do you do when your band is on the verge of conquering the world and your lead singer dies (in what was listed by the medical examiner as "Death by Misadventure")? You guessed it, you get another great lead singer and you make your best album ever.

The title track of that album was written as a tribute to their recently departed singer....in fact, they asked the new singer, Brian Johnson, to write the lyrics and he responded with, "sure....no pressure there". But I'll tell you, he wrote a great song and if the rest of the band feels this captures the former lead singers life.....even better. To this day, Brian claims the lyrics are just mumbo jumbo he came up with on the spot and he was only lucky that it works as a tribute. Still, you can't deny that the song isn't a kick-ass, hard rock classic.

The video was filmed as the band was preparing for the tour to support the album and since videos were not really much of a thing at the time, there was very little effort put into it beyond a quick, multi-camera capture of a staged live performance. Its apparent that Brian is not just lip syncing along to the song, but is actually singing the song......only, the record label has replaced the live audio with the recorded version of the track. Too bad.

Even with a funky video and a brand new singer, the album went on to be the second biggest seller of all time, right behind the Thriller album by Michael Jackson. Not bad for 5 non video-friendly dudes from Down Under (well, Brian's actually from England but you get the point).

Please enjoy

She Knows How To Use Them

Legs by ZZ Top

ZZ Top was big in the blues rock scene in the mid to late 1970's but as the 1980's started they were looking for some mainstream success......and they found it with their 1983 release, Eliminator. Sparked by great songs and classic, iconic videos the album sold over 10 million copies in the US alone.

Legs was their 5th single from the album and their third video. As with the previous two videos, it featured the 1933 custom Ford from the album cover and a trio of beautiful women the band dubbed "the Muses" (two of which were former Playboy Playmates....so muse that for a minute). The video is filmed in a strip mall that's filled with lots of really mean people. The stock-girl from the shoe shop is being picked on by the customers and employees at the burger joint and the only nice guy in the place has eyes for her. Of course, the whole place picks on him as well, so they have something in common. Up rolls the Muses and after a makeover for the stock-clerk and some abuse delivered to the mean people of the mall, the nice guy and the stock clerk are off in the back of a dune buggy.

The band shows up to laugh at the mean people and encourage the stock-clerk. But they also put on a performance of the song in the parking lot which features fuzzy guitars that can do a 360 degree spin. (its always funny to me that the member of the band that doesn't have a beard has the last name Beard).

Please enjoy the video and I'll just say it......she's got legs!!

Yes.....High School Boys Think This Way

Hot For Teacher by Van Halen

Yes, it talks about being infatuated with your teacher and the video is the most inappropriate video this side of a Motley Crue video but there's no denying that pubescent boys are attracted to anything that moves during high school (I apologize to every girl I met between 1980 and 1990).

The video features our hero, Waldo (voiced by Phil Hartman), trying to get through an average day in school. The video was filmed at John Marshall High School in Los Angeles (Leonardo DiCaprio went there) and four of the students look like younger versions of Van Halen with the rest of the class looking like every school in the Los Angeles area at that time. Punks, metal heads, wierdos, 80's hair abound. But here comes the teacher......in a bikini!!!! The teacher is played by Lillian Muller. She was the Playboy Playmate of the year for 1976. And she looked really good (sorry, my teenage self started to kick in again).

But I've always loved this song for Eddie's guitar work. The solo is so awesome, it requires two trips down the library desks. And who doesn't love Dave being Dave with his ad-libed kid complaints about the clock being slow?

Please enjoy and I'm sorry, ladies.

Put Me In, Coach!

Centerfield by John Fogerty

Released in March of 1985, this tribute to baseball only reached #44 on the US charts but it can be heard in nearly every baseball stadium across the country and in every level of the game.

It includes references to some of the greatest players to ever play the game: Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb. It invokes the feeling you get as you step out of the darkness of the tunnel leading to the seats, as the sun first hits your face and that first flash of green grass meets your eyes. The sights, the sounds of the game....its all there in those first lines of the song. A nearly perfect marriage of a song and its subject.

Songs That Need Our Love....Part 29

She's On It by Beastie Boys

Released in 1985, a full year before their debut album, this was something of an introduction to the boys and their goofiness.

Slightly misogynistic, and devoid of any political correctness, this is the way they presented themselves to the world. And it sold really well. Within four years the Boys would redefine themselves as more mature and much more politically minded, even going so far as to donate entire proceeds of album sales to charitable causes and organizations.

But not back in the early days. This song is just about a girl they can't seem to convince to fall for them. They go to extraordinary lengths and fail miserably. Their mentor, played by record producer and thrash metal guru Rick Rubin, is no help. At least they get what's coming to them in the end.

Please enjoy.

She Blinded Him With Hair Spray

New Toy by Lene Lovich

I was going to go into a long post about how much I like this song, which I do.....but then I watched the video (which I had never seen before) and now I'm just at a loss for words. The official video for the song is typical early 80's...light on concept, big on weirdness. The photo from above is of Lene from a European tv performance......and that's a hair style, no doubt about it. But it seems that she was always a little free-wheeling with her hair and lets face it, it was the 80's and hair was a way to express yourself. So who am I to judge?

I would be doing you all a disservice if I didn't point out Lene's keyboard player. He's in the video. Its none other than Thomas Dolby. Maybe it was Lene that blinded him with science.

Please enjoy.

Mr. Michael.....Your Solo Career Is Waiting....

Careless Whisper By George Michael

Released in July of 1984, this was his first solo single, although he wouldn't officially begin his solo career until 3 years later. In the US it was credited to Wham! (featuring George Michael) but its obvious this was where he was headed. The song reached #1 in ten countries and has sold over 3 million copies.

A crushingly sad tale of a guy that cheats and ruins the best relationship he had and his acknowledgement that he's to blame for what happened. George claimed that the sax line in the song was written when he was 13 on a bus heading home from school. If that's true, than good on ya. The song, co-written by Andrew Ridgeley, has been covered multiple times but the original version still has the best sax performance....no other even comes close.

The video was filmed in Miami and really captures the story of the song, with George putting in a great performance as the cheater singing his ass off about how badly he messed up. It was an instant classic on MTV.

Please enjoy.