Showing posts with label Kenny Loggins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kenny Loggins. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Sunday, April 28, 2019
April 28, 1984 - My Senior Prom
Labels: naïvety, pity date, purple, unrequited, champagne wishes & caviar dreams, home alone, Rit dye, rented clothes, XXL blog post, Commodore computers, Long John Silver's, opera gloves, Adidas
Everything in this post is true. Well, anyway, I remember everything happening this way. Whether that's the same thing would be an interesting discussion or book, but far beyond the scope of this blog.
The prom theme decided upon by the junior class that year:
The invitations were mailed and the local cover band was booked, but your humble blogger was faced with a familiar problem: no date and few prospects. <sad trombone sound> I had dated a girl off and on throughout our junior and senior years, but, to be honest, I had no idea how to properly handle a steady girlfriend and by this time, my ignorance had caused things to completely deteriorate. Foolish pride kept me from asking her to the prom that year and I take full responsibility for screwing up that relationship.
I had a major crush on a girl in the junior class for most of my senior year, but she had just starting dating the guy she would eventually marry. Oh-for-two. There were two possible dates in my church youth group, but I had pretty much burned those bridges earlier in the semester by being an unbearable jackhole. Oh-for-four. I asked a girl in my geometry class and was literally laughed at. Oh-for-five.
[Pseudonyms follow.] The last class on my schedule during my senior year was Computer Math, in which we learned to program Commodore PET computers and back-up our work on cassette tapes. A great way to end the school day, it was an easy course which gave me plenty of time to talk to two good friends also in the class, Mike and Evelyn. Mike and I both played trumpet in the school band and had similar tastes in music so we had plenty to talk about. He was (and I'm guessing still is) one of the nicest people I've ever met. We need more Mikes in this world. Evelyn and I had known each other for four years and had been in a few extracurricular clubs/activities together throughout high school. Evelyn had dated the same boy, Kirk, for several years, so I got daily updates about the drama surrounding that relationship. I'd had a little crush on Evelyn since I first met her, but to be fair, I had a little crush on half the girls in my high school because I was a typical teenage boy. A favorite album that spring was In Heat. And I was.
And so it came to pass that Kirk did not invite Evelyn to prom, but instead asked a girl from another school. Our rural town was small with just one high school, so to date a girl from another school meant putting some serious miles on your car; this was a major slap-in-the-face. As you would expect, this snub from Kirk had Evelyn in tears during Computer Math one afternoon. I did my best to comfort her, but I doubt my efforts consisted of more than a simple "It'll be okay." Of course, when I heard Evelyn say the words, "Now I don't have anyone to go to prom with," I quickly seized the opportunity and asked her if she'd like to go with me. She tearfully accepted and we were set. Sure, I suspected I was being used but at this point in time it no longer mattered.
In the weeks leading up to prom, Evelyn and I were often together outside of school as we worked out the details for the evening of prom. We spent a fair amount of time together shopping and at each other's homes. On Sunday afternoons, Evelyn liked to pick up food at Long John Silver's and drive to a local park for a picnic. Even though I don't particularly care for food from LJS, I played along in order to spend time with her. On its face, this all seemed very platonic, but I was falling hard and savored every second we spent together. Haven't been to a LJS since 1984, though.
I've always been a bit of a contrarian and for the prom my junior year, I decided to be different by wearing tennis shoes with my tuxedo (see below, special thanks to my date for allowing it). I realize that wouldn't so much as raise an eyebrow these days, but in 1983, it garnered several condescending eyerolls from members of my immediate family and, amidst the rice fields of rural south Texas, it was quite the trendsetting statement. So much so that I had a teacher come to me as prom neared in 1984 and ask, "What do you have planned for prom this year?" I didn't have an answer for him because I hadn't given it any thought. Besides, I didn't know I had set such expectations.
Evelyn and her sister had found some purple crepe material and decided to make her prom dress. As you'll see, they had the vision and the talent to pull it off. In an era of puffy sleeves, shoulder pads, and lace a'plenty, Evelyn opted for an elegant, timeless (and sleeveless) design. She decided that opera gloves would perfectly complete her outfit. I quickly had two thoughts: we should dye her gloves purple to match the dress and I would wear dyed purple gloves as well to match my tie and cummerbund. And while the other boys would be wearing pastel, gray or white tuxes with ruffled shirts, I would opt for black tails. Given a little more time, I could have come up with something better (maybe some pinbacks or checkerboard Vans?), but that was as contrarian as it was gonna get that year. Again, it seems tame today, but I was the only boy wearing black, the only boy with purple accessories, and the only boy in tails at that dance.
We met at Evelyn's home on a weekend afternoon in April to dye the gloves on her stove-top. Neither of us had ever used Rit dye before and we each had just one pair of gloves, but somehow we didn't screw anything up. We simply followed the instructions on the box and the gloves went from white to purple. Gloves dyed, dress ready, tuxedo rented, flowers ordered - we were ready.
At this point, I think I should mention that my parents left me alone in the house on the weekend of prom. You read that right. Home alone. The best I can remember, they went to Houston for a wedding my father was officiating. They must have left Friday for the rehearsal and stayed in Houston until Sunday afternoon. Sort of a mini-vacation from their overbearing 17 year old son suffering from a bad case of senioritis. I can't blame them and at the same time I can't believe they did that.
On the morning of April 28, I set off by myself to the nearest mall in order to kill some time as I was a bit anxious about that evening's events. I'm fairly sure some vinyl was purchased but I can't recall which (best guesses: It's My Life, The Flat Earth, and/or "The Reflex"). I also bought some purple earrings to give to my date that evening. Upon returning home that afternoon, I tried on the tuxedo I had rented and everything was looking good except my feet were way too wide to fit in those skinny rented shoes. At age 17, I didn't own a pair of black leather shoes, so I raided my dad's closet and grabbed a pair of his shoes. Even though they were at least 2 sizes too big, they fit better than the rented shoes which claimed to be patent leather but I think were actually rigid, shiny plastic. I haven't rented shoes since.
I can't remember when I was told to arrive at my date's home, but I'm guessing around 5 PM. I made the decision to drive my mother's Pontiac Catalina to the prom instead of my Markmobile because, although the Markmobile had a superior Pioneer tape deck, Mom's Pontiac had air conditioning. So, in great comfort but accompanied only by an AM radio, I arrived to Evelyn's house at the appointed time. I gave her a wrist corsage and the earrings I had purchased earlier. Memory is fuzzy here, but I believe Evelyn had recently pierced her ears for a second time and putting the new earrings into the new holes in her lobe brought about a bit of blood. Admittedly not the start to the evening that I had envisioned. Nevertheless, Evelyn got cleaned up, pinned on my boutonniere, then her older sister took the requisite photos of the happy couple before we headed out. I'd share those pictures with you but I never had my own copies and I'm doubtful prints still exist.
Our first stop: a classmate's house for a pre-prom champagne party. The drinking age in Texas at the time was 19, which meant I had classmates with slightly older siblings who could legally purchase alcohol. I wasn't much of a drinker in high school because I was terrified of parental retribution plus I weighed maybe 130 lbs, so when it came to alcohol, I was a true lightweight. But my parents were out of town, so I probably had two or three glasses that evening and lemmetellya those glasses had quite the warming effect on me. Once we were glassy-eyed, we decided to have our picture taken.
I shouldn't have been driving at all, much less my mother's car, but I managed to get us to the hall where the dance would later be held in order to have our prom photo taken before dinner:
We beat the rush, snapped that picture, then it was on to the local country club for dinner. Being in a small town, dinner for prom was always a difficult decision: should we drive 60 miles into Houston for fine dining, or do we wear our formal attire to eat alongside people wearing cowboy hats and boots at the local steak house where branding irons and firearms pass for wall decoration and the salad bar is shaped like a chuck wagon? (What can I say - many Texas stereotypes are true for good reason.) This year, however, thirteen of my classmates hosted a dinner at the country club and each of them could invite one couple. To whichever parent concocted that brilliant idea, many thanks. My very good friend Sam was one of the hosts, so Evelyn and I made the cut and any dinner dilemma we might have had was solved. Bonus: I didn't have to pay a cent.
I drove out to the club and when I rose up out of the driver's seat, I got light-headed and fell back into the car - I think I mentioned I was a lightweight. Let's get something in that stomach and quick. So we headed to the ball room where numerous tables were set up for the 50 or so diners. After working the room meeting and greeting, Evelyn selected our seats at an empty table. I was expecting my friend Sam and his date Melinda to come sit by us, but nah. None other than Kirk and his out of town date chose to sit directly across from Evelyn and myself. Kirk acted like everything was completely normal and I'm sure I looked at the napkin in my lap quite a bit for the next hour. I don't remember what was served at the dinner other than a heaping helping of awkward. At some point during that long hour, I made eye contact with Kirk's date and we silently acknowledged that we were both being used to trigger feelings of jealousy between Evelyn and Kirk. Get me outta here.
(If this were an '80s movie, this is where we'd have the scene of me and my date ripping off our clothes and frolicking on the 18th green of the country club's golf course as the sprinklers come on, but that didn't happen for four reasons: 1) surprisingly, the thought never entered my mind to try such, 2) the sun hadn't yet set completely, 3) it's a 9 hole golf course - no 18th green, and 4) I probably would have gotten my face slapped. And rightly so.).
Finally, to the dance.
From the country club back to the Knights of Columbus Hall. Check in and hit the floor. If there was music playing, I was on that parquet dance floor. Prom means different things to different people (namely sex and alcohol), but to me it meant a chance to dance. I loved to dance and I didn't get many opportunities so I took full advantage of this one. In my mind, I was a fantastic dancer but who the hell knows. The only songs I specifically remember the cover band playing were "Footloose" and, oddly, Toto's "We Made It." Evelyn was nominated for prom queen which added a little excitement to our evening. She didn't win, and I'll be dadgummed if I can't remember who did and my yearbook is of no help. The dance was over at midnight - we left about 11:30 so I can't tell you if "Stairway to Heaven" was the last tune, fortunately. And if you were looking for stories of me or my friends spiking the punch bowl, sorry to disappoint - nothing but dancing from this guy.
After leaving the dance, we had to change clothes before heading to the afterparties. First, we went to Evelyn's place where she changed into some 501s and a loose, backless, white top. Then we swung by my house where I changed into Lord knows what, probably some jeans and an Ocean Pacific tee. While I was changing, Evelyn laid face down on the floor in living room, ostensibly to rest up before more partying. Heck, I made the poor girl dance for 3 straight hours, so I can't blame her for being tired.
Allow me to set the stage: in an otherwise empty house, my prom date is laying down on the floor with a backless shirt, proudly showing me that she wasn't wearing a bra. We had been in close proximity for the past 7+ hours. Weeks had led up to this very moment. I was feeling pretty good about the evening (other than the initial bloodshed) and was at peak smoothness. It was at this point I knew I had to ask a question that would completely change the trajectory of the night: "So, you ready to go?"
Actually, I think I laid down beside her for a few minutes, but was too naïve (or terrified) to even think about making a pass. Evelyn had shown absolutely no interest in a physical relationship with me in the weeks leading up to the prom; I had no reason to think anything had changed suddenly, so I carried on. We piled into the car and headed a few blocks down Avenue K.
The first afterparty was at one of those houses "where everybody knows your name," so a post-prom party was a given.
The people that would normally hang out at the above house are people I still consider friends. I was usually at that place at least once a week if not more. Good family, good people, good friends.
But we had to give equal time to Evelyn's close friends, so after awhile we left the first party to head down some farm roads on the outskirts of town to a classmate's estate, where the party was in the pool house, next to the tennis court. In other words, I never would have rated an invitation to this afterparty if I hadn't been with Evelyn. I'd love to tell tales of skinny-dipping or fully-clothed couples being pushed into the pool, but if that happened, I didn't see it.
To be honest, I don't remember much about either afterparty. I have always been an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kinda guy and this was after 1 AM, so I was mentally checked out. Most likely, I planted myself on a couch while smiling and nodding, not unlike my behavior at many social events today. I don't remember drinking anything but surely alcohol was present at both parties.
I have no idea what time it was when I finally delivered Evelyn back to her home. I walked her to the door, we shared a goodnight kiss, and she went inside. Senior prom was over. What a wonderful 12 hours. I was asleep within 5 minutes of hitting my front door.
But wait, there's more...
I don't remember attending church later that morning, but that very Sunday night, I starred as Joseph in a local production of the musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Now that I'm 52, I can only marvel at the stamina and resilience I had at 17. Whew. If I stayed up until 3 or 4 AM on a Sunday morning these days, I'd be worthless for the remainder of the weekend. Back then: no problem - what else you got for me? And then it was back to school on Monday; only four weeks until graduation.
At our ten year high school reunion, a good friend (you may know this guy from this story) said this about our senior prom; "That was a weird prom. Nobody went with who they were supposed to." While that last part may be true, I never thought of our senior prom as weird. But I guess all proms are weird in their own way because it's high school and kids are trying their hardest to act like they think adults should act. Some of us outgrow that.
As you could probably predict, Evelyn and I didn't see each other as often after prom and even though we caught a couple of movies together that summer and made at least one more trip to Long John Silver's and the park, I slowly accepted the fact that nothing was ever going to happen between us. I chased several girls that summer and ended up dating a Burger King co-worker. (It was a whopper of a relationship. Hi-yoooo!) Evelyn and I attended different universities that fall and I didn't see her again until her first wedding, which I believe was in 1990. These days, we keep up with each other through social media, but that's about it. I think there's a 35 year class reunion this year - I should probably check on that.
As you can tell from the above scans, I'm sort of a pack rat and, believe it or not, I still have the multicolored coat costume that appears in the photo above. Spoiler alert: it no longer fits me. But I have no idea what happened to my purple gloves.
Let's see what was playing on the radio that historic weekend, courtesy of the April 27, 1984 edition of Radio & Records:
And since it was around that time that my friends and I stopped asking, "Have you heard that song?" and started asking, "Have you seen that video?" here's what MTV was playing around prom time:
To be honest, my family didn't have cable, so I got my video fix either at friends' houses or by videotaping Friday Night Videos on our Panasonic top-load VHS machine.
Everything in this post is true. Well, anyway, I remember everything happening this way. Whether that's the same thing would be an interesting discussion or book, but far beyond the scope of this blog.
The prom theme decided upon by the junior class that year:
 |
| Note: photo of city skyline is NOT representative of the skyline of the small city where prom was held |
The invitations were mailed and the local cover band was booked, but your humble blogger was faced with a familiar problem: no date and few prospects. <sad trombone sound> I had dated a girl off and on throughout our junior and senior years, but, to be honest, I had no idea how to properly handle a steady girlfriend and by this time, my ignorance had caused things to completely deteriorate. Foolish pride kept me from asking her to the prom that year and I take full responsibility for screwing up that relationship.
I had a major crush on a girl in the junior class for most of my senior year, but she had just starting dating the guy she would eventually marry. Oh-for-two. There were two possible dates in my church youth group, but I had pretty much burned those bridges earlier in the semester by being an unbearable jackhole. Oh-for-four. I asked a girl in my geometry class and was literally laughed at. Oh-for-five.
[Pseudonyms follow.] The last class on my schedule during my senior year was Computer Math, in which we learned to program Commodore PET computers and back-up our work on cassette tapes. A great way to end the school day, it was an easy course which gave me plenty of time to talk to two good friends also in the class, Mike and Evelyn. Mike and I both played trumpet in the school band and had similar tastes in music so we had plenty to talk about. He was (and I'm guessing still is) one of the nicest people I've ever met. We need more Mikes in this world. Evelyn and I had known each other for four years and had been in a few extracurricular clubs/activities together throughout high school. Evelyn had dated the same boy, Kirk, for several years, so I got daily updates about the drama surrounding that relationship. I'd had a little crush on Evelyn since I first met her, but to be fair, I had a little crush on half the girls in my high school because I was a typical teenage boy. A favorite album that spring was In Heat. And I was.
And so it came to pass that Kirk did not invite Evelyn to prom, but instead asked a girl from another school. Our rural town was small with just one high school, so to date a girl from another school meant putting some serious miles on your car; this was a major slap-in-the-face. As you would expect, this snub from Kirk had Evelyn in tears during Computer Math one afternoon. I did my best to comfort her, but I doubt my efforts consisted of more than a simple "It'll be okay." Of course, when I heard Evelyn say the words, "Now I don't have anyone to go to prom with," I quickly seized the opportunity and asked her if she'd like to go with me. She tearfully accepted and we were set. Sure, I suspected I was being used but at this point in time it no longer mattered.
In the weeks leading up to prom, Evelyn and I were often together outside of school as we worked out the details for the evening of prom. We spent a fair amount of time together shopping and at each other's homes. On Sunday afternoons, Evelyn liked to pick up food at Long John Silver's and drive to a local park for a picnic. Even though I don't particularly care for food from LJS, I played along in order to spend time with her. On its face, this all seemed very platonic, but I was falling hard and savored every second we spent together. Haven't been to a LJS since 1984, though.
I've always been a bit of a contrarian and for the prom my junior year, I decided to be different by wearing tennis shoes with my tuxedo (see below, special thanks to my date for allowing it). I realize that wouldn't so much as raise an eyebrow these days, but in 1983, it garnered several condescending eyerolls from members of my immediate family and, amidst the rice fields of rural south Texas, it was quite the trendsetting statement. So much so that I had a teacher come to me as prom neared in 1984 and ask, "What do you have planned for prom this year?" I didn't have an answer for him because I hadn't given it any thought. Besides, I didn't know I had set such expectations.
 |
| I'm thinking they were Adidas. I could wear white because it was after Easter. |
We met at Evelyn's home on a weekend afternoon in April to dye the gloves on her stove-top. Neither of us had ever used Rit dye before and we each had just one pair of gloves, but somehow we didn't screw anything up. We simply followed the instructions on the box and the gloves went from white to purple. Gloves dyed, dress ready, tuxedo rented, flowers ordered - we were ready.
At this point, I think I should mention that my parents left me alone in the house on the weekend of prom. You read that right. Home alone. The best I can remember, they went to Houston for a wedding my father was officiating. They must have left Friday for the rehearsal and stayed in Houston until Sunday afternoon. Sort of a mini-vacation from their overbearing 17 year old son suffering from a bad case of senioritis. I can't blame them and at the same time I can't believe they did that.
On the morning of April 28, I set off by myself to the nearest mall in order to kill some time as I was a bit anxious about that evening's events. I'm fairly sure some vinyl was purchased but I can't recall which (best guesses: It's My Life, The Flat Earth, and/or "The Reflex"). I also bought some purple earrings to give to my date that evening. Upon returning home that afternoon, I tried on the tuxedo I had rented and everything was looking good except my feet were way too wide to fit in those skinny rented shoes. At age 17, I didn't own a pair of black leather shoes, so I raided my dad's closet and grabbed a pair of his shoes. Even though they were at least 2 sizes too big, they fit better than the rented shoes which claimed to be patent leather but I think were actually rigid, shiny plastic. I haven't rented shoes since.
I can't remember when I was told to arrive at my date's home, but I'm guessing around 5 PM. I made the decision to drive my mother's Pontiac Catalina to the prom instead of my Markmobile because, although the Markmobile had a superior Pioneer tape deck, Mom's Pontiac had air conditioning. So, in great comfort but accompanied only by an AM radio, I arrived to Evelyn's house at the appointed time. I gave her a wrist corsage and the earrings I had purchased earlier. Memory is fuzzy here, but I believe Evelyn had recently pierced her ears for a second time and putting the new earrings into the new holes in her lobe brought about a bit of blood. Admittedly not the start to the evening that I had envisioned. Nevertheless, Evelyn got cleaned up, pinned on my boutonniere, then her older sister took the requisite photos of the happy couple before we headed out. I'd share those pictures with you but I never had my own copies and I'm doubtful prints still exist.
Our first stop: a classmate's house for a pre-prom champagne party. The drinking age in Texas at the time was 19, which meant I had classmates with slightly older siblings who could legally purchase alcohol. I wasn't much of a drinker in high school because I was terrified of parental retribution plus I weighed maybe 130 lbs, so when it came to alcohol, I was a true lightweight. But my parents were out of town, so I probably had two or three glasses that evening and lemmetellya those glasses had quite the warming effect on me. Once we were glassy-eyed, we decided to have our picture taken.
I shouldn't have been driving at all, much less my mother's car, but I managed to get us to the hall where the dance would later be held in order to have our prom photo taken before dinner:
 |
| I figured if I was using pseudonyms, I'd better pixelate, too. But check out those gloves! |
I drove out to the club and when I rose up out of the driver's seat, I got light-headed and fell back into the car - I think I mentioned I was a lightweight. Let's get something in that stomach and quick. So we headed to the ball room where numerous tables were set up for the 50 or so diners. After working the room meeting and greeting, Evelyn selected our seats at an empty table. I was expecting my friend Sam and his date Melinda to come sit by us, but nah. None other than Kirk and his out of town date chose to sit directly across from Evelyn and myself. Kirk acted like everything was completely normal and I'm sure I looked at the napkin in my lap quite a bit for the next hour. I don't remember what was served at the dinner other than a heaping helping of awkward. At some point during that long hour, I made eye contact with Kirk's date and we silently acknowledged that we were both being used to trigger feelings of jealousy between Evelyn and Kirk. Get me outta here.
(If this were an '80s movie, this is where we'd have the scene of me and my date ripping off our clothes and frolicking on the 18th green of the country club's golf course as the sprinklers come on, but that didn't happen for four reasons: 1) surprisingly, the thought never entered my mind to try such, 2) the sun hadn't yet set completely, 3) it's a 9 hole golf course - no 18th green, and 4) I probably would have gotten my face slapped. And rightly so.).
Finally, to the dance.
 |
| Prom ticket. Not a lot of info on that thing, huh? |
From the country club back to the Knights of Columbus Hall. Check in and hit the floor. If there was music playing, I was on that parquet dance floor. Prom means different things to different people (namely sex and alcohol), but to me it meant a chance to dance. I loved to dance and I didn't get many opportunities so I took full advantage of this one. In my mind, I was a fantastic dancer but who the hell knows. The only songs I specifically remember the cover band playing were "Footloose" and, oddly, Toto's "We Made It." Evelyn was nominated for prom queen which added a little excitement to our evening. She didn't win, and I'll be dadgummed if I can't remember who did and my yearbook is of no help. The dance was over at midnight - we left about 11:30 so I can't tell you if "Stairway to Heaven" was the last tune, fortunately. And if you were looking for stories of me or my friends spiking the punch bowl, sorry to disappoint - nothing but dancing from this guy.
After leaving the dance, we had to change clothes before heading to the afterparties. First, we went to Evelyn's place where she changed into some 501s and a loose, backless, white top. Then we swung by my house where I changed into Lord knows what, probably some jeans and an Ocean Pacific tee. While I was changing, Evelyn laid face down on the floor in living room, ostensibly to rest up before more partying. Heck, I made the poor girl dance for 3 straight hours, so I can't blame her for being tired.
Allow me to set the stage: in an otherwise empty house, my prom date is laying down on the floor with a backless shirt, proudly showing me that she wasn't wearing a bra. We had been in close proximity for the past 7+ hours. Weeks had led up to this very moment. I was feeling pretty good about the evening (other than the initial bloodshed) and was at peak smoothness. It was at this point I knew I had to ask a question that would completely change the trajectory of the night: "So, you ready to go?"
Actually, I think I laid down beside her for a few minutes, but was too naïve (or terrified) to even think about making a pass. Evelyn had shown absolutely no interest in a physical relationship with me in the weeks leading up to the prom; I had no reason to think anything had changed suddenly, so I carried on. We piled into the car and headed a few blocks down Avenue K.
The first afterparty was at one of those houses "where everybody knows your name," so a post-prom party was a given.
 |
| Even this simple screen capture from Google Maps brings back plenty of good memories. |
But we had to give equal time to Evelyn's close friends, so after awhile we left the first party to head down some farm roads on the outskirts of town to a classmate's estate, where the party was in the pool house, next to the tennis court. In other words, I never would have rated an invitation to this afterparty if I hadn't been with Evelyn. I'd love to tell tales of skinny-dipping or fully-clothed couples being pushed into the pool, but if that happened, I didn't see it.
To be honest, I don't remember much about either afterparty. I have always been an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kinda guy and this was after 1 AM, so I was mentally checked out. Most likely, I planted myself on a couch while smiling and nodding, not unlike my behavior at many social events today. I don't remember drinking anything but surely alcohol was present at both parties.
I have no idea what time it was when I finally delivered Evelyn back to her home. I walked her to the door, we shared a goodnight kiss, and she went inside. Senior prom was over. What a wonderful 12 hours. I was asleep within 5 minutes of hitting my front door.
But wait, there's more...
I don't remember attending church later that morning, but that very Sunday night, I starred as Joseph in a local production of the musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Now that I'm 52, I can only marvel at the stamina and resilience I had at 17. Whew. If I stayed up until 3 or 4 AM on a Sunday morning these days, I'd be worthless for the remainder of the weekend. Back then: no problem - what else you got for me? And then it was back to school on Monday; only four weeks until graduation.
At our ten year high school reunion, a good friend (you may know this guy from this story) said this about our senior prom; "That was a weird prom. Nobody went with who they were supposed to." While that last part may be true, I never thought of our senior prom as weird. But I guess all proms are weird in their own way because it's high school and kids are trying their hardest to act like they think adults should act. Some of us outgrow that.
As you could probably predict, Evelyn and I didn't see each other as often after prom and even though we caught a couple of movies together that summer and made at least one more trip to Long John Silver's and the park, I slowly accepted the fact that nothing was ever going to happen between us. I chased several girls that summer and ended up dating a Burger King co-worker. (It was a whopper of a relationship. Hi-yoooo!) Evelyn and I attended different universities that fall and I didn't see her again until her first wedding, which I believe was in 1990. These days, we keep up with each other through social media, but that's about it. I think there's a 35 year class reunion this year - I should probably check on that.
As you can tell from the above scans, I'm sort of a pack rat and, believe it or not, I still have the multicolored coat costume that appears in the photo above. Spoiler alert: it no longer fits me. But I have no idea what happened to my purple gloves.
Let's see what was playing on the radio that historic weekend, courtesy of the April 27, 1984 edition of Radio & Records:
And since it was around that time that my friends and I stopped asking, "Have you heard that song?" and started asking, "Have you seen that video?" here's what MTV was playing around prom time:
To be honest, my family didn't have cable, so I got my video fix either at friends' houses or by videotaping Friday Night Videos on our Panasonic top-load VHS machine.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Top Singles of April 14, 1984
Let's take a look at what was topping the various single charts on April 14, 1984.
Billboard
|
CashBox
|
Radio & Records
|
|
1
|
"Footloose"
Kenny Loggins |
"Footloose"
Kenny Loggins |
"Against All Odds"
Phil Collins |
2
|
"Against All Odds"
Phil Collins |
"Against All Odds"
Phil Collins |
"Footloose"
Kenny Loggins |
3
|
"Somebody's Watching Me"
Rockwell |
"Somebody's Watching Me"
Rockwell |
"Hello"
Lionel Richie |
4
|
"Hello"
Lionel Richie |
"Eat It"
Weird Al Yankovic |
"Hold Me Now"
Thompson Twins |
5
|
"Automatic"
Pointer Sisters |
"Here Comes the Rain Again"
Eurythmics |
"Miss Me Blind"
Culture Club |
6
|
"Miss Me Blind"
Culture Club |
"Jump"
Van Halen |
"Love Somebody"
Rick Springfield |
7
|
"Here Comes the Rain Again"
Eurythmics |
"Hold Me Now"
Thompson Twins |
"You Might Think"
The Cars |
8
|
"Hold Me Now"
Thompson Twins |
"Automatic"
Pointer Sisters |
"Adult Education"
Daryl Hall & John Oates |
9
|
"Adult Education"
Daryl Hall & John Oates |
"Miss Me Blind"
Culture Club |
"They Don't Know"
Tracy Ullman |
10
|
"Jump"
Van Halen |
"Hello"
Lionel Richie |
"Here Comes the Rain Again"
Eurythmics |
Exclusive MFD meta-analysis of the above charts:
- "Footloose" (29 points)
- "Against All Odds" (28 pts)
- (tie) "Somebody's Watching Me" (16 pts)
- (tie) "Hello" (16 pts)
- "Hold Me Now" (14 pts)
- "Miss Me Blind" (13 pts)
- "Here Comes the Rain Again" (11 pts)
- "Automatic" (9 pts)
- "Eat It" (7 pts)
- "Jump" (6 pts)
- (tie) "Adult Education" (5 pts)
- (tie) "Love Somebody" (5 pts)
- "You Might Think" (4 pts)
- "They Don't Know" (2 pts)
Thursday, November 8, 2018
AT40, May 26, 1984 [Part 2 of 4]
I'm breaking down the AT40 show of May 26, 1984 track by track. For a look at #40-31, click here.
"In the countdown this week are two of the many groups who named themselves for cities. One is a group named for a German city, the other is the most successful group ever named for any city. A city located on the shores of one of the Great Lakes. Details coming up."
#29: "Almost Paradise" by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson. The biggest climber in the countdown, up 11 notches, and the first of four tunes in the countdown from the Footloose soundtrack album. Written by Eric Carmen, this ballad would peak at #7 in July. I never had much need for this ballad as I already had Lionel Richie's "Hello" in my wooing repertoire (this simply means the Richie tune is much easier to play on the piano and sing to the ladies). I gotta say, the bridge is a winner, though. I once tried to watch the "updated" 2011 remake of Footloose, but couldn't stomach more than 5 minutes before bailing. And you kids get off my lawn.
Charlie states that in the rock era, a total of 23 acts have taken the name of a city as their own, but he doesn't list them all 23. Instead he lists the 13 of these 23 who made the top 10:
- Atlanta Rhythm Section (2 top 10 hits, 1977-78)
- The Bay City Rollers* (2 top hits, 1975-76)
- Boston (on this date, Boston had 2 top 10 hits, 1976-78. They would later have two more in 1986)
- The Brooklyn Bridge (1 top 10 hit, 1969)
- Buffalo Springfield (city name two-fer!) (1 top 10 hit, 1967)
- The Kingston Trio (2 top 10 hits, 1958-63)
- Kokomo (1 top 10 hit, 1961)
- The Manhattans (2 top 10 hits, 1976-80)
- The Manhattan Transfer (1 top 10 hit, 1981)
- Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels (3 top 10 hits, 1966-67)
- The Oak Ridge Boys (1 top 10 hit, 1981)
- Orleans (2 top 10 hits, 1975-76)
- and, the most successful "city group" of all...
I've told this story so forgive me if you've heard it before: I saw Chicago on their 1985 tour promoting this album. During the encore, the band sang this tune and I can still hear 10,000 teenage girls yelling, "STAAAAAAY THE NIGHT!" along with Peter Cetera while the band played. I've never been able to properly enjoy that song since.
Nonetheless, Chicago 17 is a winner and this was its lead single.
#27: "Run Runaway" by Slade. Although a huge band in their native UK, I can't say the same for the US. This tune won't make me change the station, but I'm not seeking it out to listen to it. To my mind, Big Country did it better.
"Coming up: a Long Distance Dedication from a romantic couple who grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same school in Bangkok, Thailand, but never met until they were 10,000 miles from home."
#26: "They Don't Know" by Tracey Ullman. On its way down the charts at this time, I love this tune and the album it comes from. This particular tune reminds me of a "seniors only" weekend trip to a beach house on Galveston Island which included various shenanigans including wine coolers and my first midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. All photographic evidence has been destroyed.
Long Distance Dedication: "Dear Casey, we don't know how to start our story; it seems like fate brought us together. We lived in the same neighborhood in Bangkok and attended the same high school, but we never knew each other. After graduating from high school, he went to the US for his bachelor's degree in civil engineering at UC Berkeley. I received my BA degree from a university in Bangkok and then I went to Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio for my masters and doctoral degrees in education. Then, he went to Ohio State to pursue his masters degree. And that's where we met and fell in love. Unfortunately, he graduated in 1982 and had to be back to work, so he left me there for a year. It was the most difficult time of our lives, being apart. But, with love and a strong commitment, I worked as hard as I could to finish up the Ph.D. requirements and, finally, our dreams came true. On my commencement day, he came back to Columbus to be by my side. And that was the most precious graduation present I've ever received. Now, we're back together in Bangkok and we'd like to share with other people who are in love that it's worth all the suffering if your love is certain. Just the two of us can make dreams come true [ed. note: you can see where this is headed, right?] no matter how long it takes or how far apart we are. Casey, we would like to have the song "Just the Two of Us"as our "overseas" dedication. Thank you very much. Love, Kid and May."
"Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr. with Bill Withers. (#2 in 1981). I don't need any excuse to listen to this classic. In fact, I'm pausing this episode now to listen to the full 7+ minute version. But I'm wondering if Kid and May felt slighted that their letter was read by a guest host and not Casey himself.
"American Top 40 is heard in the 50 states and around the world every week on great radio stations like..."
- WNVA - Norton, Virginia
- KRXL - Kirksville, Missouri
- JORF Radio Nippon - Tokyo, Japan
#25: "Rock You Like a Hurricane" by The Scorpions. Decidedly not in my wheelhouse in 1984, I've come to appreciate it for the rock anthem it has become. This single peaked here at #25, but has gone on to enjoy extended popularity at sporting events and in TV ads.
#24: "You Can't Get What You Want" by Joe Jackson. As a big fan of Joe's Night and Day album, I bought this album (Body and Soul) immediately upon release. It was different, but I enjoyed it all the same. I didn't think there was a single on it, but this tune proved me wrong. This single was Jackson's last appearance in the Top 40, peaking at #15 about a month after this episode. I heard it on the speakers of my local home improvement warehouse just last week.
Charlie then teases an upcoming look at "whatever happened to The Monkees?"
 |
| Prom ticket. The prom theme was "City Lights." Seriously. |
Van Dyke then gives a brief history of The Monkees and updates where the members have ended up. At that time in 1984, according to AT40:
- Davy Jones: training as a horse jockey, preparing to ride in the British Grand Nationals and writing his autobiography
- Mickey Dolenz: living in England, directing TV and stage productions
- Peter Tork: living in Venice, California with his family, has a band based in New York
- Mike Nesmith: pioneer in video production, produces movies (Repo Man), inducted into the American Video Award Hall of Fame.
#22: "Jump (For My Love)" by The Pointer Sisters. Charlie mentions that the title of the song was originally simply "Jump" but the parenthetical subtitle was added after Van Halen's single "Jump" was released. Love this tune, particularly when the soaring bridge. Why I never bought the Break Out album is beyond me. This would eventually peak #3 at during 15 weeks on the chart.
--end of hour two--
#21: "The Authority Song" by John Cougar Mellencamp. Meh - I can take it or leave it. Peaked at #15 the previous week and I can't see how it got that high. Reminds me of this pinback I wore around that time:
 |
| Oddly, my teachers didn't like this one. |
 |
| Billboard, May 26, 1984, p. 60 |
More to come...
*the Rollers named themselves after the Bay City in Michigan, not the one in Texas.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
AT40, February 16, 1980 [Part 3 of 4]
I'm breaking down the AT40 show of February 16, 1980 track by track. For an a look at #40-31, click here, for #30-21 click here.
#20: "Second Time Around" by Shalamar. #1 on the Soul/R&B chart on this date, this is easily my favorite Shalamar tune. It's so dang easy to listen to. I don't recognize the names in the backing group but they sure could lay down a groove. It also hit #1 on the disco/dance chart.
Long Distance Dedication: "(You're) Having My Baby" by Paul Anka (#1, 1974). You know where this is headed, but here we go any way:
Dear Casey, I'm a lieutenant in the United States Army Engineers currently serving in Korea. I'm here without my wife and am currently on the early side of a twelve month tour. I miss her tremendously. We were married four years ago when I first came into the service. There was no honeymoon and she traveled with me across the country to Fort Stewart, Georgia where she assumed her role as an army wife.Sheesh. Moving right along...
During that first year of marriage, we were constantly separated as I went to Panama, field exercises, and school. She quietly accepted her role of being dragging around the country, uprooted from the home she cherished, and being left alone. There was never any doubt or questioning, but, rather, support, sympathy, encouragement, and, most of all, love. I've always felt guilty about leaving her behind to maintain a home while I was elsewhere. And I haven't always been supportive of her needs or been there when she needed me most. And that's what this letter is for.
Gigi is home in San Antonio, seven months pregnant with our first child. As my job dictates, I won't be home for the birth of our child, but I need to tell my wife how I feel about her. Much the same as Paul Anka put it in "(You're) Having My Baby." I dedicate this to you, Gigi. Loving you from so far away. Signed, Kirk.
#19: "September Morn" by Neil Diamond. I never fully appreciated Diamond at the time, but that's on me. This isn't his best ballad, but it's pleasant enough. Love the Floyd Cramer-esque piano. This single was Diamond's 30th Top 40 hit; it would eventually peak at #17.
#18: "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd. "The biggest climber of the week!" The second of Pink Floyd's two Top 40 singles ("Money" hit #13 in 1973), this smash would later spend 4 weeks at #1. School kids loved the lyrics; school administrators hated them. Some schools went to the ridiculous lengths of banning the song as if they could. To be honest, other than the truthful lyrics, this isn't that great a tune when compared to the rest of PF's canon. The best part is David Gilmour's guitar solo, which is first-rate. And remember kids, if you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding.
#17: "Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me, Girl" by The Spinners. A great disco cover of a 1966 Four Seasons tune. There really wasn't any need to add a second song for a medley, but they didn't consult me. The song would spend 16 weeks on Casey's show, spending two weeks in the #2 spot. I always liked The Spinners and enjoyed seeing them hang around into the '80s.
Casey teases a story with "the co-leader of the supergroup, The Eagles, earned his first set of drums when he was 15 by blowing up his mother's washtub with cherry bombs."
#16: "An American Dream" by The Dirt Band. I liked this one when it was released, particularly the Linda Ronstadt harmonies. It blends country with tropical with great success and I can sing all the harmonies if ya need it.
Casey shares the story of Don Henley blowing up his mom's wash tub with a cherry bomb so his father would be forced to buy her a washing machine. And she bought Don a drum kit as a thank you. It's not a great story, but Casey milks it for all it's worth.
#15: "The Long Run" by Eagles. Around this time, anything by Eagles was welcome to these ears. I preferred their previous single "Heartache Tonight" but I liked this So-Cal rock tune with country harmonies, too.
#14: "Romeo's Tune" by Steve Forbert. This was Forbert's only single to crack the Top 40, but I remember singing along with this one when it was on the radio. I don't think it has a catchy melody, but I like the way the alliterative "meet me in the middle of the day" rolls out of my mouth. The single would peak the following week at #11.
#13: "Daydream Believer" by Anne Murray. This John Stewart tune is so happy and uplifting that I can't help but love it. This single would top the adult contemporary chart, peak at #3 on the country chart (it doesn't sound much country to me but I can plead ignorance on that), and eventually reach #12 n the Top 40.
AT40 Archives: "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac. Casey's counting down the #1 songs of the 1970's' this tune is the last of three in this show. If this isn't my favorite Fleetwood Mac tune, it's certainly in the discussion.
--end of hour three--
Casey welcomes three new stations to the American Top 40 family:
#12: "Don't Do Me Like That" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Petty's second tune in this week's Top 40 ("Refugee" was back at #26). It had peaked at #10 the previous week. I dig everything about this tune from the Hammond organ to the middle 8, to the imminently singable, catchy-as-hell chorus.
"Several months ago, a listener in Minnesota made a Long Distance Dedication that resulted in his getting a long distance phone call from a famous and beautiful woman - one of Charlie's Angels. That story is coming up."
#11: "This is It" by Kenny Loggins. This smooth classic won the Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, and deservedly so. It takes the best parts of the previous two chart tunes (uplifting lyrics and a catchy chorus) and takes it all up a notch. It also marks Michael McDonald's second appearance on this week's chart (he also duetted with Nicolette Larson back at #39). There's some good tunes in the Top 10 this week, but in my book, none can top "This is It."
LDD dedication follow-up: A high school kid sent a LDD to Cheryl Ladd in hopes that she would go to prom with him. She didn't accept his invitation, but she did call to decline, which would have been enough to me. Heck, she could call me right now and I'd be a bumbling idiot.
 |
| Billboard, February 16, 1980, p. 94 |
More to come...
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
MFD Not-So-Random Five #2
In which I select five songs from 1976-1985 based on an arbitrary theme. (Not to be confused with this blog's Random Five feature, a different exercise in arbitrariness). Today's theme: Song titles that begin with the word "heart"
- "Heart" by Nick Lowe (1982, Columbia)
The second track from the stellar, highly recommended Nick the Knife album. A reworking of the Rockpile original, I prefer this light-hearted (pun intended) pseudo-reggae take on the tune. (Don't get me wrong, The Rockpile version is great, too. Just different.) I enjoy the background vocals and organ guitar trade-off. - "Heart Attack" by Olivia Newton-John (1982, MCA)
Even though I was trying to be a New Wave hipster in '82, I couldn't resist this tune (or ONJ, for that matter). Written for a greatest hits album by Steve Kipner, this is catchy as all get-out and I love the combination of synth along with the sax solo. Who is that? Tom Scott? My only complaint is that sometimes she's yelling instead of singing, but a lot of artists suffered from that particular malady in the early '80s. Good song, bad video. On a related note, your humble blogger will be seeing ONJ in concert on March 23. ❤ - "Heart and Soul" by Huey Lewis and The News (1983, Chrysalis)
When I first heard this song, I rushed out to buy the 45 even though I had given up on buying 45s several years previously. I'm guessing I had to buy the single because the album wasn't yet released. Anyway, it reminds me of a high school post-football game "victory dance" where I was pursuing a young blond named Melody or Mary or something like that (I'd check my yearbook but I really don't feel like getting up). That relationship didn't work out because she had a crush on a friend of mine (how high school is that?). But the song: this synth hook is relentless but somehow never gets old and the breakdown guitar bit is an earworm. Didn't know until I checked the wiki this was a cover of an quirky Exile song and it was later covered by The BusBoys so I learned something new today. - "Heart of Ice" by Joe Jackson (1984, A&M)
The album closer of Body and Soul, this seems like a leftover song from Jackson's Mike's Murder soundtrack. Mostly instrumental; vocals don't appear until 5 minutes in. One of the background vocalists is Ellen Foley who many of you know from "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" but I'm more familiar with her work on Night Court (side note: how great is the Night Court theme?). This song is good, not great, and I don't understand the ending at all. Not to mention the title probably isn't appropriate for Valentine's Day. - "Heart to Heart" by Kenny Loggins (1982, Columbia)
One of my top 5 Loggins singles. What's not to like? Written by Loggins, Michael McDonald, and David Foster with performances by those three, members of Toto and Pages, and a sweet sax solo by David Sanborn. (Pro tip: you should check out Sanborn's 1982 instrumental pop album, As We Speak.) And oh! that middle eight. The fact that this goodness only reached #15 on the pop charts shows you how good the music was in '82*. Somehow, I came across a High Adventure cassette in 1983 and that thing took up residence in the Markmobile's Pioneer deck for a few weeks.
*Curious, I had to see which 14 songs the American public thought were better than "Heart to Heart." Well, hear ya go:
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