#57 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!: "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams (1985)

Aloha all, we are now presenting #57 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits, and #57 is.....Summer of '69, by Canadian singer/songwriter Bryan Adams. Bryan Adams was born on November 5th, 1959 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and has become the bestselling Canadian male recording artist of all time! Over the years he has won 15 Grammy Awards, 18 Juno Awards, as well as MTV Awards, ASCAP Awards, and American Music Awards. I would also mention that his music done for films have been nominated for Golden Globes and Academy Awards as well. Quite the talent, and I would guess that most Americans don't realize that he is actually a Canadian, in fact I have discovered that many actors, musicians, bands, and performers that people think are home-grown Americans are often from Canada, Britain, or Australia, which is quite interesting and not to mention a tangent, so allow me to digress. In April 2006 Adams was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and in 2008 he was ranked #38 on the list of All-Time top artists by the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary Charts. He is no doubt a big player in the music biz, and he got his start there in 1977. Adams has sold somewhere around the vicinity of 100 million records worldwide. Summer of '69 came off of his 4th studio album titled Reckless, which was released in June 1985. According to wikipedia, the reference to '69 in the song is actually a sexual reference as opposed to the common perception that he is singing about 1969, which actually surprises me a little bit, as I was one of those people up til now that thought he was referring to the year. Later on down the same wikipedia page it states that Adams revealed in an interview with In the Studio that the song indeed is a reference to the year 1969 and the cultural revolutions and social movements that were taking place at that time, so pick your own interpretation or even both. Upon its release in 1985, Summer of '69 peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Top 100 chart, and it remains an 80's staple for pub cover-bands the world round. So, there is #57, and off we go to discover #56 and onwards....

#58 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!: "It's Like That" by Run D.M.C. (1983)

I've been gone a few days, but I am now back, and I am carrying with me the secret envelope that contains #58 of the countdown....and the song is....It's Like That, by the infamous 80's American hip-hop group Run D.M.C.. Run D.M.C. came out of Hollis in the Queens borough of New York City. Run D.M.C. formed back in 1981, and consisted of members Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizel. It's Like That appeared initially as a single on cassette release in 1983 which was accompanied by another track titled Sucker M.C.'s.  Run D.M.C. is considered by many to be one of the most influential hip-hop groups in music history, and along with other acts of the time (such as LL Cool J) they were pioneers of the new school of hip hop. According to wikipedia, they were the first group in the hip-hop genre to achieve a Grammy Award and a Gold Album, and Rolling Stone Magazine named them #48 on their list of Greatest Musical Artists of All Time. Finally, in 2004 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, (despite the fact that they were a hip-hop group) and they were only the second hip-hop group in history to have achieved this. There are heaps more trivia items about Run D.M.C. on their wikipedia page, so I suggest you look there for more info on the group. Also, there has been a very popular and well done remix version of It's Like That by Jason Nevins (released in 1997) which I also highly recommend checking out. However, the original is a classic so what I would truly recommend is getting a hold of both versions. Bam!

#59 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!: "Who's Johnny" by El Debarge (1986)

Back to the 80's once again, and I have been sprucing up my 80's music collection (especially the dance hits lately) and always finding new (to me) great 80's dance music. Looking to do some 80's DJ work here soon, but that put aside we are at #59 of the countdown, and the song is....Who's Johnny, by American R&B/pop music falsetto singer El Debarge. Now if this song doesn't have that classic 80's synth-pop sound then I don't know what does. Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge came out of Grand Rapids, Michigan and was the lead singer and focal point of the family group called Debarge throughout the early to mid 1980's. El Debarge is best known for Who's Johnny which appeared as track #1 on his self-titled album which was released in 1986 and would eventually reach Gold status. The record was released under Gordy Records, which was a sub-label of Motown Records, which also carried 80's African American artists Michael Jackson and Rockwell. Who's Johnny also appeared as a single on the classic 80's robot movie Short Circuit soundtrack, which was quite fitting seeing that the robot's name in the film was Johhny-5. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Hot R&B Singles chart that same year. The song brings back memories of being a kid and watching Short Circuit, who I reckon was way cooler than that new Wall-E character/film and clear Johnny-5 rip-off they came up with (although it was pretty good too).

#69 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Yes we are back to the 80's once again. This time presenting #69 of the countdown. And the song is....Goodbye Horses, by American singer Q Lazzarus. Q Lazzarus is well known for this song, as it was no doubt her one hit wonder of 1988. I don't know why, I just know that I am a bit stoked to put this song on my countdown, it just doesn't show up on other 80's music radars much if you know what I mean. Goodbye Horses may be best remembered for its appearance on the soundtrack of Silence of the Lambs, as it was featured as serial killer/skinner character Buffalo Bill's theme song in that movie (ugghh, but I never associated it with that, and maybe that is why so many others don't like the song much due to that association). That said, this same song was also featured on movies Married to the Mob, Clerks II, Lakai Footwears' Fully Flared tv commercial, as well as on the Grand Theft Auto IV and Skate 3 video games, and TV shows Family Guy and Nip Tuck. Its a song that gets around, that is for sure, and funnily enough and unintentionally it has ended up as #69 on VJ Samsonite's Top 100 Dance Hits of the 80's Countdown, you know, just in case you forgot already ;-) A few more interesting trivia tidbits that I discovered on wikipedia.com are that Q Lazzarus actually appeared in the 1986 film Something Wild (with Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels) and performing the song The Candle Goes Away. She also appeared in the 1993 Tom Hanks Oscar winning film Philadelphia, performing the Talking Heads song Heaven. Another interesting fact is that for a little while she worked as a taxi-cab driver in NYC. Now the video is a bit strange, but really the most normal appearing video of this on youtube, in fact you should check out all the different videos that have been made for this song on youtube if you get the chance. Well, if you want more info, look her up on wikipedia or lastfm, now get out there and dance!

Song of the Day for July 29th, 2010

And the song is......Burn Bridges, by 3 piece Aussie rock band The Grates. The Grates come out of Brisbane, Australia and consist of Patience Hodgson as vocals, John Patterson on guitar, and Alana Skyring on drums. The Grates are known for their highly energetic songs and live shows and were formed back in 2002. Since 2002 they have released 6 EP's and 2 full length studio albums with a 3rd coming out soon. Burn Bridges was released in Australia back in June of 2008, and was the first single release off of their 2nd full length album titled Teeth Lost, Hearts Won. It reached #34 on the ABC's Triple J Hottest 100 for that year. Check em out, and see what you think.

And the "Hot Song of the Day" is....

...Mowgli's Road, by Welsh indie-pop singer/songwriter Marina and the Diamonds. Marina and the Diamonds is actually Marina Lambrini Diamandis, and is of Greek decent (hence the name), yet she grew up in Wales. The "Diamonds" part of her stage name refers to the Diamanidis part of her birth name. The song Mowgli's Road comes off of her February 2010 studio album release titled The Family Jewels, which has been certified gold in the UK already. 

#80 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #80 of the top 100 countdown, and starting to really get into it! And the song is...Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' by the King of Pop himself Michael Jackson. Now if you don't know who Michael Jackson (R.I.P.) is than I can't help you out. For those of you who don't know much MJ-trivia, he was born in Gary, Indiana in 1958, and he was 50 years old when he passed away just last year on June 25th (almost a frickin year already!!) in Los Angeles California. You might find it interesting to know that Madonna and Prince both also turned 50 years old last year, officially being the Queen and Prince of Pop during the 80's with recently deceased King M.J.. Now I know that there has been speculation about who will be the next, but as far as I am concerned no one currently can sit in the throne, so its empty until someone who really "has it" comes along. I have heard people say they think that Lady Gaga is making her way as the next Queen of Pop, however I remain skeptical on that one as I reckon you have to be extremely prolific and consistent with pop-hits over an extended period of time to take the throne, not that Lady Gaga isn't capable of this, but it remains to be seen. This discussion has me on a bit of tangent so back to the topic at hand. Wanna Be Startin Somethin, was the first track of Jackson's epic Thriller album which won Jackson a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984, including Album of the Year, and numbers are uncertain but it has been estimated as having sold approximately 78-110 million copies worldwide as of 2009. Shockingly enough youtube actually allows posting of the actual music video, so enjoy.

#81 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #81 of the top 100 countdown, and starting to really get into it! And the song is...Under Pressure by artists David Bowie and Queen. Under Pressure was a collaboration between these two outstanding artists, and the first of its kind for David Bowie. The song was recorded in 1981, and was featured on Queen's 1982 album released titled Hot Space. Under Pressure reached #1 on the UK singles chart, and was ranked #31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Song's of the 80's. The song started out as a song by Queen called Feel Like, which transformed into Under Pressure  after a jam-session with David Bowie took place in Montreux, Switzerland, thus Freddie Mercury was considered the song's primary writer, but all contributed to the work. This song has always been one of my favorites, and many may be surprised its not further towards the top of my Top 100, but we will see why as time goes on. Enjoy #81!

And the "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

...Blood, by Australian indie-folk-rock band The Middle East. The Middle East are a musical collective from Townsville, Queensland formed in 2005. The band broke up and then subsequently reconvened according to wikipedia, then to release their EP in the US and Australia. The band has received lots of airtime on Triple J (the National-Radio-Network) and this song came in at #64 on the Hottest 100 countdown. Don't have any other info on them, check out their EP for more.

#82 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #82 of the top 100 countdown, and starting to really get into it! And the song is...Love Plus One, by British pop and new-wave group Haircut 100. Haircut 100 were formed back in 1980 (a good year), and had 4 UK Top 10 Singles between then and 1982. The band had some lineup changes over time, but the original group was Nick Heyward (guitar, vocals), Les Nemes on bass, Tim Jenkins  on guitar and Rob Stroud on drums. Love Plus One was no doubt one of those top 4 UK Singles and came off of their Pelican West album, released in 1982. Anyways, don't have much more info, check wikipedia for more, and note the song is a good dance hit when you play it on a proper system, as you will note with all of these songs I am posting. When played on a massive stereo system, these songs that sound like they wouldn't be great dance-hits on a little bedroom stereo sound great, oh Snap!

#83 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #83 of the top 100 countdown! And the song is...I Can't Wait, by American duo Nu Shooz. Nu Shooz were a husband and wife duo consisting of John Smith and Valerie Day and were based out of Portland, Oregon USA (my hometown metro-area!). Nu Shooz released 3 studio albums during the 80's, of which the album Poolside was the most lucrative. I Can't Wait was released on this album in February of 1986, which hit #2 on the R&B charts, and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of 1986, and 15 weeks in the top 40. It also hit #1 on the Hot Club Dance Play chart. They had another hit single off of Poolside titled Point of No Return, of which I was previously unaware (and no that is not to be confused with the Expose 80's hit). This song is a dance-floor filler, as we call them, maybe not to the point that #84 was, but it sure is close. They had further releases and hits on the charts but this song, I Can't Wait, is by far the most well known of their hits. So they surpass the label of being just a one-hit-wonder, as they also had Point of No Return. I would also recommend you check out some of the remixes, which change of the originals of the songs quite well. Enjoy this 80's classic, and remember to shut up and dance!

#84 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #84 of the top 100 countdown! And the song is the all-time classic smash hit...Jessie's Girl, by Australian songwriter, rock musician, and actor, Rick Springfield. Now the 80's hits don't get much more legendary or classic then Jessie's Girl, which always draws a crowd to the dance-floor and gets people going in a sing-along. Rick Springfield, originally from Sydney Australia hit #1 on the charts with Jessie's Girl back in 1981, which also went on to win a Grammy Award and is to this day considered to be one of the major pop-rock hits of the emerging music video age. It doesn't get much bigger than this song, but then again it does. Stay tuned for # 83, and see how it happens!

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

...Skeleton Tiger, by Aussie psychedelic rock band Tame Impala. Tame Impala is made up of Kevin Parker (lead guitar and vocals), Dominic Simper (bass guitar) and Jay Watson (drums and backing vocals), and they come out of Perth, WA. Their name refers to the impala, a medium sized antelope. They've won a few awards, and are reminiscent of a few bands like the Doors, the Grateful Dead, the Association, etc. I like their style anyway, so be sure to check them out for yourself. This song, and three others off their EP (released in 2008) went to number one on the Australian Independent Record Labels chart, see wikipedia for more info.

#87 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

 Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #87 of the top 100 countdown!And the song is...No More Words, by U.S. 80's new wave synth-pop band Berlin. Little did I know, but Berlin formed in the late 1970's and are actually from Orange County, California of all places. I don't know, maybe its their name, but for some reason I have a hard time thinking of them as being from California. Moving on, according to wikipedia there are 4 current members (Teri Nunn is the blond lead singer), and it lists about 10 former band members who were in and out of the band over the years. The core band members of the band are considered to be Teri Nunn, John Crawford , and David Diamond. Nunn left the band temporarily to pursue an acting career at one point and actually auditioned for the part of Princess Leia in the Star Wars films.  Wikipedia also lists Berlin as having an inactive period between 1987 and 1998. Berlin are obviously a better known band from the 80's, and have had many hits over the years. No More Words was released in 1984 on their Love Life album, the song reached #23 on the US singles charts that year, whilst Love Life, reached #28 on the US album charts that year. Enough data, and lets get on with the song...

#88 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #88 of the top 100 countdown!And the song is...New Attitude by American soul-singer, actress, and song-writer Patti LaBelle. Patti LaBelle started out her singing career back in the 1960's in two bands. First she was in Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, and had a few minor sucesses, and then LaBelle which received acclaim for their big-time hit in 1974 titled "Lady Marmalade." She continued on later with a solo career and had a #1 hit song duet with Michael McDonald in 1986 called "On My Own." "New Attitude," was featured on the 1984 Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, where it reached the Pop Top 20. Listen to the song, and you'll hear why it's my #88!

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

...Mexican Mavis, by Aussie folk-rock collaboration Boy and Bear. Boy and Bear (formerly known as Dave Hosking), are a Sydney-based band built on the collaboration of three front men from separate bands. Mexican Mavis is a single and was released in October of 2009. There is not much info out there about them as they are a collaboration, but you can go HERE to see their myspace page and download the free mp3 of this song on that same page. Woot!

#96: of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #96 of the top 100 countdown! And the song is....Living on a Video, by 80's-Candian-electro-space-synth sensation Trans-X! Now if this song isn't synth, then I just don't know what is. I have always considered Trans-X to be a highly influential electro-trance pioneers. This group was pretty much a one-hit-80's-wonder. Living on a Video was an instant hit in their home country of Canada and worldwide when it was originally released as a single in 1981. The single sold over 2 millions copies and reached the top ten charts in both the USA and the UK. The single was later added to the 1983 album release by the same name. Most of you will no doubt have heard this song at some point, but may not be able to put a song to a face, or something like that. It is funny, looking back now on how the electro-synth music era transformed into the 90's-00's techno-trance (with artists like The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, and the legions of DJ's from The Ministry of Sound)  and how its now come back full-circle to a sort of electro-indie rock era we see now (such as with artists like The Presets, or La Roux, or Van She, Cut Copy, etc.). There are just so many different flavors to music, and an endless way of rehashing and remixing and reblending... blah!!! Anyways, enjoy #96, as 95 is just around da corna!

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

...Jona Vark, by Aussie duo Gypsy and the Cat. Xavier Bacash and Lionel Towers make up the duo and hail at us out of Melbourne Australia. I have been looking forward to posting this song for some time now as it has such a unique sound and I believe (after hearing it a few times) that it has some higher consciousness stuff going on with it (and thus I look forward to hearing their other new works). I would describe their sound as etheric and nostalgic. I couldn't find much other info about the duo on the web anywhere and so I will leave that to you. I reckon that Gypsy and the Cat have "got it," whatever "it" is. Check em out!

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

..."Flippers," by Aussie electro-pop band Art Vs. Science. Now, this song was on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2008, so it is not super-new or anything, but it was good enough to mention here, and this is my vlog, so there! Art Vs. Science are from Sydney Australia (lots of cool new bands coming out of Sydney and Melbourne these days) where the Sun always shines and the beer flows like wine. This song has an awesome beat, and the whole flippers theme reminds me of Aussie's diving and the Great Barrier Reef with their flippers masks and air-tanks, whether its meant to or not, that is the theme of the song after all. I was watching a movie at a cinema in Melbourne a few months ago, and I also saw this song featured on an anti-gambling advert, which was actually quite clever "Pokies" TV spot | Problem Gambling. They have been nominated for some awards (can't be bothered to look it all up right now) and their song "Parlez Vous Francais," was ranked number 2 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2009. The video posted here is a live versio of "Flippers" as I couldn't locate the actual music video on youtube. Check it:
Art Vs Science