A Life Worth Binge Watching
S2: This is 50 E6: Don’t Put Baby in a Corner
Opening weekend, my family and I went to see Top Gun Maverick and we were not disappointed! The original Top Gun was definitely one of my all time favorite movies, along with so many others that debuted in the 80’s. On the drive home, my daughter said to me, “Mom, I wish I would have grown up in the 80’s. You had the best movies and music!” It’s funny, I totally agree with her. We did have all of that, and more. It was a pretty amazing time to grow up, so let’s take a trip down memory lane!
I could write an entire article on just the music of the 80’s. Well heck, I could do the same with pretty much anything to do with this memorable decade. But seriously, the music was the best. We finally had two-sided cassette tapes that we could pop into either a Sony Walkman or blast from a boombox. Not only that, we created mix-tapes of all our favorite hits.
For the younger generation reading this, think “playlists.”
The 80’s was monumental in establishing new genres such as Hip Hop, New Wave, Big Hair Metal Bands, Boy Bands and the emergence of MTV. I remember driving up and down the strip in Daytona (A1A) with my friends every Friday night because we really didn’t have anything else to do. From Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, to The Beastie Boys “No Sleep till Brooklyn” and Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough”, we patiently waited for our favorite songs to play on the radio unless we were lucky enough to have a tape deck! There were so many great musicians that came from this era. Just a to name more than a few, Prince, The Cure, Journey, New Kids on the Block, LL Cool J, Salt-n-Pepa, Duran Duran, The Cars, The B-52’s, The Police, Van Halen, Twisted Sister, Ratt, Guns and Roses, I could go on and on. The 80’s was a mecca of incredible music. To add to the list, there were also one-hit wonders like Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” which was one of my favorites, Toni Basil’s “Mickey”, and a-ha’s “Take on Me.” With all of these amazing artists, it’s no wonder my daughter prefers the music I grew up with!!
I can remember spending hours watching the first music videos on MTV like “Thriller” from Michael Jackson, and “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits. Who could forget the Super Bowl Shuffle performed by the Chicago Bears! Now let’s all sing along to this one – Josie’s on a vacation far away….. you are welcome!
The 80’s also produced some of the best movies of all time. It doesn’t matter if you were interested in Reece’s Pieces and extraterrestrials, time-traveling DeLoreans, or treasure maps and high school adventures, the 80’s had you covered. In addition to “Top Gun,” every girl remembers Tom Cruise’s underwear dance during “Risky Business.”
I can remember seeing “Ghost Busters” at the theater with my family and “Goonies” with my friends. I was obsessed with the teenage heartthrobs in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, “The Breakfast Club,” and my favorite, “Sixteen Candles.” All of my friends had dreams of Jake waiting outside for them, leaning up against his Porsche, armed with a birthday cake. I mean what more could you want than a hot guy with cake?
If an action-packed flick was what you wanted, “Empire Strikes Back,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and “Robocop” were just a few of the gems in that genre. For horror enthusiasts, we can’t forget “The Shining,” “Halloween,” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” I’m pretty sure some of my nightmares stemmed from these thrillers!
One of my favorite movies, “Dirty Dancing” inspired me to perform the dance from “I’ve Had the Time of my Life” for my high school talent show! My friend Todd and I learned every move and even practiced the final lift in the pool! Those were the best times!
These were the movies and music that shaped my pre-teen and teenage years. To be honest, there haven’t been many songs or box office hits that I have felt as connected to, as the ones I grew up with. Sometimes it’s fun to connect with things from your past to remember where you came from and where you have been in order to fully embrace where you are going! I hoped you enjoyed our little glimpse into the past.
Bueller???
Melodye Lewis is a Friday columnist for Flagler News Weekly giving you something to talk about over lunch. Follow @ALifeWorthBingeWatching on Facebook. #ALifeWorthBingeWatching
