KROQ Roq of the 80’s is an online radio station thing now, at Radio.com. Today they started a Top 500 songs of the 80’s (per KROQ back in the 80’s) playlist that hit the airwaves (or online-waves) at 8am this morning (PST). I’ve been listening off-and-on since. Most songs I’ve heard come with a heap of memories and have me swirling around in nostalgia. The full 500 list is online, so I thought it would be fun to delve into the songs as a “flashback” feature. I’ll post 5 songs per post, and include a little about the song, and include a few flashes of the past that come to mind when I play them. Feel free to share yours in the comments below.
KROQ Roq of the 80’s Flashback 500
Top 500 Songs
Songs 500-496
1. “Time Warp” by The Rocky Horror Picture Show cast
from the album, The Rocky Horror Picture Show Original Soundtrack (1975)
“It’s so dreamy,
oh, fantasy free me.
So you can’t see me,
no, not at all.
In another dimension,
With voyeuristic intention
Well secluded, I see all.”
I remember the first time I saw Rocky Horror. It was with theatre class friends. We went to see it at the Orange Mall movie theatre, which is no longer there. It would be another Rocky night at that theatre that I would meet my first boyfriend. In between, I’d go and see the movie at the Balboa Theater mostly, midnight showing, with my best friend. Sometimes we’d dress up like Magenta (me) and Columbia (her). This song is a go-to, cheer me up song, as is the entire soundtrack. Though it isn’t my favorite track from the movie, it still makes me giddy to hear.
2. “Kiss Off” by Violent Femmes
from the album, Violent Femmes (1983)
“You can all just kiss off into the air,
behind my back,
I can see them stare.
They’ll hurt me bad but I won’t mind.
They’ll hurt me bad they do it all the time.”
The album this track is on seems like one of the all-time best “kiss off” albums (pun intended) there is. I remember that the troubled relationship I had with my oldest daughter’s father was ending and this album came as that month’s Columbia House selection. I came home from work and it was playing in our apartment. We were too young to know how to make things work. We were a mess. We were on the verge of ending.
This song felt like it summed it all up.
3. “Getting Away With It” by Electronic
from the album, Electronic (1991)
“However I look it’s clear to see,
that I love you more than you love me.”
Not quite the 80’s, though 1991 is close. It definitely feels part of the era. Electronic was a short-lived New Wave supergroup. I remember seeing them open for Depeche Mode at the Rose Bowl. Besides that show, I do not have any specific memories attached to this song, though I do remember it playing quite a bit at the college radio station (Fullerton College) where I went. I’d sit on the benches outside of the station between classes, doing homework, or reading, and crushing a bit on a guy who’d hang out there a lot, too. Some afternoons we’d talk music. But it never went farther than that.
4. “Antmusic” by Adam and the Ants
from the album, Kings of the Wild Frontier (1980)
“So unplug the jukebox,
and do us all a favour.
That music’s lost its taste,
so try another flavour –
‘ant music’ ‘ant music’.”
Speaking of crushes…Adam Ant definitely made my teenage list.
I was just thinking that this song’s sentiment pairs up well with The Smith’s “Panic”. All that radio play/DJ hate and call for new sounds.
5. “Love Shack” by The B-52’s
from the album, Cosmic Thing (1989)
“Glitter on the mattress.
Glitter on the highway.
Glitter on the front porch.
Glitter on the hallway.”
Though I loved the Cosmic Thing album, I never cared much for this track. Maybe its because radio play way overdid it. Maybe its because it lacked some of the nuances the other songs did (especially “Deadbeat Club”, “Topaz” and “Roam”). Or maybe I just grew tired of it quickly.
Years later, in the 2000’s, I did sing it with my boyfriend at the time, and his best friend, at karaoke. That’s a fun “Love Shack” memory.
No matter the reason, it is my least favorite B-52’s song. But there’s no denying it was a huge hit. I’m not surprised it found a place on this list.
KROQ Roq of the 80’s Flashback 500
Top 500 Songs
