I'd Like to See You in the Morning Light

You are not a true hair metal band of the 80's unless you have a power ballad that features some black and white footage and has concert footage pieced together throughout the video and features a bus in at least one shot. It's the L.A. band founded by Don Dokken known simply as Dokken with "Alone Again"...




Lyrics | Dokken lyrics - Alone Again lyrics

"Alone Again"

by Dokken
released: 1984
from the album: Tooth and Nail

U.S. Billboard Hot 100 peak: #64

Here We Are, the Two of Us Together

I just love the wardrobe in today's video. It's truly vintage 1980's clothing and hair. It's one of the biggest hits for the R&B group from New York known as Atlantic Starr. For all you cheaters out there, you will be able to relate and may even use this as your anthem... "Secret Lovers"...





Lyrics | Atlantic Starr lyrics - Secret Lovers lyrics

"Secret Lovers"
Single by Atlantic Starr
from the album As the Band Turns
Released 1985
Format 7" maxi single
Genre R&B, Pop
Length 5:30
Label A&M
Writer(s) David Lewis, Wayne Lewis
Producer David Lewis, Wayne Lewis

U.S. Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3

80's Television

Quite possibly the worst sitcom of the 80's, today's television flashback brings you back to the mid to late 80's and a family's robotic girl named "Vicki." Vicki was the robotic creation of the engineer dad on the show and the family made every attempt to pass Vicki off as their adopted daughter. That's right, here is the so-bad-it's-funny sitcom "Small Wonder."

the intro...



some awesome highlights from the show....



Small Wonder
Small Wonder poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Genre Science fiction sitcom
Created by Howard Leeds
Directed by Peter Baldwin
John Bowab
Bob Claver
Dick Christie
Linda Day
Selig Frank
Leslie H. Martinson
Starring Tiffany Brissette
Dick Christie
Marla Pennington
Jerry Supiran
Emily Schulman
Theme music composer Rod Alexander
Howard Leeds
Diane Leslie
Opening theme "She's a Small Wonder"
Ending theme "She's a Small Wonder" (Instrumental)
Composer(s) George Greeley
Ed Lojeskie
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 96

Some People Live Their Dreams

Back in 1986 when Michael McDonald's beard was dark, he supplied a little back up vocals for the supergroup Toto on today's hit. "Rosanna" will always be my favorite Toto song, but as far as ballads go this one had a pretty nice run up the Billboard charts including spending some time at #1 on the adult contemporary charts. Here is Toto with Michael McDonald and "I'll Be Over You"...




Lyrics | Toto lyrics - I'll Be Over You lyrics

"I'll Be over You"
Single by Toto
from the album Fahrenheit
B-side "In a Word"
Released 1986
Format 7" / 12"
Genre Rock
Length 3:51
Label Columbia
Writer(s) Steve Lukather, Randy Goodrum
Producer Toto

U.S. Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11

80's Movie Weekend

In the mid-80's, Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase were two of the biggest Hollywood stars going. The two paired up in 1986 on slapstick comedy called "Spies Like Us" which produced a pretty decent film with a few laughs.

the trailer...



I always thought the test taking scene was pretty funny...



training time...



even the late, great Bob Hope makes an appearance...




Sir Paul McCartney sung the title track to the movie and it fared pretty well breaking into the top 10 on the U.S. charts back in 1986. Here is "Spies Like Us"...




Lyrics | Paul McCartney lyrics - Spies Like Us lyrics

"Spies Like Us"
Single by Paul McCartney
B-side "My Carnival"
(Paul McCartney & Wings)
Released November 18, 1985
Format single
Recorded 1985
Genre Pop/Rock
Length 4:48
Label Parlophone/EMI

U.S. Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7

Let's Go

The past two Friday's I've posted some dance club hits from the 80's and why stop now especially since this is opening a whole new door here in The Excellent 80's for singers that had not previously made it into this blog like today's artist. She was born in Sicily and raised in Italy before emigrating to the U.S. when she was 18. She was just slightly older than that in the summer of 1986 when she came out with this dance club hit that reached #8 on the dance club charts. With a very cheesy video and a dude with some horrible hair even by the 80's standards here is Nocera with "Let's Go"...




As a bonus, here is an obviously older Nocera live with her other minor dance hit from the 80's called "Summertime, Summertime"...

I Know You Don't Really Know Me

Even though "Round and Round" remains my favorite Ratt song, today's Ratt video is my favorite and the song is a close second in my books. I'm not sure what the whole set is about... it's kind of like they're playing around is somebody's hair or something. But nonetheless, you've got a cool kid, a clown, a hot chick who is wearing less makeup than the band and a cool rock anthem from Stephen Pearcy and the boys... "Lay It Down"...




Lyrics | Ratt lyrics - Lay It Down lyrics

"Lay It Down"
Single by Ratt
from the album Invasion of Your Privacy
Released 1985
Format Vinyl LP, Cassette, CD
Recorded 1985
Genre Glam metal, Hard rock
Length 3:23
Label Atlantic
Producer Beau Hill

U.S. Billboard Hot 100 peak: #40

Keep Smilin', Keep Shinin'

Ranked as the #1 song of 1986 by Billboard Magazine, I absolutely hated this song. In fact, 24 years later, I am having trouble actually posting this video on my blog. The song was a fund raising charity song for AIDS that brought together four superstars. I still want to burn Elton John's hat in a trash can. What is he Amish? Here are Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Dionne Warwick, and Gladys Knight with "That's What Friends Are For"...




Lyrics | Dionne Warwick With Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder lyrics - That's What Friends Are For lyrics

"That's What Friends Are For"

by Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Dionne Warwick, and Gladys Knight
released: 1986

U.S. Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1

80's Television

Before he was the mega-superstar that he is these days, Johnny Depp was getting his big break with an undercover cop TV drama called "21 Jump Street". Originally airing in 1987, "21 Jump Street" tackled all the problems of the youth. Also starring Holly Robinson and Richard Greico for one season, check out "21 Jump Street"...

the season one intro with part one of the pilot...



You can watch the exciting conclusion on Youtube.


21 Jump Street
Genre Crime drama
Created by Patrick Hasburgh
Stephen J. Cannell
Starring Johnny Depp
Holly Robinson
Peter DeLuise
Dustin Nguyen
Steven Williams
Michael Bendetti
Theme music composer Liam Sternberg
Opening theme "21 Jump Street Theme" performed by Holly Robinson
Composer(s) Peter Bernstein
Jay Gruska
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 103

I Wish I Was in Tijuana Eating Barbequed Iguana

Today's strange little video comes from a strange little band from Los Angeles called Wall of Voodoo. The band did a synthesizer-driven cover of the Johnny Cash song, "Ring of Fire" in 1980, but found moderate chart success with today's song from 1983 entitled "Mexican Radio"... I wish they would have put the four members a little bit closer together during the shooting of the video... that's all.




Lyrics | Wall Of Voodoo lyrics - Mexican Radio lyrics

"Mexican Radio"
Single by Wall of Voodoo
from the album Call of the West
B-side "Call of the West"
Released 1983
Recorded 1982
Genre Dark wave
Length 3:55
Label IRS Records
Writer(s) Wall of Voodoo
Producer Richard Mazda

U.S. Billboard Hot 100 peak: #58

80's Movie Weekend

I never saw today's 80's movie and really don't have much of a desire too. Though John Lithgow is in it as well as Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Goldblum, Peter Weller, and Ellen Barkin it just doesn't appeal to me now nor did it back then even though it has achieved some sort of cult status through the years. Maybe I'll check it out one of these days... or not... here is "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension"...

the trailer...



here is John Lithgow as the evil Italian physicist Dr. Emilio Lizardo...



The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

Directed by W. D. Richter
Produced by W. D. Richter
Neil Canton
Written by Earl Mac Rauch
Starring
Peter Weller
John Lithgow
Ellen Barkin
Jeff Goldblum
Christopher Lloyd
Lewis Smith
Music by Michael Boddicker
Cinematography Fred J. Koenekamp
Editing by George Bowers
Richard Marks
Studio Sherwood Productions
Distributed by 20th Century Fox (theatrical)
MGM (DVD,2002)
Release date(s) August 15, 1984
Running time 103 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $12,000,000
Gross revenue $3,665,306

Nothin' But a Good Time

Well my ears are still ringing from last night's Bret Michaels concert in Fayetteville, AR. I gotta say that the guy put on a really good show, albeit fairly short at about an hour and fifteen minutes.

In honor of the Poison front man let's take a look at then and now for Mr. Michaels. We've already had a "Poison March" in 2009 in honor of the band Poison here at The Excellent 80's. I featured most of their hits, but I did miss this one from the 80's. It's not really a "hit", but it is actually their debut single from "Look What the Cat Dragged In." Here is Bret Michaels, then with Poison, with a song that didn't crack the U.S. Billboard charts but made it all the way up to #97 in the UK - it's "Cry Tough"...


Poison - Cry Tough
Uploaded by EMI_Music. - Explore more music videos.


Lyrics | Poison lyrics - Cry Tough lyrics


Now, let's take a look at today's reality tv star / celebrity apprentice / spokesman for Diabetes. He's got a new VH1 show coming up in October that looks like it centers more around his girlfriend, two children, and his life in general. He also has a book coming out and heart surgery coming up in January to fix a hole in his heart, so the schedule is packed for Mr. Michaels. Here is the theme song from his successful Rock of Love shows, which he performed last night called "Go That Far"




Lyrics | Bret Michaels lyrics - Go That Far lyrics


Bret has always had that soft side to him and now that he has two daughters he made this song about his youngest which also appeared on the "Rock My World" album in 2008. It's a tender ode to his youngest daughter of the same name called "Raine"...




Lyrics | Bret Michaels lyrics - Raine lyrics