Okay, so I know the name in the song is not exactly right, but for some reason I've been singing this song in my head with the word "Irene" in it. Anyway, it's almost showtime for the wicked Irene....stay tuned...
Ah, one of Madonna's classics! This was the first single off of her then very much anticipated second album (think of the all of the hype for Gaga's "Born This Way") of the same name. Though this one was comparable to the songs from her debut album, the rest of the album was the "Material Girl's" first musical reinvention of sorts, as she took on some of the producing chores for the first time and recruited Nile Rodgers' production skills as well. (Rodgers was a member of the disco band Chic previously and had been producing hit records for other artists such as Diana Ross and David Bowie, among others.)
I'll save a discussion of the album for some other time, but in the meantime here's the original video for Madonna's "Like a Virgin," which is iconic in and of itself, replete with Venetian gondolas and Mo's slithery moves beneath bridges...
The song "Like a Virgin" has undergone many musical reinventions of its own. Aside from the original video, Madonna has performed the song many times over, beginning with that infamous performance of the song at the VMA's in a wedding dress and BOY TOY belt buckle in 1984.
Madonna at the VMA's in 1984
During the "Who's That Girl Tour" in 1987, Madonna performed the song in an almost comical way, she and her dancers coming out dressed in Vaudevillian attire, slowly removing their costumes to reveal black corsets underneath. Towards the middle of the song, she breaks into a short rendition of the Four Tops "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" and finishes off when her groom joins her on the stage for a last dance and of course a kiss.
Who's That Girl Tour
One of my favorite renditions of "Like a Virgin" was the one Madonna did on the Blond Ambition Tour in 1990. For this one, she slows it down to a Middle Eastern groove and works her way up literally to a climax by the end. This one almost got her in big trouble when she performed it in Toronto, as seen in the "Truth or Dare" film. Check this one out:
Blond Ambition Tour
"Like a Virgin" was given yet another appearance at the VMA's in 2003, when Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera redid the song a la 1984 as an intro to Madonna's "Hollywood." The trio was joined by Missy Elliot, giving a snippet of her then hit "Work That," and of course the most controversial moment of this performance was the KISS! Take a look:
2003 VMA's
Finally, we have Madonna's horse riding themed version of the song from the 2006 Confessions Tour. There's some very cool choreography here as Madonna rides a mechanical horse on a makeshift outer stage, up close and personal with her audience. I must say, she also looks fabulous in this one!
Confessions Tour
Well there you have it, Madonna's many incarnations of "Like a Virgin." I hope you've taken the time to watch at least a couple of them. If you're a diehard Madonna fan like I am, then I know you did. If you don't already have "Like a Virgin," you can pick it up at either iTunes or Amazon by clicking the links below and stay tuned as our Madonnathon continues...
This is the song that first put Soul II Soul on the map with its smooth grooves that were replicated over and over in the late 80's and early 90's. I had the good fortune of seeing them perform at the Palladium in NYC back in the early 90's and it's really a shame their time was so short-lived.
"Keep on movin'", another one of my mantras for life. Though things can get awfully tough sometimes, the only thing you can do is keep on moving, right?
Just yesterday my friend and coworker Wendy were talking about my blog and the Z to A Challenge came up. "Oh my God, I've got to finish that!" In the busy-ness that has been the last month since school ended I had forgotten all about it. Well, though it really should have been over by the end of May, here it is July 27th and I'm only on the letter "O." I did say back then that no matter how long it takes me I would get it done and now that it's back on my mind, hopefully I will get it done soon! If you want to check out past posts on this particular challenge, which is all dedicated to music, check out the "Z to A Blogger's Challenge" label below and to the right.
"Oh Sheila" is a #1 R&B song from 1985 sung by a group called Ready for the World. The song has that quick, drum background remniscent of the Minneapolis sound that was so popular back thenn and I played it out on my CD player. Though I rarely take a listen to it anymore, I still love it when I do. Btw, there whole albumm was great, too! Do you remember "Oh Sheila?"
It's Pride Weekend in New York City and if you read my last post you know that this year we have a lot more to celebrate than just our pride in who we are. In recognition of this historical moment in time, I'll be featuring special "Pride Songs of the Day," with great songs by LGBT artists.
First up is an openly gay duo that got their start in the 80's New Wave movement, but these guys are so good they're still going strong even today. I featured one of their songs in my last post, a beautiful one called 'In My Arms,' and since I couldn't decide between two others, I'm celebrating them both here.
Chains of Love
'Chains of Love' is an up tempo ditty from 1988 that's catchy and melodic, uplifting and fun. It was the group's first big breakthrough in the US and no one who was around back then could not know this one. Enjoy...
A Little Respect
Next up is an irresistably melodic tune that became one of the group's signature songs. It showcases the tender side of lyric writing by the group's members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. Great tune!
I hope you've enjoyed these songs as much as I did. Stay tuned tomorrow for some more great songs from LGBT artists. Happy Pride! Tweet
It’s Monday night, the last Monday of a work week for me until September…I should be in a great mood, but I’m not really that excited yet. I guess it’s just the thought of waking up at 5AM for four more days, lol. Today was a rough one, as I started it off with a funeral, but at least the weekend was interesting, to say the least…
Lesbian Matchmaker
I don’t really know why I always go to the Grove. I should be going to the Pines, where the men are, but instead I always find myself at Cherry’s On the Bay even though there’s not usually a chance in hell that I’ll ever meet anyone there. I guess I’m just used to going there and besides, I’ve heard the Pines doesn’t get started until really late and I have to work myself up to staying out there all night long. It’s one of my goals for the summer!
This week was Cherry’s “New Year’s Eve” party…I really have no idea what that was. I got there around 9ish and I was at first happy to see there was a crowd already. Unfortunately when I got up close, I saw that it was mostly women. Oh, there were some guys, yes, a couple of cute ones, too, but it definitely wasn’t Splash on a Saturday night if you know what I mean. I immediately ran into my friend Michael and we chatted by the dance floor. Within a few minutes one of my songs, ‘Let Me Think About It,’ came on and I was off and dancing as Michael checked his phone messages.
Within seconds, I was dancing with this really beautiful girl who was immediately drawn to me and the way I was dancing. She was with someone, clearly the butcher of the two, and I at first thought they were lovers. The three of us played off of each other for a long time on the dance floor and ended up dancing together on and off again the rest of the night.
I then ran into an old friend of mine, Laurie. You might remember me talking about her. She’s the one I ran into at the Bunkhouse a couple of weeks back that left me with her chatty menstrual friend. She was there sans friend and she was in a much better mood than she was that night.
Laurie and I have known each other for years, but we’ve never gone out together. We usually just run into one another at this place or that, chat a little and that’s it. Since she had come alone Saturday like me, we hung out more than we usually do. She had met two friends there, two guys who I’ve met before. One of them went out briefly with another acquaintance of mine and the other asked me out quite a few times last summer. He looks like Kevin James from that TV show “King of Queens” and so I wasn’t really interested. Needless to say, he wasn’t too happy to see me when Laurie introduced us.
The two of them caught an early ferry and then it was just Laurie and I. The deejay got into some oldies: Prince’s ‘1999,’ Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect,’ and even some old Michael Jackson. It’s not often you hear that type of music in bars nowadays so we were getting into it. As we danced, Laurie leaned over to ask me if that girl I had been dancing with was with the other girl. She was interested!
“You want me to give you a hand?” I asked, feeling a little excited and confident at the proposition.
“Nah,” she quipped, but I already had my mind set. Even when I was away from the girl, she had been constantly looking over towards me and we kept going back to one another to dance some more all night. I wasn’t sure if Laurie had a chance with her. It seemed to me that the girl she was with might’ve been her lover, and besides, I didn’t know if she’d be attracted to my friend.
For the next hour or so we all danced around, me trying to get the two of them close enough to each other for Laurie to make her move. Finally, a song came on that I just couldn’t dance to…’Last Night,’ by P Diddy, I think, and I left the two of them on the dance floor. My job was done. Laurie and Katherine were dancing and talking up a storm, and I walked away happy.
As things happen over there, I floated off on my own, venturing over to the Ice Palace for a bit and then back to Cherry’s for some more dancing. I was having a good time. Finally, around 12:15 or so, I decided to get my favorite slice of Cherry Grove pizza (I don’t know why, but it’s the best!). I walked over to order a couple of slices and Katherine’s friend, yes she was just a friend, I believe her name was Jaqueline, came to ask me to join the two of them at a table. They had already been eating pizza.
Laurie was still at Cherry’s, but the time soon came for the last ferry and we all met up with her at the dock and rode back to Sayville chatting up a storm like we were all old friends. I have no idea if Laurie ever got her number or if they’ll ever see each other again, but I sure had a good time!
Okay, we're back on track, a little, with the Z-A Blogger's Challenge. Today's letter is "S" and since this is one of my favorite times of year, I decided to dedicate this one to summer. In recent weeks I posted two articles on Y!CN: 10 Great Summer Albums and Awesome Summer Songs for All Sorts of Summertime Scenarios and both articles put some of those songs in my head, especially the ones that I haven't listened to in years. So, this post is dedicated to some of those great songs that many of us associate with summer. Take a look at the articles to check even more of them out, but in the meantime, enjoy these choice selections...
S is for Summer Songs
Summer Nights - John Travolta and Olivia Newton John
Anyone who was around in 1978 will remember that classic summer movie, Grease. The film was all about a summer romance between John Travolta's Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton John's Sandy Olsson and was full of memorable tunes such as this one. 'Summer nights' comes at the beginning of the movie and I can remember playing it over and over again during that summer of 78. Check it out:
Cruel Summer - Bananarama
The year was 1983 and these three harmonious British gals were just beginning to make waves with this summer hit...
Soak Up the Sun - Sheryl Crow
This one from folk/rock/pop singer Sheryl Crow is one of my all time favorite summer, feel good songs.
I'm gonna soak up the sun, gonna tell everyone to lighten up...
Rock the Boat - Hues Corporation
So I'd like to know where, you got the notion...
Oh man, I remember this one from when I was a wee one! So catchy and so timeless...
Rock the boat Don't rock the boat baby Rock the boat Don't tip the boat over
The Locomotion - Little Eva
Everybody's doin' a brand new dance now...
This one's not necessarily a summer song, per se, but it makes for a great old fashioned summer dance song. Kylie even remade this one once upon a time!
You've got to move your hips now...
Kokomo - The Beach Boys
What would summer music be without the Beach Boys? This one, from the 1988 film, 'Cocktail,' is one of the later songs from these California, surf music innovators, but it's just as loved as any of their big surfin' hits.
This one's perfect for a hot summer dance, with a little Latin flava! Love this song!!!
Well there you have it, some choice selections for pure summer music enjoyment. Though summer hasn't officially begun yet, the weather's already nice and the time is ripe for some great summer music. I hope you've enjoyed my picks for some of the best summer songs out there and remember to check out my articles above for more great, hot summer tunes. Until next time, peace! Tweet
I’ve definitely been slacking in the Z-A Challenge. Though I’m already almost six weeks behind, I intend to see it through all the way until the end. After all, some of my entries in both the A-Z and Z-A Challenges are among my highest rated, and so I think I’ll stick with it. The next letter in our succession is the letter “T.” I could have done a lot of things with it, but I heard a song the other day that I used to love in the early nineties…
T is for 'Things Can Only Get Better'
I thought I’d already looked for this song on YouTube once upon a time and couldn’t find it, but I put it in again tonight for shits and giggles and surprisingly it came up many times. ‘Things Can Only Get Better,’ by a British group called D:Ream. I discovered it on one of the many club CD’s I had purchased in those days and I loved it upon first listen. The song’s got all of the things I like in a song: inspirational lyrics, a catchy chorus, and lots of highs and lows to keep it varied in tempo. The beginning of the song is a bit cut off in the video…I tried several before realizing they’re all like that, but it’s not that big of a deal. Check out ‘Things Can Only Get Better,’ by D:Ream:
Of course that’s not the only song with the same name. I’ll bet that when most of you saw the title, you probably thought of this other, more popular tune from the 80’s. Howard Jones’ ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ was a big hit back in the day and though I prefer the D:Ream song to this one, I do still like Jones’ song. I couldn’t put one here without the other, so without further adieu, here’s Howard Jones:
I knew a girl named Nikki I guess you could say she was a sex fiend...
I don't know why, but for some reason I never downloaded any of my Prince CD's on to my iPod. I heard 'I Wanna B Your Lover' in the supermarket the other day and so I had him on the brain, so yesterday I loaded up all of my old Prince discs and had a ball listening to them in the process. The man is simply a musical genius, with so many great records from 'Controversy' and 'Delirious' to 'Sign of the Times' and 'Diamonds and Pearls' and so many more.
...I met her in a hotel lobby masturbating with a magazine...
I remember when I spotlighted 'When Doves Cry' a couple of months back that Prince doesn't allow his videos to be displayed on YouTube for some reason I really wasn't going to be too picky about which of his songs was going to be "Song of the Day" today because they're all that good. All I did was type 'Prince' into YouTube's search box and I did surprisingly get clips from the movie 'Purple Rain.'
...she said how'd you like to waste some time and I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind...
'Darling Nikki' was one of my favorite songs off of the 'Purple Rain' CD. The song is used as a way for the singer to get back at his girl Appolonia for hanging with his rival, The Time's Morris Day. He brings the poor girl to tears and as she runs out of the building he ad libs a scream out to her, "come back Nikki, come back." Love the song and love the movie. I think I have a Prince piece or two in me...stay tuned. In the meantime, check out my full review of the 'Purple Rain' album right here and enjoy 'Darling Nikki':
Yo all you homeboys out in the Bronx, this one's for you!
Today's "Song of the Day" is a crazy, mixed up, mash up of a song from 1987. It is known as one of the very first songs ever to make use of samples from a bunch of different tunes, which is now very common. I was listening to some dance music from the 80's yesterday when I got the idea to honor it today.
I remember that Joe, my ex, loved this one a lot back in the day and since today would have been his and my 24th anniversary, I'm dedicating it to him. Ironically, the tune was release just two short months after I met him and I can recall many times dancing with him to it in the clubs. Ah, the memories, lol!
Anyway, it was and still is a cool club song that's still easy to dance to, so kick back, relax and enjoy M/A/R/R/S' 'Pump Up the Volume.'
Way back in the early 80’s, rock/pop superstar Prince was beginning to spread his influence by assembling and working with new acts. The singer succesfully produced several musical acts such as The Time, Sheila E, Carmen Electra, and this group…
V is for Vanity Six
I first thought of talking about Vanity Six when I was at Cherry’s on the Bay in Fire Island this past weekend. I was dancing to a great set of music by superstar deejay Susan Levine when an updated version of Apollonia 6’s song, ‘Sex Shooter,’ came on. Of course, Apollonia 6 was really Vanity Six revamped after lead singer Vanity (nude model and onetime Prince girlfriend Denise Matthews) left the group to pursue a short-lived solo career. This happened prior to the filming of Prince’s classic, semi-autobiographical film, ‘Purple Rain,’ in which the lead singer of the group would be his love interest.
Matthews was replaced by actress and model Patricia Kotero, dubbed Apollonia by the singer, and the group recorded one album in addition to their appearance in the film, but that’s another story for another time.
Vanity Six also made their one record, an eponymous album of sexy R&B dance tunes that made a few waves on the music scene. Their biggest hit was a song called ‘Nasty Girl’ and it was a hypnotic blend of raw sensuality and funk. Check it out:
Though personally I listened to the whole album a lot when it was out there, there’s really only one other song that I remember, a more fluffy tune and the group's first single called ‘He’s So Dull.’ Check this one out:
So there you have it: Vanity 6, a short lived Prince assembled girl group whose biggest claim to fame, besides ‘Nasty Girl’ was the lingerie they wore on stage. On a side note, Matthews became a holy roller not long after her singing career sputtered and she hasn't been heard from since. I hope some of you remember the group and at least one of the songs. In the meantime, here’s Apollonia 6’s ‘Sex Shooter’:
In a stark contrast to the letter “X” where there was very little to choose from, the letter “W” offers many of my favorites from the world of music, from great songs to great albums and even some fantastic artists. It’s been hard to choose from amongst all of the possibilities, so like I did with the letter “B” on the way down, I’m going to do the same with the letter “W” on the way back up…
W is for so many songs…
W is for ‘Waka Waka’
I posted this one as “Song of the Day” way back on March 2nd and it’s shortly become one of this blog’s hottest posts. I’m including it here because it’s become one of my favorite songs since I first discovered it a few months back because it’s both inspirational and fun. Check out the original post, with the video right here.
You're a good soldier Choosing your battles Pick yourself up And dust yourself off Get back in the saddle…
The pressure is on You feel it But you got it all Believe it
When you fall get up, oh oh If you fall get up, eh eh Tsamina mina zangalewa Cause this is Africa
W is for ‘Walk Away’
‘Walk Away’ is a Donna Summer song off of her classic 1979 album ‘Bad Girls.’ The song has always been one of my favorites and it’s kind of sad, but with a great musical track that’s pure disco through and through. I found solace in the song not long after my recent breakup…
I'm sure that I'll get over you It'll take me a while you see Next time, there won't be no next time Save all my feelings for me
And I’m truly getting there! Check out this great, great song:
W is for ‘Walk This Way’
The year 1986 was a monumental one in the world of music. During that year, popular rap trio Run DMC recorded their own updated version of Aerosmith’s classic rock anthem ‘Walk This Way’ and history was made. The song married the two genres together for the very first time and propelled rap music into the mainstream forevermore. The hit record also became the catalyst for the resurgence of the rock band, whose popularity had been lagging since the turn of the decade. Check out the video for the remake, with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry joining forces with the trio from Hollis, Queens for a fun MTV-style video.
W is for ‘Wannabe’
Who could forget those wacky, funky Brit chicks who rocked the world with their spicy brand of pop ditties back in the 90’s? Check out the Spice Girls’ first big hit, ‘Wannabe’:
Yo, I tell you what I want, What I really, really want...
W is for ‘We Got the Beat’
The Go Go’s were another fabulous girl group from the previous decade and this thumping tune is one of my all time favorites:
W is for ‘We Will Rock You’
Queen is one of the greatest rock bands to ever hit the stage. With so many great songs in their catalog, one can’t help but wonder how many more we’d have had Freddie Mercury not left us so soon. Classics such as ‘We Are the Champions,’ ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ ‘Fat Bottomed Girls,’ ‘You’re My Best Friend,’ and the song that inspired the name of a current pop star, ‘Radio Gaga,’ are but a small portion of the huge legacy this band left behind. This is one of my favorites, a rock anthem that’s so powerful it is still commonly used as rallying cries at sporting events around the globe. Oh, and I used to love that 'News of the World' album cover, too!
W is for ‘When I Grow Up’
We began this post with a song from recent times and we finish just the same. This one, by the funky Pussycat Dolls, still fills up dance floors whenever it’s played. Enjoy 'When I Grow Up':
Now I’ve got a confession, ha ha ha ha
So there you have it. It's been really difficult choosing the songs to include here because there are so many. Perhaps some of the ones I didn't choose will pop up here or there, we'll see. I tried to include songs of different genres and generations so hopefully there's a little something for everybody to enjoy. I certainly had a great time listening to all of these and maybe, just maybe there are some of you out there who enjoyed them all as much as I did. As always, thanks for checking out my blog! Tweet
