With school finally in the rearview mirror, summer has officially kicked off in its various incarnations across the 25 years represented here.
1977: 10cc, “People in Love”
I do not recall ever having heard “People in Love” before adding it to this list. It is lovely, if not really a standout. “People in Love” peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100, so this was probably it’s only week in the limelight. “People in Love” sounds very late-70s and makes me think of vans lined with shag carpet.
1982: Van Halen, “Dancing in the Street”
Given the realities of access to music in the early 1980s and in rural south-central Michigan it is likely that I heard (or became aware of) this version of Dancing in the Street before any of the older ones, or indeed the original. It is fun, if light, and it peaked at #38. I think it is indicative of Diver Down as a whole, in that is is not great, but it is awesome! Reminds me of bus rides to and from middle school with overly aggressive high school students using shoulder-punches to imprint us with a proper appreciation of the musical stylings of Eddie Van Halen.
1987: Company B, “Fascinated”
I wasn’t sure if I had heard this song before until the refrain, and then I was all “Oh yeah!” Though I had heard the song (and the video also seemed familiar) I don’t remember ever hearing of Company B qua Company B. I dig it. It’s fun, and probably got quite a bit of play on MTV, back in the day. As a point of interest, the Wikipedia article on Freestyle music has examples of some really great songs.
1992: Mariah Carey, “Make it Happen”
The early nineties are something of a dead zone in my music history, apparently. I have heard a lot of Mariah Carey, but I think the first time I heard this song was while putting together this post. Then again it was not one of her more popular songs and it came from one of her less popular albums, which means according to the rules of capitalism it was shuffled off to the side. But yeah, Carey has an amazing voice, and since coming across “Make it Happen” I have listened to it several times.
1997: Babyface, “Every Time I Close My Eyes”
I like this one. I don’t remember it, but I don’t see how I could have NOT heard it at some point, particularly with backing vocals by Mariah Carey (!) and Kenny G. on sax. I mean, that’s a whole lotta talent in one place. The summer when this charted, I was listening mostly to Tom Waits and Renaissance Fair music, so I amost certainly would have heard this one on MTV or at work.