20 Best Songs of the 80s – #14
Cyndi Lauper is one of the few artists on this list who went on to do great things after the 80s — at least creatively. Unfortunately she never again achieved commercial success anywhere close to her peak in that decade.
But in the 80s, she was the bomb. ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun,’ ‘She Bop,’ ‘All Through the Night,’ ‘True Colors’ and today’s song were ubiquitous and her quirky fashion sense and cutesy demeanor made her an MTV favorite.
20 Best Songs of the 80s – #15
Of all the songs on this countdown, this is the one that seems the most ridiculous today in contrast to how cool and interesting I found it back in the day. I remember finding Nancy Wilson very attractive and getting that whole close-your-eyes-and-sway thing going on while contemplating the deep meaning of the music and lyrics.
Man, I was a tool.
I’ve been pulling these Motown Weekend titles from a Web site listing the ‘100 Greatest Motown Songs.’ I don’t necessarily agree with their order but the top 25 has provided me fodder for nearly 3 months worth of fabulous hit songs from the golden era.
I’m less excited, though, by the songs lower on the list. So rather than highlighting those lesser efforts, I’m going to finish out the Motown series by focusing on the #1 singles of The Supremes. I’ve already featured ‘Where Did Our Love Go‘ and ‘Baby Love‘ but they had… wait for it… TEN more #1 singles in their career.
A little background, courtesy of Wikipedia:
The original 1967 version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” was a top twenty hit. According to record producers, Terrell was a little nervous and intimidated during recording because she hadn’t rehearsed the lyrics. Terrell recorded her vocals alone with producers Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol, who added Gaye’s vocal at a later date.[1] “Ain’t No Mountain” peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard pop charts, and went to number three on the R&B charts.
I don’t think there’s any real question that Meryl Streep is the finest actor of her generation. And at the risk of indulging in hyperbole, it might be safe to say at this point that she’s the finest actor of any generation.
Can you even conceive of a movie review that goes something like this: “The film is quite good but for the flat leading performance by Ms. Streep”? Of course not.
On the other hand, I’ve read plenty of reviews along these lines: “The film has its shortcomings but Ms. Streep’s commanding performance elevates the material.” Indeed, her very presence makes every film she’s in at least a little bit better.
