Uptown - "(I Know) I'm Losing You" (1987)

A few nights ago, I was listening to a radio station that plays classic rock music. And suddenly, a rock song (sung by a male singer) came on that had some vaguely familiar lyrics. As I listened to the song, the lyrics jogged a memory of the voice of a female singer from the 80s, but I couldn’t place it. I couldn't remember who that female singer was. I was like, "I’ve heard a different version of this song, but who is the singer???” I couldn’t remember for the life of me.

It turned out that the song that was being played on the radio was "(I Know) I'm Losing You" by Rod Stewart and his band Faces, and it dates from the early 1970s. I actually had never heard that particular song before. However, I decided to look up the lyrics because they sounded familiar to me. So, what I discovered was that the song had originally been recorded by The Temptations in the 1960s. It was covered by Stewart in 1971. And then, in 1987, the song was covered again by a band called Uptown. I then realized that the Uptown version was the version that I had heard back in the 80s, and thus that’s why the lyrics of the Rod Stewart song sounded familiar to me.

Surprisingly, I didn’t even remember the Uptown song, as it had been many years since I last heard it. I guess it sort of slipped out of my mind in all of the years that had gone by. So, I decided to look for it on Youtube, to listen to it again. It's always interesting to rediscover something that you haven't seen or heard in many years. And in this case, I rediscovered this song in the most unexpected way. Who knew that a rock song from the 70s would lead me to a dance music hit from the late 80s? Serendipity perhaps? :)

A brief tribute to Ronald Reagan: The greatest president of my lifetime

1981 -1989

With the American presidential election on the horizon, I want to briefly highlight the man I consider the greatest president of my lifetime. Ronald Reagan served two consecutive terms as President of the United States, from 1981 to 1989, and he easily won both elections as landslide victories. As a matter of fact, he won 44 states in the presidential election of 1980, and then 49 states in the presidential election of 1984. I personally have a fond memory of watching his first presidential inauguration on tv in my first grade class, in January 1981.

As president, Reagan was much loved, and there were lots of amazing things about the Reagan years overall (though I can’t possibly mention them all in this one entry). Reagan’s huge triumph in his first presidential election was primarily in response to the disastrous Carter administration of the late 70s. The turnaround that the country experienced during Reagan’s two terms was quite impressive. The decade of the 80s is sometimes referred to as the “Age of Excess” for a reason. It was a time of prosperity. And for me personally, the fact that the 80s was a time was a time of prosperity is probably the most memorable aspect of the Reagan years. The country had a thriving, booming economy. My own parents were able to establish a successful business during that time.

And, one thing that makes Reagan’s accomplishments as president all the more interesting is that it all took place in a time when the USSR was America’s biggest threat, and the Cold War was still in full swing. In the back of many people’s minds, there was the fear of possible nuclear war. Through it all, Reagan managed to keep the threat of the Soviet Union at bay. He proved to be a resolute leader and a statesman, which was exactly what the country needed from the president at the time. In addition, as fate would have it, he even survived an assassination attempt in March 1981.

Helen Reddy: From “I Am Woman” to “Imagination”

As a singer, Helen Reddy was quite famous during the 1970s. Her popular song “I Am Woman” was undoubtedly not only one of her biggest hits, but was also considered an anthem of the so-called “feminist movement.”

In the 80s, however, Reddy’s music took a different direction from the Easy Listening tunes she was known for in the 70s. The year 1983 saw the release of Reddy’s album titled “Imagination,” which went on to be the last album she recorded that contained original songs. Among the tracks was “Imagination,” which bears the same title as the album. The song has a strong synthpop-ish sound, very typical of songs from the early-to-mid 80s. The midsection of the song features an instrumental part, which works well with the accompanying video to the song:

I have childhood memories of watching this video on tv after school.

There is also an extended version to the song.

Grace Jones - “I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)”

In contemporary times, fashion and music have seemed to go hand in hand rather often. Fashion has been influenced by musical styles, and musicians have drawn inspiration from fashion trends. At times, there have even been individuals who found success in both the fashion industry and the music industry, thereby fusing together the worlds of fashion and music. That’s the case with the iconic Grace Jones.

Grace was originally a model. She modeled throughout the 1970s, as well as part of the 80s, working mainly in Paris with top designers such as Azzedine Alaia (to whom she was a muse). She was also a muse to Andy Warhol.

In the late 70s, she landed a record deal with Island Records, and she proceeded to record three albums between 1977 and 1979. In the early 80s, however, Grace entered into a collaboration with stylist Jean-Paul Goude which led to a transformation in her look to a more androgynous style. Coinciding with the burgeoning New Wave style of music, Grace’s own music morphed as well. She released two albums in the early 80s, one of them being 1981’s Nightclubbing.

The album contains reworked versions of previously-recorded songs, the most notable of which is “I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango).” The song went on to become one of Grace’s biggest hits. Also, the song was featured prominently in the 1988 film Frantic directed by Roman Polanski.

Incidentally, the video to the song was directed Jean-Paul Goude, with whom Grace was romantically involved for a time.

There is also an alternate video to the song.

My first post...The 80s Revisited

Hello to any and all readers,

My name is AJ, I'm 37 years old, and I live in the United States.

I was born in the mid 70s, grew up in the 80s, thereby being a so-called "child of the 80s." I love being my age particularly because I got to experience the decade of the 80s in its entirety.

The 80s in and of itself was a fascinating decade. And to a child growing up during that time, the 80s was more than just fascinating; it was a world of wonder.

So, I created this blog to share my memories and to express some of my thoughts on the captivating, unforgettable aspects of the 80s, such as its music, movies, tv shows, fashions, trends & fads, political & world events, celebrities & other individuals of note, as well as to relate personal anecdotes from that time.

For the purpose of this blog, I'm going to include the year 1980 as part of the 80s, although technically, 1980 was actually the last year of the 70s. The reason I want to include 1980 is that many noteworthy things took place that year, and also because people generally consider that year a part of the 80s anyway. Therefore, this blog will span the period from 1980 to 1990.

Without any more hesitation, let's revisit that amazing period in history.