Cruisin' With Pablo

One day Will Ferrell will stumble on this early 80's puff ball and attempt a recreation not unlike his Bing/Bowie Christmas redux from a few year ago.  If John C. Reily is on board then so am I.  Until then enjoy the stirring sounds of Pablo Cruises' "Love Will Find A Way" which reached #6 on the US charts in 1981. Happy Monday!

All Hands On The Bad One

It's time for another Happy Monday Challenge. Put your speakers on at 83% max volume. 
1. You get 15 points If you can sit through the entire video. 
2. You get 25 points if someone comes into the room and says "what the hell are you listening to!?". 
3. You lose 35 points if you like the song.

We Had It All In Our Hands

As I've said before, it's all about the choreography. If you want to make it into the halls of Happy Monday make sure your dance moves are in sync.  Not only we do we get cheesy camera mugging from Friends we're also treated to thigh slapping and strutting around in tight red leather pants.  They managed a 7th place finish in the 2001 Eurovision contest.  Caution: Earworm Ahead.  Happy Monday!

Step Away From The Ledge

This lost hit features all the hallmarks of goofy 80's videos: teased up blonde hair, cocaine, guys with earrings in their left ear, hats (they were vogue) and white boy dancing.  The video also features a cliff hanger but stick around for the big "reveal" at the 2:55 mark.  Even I didn't see it coming.   Released in summer '82, the song reached #16 on the US mainstream rock chart. Happy Monday.

Fazeshifters

Yes, I know making fun of Jefferson Starship is easy.  Their repertoire speaks for itself.  Considering their pedigree it's a shame they would end up sounding like an amalgamation of every crappy hard rock seventies band of the time.  I'll leave it up to you to decide if Mickey Thomas is wearing the world's smallest tie or it's just tucked into his shirt (?).   Peaked at #29 (US) in the spring of 1981. Happy Monday.

Control Yourself

For no particular reason, here is a particularly weird video for Laura Branigan's 1984 summer hit "Self Control".  Damn girl, control those eyebrows.  Happy Monday!

Lost Hits (1996): Canadian Edition

A little tradition here at Happy Monday is to resurrect syrupy lost hits on Canada Day.  This time we are concentrating on the mid-90's when it seemed any band could get a video played on MuchMusic. 

First up we have The Gravelberrys featuring Paul Myers, brother of Mike (notice the resemblance) who had a minor hit with Wonder Where You Are Tonight.  A fine little pop song.




Next up is Pluto with a driving slice of indie pop.  The song Paste only reached #46 on the charts in 1996, although I remember the video being in heavy rotation.




And finally, here is Salmonblaster from London, Ont.  The song Freeway is quintessential Canadian indie pop of the era.  I always thought this song would have more success stateside.

If These Pants Could Talk

I think someone should have called the cops on the guys from Dr. Hook for stalking this young lady.  If her blue jeans could really talk I'm sure they would say “leave me alone you creeps, especially you with the patch and the gold tooth".  This abomination rose to #25 on the US charts in 1982.  See if you can count all the ass shots. Happy Monday!

Happy Mondy Reluctantly Declares "Call Me Maybe" Song of the Summer

Truth be told, my mind was made up back in May that this summer there would be no escaping the earwom that is Carly Rae Jepsen's"Call Me Maybe".  Unlike last year's winner "Pumped Up Kicks" which swayed dance clubs and indie rock festivals, Jepsen has served up a pure Top 40 confection not unlike previous summer popsicles like California Gurls and Hollaback Girl.

My hesitation with "Call Me Maybe" lies in the fact that she can do much better.  We've seen her potential back on Season 5 of Canadian Idol, nailing down a variety of songs from Ella Fitzgerald to Feist.  She should have won instead of that incompetent creep Brian Melo.

Carly Rae Jepsen - Georgia On My Mind by annanalickus

The jury is still  out whether CRJ can parlay her new found fame into something more meaningful than "Call Me Maybe".  For now, the song is still a You Tube phenomenon which I guess is as relevant as Double Rainbow and Chocolate Rain.  Perhaps what she needs to do is find a good producer, get signed to the Arts and Crafts label and hang out with the guys from Broke Social Scene.   In fact she should call them, maybe...

A Good Brassy Set

Great God in heaven they certainly don't make music like this anymore. There's a time and place for everything, and in the early 70's big brassy backup bands were the rage. The Ides Of March scored a major hit in May of 1970 with Vehicle and then were not heard from again despite releasing several more albums. More recently Bo Bice performed a competent cover of the song on American Idol. Here is the best clip I could find of the original band.

Eurovision Vamp

The month of May is right around the corner. Over in Europe, 42 countries are putting final touches on their entries for Eurovision 2012. Here is Bucks Fizz with Making Your Mind Up, the winning song from 1981. It is said that the skirt rip off was the coup de gräce for securing the title. Check out this great summary of the event at Rock Town Hall.

Simply Put or Putz

Hey ladies, it's a simple question.   All that Peter McCann wants to know is "do you wanna make love or do you just want to fool around".  I'll let you be the judge if he's winning this crowd over.  Make sure to stick around to the 2:20 mark, when McCann really gets into it.  Reaching #5 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1977.  Happy Monday!

Interpretive Dunce

Sure, it's easy to pick on Cher.  Sometimes low hanging fruit is tastier.  This little dance isn't quite ripe though.  Happy Monday!

Ugh ?

I'm all for bands doing Paul Revere & The Raiders cover songs, but somehow Orlando Riva Sound just doesn't seem to get it right.  And it's not just because they are German.  They could have chosen a better song. Offensive? Perhaps. But come on people, this was Eurodisco 1979. Happy Monday!

Today We Mourn A Monkee

They were the very first band I remember liking as a kid (years before The Beatles).  I wore the hell out of our vinyl copy More of The Monkees and tuned in every every afternoon at 4pm.  If Mike was the brain, Pete was the soul and Mickey was the spirit, then Davy was definitely the heart.  RIP Davy Jones.

Fair Warning

The video begs the question, who really asked for a Van Halen reunion and why? Love those Snooki boots Diamond Dave.

Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream...

The holiday vacations are over and some of you are returning to work Monday.  But let's not fret and worry.  Just keep saying, ain't nothin' gonna break-a my stride, and ain't nothin' gonna slow me down.  Happy Monday.