In addition to Cyndi Lauper, I also had the "Electric Boogie" (AKA "Electric Slide") in my head this morning. Yet I have not been to any weddings or anything lately. But I know the moves. Oh yes I do. And no I will not demonstrate them unless the song is playing loud and clear. Do you know them?
The video above is from the 1990 release of the song on her album "Carousel", though the song was first created in 1976. The "Electric Slide" dance was created in 1974, setting the stage for all the other line dances that most people either run to or run away from. See "The Macarena". (And yes, I know that one too. Oh tasty alcoholic beverages, what have you done to me!? Oh who am I kidding… I was sober!)
Here is the "how to" for the "Electric Slide" by the creator of the dance, Ric Silver:
If any artist has a legitimate reason to be political, it is her, Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam. Although she was born in London, she grew up amidst the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil militancy. Her stage name, M.I.A., is in part a reference to her being "Missing In Action". I have to believe it is a misnomer at this point though because I believe her popularity has fostered more international sympathy for the Sri Lankan Tamil minority than anything else in the past decade.
I totally agree with her on the so called "War on Terror". "You can't separate the world into two parts like that, good and evil. Terrorism is a method, but America has successfully tied all these pockets of independence struggles, revolutions, and extremists into one big notion of terrorism." The world is not so black and white. Are the Sri Lankan Tamil civilians and militants unjustified for wanting equality or independence when the policies and culture of the majority Sinhalese clearly deny them the same rights and opportunities? One of the origins of the Sri Lankan Civil War is "The government of D.S. Senanayake passed legislation stripping the estate Tamils of their citizenship in 1949, leaving them stateless." No rights?! Sounds like fighting words to me!
This album was a party favorite for my friends and I. I think it was the "Shibuya-kei" genre that appealed to us, but we didn't know what to call it. We knew they were fun, pop, and foreign. As I read the Shibuya-kei wikipedia page, I have to laugh because we also played a lot of Serge Gainsbourg, who is listed as a major influence to the genre. Listening to this song I believe it.
Props to the Japanese for really embracing foreign music. They have repeatedly had excellent bands like "Pizzicato Five", or "The 5.6.7.8's". I need to explore more because I feel like I must be missing out on some.
Time for some "girl music"… er… Madonna remixing Abba. I suppose most people would consider it "girl music", but really it is just super pop-y dance music (aka Europop) with a trance like twist. Ok so most of you are probably saying, "yeah, that's still 'girl music'". It is odd that I feel like I have to legitimize a musician as successful as Madonna but here me out…
Madonna is like candy to me musically. Not very deep or anything. But she frequently has a catchy melody, and a catchy beat (excellent for running to, by the way.) She still has just a touch of the 1980s in her music too, even though she has evolved musically, and I am a huge 1980s music lover. These things keep me listening to her even though it is 'not cool' among either my Indie or 'manly music' listening friends.
You cannot deny that Madonna as a musician is hugely influential and clearly deserved her place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Like it or not, she paved the way for Brittney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Fergie, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, most of the American Idol singers and so many other popular musicians. She has also managed to evolve her music past the 1980s and is still going platinum with just about every album at the age of 50, unlike some of her contemporaries, e.g. Michael Jackson, who lost their way musically (and yes, yes… he lost his way in other ways too).
I think this song "Hung Up" is an excellent example of just how good she is. She has sampled "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" by Abba, a 1979 song that came out only 3 years before her first release in 1982, and made this song her own. I think she even improved upon it. The whole dance floor bit in the video with the boom box it is like she is reminiscing at the same time, perhaps even poking a little fun at the late 70s and early 80s with her pink leotard and purple sequin belt, which I also indicates some brilliance on her part.
To the guys… er… manly men still reading out there…
Perhaps Europop isn't your thing? That's fine. I appear to be a freak (musically) and see value in just about every genre out there. Not all music is for everyone, and it is very unlikely you'd like every song of the day I post.
I'm sorry if your masculinity is threatened in some way by this post. May I suggest some of my other posts like Led Zeppelin or God Lives Underwater to restore you to your proper testosterone levels?
PS: I love "The Family Guy", the FCC episode at the beginning of Season 4, SO funny! And the song! Ha!
PPS: Although Madonna also has songs listed under Rock and Roll, Trip Hop, Trance and Country, I'm leaving this post off of those genre tags so not to cause confusion.
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