Little Brett, Big City

Savvy marketers have used 80s songs in commercials for awhile now, trying to appeal to Generation X by raiding our old cassette collections. I think it's cute, validating even. Banks and insurance companies now think I'm worthy of their products! I spent a dozen years working at VH1, so I appreciate the power of nostalgia.  Fidelity Investments has been my clear favorite, lifting "Saved By Zero" from The Fixx; "More Than This" by Roxy Music, and "If You Leave" from OMD—forever tied to Molly Ringwald and "Pretty In Pink," no matter what commercial it lands in. Last year I LOL'd when Geico featured "new homeowners" who were thrilled with their house's character, crown molding, and walk-in closets. But they had a rat problem. Flash to the 80s metal band RATT performing their first big hit "Round and Round" in the attic, bathroom and then the kitchen to the annoyance of the residents. For fun, here's my autogra...

This week in 1989, Tone-Loc was blocked from the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 by Paula Abdul and her first hit song "Straight Up."  Sharp-eyed readers will note that this is the third mention of Abdul on this blog, something I never would have guessed when I launched this.  Anyway, Tone-Loc's "Wild Thing" rocketed into the hearts of music lovers around the world thanks to a classic hip hop move: Borrowing an element from something that was tired at the moment and re-inventing it for new audiences.   In this case, the song's guitar riff and drum roll were instantly identifiable from Van Halen's "Jamie's Cryin'" off their first album in 1978 (!) According to Wikipedia (the primary research resource here at "Little Brett, Big City"), the Van Halen management team allowed the sample to be included in "Wild Thing" for a flat fee of $5,000.  But apparently the band members hadn't heard anything about it. Drummer...

Unexpected, but this is my second post about Paula Abdul here. And no, it’s not about her new commercial for that arthritis pain gel. This week in 1989, she hit #1 again. This time with “Cold Hearted,” a song I didn’t really care for then until I saw the video. In an airline pilot’s hat, Paula leads under-clothed dancers to spin and sprawl on studio scaffolding as she warns about a serpentine playa. Entertaining enough. But then the window blinds come down, men’s shirts come off, and the writhing begins. The dancers pair off to “embrace” to the beat, including two guys. Well, one just rolls over the arched back of another. But it was still thrilling to me, a Midwestern kid who was pretty sure he was gay. And thanks to pause-and-rewind on YouTube, I just discovered another male couple in the sweaty mix. What?! Thank you, Ms. Abdul. MTV usually skipped the opening where “label executives” walk into the rehearsal, chatting about the video concept they were about to ...