There's been a fun little Facebook post going around. People are listing their favourite ten albums from their teen years. Well I am a sucker for a list, so knew I had to make one - even though this is really going to age me! The idea is, don't think too hard, just write down the ten albums you remember shaping your teen years. Love to read yours in the comments section.
Well today was another bad one for celebrity deaths, the ridiculously talented Debbie Reynolds died only a day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher. Many turn to social media to share memories, feelings and sorrow. Then there's the other social media users, the ones who seem to be telling us that we are not entitled to our grief.
There are
songs we all love that we say to ourselves, “How the hell didn’t that become a
hit? Seriously, it’s a good song!” That’s what this list is about. Songs I have
always loved, but I may be alone in my adoration of these great tracks. Some
were minor hits, but none of these brilliant songs were massive hits.
What a tragic figure Whitney Houston was. A beautiful woman with a truly special voice. She had the world in her hands, recognised by many as having the best voice in the world. Then with a marriage to Bobby Brown, drugs became a problem for her. Then just as she tried to get her life back together, she died tragically. Her legacy? Some truly inspiring music.
Happy Valentines Day! Today is also the 30th anniversary of one the best debut albums of all time, Whitney Houston's self titled album. I was going to do a classic album review but remembering this was my first album, I thought this would be a fun blog instead.
So I'll ask you, what was your first album bought? Tell me in the comments sections below. It's funny whenever you ask someone this question they are either really proud of their first album, or totally embarrassed. I guess those people probably got Nikki Webster for their first album.
So I would have been 9, and I don't even know how I had the money saved but I did and spent that money on this cassette. Best decision ever. Before I became a lifelong dedicated Madonna fan, Whitney was my favourite. In fact I had a massive poster that I used to have above my bed. Then when Madonna started taking over the walls I tried to put my Whitney poster on the roof but it fell down in the middle of the night and tried to smother me.
So Happy Birthday to an incredible album. The singles here are amazing, and iconic. Single two was the one that really introduced everyone to Whitney, "Saving All My Love". This is still one of my favourite tracks. What a wonderful showcase of her amazing and sadly missed vocals. Second big hit, "How Will I Know" showed Whitney could also have fun with a damn perfect pop song. Final single and her biggest hit from the album was the iconic "The Greatest Love Of All". Wow 10 year old Wayne loved this song, and 39 year old Wayne is still a massive fan. It's a truly beautiful and inspiring song.
Okay folks, your turn, what's your first album? Tell me in the comments section below.
Today is the day, "Internal Jukebox" opens at The Butterfly Club tonight. Exciting times! This will be such a fun show, filled with memories of music. And that was the premise of the show, songs are memories. They take us back to another time in our life, and I wanted to celebrate that.
Over the past few weeks on the Internal Jukebox Facebook page we've been asking musical memory questions. To celebrate the show, I thought I'd revisit some of these questions and their videos:
What's your favourite song of the year so far?
Chandelier - Sia
Let's start with the clip, pretty exceptional. Proves the point that you don't need a lot of money to make an awesome clip (sorry Jess Mauboy). And there's the whole connection to Dance Moms, my secret shame! Plus the song is so God damn catchy. I love that stupid people think this is a party anthem, the amazing dance/pop song is all about Sia's addiction. So any song that can make me lose myself in dance while thinking is a pretty good thing.
What was your first album bought?
Whitney Houston - Whitney
God I loved Whitney Houston as a kid. I even had a poster of her I put on my roof, then it fell down on my face in the middle of the night, scaring the hell out of me. I am so happy this was my first album. I got given some money for a present and went and bought this album on cassette. How good are the singles. "Saving All My Love" still gets me singing along. "How Will I Know" is pop perfection, put it on and people will always get into it; and "The Greatest Love Of All", my favourite as a kid, is a classic. Whitney, I miss you!
What was your first concert?
Bros (yeah, I know)
Hang your head in shame Wayne! Bros. Okay, I don't even feel that bad, It was an awesome gig. I was in year 9 and loved me some Bros! "When Will I be Famous", top track. "I Owe You Nothing", so very good. I went with a group of girls from school (cause of course no boys would want to go) to the Sydney Entertainment centre and sat in like the back row. So far away, but we didn't care. We sang, we dance, we screamed. A great memory. Concert two, Bobby Brown.
What was your favourite track from the 90's?
Secret - Madonna
This is a hard question, and the rest of the cast struggled finding just one. I struggled just finding one Madonna song! But really there could be no other 90's song I could have picked. This came out when I was at Uni and hating my life. Hated being away from home and was holding on to my last ditch effort to be hetero. Madonna became my salvation, especially this catchy tune. The humming in the chorus, the beat, the lyrics and some killer remixes. Still love it to this day.
What song do you still know all the dance moves to?
Venus - Bananarama
Oh Bananarama, how they have brought me joy! Their partnership with Stock, Aitken & Waterman produced some overly catchy tracks - this was a favourite. Then in High School, I joined with Vera Munro-Smith and Catherine Borg and dressed up as Bananarama for a school talent quest and mimed to this song. Pure art. Maybe. Naturally I was Sara, the tall blonde. I am so glad it was the age of no mobile phones, so that footage does not exist.
Who is your favourite Australian artist?
Kasey Chambers
Kasey Chambers, how I love thee. From "The Captain" to her current album, "Bittersweet", her music has been a special part of my life. As a lyricist, Kasey Chambers is a poet. And while her voice may be divisive, I love it. I have seen her a number of times live and she is incredible. In fact, I was in the audience for this live version of "The Captain" at the Opera House. I may have cried while she was singing this, may have. Favourite tracks include, "The Captain", "A Million Tears" and "Little Bird".
What is your favourite karaoke song?
Copacabana - Barry Manilow
Wow, these questions are making me look really daggy!!! I love singing this song at karaoke. It fits my voice and it's fun to dance to. It reminds me of fun nights at trivia at the Greyhound and Friday night karaoke nights with my great friend Tammy.
Tonight is the night, come see my show Melbournites, I love music, and I want to share that with you!
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