Two Playlists About 1989, Previously On Tumblr

From what I understand, people were quote-posting each other on BlueSky about the glory of music from 1989 this week, as they're wont to do. Suddenly, a political pundit announced everyone was retrospectively promoting obscurities, while the real hits of the time were atrocious. Since then, people (well, my people, at least) are debating just how much of a ding-dong he is, and whether the bands On The Cutting Edge in a Columbia House ad were actually obscure.

Though I think this instigator must have an unspoken lingering resentment behind his chagrin (I hope it's that the Trump normalization of the "On Our Own" video was more popular than Gremlins 2's Trump critique, rather than that someone laughed at him in school for not knowing the Pixies), I can't blame people for going on and on about 1989. I know why I do: it's the first year I actively sought out new music for purchase and on the radio! And I sure didn't find it atrocious.

The first CD I ever owned was Fine Young Cannibals' The Raw & The Cooked, followed by the Batman soundtrack, R.E.M.'s Green (a late '88 release, I know) and Full Moon Fever. I also had tapes of Cosmic Thing, Storm Front, and uhhhh... Jive Bunny. I would have bought Seeds Of Love, but my mom was suspicious of salacious song titles like "Woman In Chains" and "Year Of The Knife," so I just had the cassingle for "Sowing." I also received the cassingle for "Rock And A Hard Place," even though I asked for "Mixed Emotions."

I'd also asked my Grandma - the one who worked near Sam Goody in Brooklyn - to get me "anything by Mojo Nixon," as I'd seen the video for "Elvis In Everywhere" and was naturally smitten. She got me his new album Root Hog Or Die, though it would be a few years before I realized what the track "She's Vibrator Dependent" was about, and made it a staple of my middle school mixtapes. Michael Penn's "No Myth" probably wasn't purchased until 1990. I think? It's been a while.

So I get waxing rhapsodic. Even if, yes, Chicago's "Look Away" was stunningly omnipresent. (I hate the phrase "adult swim" has such a different context now, as it evokes my sense that radio - like public pools - would regularly demand us kids stop having fun, so adults could float quietly with their feelings). At least twice in blogs past I was compelled to share an aspect of the era via playlist, and I'll re-share those with you now. (Plus my mea culpa for using Spotify, still valid!)

First up is The Dad Is Hot Tonite, Vol. 3, now re-titled Adult Swim '89. The playlist features 20 songs that made the Top 20 in 1989 with singers in their forties and older. Songs featuring a lead singer over 40 (say, Ray Charles or Kate Pierson) and a lead singer under 40 (say, Chaka Khan or Fred Schneider), were ignored to avoid confusion. Steve Winwood fails to appear because the sole single from Roll With It released in '89, "Hearts On Fire," only reached #22. Maybe I'll make a prequel for '88...

Adult Swim '89
(*not on the YouTube mix, due to the lack of an appropriate VH1-worthy video.)
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start The Fire”
Rod Stewart, “Crazy About Her”
Aretha Franklin & Elton John, “Through The Storm”*
Don Henley, “The End Of The Innocence”
Roy Orbison, “You Got It”
The Doobie Brothers, “The Doctor”
Donna Summer, “This Time I Know It’s For Real”
The Bee Gees, “One”
Chicago, “You’re Not Alone”
The Rolling Stones, “Mixed Emotions”
Stevie Nicks, “Rooms On Fire”
Tina Turner, “The Best”
Alice Cooper, “Poison”
Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville, “Don’t Know Much”
Eddie Money, “Peace In Our Time”*
Poco, “Call It Love”
Aerosmith, “Love In An Elevator”
Cher & Peter Cetera, “After All”
Joe Cocker, “When The Night Comes”
Bette Midler, “The Wind Beneath My Wings”

The second playlist is 1989 Inspired By 1989, described over a decade ago as such: "Criteria for this C90-sized playlist: songs from albums released in 1989, songs sung by women, songs I can imagine Taylor Swift covering (or at least singing along to if heard on satellite radio), songs I can imagine my wife enjoying despite her antipathy for late ‘80s production cliches, songs I like." I'm no longer married - ladies - but I'd say the effort holds up fine! I made a video mix as well, featuring everything!

1989 Inspired By 1989

1. Kirsty MacColl, “Innocence”
2. Michel'le, “No More Lies”
3. Bonnie Raitt, “Nick Of Time”
4. Nanci Griffith, “I Don’t Wanna Talk About Love”
5. Dolly Parton, “Time For Me To Fly”
6. The Roches, “Big Nuthin’”
7. Cher, “Just Like Jesse James”
8. Cyndi Lauper, “I Drove All Night”
9. Shawn Colvin, “Diamond In The Rough”
10. Taylor Dayne, “I’ll Be Your Shelter”
11. 10,000 Maniacs, “Trouble Me”
12. Belinda Carlisle, “Summer Rain”
13. Rickie Lee Jones, “Satellites”
14. The B-52’s, “Roam”
15. Janet Jackson, “Alright”
16. Madonna, “Cherish”
17. Exene Cervenka, “He’s Got A She”
18. Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler, “Back To Life”
19. Kate Bush, “This Woman’s Work”
20. Tracy Chapman, “All That You Have Is Your Soul”

If you have feelings about 1989 - or anything else - that you feel I should hear, express them in a digital letter to anthonyisright at gmail dot com.