Scenic Route: Cold War Kids hail from Southern California. They put out fun records. This latest one feels more energized. Especially this week’s song “Miracle Mile.” It is rare that a piano doesn’t influence a song for the better. I am digging this song. I am glad I found it at this time of the year. Much more fun to shout along to it with greenery all around while wearing shorts. I love the pleading from lead singer Nathan Willett. He’s begging to see you “come up for air.”

Scenic Route: Daft Punk is known for putting on one of the best live show of all time. The lights, beats, and other visuals make it a must-see event. It is on my bucket list. They were rumored to play at Coachella this year but that was shot down early during the rumor cycle. However, when a commercial featuring Daft Punk’s upcoming album (feat this song in the background) came on the video screens at the main stage, hundreds of fans sprinted there from all over the polo grounds. Wow! That was big time excitement, with just a taste of whats to come in the next few months. With all the new lighting technology happening today you can guarantee that their next tour will be a must for their fans and all lovers of solid dance music.

10) The System “Don’t Disturb This Groove”

This song is special to me because it part of the soundtrack during a round trip that my father and I took back in 1987. It was in his black and red Bronco II and it spanned across Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky. It was a business trip but I tagged along and impressed him with my knowledge of every artist playing on the radio. This song made it to #4 on the charts and still transports me back to that summer. This was the last song to make my list, barely beating out Chaka Khan’s “I Feel For You.”

9) Nik Kershaw “Wouldn’t It Be Good”

I do not have a great reason for loving this song, except that it grabbed me on first listen. That should be enough. I first heard it once in 1984 and couldn’t get it out of my head. I only heard it a few times during its initial release on local radio station 95XIL and didn’t have the wherewithal to go get this tape. Flash forward to the summer of 1996 where I saw it at Best Buy on a discounted 80′s collaboration cd. I immediately overplayed this song, and for good reason. It hit on all the levels I briefly remembered as a seven year old. Some simple hooks can help artists go platinum. This hook wormed its way into my memory and stayed there until I found the song again 10 years later.

OCHO) Falco “Rock Me Amadeus”

When “Rock Me Amadeus” came out in 1985 my elementary school classmates and I lost our shit over this song. It had the coolest arrangement that we just couldn’t get enough of. This was before I bought tapes so I stayed glued to the radio in hopes of hearing this weird-ass masterpiece. For a few months you could catch it in the last hour of Casey Kasem’s Weekly Top 40. Falco is Austrian and tragically died in a car wreck at the age of 40 in 1998. He holds the distinction of being the only principal speaking German singer to reach the #1 song in the US. The guitars, the DJing of the vocals, the foreign language, the guy that sounds like Egon from Ghostbusters reading off dates and facts, and “baby do to you rock me now ow aye yea,” all add to the adventure of this masterpiece.
One of my elementary school classmates brought this record single to class and we would plead, beg, and pester our teacher to play it throughout the day. We only got to hear it before we went home. Our parents must have thought that we were enamored with schoolwork as we exploded out the schoolhouse door with smiles on our faces, when in fact it was Falco all along!

7) Madonna “Borderline”

Yeah, I know its Madonna, but what can I say. I love this song and a lot of her other hits from the 80′s. Borderline was my first experience w/ Madonna. Who knew she would still be around. Nothing about this song isn’t infectious. It is one of those songs that could be sung in the 90′s, 00′s or today, by a number of female stars and still be a hit. There are excellent cover versions by The Chapin Sisters and The Flaming Lips.

6) Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls”

This song went number one in the US in 1986. It grabbed me on first listen, which came via the Weekly Top 40. It was infectious and I had no idea what a West End Girl or East End Boy was. The bass and synth arrangement grabbed me from the onset. Classic song that never gets old.

5) INXS “New Sensation”

My favorite band of the 80′s was INXS. The best proof of this was the time my dad gave me $10 to use for a day at the mall. In the first 15 minutes I blew $9+ dollars on an INXS poster. I only had enough money left to buy some Spree from a gumball dispenser. Yes, I loved most of the songs from the band de Australia. But “New Sensation” was my jam. I didn’t pay attention to the lyrics but everything else about the song grabbed me. At summer camp that year our troop decided to sing “New Sensation” for our lip synching performance. I was cross that I wasn’t picked to synch it. I was even MORE cross when our lead syncher dropped out and our counselor had the back up camper synch it. I must have been a shite lip syncher even to one of my favorite all time songs.

4) Phil Collins “Sussudio”

Phil Collins gets a bad rap. Recently in a music mag he expressed his confusion on why he is ‘hated’ so much by the masses. He argues he made songs that people love. So why the hate?
Phil, I have no idea why people hate you. There are so many offenders from the 80s/90s that this accusation confounds me as well. You had some songs that didn’t grab me but that is true with every band ever. If it makes you feel better Phil, “Sussudio” is my number four 80s song of all time. Why? The horns, the bitchin lyrics, the sense the lyrics made etc. (If you want to know what Sussudio means then google it.)
Back in 1985 I remember clearly the day my dad took me to a business meeting in a restaurant in downtown Marietta, Ohio. He bought me a New Coke and gave me a dollar for the jukebox. This was my first time using a jukebox and to the delight of all the patrons I played “Sussudio” four times in a row. Hence the number four spot on my list.

3) Joe Jackson “Steppin Out”

The piano, bassline, and lyrics gave me my first vision of what going on a date in New York City must feel like. I thought the daytime would play out more like Sesame Street. When I got there for the first time in 1987 it was different than I had pictured. Not in a bad way, just different. Even today when I visit Gotham I see glimpses of the New York I dreamed of as a ten year old. This song is a classic. It works great when one is getting ready to go out on a date in a big city, versus mowing grass in the middle of a Mid-Western Summer.

2) Talk Talk “It’s My Life”

A grand song. It feels epic and defiant. It is my life and you cannot tell me what to do with it! You can really hear it in lead singer Mark Hollis’s pleading. When No Doubt covered this song I was disappointed that Gwen Stefani didn’t give it her all. She didn’t sound as if the world was being taken away from her like the original version. If she had it would have been haunting. But she was in a good place in her life when she made that. Imagine someone oppressed for years belting this song out. It would chill the soul.

1) Tears for Fears “Head Over Heels”

So this is it. My #1 80′s song. When we lived in West Virginia my mother taught at the local high school. One day she brought home a Tears for Fears dubbed tape from one of her students. It was the “Songs from the Big Chair” album. We listened to this as a family while driving around in my father’s Bronco II. This song planted its seed in my head and the ivy has only grown since that day. I was ecstatic to see it during one of the best scenes in the cult classic ‘Donnie Darko.’ The is a perfect example of an excellent 80′s song: synth, English vocals, and grand singalong ending. “Head over Heals” never gets old. Thanks for keeping up with the countdown.

Scenic Route: So Coachella ended, but Glastonbury is but 2 months away. I am getting unusually excited for it. This week’s band Disclosure features two brothers from England. They are headlining the new Dance tent at G-bury. Nas and AlunaGeorge are the other tent headliners that weekend. If Portishead isn’t playing at the same time I will be there jamming along to this and their other jams. The chorus grabbed me on first listen. Gotta love it, right! This is one of many previews to come for the upcoming G-bury Fest.

Scenic Route: Even though I did not attend this year’s Coachella Festival, I still researched the bands performing. I’ve discovered many a great band doing this routine each Spring. M83, Friendly Fires, La Roux, Elefant, Erase Errata, Death Grips, were just some discoveries I made. This week’s band, White Arrows is an LA based group that played the festival year. I found this song and was grabbed by it right away. I can’t place who the vocalist resembles, but his unique delivery. Fun fact is that lead singer Mickey Church was born legally blind, but his sight corrected itself when he was 11. Amazing Grace.

1) Tears for Fears “Head Over Heels”

So this is it. My #1 80′s song. When we lived in West Virginia my mother taught at the local high school. One day she brought home a Tears for Fears dubbed tape from one of her students. It was the “Songs from the Big Chair” album. We listened to this as a family while driving around in my father’s Bronco II. This song planted its seed in my head and the ivy has only grown since that day. I was ecstatic to see it during one of the best scenes in the cult classic ‘Donnie Darko.’ The is a perfect example of an excellent 80′s song: synth, English vocals, and grand singalong ending. “Head over Heals” never gets old. Thanks for keeping up with the countdown.

Scenic Route: Wavves produces catchy music. Its that simple. This SoCal based group puts out perfect jams for warmer climates, such as the one most of us are in right now. Speaking of the sun, this is my first weekend to pass on the Coachella festival since 2006. There are a lot of solid bands playing this weekend but the feeling I had last year was one of familiarity. I was not as excited to attend or enthralled with all that was offered. So this year we are going to Glastonbury in England. The oldest and largest greenfield festival in the world. Headliners for 2013 include Artic Monkeys, Mumford and Sons, and The Rolling Stones. Portishead, Smashing Pumpkins, Public Enemy, Nick Cave, Kenny “F#cking” Rogers and more will be playing as well. This is a venue out of my comfort zone and on another continent. I have been wanting to attend for years and am excited to have luckily gotten tickets just minutes before they sold out. Stay tuned for more to come in the future. In the meantime check out my #2 80′s song of all time.

2) Talk Talk “It’s My Life”

A grand song. It feels epic and defiant. It is my life and you cannot tell me what to do with it! You can really hear it in lead singer Mark Hollis’s pleading. When No Doubt covered this song I was disappointed that Gwen Stefani didn’t give it her all. She didn’t sound as if the world was being taken away from her like the original version. If she had it would have been haunting. But she was in a good place in her life when she made that. Imagine someone oppressed for years belting this song out. It would chill the soul.

Scenic Route: The first time I played this song I had to immediately play it again. Something is magnetic about it. Maybe it is the ‘not give a shit’ moxie of this Brooklyn-based band.

3) Joe Jackson “Steppin Out”

The piano, bassline, and lyrics gave me my first vision of what going on a date in New York City must feel like. I thought the daytime would play out more like Sesame Street. When I got there for the first time in 1987 it was different than I had pictured. Not in a bad way, just different. Even today when I visit Gotham I see glimpses of the New York I dreamed of as a ten year old. This song is a classic. It works great when one is getting ready to go out on a date in a big city, versus mowing grass in the middle of a Mid-Western Summer.

Scenic Route: Ryan McPhun came to New Zealand from Oslo. In doing so he formed The Ruby Suns and has been putting out vibrant material since. This is the second post of a Ruby Sun song on YoBigBro. I love the glitz and cheer of this track. Would be a great song for a morning alarm!

4) Phil Collins “Sussudio”

Phil Collins gets a bad rap. Recently in a music mag he expressed his confusion on why he is ‘hated’ so much by the masses. He argues he made songs that people love. So why the hate?
Phil, I have no idea why people hate you. There are so many offenders from the 80s/90s that this accusation confounds me as well. You had some songs that didn’t grab me but that is true with every band ever. If it makes you feel better Phil, “Sussudio” is my number four 80s song of all time. Why? The horns, the bitchin lyrics, the sense the lyrics made etc. (If you want to know what Sussudio means then google it.)
Back in 1985 I remember clearly the day my dad took me to a business meeting in a restaurant in downtown Marietta, Ohio. He bought me a New Coke and gave me a dollar for the jukebox. This was my first time using a jukebox and to the delight of all the patrons I played “Sussudio” four times in a row. Hence the number four spot on my list.

Scenic Route: Nick Cave is quite a story teller. This song not so much, but the first track off their latest release “Push the Sky” works in all the right ways. The piano and doom mixed together make for one eerie walk through the woods.

5) INXS “New Sensation”

My favorite band of the 80′s was INXS. The best proof of this was the time my dad gave me $10 to use for a day at the mall. In the first 15 minutes I blew $9+ dollars on an INXS poster. I only had enough money left to buy some Spree from a gumball dispenser. Yes, I loved most of the songs from the band de Australia. But “New Sensation” was my jam. I didn’t pay attention to the lyrics but everything else about the song grabbed me. At summer camp that year our troop decided to sing “New Sensation” for our lip synching performance. I was cross that I wasn’t picked to synch it. I was even MORE cross when our lead syncher dropped out and our counselor had the back up camper synch it. I must have been a shite lip syncher even to one of my favorite all time songs.

Scenic Route: If you have been living in a barn (ref. The State), then you might not be aware of the new sensation (ref. INXS) taking over youtube. It is called the “Harlem Shake.” There are thousands of homemade videos available for viewing but I would suggest trying ones that have over 25 million views. Some are very creative and some are lame. Seeing these vids might want you to make your own. Celebrities, pro sports teams, and old folks are all getting into it. This craze will die down in about a month, but enjoy the hottest song on the internet right now.

6) Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls”

This song went number one in the US in 1986. It grabbed me on first listen, which came via the Weekly Top 40. It was infectious and I had no idea what a West End Girl or East End Boy was. The bass and synth arrangement grabbed me from the onset. Classic song that never gets old.