Music In My Shoes
Come be entertained as the host talks about music, bands, and connected stories.
"It's a really great podcast" - Kevn Kinney of Drivin N Cryin
"I appreciate talking to you guys and the good questions" - Mitch Easter of Let's Active and R.E.M. producer
Learn Something New or
Remember Something Old!!!
Please like and follow the Music In My Shoes Facebook page.
Contact us at
musicinmyshoes@gmail.com
Music In My Shoes
E92 I Want My Two Dollars!, Cheap Trick, Squeeze, Queen and The Cars
There's something magical about a determined paperboy chasing John Cusack down, saying "I want my two dollars!" That's the power of an unforgettable movie moment - it sticks with you for decades. In this episode, I dive into why Johnny the Paperboy from 1985's "Better Off Dead" created one of cinema's most quotable running gags despite being just a minor character in the film.
But that's just the beginning of our musical journey. I share my recent rockstar encounter with Cheap Trick's legendary guitarist Rick Nielsen, who took time to reminisce over an old band photo I brought him to sign. There's nothing quite like watching a music legend examine his younger self and tell stories about the shoes he wore in 1977! And yes, he flipped the bird in our photo together - a true rock and roll moment I'll never forget.
The concert experiences continue as I recount seeing Cheap Trick open for Rod Stewart (who sounds incredible at 80!), connecting with podcast listeners at shows, and my adventure of turning lawn seats into something much better. We explore musical history with deep dives into Squeeze's 1985 comeback tour, Queen's landmark album "The Game" (their only US #1), and why The Cars' underappreciated "Panorama" album deserves another listen. Plus, Jimmy takes us back to 1955 to discover Big Maybel's original version of "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" before Jerry Lee Lewis made it famous.
Throughout our musical exploration, we discover how certain songs become time machines, instantly transporting us back to specific moments with friends, first listens, and the emotions attached to them. From $2 newspaper deliveries to multimillion-dollar rock tours, this episode celebrates how music connects our past to our present. Give it a listen, then share your own musical memories with us - we'd love to hear which songs define your life's soundtrack!
“Music In My Shoes" where music and memories intertwine.
Learn Something New or
Remember Something Old
Visit our Facebook and Instagram pages and spread the word if you enjoy the podcast.
Contact us at musicinmyshoes@gmail.com with your own musical memories.
He's got the feeling in his toe-toe.
Speaker 2:He's got the feeling and it's out there growing. Hey everybody, this is Jim Boge, and you're listening to Music In my Shoes. That was Vic Thrill kicking off episode 92. As always, I'm thrilled to be here with you. Let's learn something new, new or remember something old. So, jimmy, do you remember the movie Better Off Dead? I don't think I saw it. Wow, so many of our conversations start off with yeah, I haven't heard it. I haven't seen it. Well, it came out August 23rd 1985. All right, and it had a plot, but there was all these subplots that went through the movie and I actually enjoyed one of the subplots more than the whole rest of the movie. So John Cusack was in it. Did you know that part?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, now that you mention it, it rings a bell.
Speaker 2:Okay Played a guy named Lane Meyer. You mentioned it rings a bell. Okay Played a guy named Lane Meyer and it's a classic teen film about boy has girl, boy loses, girl boy tries to win her back All kinds of shenanigans that go on with that happening. That's what makes it a film that a lot of people want to go to. Okay, it's got some animation. Except me, I guess. Yes, except you, you don't of people want to go to.
Speaker 1:Okay, it's got some animation, except me, I guess yes, except you.
Speaker 2:You don't seem to want to go to any of those films. I like the Goonies, but you didn't see it until 40 years after it came out, that's maybe what I'll do with this one.
Speaker 2:Oh, my Lord, have mercy. So all these different things and there's some animation, so kind of like this guy, lane Meyer, he'll draw, you know, cartoon characters, kind of like a comic book thing and at times it kind of comes to life and so forth. A lot of different parts. But my favorite scenes of the movie involve Johnny the Paperboy, and he's probably 10 years old or so in the movie, this kid and all different scenes and one you know he's like throwing the newspaper and he's always busting out the garage door windows and the dad is trying to, you know, when he knows the paperboys come and trying to get the door up in time.
Speaker 2:So he can't do it and you know it, just kind of quirky, little funny things like that. But he comes to the door one day to get his money because he can't get paid. All right, back then the newspaper boy would come to your house or girl would come, they deliver the paper and then at the end of the week they would come to collect. I mean collect Every week. I believe it was every week. Wow, all right, maybe it was every two weeks. Now that I think about it, that makes more sense with what I'm about to say. So at one point he rings the doorbell. John Cusack opens the door and says Johnny, the paper boy in like a mob hitman voice remember, he's like 10 years old says four weeks, 20 papers, that's $2 plus tip. Four weeks, $2. You can't buy a Sunday paper for $2 now. No, not at all, not even close, okay. Cusack says gee, johnny, I don't have a dime. Sorry he's about to close the door. Johnny the hitman newspaper guy puts his foot in so he can and says didn't ask for a dime, $2. And I saw it 40 years ago. I have never forgotten it. I just think it is the funniest thing.
Speaker 2:Who's the actor? He's not like a name brand person. I don't think he was in the business long. I think he went to do some other things I don't remember off the top of my head. So Cusack now follows up with. Well, it's funny, see, my mom had to leave early to take my brother to school and my dad to work because and Johnny interrupts $2 cash his story. The problem here is my little brother this morning got his arm caught in the microwave and my grandmother dropped acid and freaked out and hijacked a school bus full of penguins. So it's kind of a family crisis. So come back later and you know, he just finally slams the door on this kid and I just think that's funny, like hijacked a school bus of penguins. But what ends up happening is that this movie's going on about this boy, you know, losing his girl and then all of a sudden out nowhere, you know, cusack's driving a car, an old station wagon. It kind of looked like the car from Family Vacation.
Speaker 1:Oh Family Truckster.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it kind of looked like that. And all of a sudden Johnny's on the roof and he peaks his head down on the windshield and is like $2. I want my $2. And that happens throughout the movie and it's just my favorite part. So he's driving and Lane Cusack Lane Myers, played by John Cusack he's trying to get him off of the car and finally he can't get him off. He pulls into a car wash and Johnny's like something like uh-oh, I can't swim, you know, like it's just stupid little things. Lane Myers, he's a a ski guy, you know, but that's part of the whole film about his being able to ski and he's a great skier, all right. And Johnny shows up on his bicycle with skis. You know, hey want my $2?. And it just cracks me up throughout the whole film how this happens.
Speaker 1:And I mean, yeah, $2 was worth more in 1985 than it is now, but it still wasn't much money, Like anybody should have been able to pay the poor kid two bucks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I was a paperboy once. I've mentioned it. It seemed that like people all of a sudden weren't home. When you would knock on their door Not everybody, but a lot of people, you know you'd hear them, you'd hear the TV, you'd hear things going on and they just didn't answer the door. And I don't remember how much it was when I was delivering. It was 1980. I think I delivered the newspaper like 79, 80, 80, 81, something like that, and it couldn't have Actually I'm not even sure it was $2 at that point. It might've even been less that you were hoping to get $2 with tip, I don't remember. But it's a cool movie, got a lot of stuff going on. Not one of John Cusack's favorite films. When it came out he did say a lot of things about it. Now he's kind of backtracked a bunch and saying, oh, everybody says that, but you know it goes in a lot of different directions. He doesn't think it portrays him in the best thing. It's 40 years ago at this point. Hey, who really cares?
Speaker 1:right, you know, I, I clearly don't no, you don't.
Speaker 2:You don't at all, jimmy. That's that we know for sure. So we move on. So I've got many questions regarding my beard. I've posted some pictures. I've seen some listeners people asking what happened, how come I don't have the full beard and it's kind of more of a big long goatee. So just wanted to kind of put out there and kind of like a public service announcement. You know, basal cell carcinoma it's a lot worse sounding than what it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they have to add that second word in there, like basal cell sounds kind of nice. Yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then they put the other word and then it's like, oh my Lord, what's going on? It's really the most common type of skin cancer, and so I had some removed from my face where I needed to shave the beard. I wasn't going to shave one side of my face and leave the rest of it. It would have looked a little wacky, so I decided to go with the long goatee. Look for now, but use sunscreen, stay out of the sun, wear a hat. That's my public service announcement to everybody.
Speaker 2:All right, recently I got to meet guitarist Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and let me tell you something it was an absolute treat. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jimmy, that's great, more than I could have ever imagined. Okay, he's a legend, he really is. So he was out, you know, signing and meeting people for Rockin' Vodka that's his new brand of vodka.
Speaker 2:I don't know if it's new, but I guess it's newer and he took his time with every single person that was there to meet him and he kind of like he looked at all right, who is this? Who's in front of me? You know how do I act in front of them. Who is this who's in front of me? You know how do I act in front of them and it was just unbelievable. At one point he needed a break because he needed to use the restroom. And he goes and he uses the restroom and he comes back and he comes right up to me and he's like sorry, it's taken so long, I had to use the bathroom. He didn't actually say it that way, but you know, basically he was saying I had to use the bathroom.
Speaker 2:So when I get up and spend some time with him, I had printed a picture at work for him to sign and it was a cool black and white picture of the band. I could tell it was from the early days and he took that picture and he just was looking at it and he started to tell me everything about the picture.
Speaker 1:Oh great.
Speaker 2:And I'm like what year was it? He goes it's 1977. And he's pointing out his shoes. He's like look, you know these tennis shoes. They had no arches, they were flat. He goes I loved wearing them. So then he starts to show me the shoes he's got on. Now I'm older, I have to wear arches and I really like those shoes. And he was pointing everything out and it was, you know, looking at him as he's looking at a piece of him. You know what I'm saying. I'm looking at him while he's looking at him younger and really reminiscing he was the greatest guy. It really was super cool.
Speaker 2:So I mentioned that he looked at whoever he was talking to and you know certain people. He would take pictures and it'd be all cute and cuddly and a thumbs up and blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, with me. You know he saw the podcast shirt. He saw us talking. My picture with him was giving the bird. He flipped the bird. That was the picture that we took and it's so funny. I posted it. So many people have said that's such a cool picture. And then other people that I know that were there were like I wish he did that with me. Hey, this is Rick Nielsen from Chew Trick and you're listening to Music in my Shoes. So I actually met a listener a listener named Gene at the signing with Rick Nielsen and pulled me to the sign. It was like hey, music in my Shoes. I listened and started telling me about episodes that she listened to and it was great meeting her. I had a lot of fun and it was exciting.
Speaker 1:How did she find out about the show?
Speaker 2:I believe through a driving and crying Facebook group yeah, cool yes.
Speaker 2:So it was cool, very cool no-transcript. And that night, because this is what I do with a lot of shows, I go on the secondary market and I'm looking and checking things out and I was like I'm fine with a lawn seat. I'm not normally fine with a lawn seat. I haven't sat on the lawn in decades. I'm not fine with that. But I was fine this particular night because I really wanted to go after seeing Rick Nielsen the night before. So I finally you know it was like $49 plus fees for the lawn. If you went on the regular website, I got $39.50 all in. Oh good, got to Ameris and as you go in, you walk in the lawn, the people go to the right and the people with the seats go to the left and I pretended straighter to the left and I pretended I knew what I was doing. I went straight and I went to the left and I went center and I went up as far as I could and I grabbed the seat, okay, and I took a book out of your page.
Speaker 2:You're like me at the U2 concert in 1985 yes, I was like you know what most people are going to be coming for Rod Stewart. You know that's what my thought was. I was wrong. It was pretty packed for Cheap Trick and as they played I think they played 12 songs or something you know more and more people came. I had to move at one point, but I only moved like two rows up and got to see Cheap Trick from the seats. So it was it was awesome, you know $39 and 50 cents.
Speaker 2:There's no parking fees there. If you park in the regular parking, my t-shirt costs more than my ticket, you know? Yeah, that's just crazy. That is kind of crazy you know, yeah, that's, that's crazy, that is kind of crazy how much? 40 bucks, yeah, okay, yeah, it was 40 bucks, so and that's a good looking t-shirt, thank you, I thank you.
Speaker 1:I like it by the way, it's a single color, white print on a black t-shirt, and it's 40 dollars. But you know you're paying, it's, it's going to the band, it's going to a good cause it is going to a good cause.
Speaker 2:It is going to a good cause. So last time I saw Cheap Trick was in 2019. I saw them open up for ZZ Top at the same amphitheater. It was an October night, if I remember. It was cold when I saw them in that October, like wearing all kinds of coats, it was drizzly. Oh man, I remember that. So I'm rocking in my seat. I mean, I, literally. I think people must have looked at me like what's wrong with him.
Speaker 1:I mean, I was so pumped to be there. You think that's an unusual thing for you?
Speaker 2:No, probably not, probably not.
Speaker 1:Well, you should be used to it by now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was super pumped. I was like and I was waiting. I'm going to be honest with you. If anybody said anything, I was going to show them a picture of me and Rick Nielsen.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, that's good.
Speaker 2:Hey, this is me.
Speaker 1:Say this is me and my uncle.
Speaker 2:So the set included Hello there, ain't that a Shame. Dream Police she's Tight In the Street which is a big star. Cover that 70s show song, right, I Want you to Want Me Surrender, goodnight, you know, along with other songs. Man, it was just great. I'm glad that they embrace who they are and play so many of the classics. It's a fun time. It's like you can jam along as if you're listening to. You know, at Budokan you know for a bunch of it and I'm fine with that. They're fine with that.
Speaker 2:You know we're all, all right, they have a lot of hits. They do, they do.
Speaker 1:I mean the Flame. They play that too, don't they?
Speaker 2:I didn't mention that but yes, they did.
Speaker 1:I've seen them before and I'm like, oh yeah, they did, I've seen them before. And I'm like, oh yeah, they did this song.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they did the flame. So I hadn't seen Rod Stewart since his 1991 tour, that's 34 years ago, and I got to be honest I was amazed at how good he sounded. He's 80 years old and his stage presence and what they did with the band and the backup singers who played instruments. It almost kind of looked like a 60s variety show tour, like it was kind of cool. It was like a throwback and the way that they would dance and do that it was cool.
Speaker 2:It really was Really surprised at how good he could sing.
Speaker 1:Well, and he did that songbook thing. It's probably been 15, 20 years ago, but he did a lot of the old standards, right, and so did he play any of that stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he did a mixture of everything from his career, whether it was Maggie Mae all the way up to Young Turks, to the standards that he I mean he just really did a whole bunch of stuff and was able to put it in a way like the order really made it work. Okay, you know, I would definitely go see him again. I was really surprised. It's good to hear, and what's funny is he's got that raspy voice Right. So you think that that would be something that would be maybe a detriment to him. No, he sounds great, he really does. He's always had the raspy voice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but what I'm saying is he gets older, that it would get super raspy, it wasn't. So I love the 1981 song Young Turks. I've always loved it. I loved the video when it came out. Everything about it. Young hearts, be free. Tonight. Time is on your side. Don't let them put you down, don't let them push you around, don't let them change your point of view. I think those words are fantastic. I absolutely love them.
Speaker 1:And she gave birth to a 10-pound baby boy that would be 44 years old now.
Speaker 2:There you go. I don't think that's going to be. That might be in part two of the song, 44 years old right now, but it was at 34, 1980, oh, no, 44.
Speaker 1:You're right, I got you, didn't I yeah wow, you did get me there.
Speaker 2:I love the song, I love the video, like I said, and that's one of those songs. The video made me like it because it would be on MTV all the time and you're watching it. It was just kind of super cool and so forth, so I really liked it. So a week after I see all this, all this happens, I see listener Jean again.
Speaker 2:After I met her at the signing with Rick Nielsen. I see her at the Driving and Crying show in Marietta, georgia the other night and talked to her before the show and it was kind of cool. She introduced me to some people and it's always of cool. She introduced me to some people and you know it's always fun to meet people that listen to the show that I've not known and you know that they're excited by it and you know it was fun. So Driving and Crying, fronted by a friend of the show, kevin Kinney, I met a guy, jeff. He sat next to me. He flew in from Philadelphia for the show. Oh, so we've talked about driving and crimes, not huge in the Northeast. He lives in Philadelphia, he goes to shows. That's what he does, he just travels. So they played in Richmond, I don't know, maybe November, I think he said it was. He went to Richmond, virginia. He came to Marietta. I think the next night they were playing Augusta, so he was driving down there.
Speaker 1:So he only follows Driving and Crying, or he follows other bands.
Speaker 2:There were some other bands he talked about. I don't remember off the top of my head, but he had this cool recording device he got permission to bring in and he recorded the show. He says he records most of the shows he goes to. He's going to send me a copy of it. He was definitely a big fan. We talked about stuff. It's always great to hear someone talk about the songs that most people don't know about and it was fun. I had a lot of good time listening to him. He didn't know about the show. I sent him some links to the shows that Kevin Kinney was on and he's listened to those and he's listened to a bunch of others as well.
Speaker 2:So welcome Jeff to Music in my Shoes.
Speaker 1:And shout-out to Gene too.
Speaker 2:Shout-out to Gene. Yes, so they did a cover of All Apologies with drummer Davey Johnson singing. It was super cool. I have not seen Davey Johnson sing before. It was my first time. And they did a tribute to Ozzy with a cover of Crazy Train going right into the Driving and Crying song Fly Me Courageous.
Speaker 1:Oh, come on, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was. It was about nine and a half minutes total when you do that. And yeah, nobody, you know he is not Randy Rhoades. He was out there just playing it as a tribute. It was cool man, it was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:Right, because they don't have a lead guitarist anymore. Right.
Speaker 2:Correct.
Speaker 1:It's just Kevin playing all the guitar, yeah that is correct.
Speaker 2:It was good. Though it was a crazy train, it was a lot of fun. Those people in Marietta, georgia, were excited for driving and crying Good. So, jimmy, back in 1985, summer of 85, august particular, I saw Squeeze at the pier in Manhattan August 15th, the Nassau Coliseum August 17th, and then back at the Pier on August 29th and I hadn't seen Squeeze since 82. They were on a farewell tour. I saw their last two shows of the farewell tour that they had in America and they played two more shows in Jamaica right after I saw them and it was great. I mean, I really like Squeeze. I've talked about them enough on the show and it was just something that I said. You know what, if they ever come back, I'm going to go and see them a bunch in case they break up again. That was really what my thought process was.
Speaker 2:So the two leaders of the band, chris Difford, glenn Tilbrook they had released an album under the name Difford and Tilbrook in 84. And then in 85, squeeze makes this comeback that I'm talking about and the single Last Time Forever was WLIR Screamer of the Week the second week of June in 1985. Original keyboard player, jules Holland, who left the band in 80, was back and he plays piano and it is absolutely outstanding, his piano on Last Time Forever. Absolutely outstanding, his piano on Last Time Forever. And it's one of those songs. If he's not playing the piano on that, I don't even know if I remember the song. Oh, okay, it is just, I love Jules Hollins.
Speaker 1:I don't think I know that song.
Speaker 2:His piano playing is just unbelievable. They don't play it in concert anymore, you know. They kind of stopped, I think, once Jules was gone. I saw them in 89 and they played it Mm-hmm, and it just always was like man. This is just crazy. You know, back then people were sampling stuff and words from movies and putting it in, but I never expected Squeeze to have something like that. The album Cozy Fan, tutti Frutti was released in August 85. And it had hits of the year Heartbreaking, world by your Side. They're decent songs. They're not necessarily the Squeeze that I had grown up listening, you know loving but it was great to have them back. It really was. When you listen to the album today it definitely sounds dated, but it sounds like 1985 at times. You know, it sounds like a band that was just kind of taking what was happening at the time and incorporating it into their music.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I wonder if it was the producer that made it sound like that, or if that's the direction that they wanted to go, but they never really sounded. You know, prior to that, like like the times, you know not at all, they just had a uniqueness about them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then even their following album I think it was Babylon and On that came out in 87. That was more back to them being them. This here really was like oh yeah, that's Squeeze 1985. There's no question about it. So I said I went to the Squeeze shows, three of them in August and again because I just wanted to see them. I didn't want them to break up and I didn't go to the shows.
Speaker 2:Besides the songs from the latest album, they also play classics like. Another Nail in my Heart Is that Love, inquintessence, separate Beds, annie, get your Gun. Pulling Muscles from a Shell, black Coffee in Bed, goodbye, girl, tempted. All three shows had that. And that is exactly why I went, because I love those songs. And If I Didn't Love you, up the Junction they played them at two of the shows and then they played. You know some odds and ends. You know, to round out everything, it was definitely worth going to the three shows. I just at the time hadn't really done anything like that. So to me, you know, I had seen U2 in 84 and then in 85, but I had not gone to three shows in one month and I went with different groups of people, which made it cool because it was a whole different experience each time going to see them.
Speaker 1:Was one of the shows the best experience each time.
Speaker 2:going to see them Was one of the shows the best, I think, the first show at the pier just because it was like three years since I had seen them and the anticipation and just hearing this stuff. The Coliseum was cool because we kind of had a bunch of people in my row and then a bunch of people in the row behind us, so a lot of friends, a lot of people I graduated with that we had gone to squeeze shows back in the day, we were all together and that was kind of cool.
Speaker 2:So, I think the 29th was probably my least favorite of the three, but definitely still worth going. So I mentioned the movie the Shining. It was released 45 years ago, in 1980 in May Absolute classic horror film. About 15 years ago I went to the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon. This is where some of the outdoor scenes for the Shining was shot, Not all of them. This is not where the hedges you know the maze.
Speaker 2:This is not that, this is the outside of the lodge and those big. You know Scatman Crothers was driving like that big truck kind of a snow thing.
Speaker 2:Oh right, yeah truck kind of a snow thing. Oh right, yeah, those are still there, oh really. So I want to say it was either February of March when I went On the ground not a stitch of snow, it was 40-something degrees out. And you start driving up Mount Hood and all of a sudden you hit the snow line and the next thing you know you're coming up to places where they've plowed parking lots and the snow is eight feet tall and you get to the top. The ice has melted over so many times. Where the ice is, it's almost like sculptures on the ground and well-rounded. And it's almost like sculptures on the ground and well-rounded, and it's a whole nother world. From where we started Didn't take that long to get to the top. We ended up having lunch there. It was super cool.
Speaker 1:And I guess they salt the roads or something. So the ice sculptures aren't involving traffic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so they do that. And it's not ice sculptures, it's just, it's natural what happens.
Speaker 1:That's what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's the parking lot. That's what you're walking on as you're going to go to the lodge.
Speaker 1:Okay, but you can still drive your car, yeah the car you can.
Speaker 2:It's kind of like you get off and you know as you're walking you're going on some of the stuff, on some of the stuff. It's just super cool, jimmy, I know he says here's Johnny, but I want to go with Tick, tick, tick. It's Minute with Jimmy. It's time for Minute with Jimmy. Minute with Jimmy. Minute with Jimmy. It's time for Minute with Jimmy. Minute with Jimmy Minute.
Speaker 1:With Jimmy I'm going all the way back to 1955. Whoa, I've done a little exploring lately of old rock and roll and what led to old rock and roll. You know, elvis didn't just come out of nowhere and, uh, one of the great songs is big maybel in 1955 had a song called a whole lot of shaking going on and it was way different than the version that jerry lee lewis put out a couple years later, although you know that he got his whole inspiration from her version, but hers is slower, it's a little bit more kind of a boogie woogie. You know, slower, bluesy. She had this big, booming voice. Uh, that's why they called her big may bell apparently. And yeah, I just think it's worth checking out if you want to hear kind of where rock and roll, the seeds of rock and roll, started before Elvis Presley and everybody kind of blew it up yeah, Jimmy, you know a lot of those early songs.
Speaker 2:You're 100% correct, Somebody had recorded them. They were a little bit different and then, whether it was Jerry Lee Lewis or Bill Haley or Elvis or whoever kind of, put their spin on it and almost made it like it's their song. And it is cool going back to hear what the songs originally sounded like. You know, Shake, Rattle and Roll is another one where originally it's a little bit different and you know it's cool. I love finding out about music and you know those are the origins of rock and roll, which is one of the main things that we talk about on Music In my Shoes. So that's definitely cool.
Speaker 2:My name is Jimmy. Hey, you know what? On that note, let's revisit some more music. In my shoes they say we're young and we don't know. We won't find out until we're grown. Sonny and Cher's I Got you Babe peaked at number one for three weeks. August 14th 1965.
Speaker 2:If we move to 1970, april 10th, elton John releases the Border song and that's kind of like a gospel-y, spiritual-type song you know, different than the other songs that he releases. It's the same album your song came out on, but that song came out later. It was his first song in the Hot 100, billboard Hot 100, and it peaked at number 92. Aretha Franklin covered the song later in the year and she reached number 37 on Billboard Hot 100. And it's a pretty cool song. I still like listening to it. It's a good early Elton John song. He didn't have the Elton John band, he just had some different people that would play with them. I don't even think there was bass or anything like that on there, it was just some cool stuff.
Speaker 2:Queen the game the album comes out June 30th 1980. My favorite Queen album and I know people think that I don't like Queen because I said that U2 to me was a far better live performance at Live Aid. I like Queen. My favorite album is Play the Game. Well, the song is Play the Game, but the album the Game. I actually had it on cassette and it just brings me right back to 1980. I remember different things, different people. I would be with, you know, hanging out and listening to the cassette from beginning to end, flipping it over and then doing the same thing.
Speaker 2:Album peaked at number one on Billboard's 200 albums in September 1980. It's Queen's only number one album in the US. Wow, yes. First single, crazy Little Thing Called Love, was released in 79, reached number one on Billboard Hot 100 in February of 1980, their first US number one. And this is like a 50s song. Speaking of the 50s, jimmy. This is to me it's like a 50s song. Speaking of the 50s, jimmy. This is to me it's like a 50s song, rockabilly sounding. If you watch the video, freddie Mercury looks kind of James Dean-ish, I guess, in the film and kind of does the guitar a little Elvis style. Great song. I think this is a really good song, really like the video. Play the game Peaked at number 42 in July of 1980 on Billboard With its chic-sounding bass line. Another One Bites the Dust was number one on Billboard in October 1980.
Speaker 2:I like the song, but I wish they did something different with the middle of the song, like maybe a guitar solo. It's the the you know most unlike queen song. I don't think that brian may does any brian may guitar sounds in it, true, um, but they had sound effects that they created with a guitar, they created with a piano. They did some different things, but I just don't like that middle and I never liked it. I didn't like it when it came out. I still don't like it. I wish that they never liked it. I didn't like it when it came out. I still don't like it. I wish that they had done something else with it.
Speaker 2:But I like the song, all right. This was their second and their last number one song in the US. Can you believe that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's.
Speaker 2:It's crazy, it is Need your Loving Tonight reached number 44 on Billboard in late December 1980. This is one of my favorite songs of 1980. I love this song. Okay, it's a rocker, a power pop rocker. It's a shame more people don't know this song and I don't know why.
Speaker 1:It is a great song I need to look it up because I can't picture it please do.
Speaker 2:You'll be like yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about. I don't want to feel like a stranger. No, because I'd rather stay out of danger. I read your letter so many times. I got your meaning between the lines. I've been rocking to the song for 45 years. I need more people to do it, jimmy.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'll join you.
Speaker 2:I said I'd never be angry with you. Dragon Attack, rocket, save Me all good songs on the album. It's a really good album. You really can listen to it. You know beginning to end. So did you know in the UK for CPR another one bites the dust is what they say you should do for compressions if you have to do CPR, because I think it's like 100 to 120 compressions and I'm not joking, this is true. This is like an official UK thing. The only problem is that the song title is another one bites the dust gonna ask about that you know it's just crazy, but it's.
Speaker 2:It's exactly what. I watched multiple videos on it. It was just funny watching them and I know it's not a funny thing, but this is the song that they recommend. Get it in your head, buy it or whatever if you have to do cpr. Steve walks warily down the street with the brim pulled way down low. Did you know? That's the first two lines of the song? I had no idea. I don't know if anybody warily.
Speaker 1:Okay, I always thought it was merrily warily I had. No, I thought it was with the people way down low. No, with the brim pulled way down low.
Speaker 2:Okay, yes, Up until a few months ago I had no idea, none whatsoever. And this is one of those songs when you read the words you're like that's not what I thought at all. It is absolutely insane. So the song is really kind of like a mob hit. You know we talked about Better Off Dead and Johnny the Paperboy with his mob hitman voice. That's what this song really comes down to being when you read all the words and you start to sing it.
Speaker 2:August 15th 1980, the Cars Panorama. Not a very popular album for the Cars, but it's one that I really like. I really enjoy this album. I remember wanting to get it as soon as it came out and went to my local record store so I could start playing. The first three albums are kind of the same formula. The first two albums were like pop rock and this album was kind of like synth rock, less pop and wasn't something that people wanted to hear. I think people were kind of sick of the formula and that they changed it in a way to bring in more fans. They went the opposite way. Remainder of the albums that they released to me are just all pop. Everything else was pop. That's my thoughts on it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's probably true.
Speaker 2:First single, touch and Go, only reached number 37 in October 1980 on Billboard. And then you said with me it's Touch and Go, it's Touch and Go, it's a great song. That was something I was listening to all, not all summer, but half of the summer of 1980 when it came out, and throughout the fall.
Speaker 1:That's a classic car song.
Speaker 2:Don't Tell Me no. Released as a single in November and Gimme Some Slack. Released in January 81, didn't even chart. I don't know how I want to shake like LaGuardia magic mouth in the sun train. Ride to the courtyard before you can run. I still can't believe this didn't chart. I mean, I heard it on the radio enough. It should have charted.
Speaker 1:Oh, because it was on like LIR.
Speaker 2:No, lir was a different type of station at the time, but it was on PLJ, it was on WNEW, but it was on PLJ, it was on WNEW, it was on WBAB on Long Island. I mean it was on the radio, just like the Queen song that I was just talking about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, it's just crazy. Maybe it was more you know New York City airplay than it was in Peoria.
Speaker 2:I guess. So I played it all the time. It's a fantastic album to listen to from beginning to end. I think I liked the record more than my friends did, because I would play it and a lot of people would just come to my house in the summer and would hang out there and I think they wanted me to play other stuff because I'd play the whole thing. You know, I didn't play one song, it just went all side A, boom, all side B, getting through down, boys running to you up and down.
Speaker 2:I'll be honest, it takes me right back to 1980. Check it out if you get a chance, just give me some slack. Yeah, just give me some slack. Give me slack. That's all I want is slack. That didn't chart, but you can chart with us by reaching us at musicinmyshoes at gmailcom. Please like and follow the music in my shoes facebook and instagram pages. That's it for episode 92 of music in my shoes. I'd like to thank Jimmy Guthrie, show producer and owner of arcade160studios located here in Atlanta, georgia, and Vic Thrill for our podcast music. This is Jim Boge, show producer and owner of Arcade 160 Studios located here in Atlanta, georgia, and Vic Thrill for our podcast music. This is Jim Boge, and I hope you learned something new or remembered something old. We'll meet again on our next episode. Until then, live life and keep the music playing. I want my two dollars.
