Rod Stewart "Forever Young"

"Forever Young" rates as one of Rod Stewart's personal favorites. The song pays homage to Stewart's oldest children who grew up while Rod was out on the road touring. The song reached #12 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 1988 -- becoming a staple on Adult Contemporary radio stations for the remainder of the 20th century. The one place "Forever Young" never became a hit...is Rod's home. Strangely, the song never found success in the U.K. (only peaking at #57).

Richard Marx "Endless Summer Nights"

We've already learned that Adult Contemporary music from the 1980s loved their saxophone solos (just take a quick listen to the bridge of Richard Marx's "Endless Summer Nights"). Well, what else can we gather from Growing Up Adult Contemporary? Quite simply: don't talk shit about Richard Marx. A few years ago, a blogger referred to Marx's music as "shameless". It's something that internet writers and trolls do all the time (heck, if Rod Stewart read this blog he'd have some words for me). But, in the case, Richard didn't take this criticism lightly. He actually contacted the writer and asked him if he had the balls to meet him and say it to his face. Seeing it as an opportunity to take a non-story into a big story, the writer actually met with Marx and the two hashed things out. In the exchange (chronicled here), Marx claims that his music is "huuuuge at Walgreens" (the underlying theme of Growing Up Adult Contemporary). Definitely read the article and then try to answer the question: who is the hero and who is the villain in this bizarre tale.