Dave Grusin "Theme from St. Elsewhere"

Imagine picking up the telephone and dialing your favorite soft rock radio station to place a request for the "Theme from St. Elsewhere". This likely happened in 1984 when the NBC medical drama's theme song turned up on the Adult Contemporary Chart. The instrumental was composed by 10-time Grammy Award Winner Dave Grusin.

The Cars "Magic"

Ric Ocasek of The Cars walks on water in the video to the band's 1984 hit "Magic". Filmed at the house of Kathy Hilton (mother of Paris Hilton), Ocasic appears to walk on water in the swimming pool located behind the Beverly Hills mansion. During the first take of the video, Ocasek actually shattered the Plexiglass and fell into the water. Toward the end of the video (that aired tirelessly on MTV at the time) others in the video attempted to walk on water only to suffer the same fate as Ocasek in the first take -- they also all fell into the pool.

Talk Talk "It's My Life"

Think back to your first teacher crush...I'd have to give that award to my music teacher Miss Piercy (who later married and became Mrs. Berg). For TV's Kevin Arnold (of The Wonder Years) it was Miss White (who later married and became Mrs. Heimer). Kevin crushed on her throughout middle school and even became jealous when he overheard his dad talking with her one afternoon after school during play practice. On Kevin's graduation day from ninth grade, he shared a moment with his favorite female teacher...until her water broke. He ultimately drove her to the hospital despite being unlicensed and unfamiliar with driving a manual transmission. Actress Wendel Meldrum played Miss White / Mrs. Heimer during The Wonder Years, but a few years later cemented her status in pop culture. Meldrum appeared as Leslie "The Low Talker" on a Seinfeld episode called "The Puffy Shirt".

Elton John "Sad Songs (Say So Much)"

Asked by Barbara Walters to use his music to sum up the various stages of his life, Elton John sat at his piano, thought a moment and then played "Rocket Man" to represent the 1970s. He joked that the line "I'll be high as a kite by then" was the pitiful truth. Elton chose "Sad Songs" to represented the 1980s and then paused before smiling as he played "The One" to represent his present life in the 1990s. For the first time in years, Elton was clean, found love and was about to become super-rich thanks to his music in Disney's The Lion King. That interview with Walters aired in 1994 and so much has changed in 25 years. As he continues his farewell tour, Elton promises to tell-all in his upcoming autobiography. What haven't we heard? I suppose we'll have to stay tuned...

New Edition "Cool It Now"

The five-man hit machine New Edition became a four-man operation after Bobby Brown exited the R&B group in 1985. Some stories claim Brown wanted out while others say his poor dance moves fueled his ouster. More commonly, claims of Brown's behavioral problems is what forced him out.

Pat Benatar "We Belong"

"You should prob just say you forgive me & that you still love me (as friends). That would make my day, Todd."

The same girl who didn't want to date me while we were in high school because she "loved me as a friend" now reaches out every couple of years to apologize for her behavior. Never has she clarified if it was the way she treated me that bothers her or if I was the one who got away. It's an odd feeling for me. Part of me wants to say, "SEE, I told you so!" where as the other part of me wonders, "Why are you telling me this?". I really have no idea of her goal. This process started in 2008 and continues every year or two (with the last communication happening in August 2017).

James Ingram & Michael McDonald "Ya Mo B There"

"Nothing against him [Michael McDonald], but if I hear 'Yah Mo B There' one more time, I'm gonna 'yah mo' burn this place to the ground!"

-Taken from The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Dennis DeYoung "Desert Moon"

When my parents broke up, their divorce decree awarded my dad their grandfather clock, an armoire and a household thermometer. It was quite the score for him. In the case of Styx, when Dennis DeYoung left the rock group, he maintained custody of the ballad "Desert Moon" which he later released in 1984 on his solo album.

Ray Parker Jr. "Jamie"

Speaking of Ghostbusters, Ray Parker Jr. followed up that tune with the hit "Jamie" in late-1984. On the Adult Contemporary Chart, "Jamie" actually ranked higher (#6) than "Ghostbusters" (#9).

Phil Collins "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"

Never did I think I would spend the better part of two hours choking back tears at a Phil Collins concert, yet that's exactly how the night of October 22nd, 2018 played out when Phil toured Chicago's United Center. Growing up in the 1980s, Phil Collins' music was everywhere, but I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a fan. Working in Adult Contemporary radio during the '90s and 2000s soiled me a bit on Phil's music mainly because I couldn't escape it. Offered the opportunity to meet Phil before one of his 2003 concerts, I declined. Why? At the time, I produced a morning show and only had two weeks of vacation each year and Phil's show fell on one of those weeks. Needing to step away from work, I decided not to go and have regretted it ever since. In the years since spinning endless Phil Collins tunes, I've discovered a newfound respect for his songs. The lyrics are etched in my brain much like the memories attached to each song.

Seated directly stage left, giddiness enveloped me as the lights dimmed and I saw Phil take the stage. While he's still a youthful (by classic rocker standards) 67 years-old, Phil gingerly made his way to his seat in front of a microphone at center stage. "Getting old is a bitch," he muttered as the applause from the crowd finally quieted. After multiple surgeries on his back and shoulder and nearing drinking himself to death, Collins' emerged from his deep depression and returned to touring aptly adopting the name "Not Dead Yet"for his tour. As his band struck up "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", his show came to life...and so, too, did all my feelings.

Phil's setlist spanned the early days of my life ("Follow You Follow Me") to middle school "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven") to college ("Dance into the Light") and beyond ("You'll Be in My Heart"). Every melody resurrected memories of where I was when I first heard Phil's music: on the radio while swimming in our pool, in the hallways of my high school, from the static-filled speakers of my Pontiac Firebird while driving down Lake Shore Drive to my first job in radio. Suddenly, I was feeling more than just the two vodka sodas I downed before the show.

Too frail to play the drums let alone stand upright, Collins passed his drumsticks to his 17 year-old son, Nicholas. I don't know what you were doing at 17 years-old, but I had bad acne and played with model trains. My teenage years weren't kind to me. When it came time to introduce the band, the crowd eagerly anticipated Nicholas' introduction so much that Phil had to pause to let the crowd's roar drop to a low-roar. Phil told the story of his son paging through his entire catalog of music and finding one song he really enjoyed called "You Know What I Mean". With that, Nic moved from behind the drums and onto stage where he played the piano while dad sang. Every man in attendance that evening tried very hard to swallow the lump in their respective throats...some with more luck than others. I found myself questioning my purpose. While I've achieved so many of my goals, I took inventory of what was undone. I'm 41, never married, and have no children. These were all choices I made and never really challenged until...a Phil Collins concert?!? It's true. Even with the horns blaring during "Invisible Touch", my mind continued to churn through feelings of accomplishment, disappointment, fear, loneliness, and hope.

I used to dislike being sensitive. I thought it made me weak, but take away that single trait, and you take away the very essence of who I am. You take away my conscience, my ability to empathize, my intuition, my creativity, my deep appreciation of the little things, my vivid inner pain, my keen awareness to others pain and my passion for it all. Phil Collins....who knew?

Chicago "You're the Inspiration"

My social circle contains a handful of listeners who I met while working on the air in radio. Unlike some of my colleagues who used listeners an the request line as their personal Match.com, I actually made friends with folks. One such example is Tim who back in 2006 appeared on an on-air dating show I used to produce. Tim was a friend of another contestant named Dave -- who was the first (and later the final) contestant on the show. Dave informed me Tim would be perfect on the show, but he was working through the sting of a breakup and it would take some time. Tim eventually agreed to be on the show where won over the hearts of all of us who worked on the show.

At the time, Tim had just completed a 1,200 mile trek by foot to raise money for cerebral palsy. While working as a substitute teacher in 2001, Tim met a bright and witty young man named Mike whose cerebral palsy had him confined to a wheelchair. The two immediately bonded and Tim was hired to be Mike's helper around school. After years of struggling to answer "What do you want to do with you life?", Tim found his purpose. The duo's journey started at an Illinois middle school and led them to places no one would expect. Tim authored a book, started his own non-profit, created and starred in a web series and an inspirational stage show called Handicap This. Tim even made a second 1,200 mile trek to again raise money for his charity in 2016.

In 2011, Tim invited me to see Handicap This at the North Shore Center for Performing Arts in Skokie during the show's infancy. During the touching performance, Tim shared stories of the obstacles that he and Mike faced throughout the years which made me laugh and even shed a few tears. Tim expertly describes Mike as not just someone bound to a wheelchair, but of a person with a sharp mind and infectious laugh who makes Seinfeld references and dreams just like everyone else. We're taught not to treat Mike differently simply because of his handicap. We don't need to avoid making eye contact with him for fear of him seeing the pity in our eyes. Mike is a person just like the rest of us. One tender moment from that 2011 show remains etched in my brain: Tim shares Mike's recurring dream in which he meets an attractive woman, is finally able to stand up from the shackles of his wheelchair to dance with her. Then, Mike wakes up and realizes it was his mind replaying this cruel dream.

Tim and Mike went on to perform the show for the next seven years making stops all across the country. This Friday, November 8th, is the final performance of Handicap This. Tickets are still available for this unforgettable night of inspiration. Given the current state of the world around us, we could all use a show that will leave us feeling inspired. Please consider buying tickets.   

Tina Turner "Private Dancer"

A song told from the point-of-view of a prostitute originally was recorded by Dire Straits. Tina Turner later turned it into  Top 10 hit in 1984. 

Duran Duran "New Moon on Monday"

When asked what it meant to receive MTV's Lifetime Achievement Award, Duran Duran's Simon LeBon remarked to the host of the morning show I produced: "It means I'm gonna get laid, Mate."

The Police "Wrapped Around My Finger"

While battling the flu one January evening, I could no longer tolerate my sore throat and took action. After lacing up my snow boots, I braved the windy, icy night and headed to a tiny convenience store about three blocks from my apartment in hopes of getting some ice cream to soothe the razor blades in my throat. Upon entering the store, an older Russian man paid me no attention as he sat behind the counter watching a tiny black and white TV. With my head throbbing and nose running, I quickly moved to the large cooler at the back of the store, but found no ice cream. An aisle over, I stumbled upon a small freezer filled with ice cream, but a strip of masking tape stood guard over the freezer door. In my fevered state, my brain couldn’t compute why the freezer was haphazardly taped shut, so I headed to the counter to ask the indifferent Russian. He stammered in broken English something about the bureaucrats at city hall and that he did not have an ice cream license. I stood there confused and dumbfounded.  Was there such a thing as an ice cream license? Seems odd, but then again it's Chicago. Did you have to stand in line at a DMV-like facility to get said license? Did I take too much ibuprofen? The Russian nervously eyed around the tiny store and finally broke the silence.  

“You’re not working undercover for the city?” he questioned me.  

“No,” I replied as if it wasn't the first time I answered that question.

“OK. I sell you ice cream.”

"Alright," I said as my brain questioned whether I really wanted unlicensed ice cream.

As the two of us shuffled to the back of the store, the old Russian mumbled to himself before cautiously lifting the tape off the freezer doors allowing unrestricted access to the frozen concoction. Without any deliberation, I grabbed a pint of Butter Pecan, paid him, and trekked home. A few months later I happened upon the corner store and noticed a “FOR LEASE” sign in the now empty storefront. I can only assume the Chicago Department of Ice Cream Licensing shut him down. 

Peabo Bryson "If Ever You're in My Arms Again"

You know you're an old soul when you're happily driving your dad's Buick and get excited to hear Peabo Bryson's "If Ever You're in My Arms Again". That might have happened to me. I might also have turned it up.

Bananarama "Cruel Summer"

Don't fret--summer doesn't officially end for a couple more weeks.

Christopher Cross "A Chance for Heaven"

Nothing fires up Olympic athletes like the music of Christopher Cross. No? For some reason the US Olympic Swim Team used the soft rock crooner's "A Chance for Heaven" as their theme during the 1984 Summer Games. Compare this motivational song to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" and now we know why Rocky beat Russian boxer Ivan Drago.

Don Henley "The Boys of Summer"

Imagine a super-group that consisted of Don Henley, Sting and Billy Joel. Actually, it's not so far-fetched. The trio floated the idea of creating a band together. Imagine that text conversation:

Madonna "Borderline"

Early in her career, Madonna repeatedly performed "Borderline" that she swore off singing it during concerts for much of the '90s and 2000s. It wasn't until 2008 that she finally re-added the pop song to her Sticky & Sweet Tour. She again dusted off the song in 2016 to perform a more soulful but slower version of the tune on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon while President Barack Obama (who was also a guest on the show) looked on in the distance.

The Pointer Sisters "Jump (For My Love)"

Our parents purchased an in-ground swimming pool just in time for the summer of 1984. It was a bold purchase for my parents as my Dad claimed (at the time) that our family was living beyond its means. One of our neighbors on the cul-de-sac where we lived revealed that, upon learning of my parents intention to put in a pool, our immediate neighbors stayed up well past midnight figuring out a way to put in a pool of their own. Keeping up with the Jones' was alive and well in our quaint Indiana town.

As you would expect, every family member volunteered to babysit my brother and me that summer in exchange for use of the pool. More times than not, our aunt Marybeth played the role of babysitter. She was just 20 years old and still lived with her parents (our grandparents), so she was a fixture at our house that June, July and August. She always traveled with her boom box and would crank up B-96 for the entire backyard to hear. We were usually treated to The Pointer Sisters big hit from that summer: "Jump (For My Love)". My brother, cousin and I immediately would jump into the pool and quickly exit in time for the next command of "Jump" from The Pointer Sisters. I was merely seven years old, but it remains one of my favorite summers of all-time.