Genesis "Invisible Touch"

When your girlfriend tells you that one of your friends made her feel uncomfortable at a concert the previous night, what do you do? This likely was my very first #MeToo moment, and I didn't know what to do or who to believe. My friend, "Russell", was one of the first friends who stood up for me in high school. While we weren't best of friends after college, we still kept in touch and would talk each year on MLB's Opening Day. Sometime in 2009, however, things got weird: his marriage was in a free fall. He moved out of his condo and back into his parent's house. That summer, he reached out to see if he could crash on my couch for a few days. Without hesitating, I offered the tiny condo my then-girlfriend and I shared. I was helping a friend in need...or so I thought. He arrived one afternoon carrying a suitcase and a giant trunk. Yes, a trunk...like the ones you'd see in cartoons. Without me saying a word, he immediately went on the defensive: "Don't worry, I'm not moving in. I know you're thinking it!" After expressing with words what my face clearly did not quite convey, we seemed to have an understanding.

Later, I learned Russell wasn't staying with us because he needed a break from his parent's couch. Instead he simply needed a place to sleep off his Lollapalooza high. Yes, in between seeing bands at Lolla, his vacation plans included drinking, smoking pot and breaking my toilet seat (that actually happened). This didn't sit well with me or my girlfriend (pun intended). After one day into his visit, my girlfriend wanted him out so I asked him to leave. At the time, he said he was trying to save his marriage and put his life back on track -- in reality, he was a mess. He was living like an irresponsible 19 year-old while he was 31 with a wife, mortgage and nonsecular job. His words said he was trying to right the wrongs, his actions disagreed. Our friendship changed following that fateful week and never rebounded.

That summer, my girlfriend said Russell would always text her to ask if she wanted to meet up for a drink. He sent the same texts to me -- only he seemed to target her whenever he knew I was working a weekend shift at the radio station. She saw his behavior as him flirting and/or trying to cozy up while I was not around. From my perspective, I saw a mess of a friend who wanted a drinking partner. My suspicion elevated a bit when I learned he was sleeping with another mutual friend. Things went from bad to worse when my girlfriend and Russell bumped into one another at a concert where she later claimed he touched her shoulders and made her feel uncomfortable. While I constantly reminded myself Russell was a friend in need who happened to be using up all the goodwill from his friends, I hit the eject button and wrote him off . I never heard from him on Opening Day 2010 and beyond.

The same day in 2011 when I kicked my then-girlfriend out of my condo (after I found her inappropriately texting a married man at a company she was interviewing), Russell broke the silence. He wrote me a short but emotional plea begging forgiveness for being a "recovering asshole" but added that he never said or did anything inappropriate to my now-ex. Faced with my own world falling down, I started numerous replies to his email -- but each reply ended up in my deleted folder. Weeks turned to months to years and we still have never spoken. While this story's "ending" doesn't quite fall under the "happy" category, I do know from mutual friends that he's officially divorced and now married to someone new. I'm also pleased to hear he worked tirelessly to turn his life around. 

Jan Hammer "Theme from Miami Vice"

Two instrumentals charted during mid-1986: "Axel F" from Harold Faltermeyer from the Beverly Hills Cop Soundtrack as well as Jan Hammer's "Theme from Miami Vice". Although Miami Vice premiered in 1985, the single didn't get released to radio stations for another year. The synthesizer-heavy tune took the #1 spot on the Hot 100 and remained the last instrumental to capture that feat until 2013 when "Harlem Shake" matched it.

Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer"

A remarkable feat in music history occurred on this date (July 26th) in 1986 when the former lead singer of a band nudged his former band's song out of the #1 spot on the Hot 100. Throughout the '70s, Peter Gabriel fronted Genesis before exiting the band thus leaving drummer Phil Collins to fill the void. While Collins juggled a solo career while continuing to perform with Genesis, the band's popularity soared. That July 1986 week saw Genesis' "Invisible Touch" fall out of the #1 spot thanks to Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". Many can and rightfully should credit MTV for helping make the song a hit as the video featured animation never before seen in a music video. The Hit Parade Podcast expertly tackles this unlikely story.

Howard Jones "You Know I Love You...Don't You?"

Perhaps Michael Bolton's "Said I Loved You...But I Lied" was in answer to Howard Jones' "You Know I Love You...Don't You?"...

Gregory Abbott "Shake You Down"

This is a real message from my friend Matt. He certainly knows who to ask when he has a bad music-related question. He's inquiring about "Shake You Down" from Gregory Abbott. His 1986 ballad with lyrics written by a drunken teenager hit #2 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.

Stevie Wonder "Go Home"

Speaking of Stevie Wonder, he managed to top both the Dance and Adult Contemporary Charts with "Go Home". His mid-tempo synth-laden tune took its sweet time to become a hit. Originally recorded in 1984, Stevie actually performed the song on Saturday Day Night Live a year prior.  It was released in 1985 and turned into a #1 song in 1986.

Bruce Springsteen "My Hometown"

Bruce Springsteen ruled the Adult Contemporary Chart just one time. It happened the week of February 1, 1986 when his tender "My Hometown" ironically knocked "Go Home" from Stevie Wonder from the top spot.

Jackson Browne "In the Shape of a Heart"

"In the Shape of a Heart" is Jackson Browne's dark love song to his first wife, Phyllis, who died of a drug overdose. Browne's love note debuted about a decade after Phyllis' death and became an instant hit on Rock and Adult Contemporary radio stations.

Bruce Hornsby & the Range "The Way It Is"

Tupac and pianist / singer Bruce Hornsby actually have something in common. Tupac sampled Hornsby's "The Way It Is" in his 1998 tune "Changes". Both songs share melodies and themes as they tackle the issue of racial inequality. Hornsby's version helped him win a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1986.

Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald "On My Own"

"On My Own" provides another example of a duet performed by two artists who were not in the same room together. Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald separately recorded their tracks for the chart-topping duet and the accompanying music video. These actions appear justified given the title of the song is "On My Own"...

Billy Ocean "Love Zone"

Something I learned while working next door to John "Swany" Swanson (of WTMX-FM) is never to disturb him when he is in "the zone". "The zone" refers to the time when he's heavy into show prep or editing audio. Swany is executive producer of the successful Eric in the Morning Show (previously Eric & Kathy) on WTMX-FM. I once produced a couple of morning shows at the Mix's sister station and learned so much from Swany. He coined several phrases which I still quote:

• It's Show Business, not Show Friends.
• Always have a plan B.
• The minute you land a job, you should be looking for your next job.
• Are you f-ing kidding me? 

Bananarama "Venus"

Her official job title was "Sales Assistant", but no one was really sure what she did all day because she didn't assist sales. Instead, she focused on her side hustle: creating horoscopes for her clients. Don't dare call her a psychic, because she claimed she wasn't. Her world revolved around making predictions based on the sun, moon, your touch, and so on. Sometimes I'd pass her in the hallway and she'd grab my hand. "You're not sleeping," she would tell me. I wasn't sleeping. "You need to focus on country and western," she once shared. I still don't know what that means. For Christmas one year, she put together an entire booklet filled with day-by-day predictions for my mom and it was eerily spot-on. Some of us feared talking with her because we thought she knew when bad stuff was supposed to happen. One of the radio shows even used her on-air for a horoscope bit. All the while, management looked the other way (for about eight years!) as she focused on doing everything except her job. Eventually, she announced her retirement. Last I heard, she parlayed her side hustle into a full-time gig doing palm reading and horoscopes on cruise ships.

Peter Gabriel "In Your Eyes"

Most folks hear "In Your Eyes" and immediately think of John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler holding a boombox over his head in the climactic scene of the 1989 movie Say Anything. For me, I'm reminded of my friend John and his first girlfriend, Raeanne. "In Your Eyes" was their song.

Beginning in the 5th grade, John and I were best of friends. Having recently moved into my subdivision, John and I bonded over our shared love of the White Sox, Legos and trains. (I'll pause for a moment for you to stop laughing. Done? Okay.) John and I spent countless hours collecting and building model trains, walking on the railroad tracks that dotted our town and playing baseball in the nearby park. With the exception of fifth grade, we attended two different schools which probably helped us not get too tired of one another. Things, however, started to change during our junior year of high school once we both started driving and dating.

Busy going through my ugly-duckling stage, I refrained from dating until my later high school years (read: I got turned down from everyone I asked out). On the other hand, John quickly romanced a sophomore from his high school meaning the two of us hung out less frequently. John wisely used his driver's license to drive to her house and spend the majority of his time with her. Our phone calls became much shorter as he was usually "on the other line" with Raeanne. Then, word trickled back to me through mutual friends that John didn't want to walk the train tracks with me anymore because he had more important things to do (namely Raeanne). As with any coming-of-age story, Raeanne was the villain in my story. She was the first girl who took away my best friend and it took me a while to adapt and realize that I would later follow the same path. John and Raeanne dated for just about a year before breaking up in the months before he graduated and went away to college. I'm happy to report that John and I remain friends today. 

Madonna "Papa Don't Preach"

Despite her larger-than-life personality, Madonna stands at a mere 5-foot 3-inches. She also suffers from insomnia with her sleeping issues dating back to when her mom died at the age of 30. Six hours of sleep is a success according to Madonna.

Human League "Human"

Long before Ross Geller infamously uttered "We were on a break!" to Rachel Green on Friends, Human League told the same story in song. Unlike Rachel, both parties in "Human" admitted to having an affair during their separation. While "Human" went on to become a #1 hit for Human League, its legacy pales in comparison to the Friends catchphrase. Liberty Mutual Insurance did use the song for their "Human" ad campaign in 2012, but the Friends catchphrase continues to get uttered by couples all across the globe.

Heart "Nothin' At All"

"When I asked you how you did it. You just said it was nothing at all."

Ben E. King "Stand By Me"

DID YOU KNOW?

The 1986 film Stand By Me re-introduced a young generation to Ben E. King's "Stand By Me". The songs inclusion on the film's soundtrack is just one of many tidbits.

• "Stand By Me" reappeared on the charts 25 years after its original release
• Actors who auditioned for Stranger Things were asked to read lines from the movie Stand By Me
• Stand By Me was based on Stephen King's "The Body"
• Stunt doubles from the iconic steam train scene featured four girls running across the railroad trestle (I have never been able to walk across a train trestle without the fear this movie put into my head)
• The train line no longer gets used except by the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad for sightseers
• The film was based in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon
• Rob Reiner, who directed the movie, later named his television production company Castle Rock Entertainment
• Castle Rock's first TV venture was a little show about nothing called Seinfeld 

OMD "If You Leave"

When the original ending of Pretty in Pink did not test well with focus groups, director John Hughes rewrote the ending and turned to OMD for help. Hughes used "Goddess of Love" from the band in the original ending and wanted to give the band another opportunity to be part of the revised final scene. Within 24 hours, the synth-pop band cranked out "If You Leave". Another tidbit: the song's tempo matches that of Simple Minds' "(Don't You) Forget About Me" because that was the song the actors danced along with when they filmed the final scene.

Mr. Mister "Kyrie"

Isn't odd that we didn't like going to church as kids, but we had no problem playing church at home? My brother served as priest, our stuffed animals were parishioners and I happily played the organ (which happened to be either my dad's old Magnus organ or my Casio keyboard). While teaching myself how to play the keyboards, I specialized in church music. When my brother decided I needed to learn new material, he swiped the hymnal from church one Sunday afternoon. My mother later make him return it.

Steve Winwood "Higher Love"

Credit "Higher Love" as Steve Winwood's first #1 song. It sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of 1986 for exactly seven days. The lengthy tune feautured background vocals from Chicagoan Chaka Khan. Most recently, Winwood's daughter Lilly toured with her dad and sang Chaka's vocals during his 2018 Greatest Hits Live Tour.