Swing Out Sister "Waiting Game"

Band members rarely agree on one thing but, in the case of Swing Out Sister, the trio all agreed they hated the band's name. Taken from the title of a 1945 Arthur Treacher film, Swing Out, Sister, the band narrowly missed out on the Top 5 of the Adult Contemporary Chart this week in 1989 with "Waiting Game".

Temptations "My Girl"

When you think of a mad-as-hell-and-not-gonna-take-it-anymore George Banks having a meltdown in the hotdog bun aisle at the grocery store, you immediately think of the 1991 movie Father of the Bride. Upon first watching this heartwarming movie in 1992, I was 15 years old and immediately connected with the character of George Banks: he loves his family, doesn't like letting go or major life changes, and holds in his anger until it inevitably explodes over something silly (like hotdog buns). Plus, the beloved Steve Martin stars as George Banks in the remake of the 1950 classic. What 15 year-old boy can watch a movie like Father of the Bride and immediately connect with a middle-aged character who's struggling to let go of his first-born daughter? Me, that's who.

When you meet someone with a shared love of family, baseball, radio, and the movie Father of the Bride, you're pretty lucky. When that same person also happens to have a heart of gold, laughs at all your stupid jokes and impressions and stares at you in a way no others have, you're pretty damn lucky. Add in stunning good looks and you feel like Brian McKenzie upon meeting Annie Banks.

This weekend, I'm celebrating Stephani's birthday by flying her favorite airline into her beloved Sky Harbor Airport followed by a tour of her former Phoenix haunts: Oreganos, Fossil Creek, and her old stomping grounds of ASU (where they apparently wore bathing suits to class). Throw in a visit to Comerica Theater to see the messiah himself (Rob Thomas), and you have yourself one heck of a birthday weekend. If we're lucky, maybe we'll even watch Father of the Bride on the plane...

Happy birthday, Stephani!
xo 

Ton Loc "Wild Thing"

I worked alongside Chicago radio personality Bill Leff who, before his radio career, once starred movies. Leff was one of the Cleveland Indians fans featured throughout the 1989 classic Major League. With his quick wit, spot-on impersonations and huge heart, Leff remains one of most favorite Chicago radio personalities. Today, he comprises half of the "Bill & Wendy Show" on WGN radio.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of Major League. It's streaming on Amazon Prime at the moment and you might notice one of the fictional baseball players in the movie used Leff's name ("Billy Leff"). Keen observers will notice the centerfield scoreboard contains an advertisement for WTMJ--which are call letters for a Milwaukee TV and radio station. Even though the movie was based in Cleveland, it was actually filmed at Old County Stadium in Milwaukee. Scheduling conflicts with the Indians and Browns caused producers to head north to film. While Major League came out around the same time as Ton Loc's "Wild Thing", the movie used a different version of the song.

Prince & The Revolution "Take Me With U"

Credit the Purple Rain Soundtrack for "Take Me With U". Originally intended for Prince's Apollonia 6 album, the song was pulled for inclusion on the soundtrack. A different song intended for Apollonia 6 album already had some drama attached to it. "Take Me With U" was the final single released from the wildly successful Purple Rain Soundtrack.

Simon & Garfunkel "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

"You might like this movie," my Dad said to me while folding laundry.

Noticing a war movie playing on our giant console television, I asked, "What's it called?"

"A Bridge Too Far," my dad responded.

The 1977 film highlighted the struggles of the Allies to break German lines during World War II. In other words, a film intended for mature audiences (I was probably 7 or 8 years old at the time, so I'm not sure why my Dad thought I'd like it).

Instead of going outside and playing, I sat down and watched all the while wondering why my dad believed I would like that particular movie. I gave it about 30 minutes before finally working up the courage to tell my dad that I didn't like the movie and wanted to go back outside to play.

Amy Grant "The Things We Do for Love"

Ellen DeGeneres still pokes fun at her first movie...the dud called Mr. Wrong. The 1996 flick starred Ellen alongside Bill Pullman in a dark comedy about a man (Pullman) who fooled everyone into think he's Mr. Right when, in reality, he's an awful human being who basically stalks Ellen's character after she breaks up with him. With a budget of $19 million, the film only grossed about $13 million in 1996 leading to the headline "Little Right About Mr. Wrong" from the SF Gate. The movie's soundtrack did spawn Amy Grant's remake of the classic 10cc tune "The Things We Do for Love" which Adult Contemporary radio stations gladly spun in 1996. 

Commodores "Oh No"

Jokes that definitely wouldn't work today: in a scene from the 1983 movie National Lampoon's Vacation, Clark Griswold gets lost driving his family from Chicago to a fictional theme park in California called Walley World. He somehow ends up in South St. Louis, Illinois where he seeks directions back to the highway. The Griswolds drive past numerous burnt-out cars and buildings and various stereotypical African-American characters before a basketball-carrying local offers to help (provided Clark pays him $5). The local ultimately gives him directions to another car where "Jack", his cousin, will help him get back to the highway. While this is happening, the hubcaps from the Griswold's Family Truckster get removed. It's then when Clark's son, Rusty, asks: "I wonder if these guys know the Commodores?". Many years later, the movie's director and former-Ghostbuster, Harold Ramis, apologized for the infamous scene. He explained, "The scene was supposed to be about prejudice, when in fact it is prejudiced."

Glenn Frey "Part of Me, Part of You"

The little-remembered song, "Part of Me, Part of You", from Glenn Frey's Strange Weather album found a second home on the Thelma & Louise Soundtrack. Still don't remember it? I didn't think so. When you've run through 1450 posts on this blog (cheap plus), you start to get desperate....

Michael Bolton "Go the Distance"

What do Michael Bolton and Ricky Martin have in common? Well, aside from being loved by ladies of the '90s, the two shared the ballad "Go the Distance" for the Disney-animated movie Hercules. Bolton performed the English version of the song that played over the movie's final credits while Martin performed a Spanish version of "Go the Distance". The song marks the last time Bolton turned up on the Top 40 Chart.

Bob Seger & Martina McBride "Chances Are"

Included on the Hope Floats Soundtrack, the ballad "Chances Are" features the unmistakable Bob Seger with Martina McBride. The duet charted on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 1998, but wasn't the album's crown jewel. That gem belonged to Garth Brooks who remade Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love". The remake finished first on the Country Chart during the summer of 1998 and earned Brooks a Grammy nomination in 1999. Other big names on the soundtrack include The Rolling Stones, Lyle Lovett, Trisha Yearwood, and Sheryl Crow.

Gin Blossoms "Til I Hear It From You"

The Empire Records Soundtrack helped put the Gin Blossums on the radio thanks to the song "Til I Hear It From You". The song found a home on Adult Contemporary and Rock radio stations in 1995 and even helped spur sales of the band's 1993 debut album, New Miserable Experience.

Sting "Nothing 'Bout Me"

One of the forgotten gems from Sting's wildly successful Ten Summoner's Tales album is the final song on the album known as "Epilogue (Nothing 'Bout Me)". While not a huge hit on the radio, the uptempo (by Sting's standards) song sounds like something you'd hear during the credits of a late-'90s rom-com starring Hugh Grant, Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Aniston.

Natalie Cole "A Smile Like Yours"

One of the few positive things to come of the movie A Smile Like Yours was the theme song from Natalie Cole. Panned by critics and movie-goers alike, the movie grossed just over $3 million in 1997. The song, however, became a Top 10 hit for Cole on the Adult Contemporary Chart.

The Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody"

How did a popular song from 1965 return to the charts in 1990?  You can thank Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and the movie Ghost.  The movie's soundtrack put the love song back on the radio and even induced The Righteous Brothers to record an updated version of the tune.  "Unchained Melody" topped the Adult Contemporary Chart for two weeks during the summer of 1990.  Ditto.

Rod Stewart "Love Touch"

Despite being a Top 10 song for Rod Stewart, Rod doesn't care much for "Love Touch" -- calling it one of the "silliest songs I've ever recorded".  The tune appeared in the 1986 comedy Legal Eagles.

Phil Collins "A Groovy Kind of Love"

Unless you spend your free time watching reruns of The Brady Brunch, you don't hear the word groovy too often these days.  That didn't stop Phil Collins from turning the word into a hit song in 1988.  Technically, The Mindbenders first made the song a hit in 1965, but Collins turned it into a #1 hit for the Buster Soundtrack.  Collins pulled double-duty for the film both singing and acting in the movie. He's since admitted it's the one song that he wishes he'd never have to perform again.

Wilson Phillips "Hold On"

Dear Judd Apatow:

Thank you for including "Hold On" in the soundtrack to your film Bridesmaids and introducing Wilson Phillips to a whole new world of fans. 

Sincerely,
Wilson Phillips

Paula Abdul - "Rush Rush"

Paula Abdul released "Rush Rush" in 1991 -- her first ballad.  While the song was different from her previous upbeat pop singles, the soft violin-filled "Rush Rush" proved to be a huge success for the future American Idol judge -- the song topped the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary Charts for five consecutive weeks.  FUN FACT: Paula Abdul was the choreographer for the 1987 movie Can't Buy Me Love starring a very young Patrick Dempsey.

Olivia Newton-John - "Hopelessly Devoted to You"

Some would argue it's shameful that I had never watched Grease until I was 37 years old.  Some would say it was even more shameful that I fell asleep halfway through the critically-acclaimed musical and still haven't watched it all the way through.  Some would even say that it's overly-shameful that I dressed up as Dean Wise for Halloween last year.

Jennifer Warnes & Joe Cocker - "Up Where We Belong"

"Up Where We Belong" almost didn't make the cut for the movie An Officer & A Gentleman.  Don Simpson, the movie's producer, didn't think the song was a hit and demanded that it be nixed.  Simpson was dead wrong as the ballad won a Golden Globe, Grammy, and went to #1 on the Hot 100.  Hell, even Richard Gere said he got chills after watching the completed scene with "Up Where We Belong" added.  Eat it, Don Simpson.