Rockin' The Headband!

The headband has long been an important piece of many a rock-and-roll wardrobe.  And while there were certainly plenty of 80s artists who sported a 'band around their noggin every once in a while, none are more closely associated with the headband than Mark Knopfler and Mike Reno.

You're balding, Mark.  The headband doesn't hide that.

Knopfler, lead singer and guitarist for the British band Dire Straits, burst on the music scene in 1978, but it wasn't until 1985 that he brought his headband to center stage.  Dire Straits was topping the charts worldwide in 1985 with the MTV anthem "Money For Nothing" and its parent album Brothers In Arms.  Knopfler's headband, the standard elastic kind worn by many athletes, made appearances in Dire Straits' music videos.  "Money For Nothing" and the follow-up single "Walk Of Life" both featured a 'banded Knopfler.  Even Dire Straits' 1988 greatest hits compilation, Money for Nothing, featured a Knopfler's neon silhouette, including his trademark headband.

Mike Reno (center), probably wearing red leather pants.

Mike Reno, lead singer of the Canadian band Loverboy, rocked the headband from Day 1.  Loverboy first cracked the US charts in early 1981, and recorded a string of hit singles and albums over the next 8 years before their break-up in 1988.  Reno opted for the bandana-style headband, always in red, and most always matching his red leather pants.  In some cases he would even add a bandana around his neck for added effect.



Honorable mention goes to Bruce Springsteen, who would occasionally trot out the bandana-style headband, usually in tandem with a blue denim jacket.  But Bruce is not defined by the headband, so he is relegated to Honorable Mention status.

Happy Birthday, Matthew Modine!

Matthew Modine was a staple of 80s films, appearing in such classics as Private School, Full Metal Jacket, Gross Anatomy, and Married To The Mob.  For many, however, Modine's foremost 80s role was as a high school wrestler in the 1985 film Vision Quest.  In celebration of Modine's birthday, today we'll look at Vision Quest's impact on pop music.

March 22 Birthday Boy Matthew Modine on the soundtrack's cover with Linda Fiorentino

Released in early 1985, the soundtrack to Vision Quest would spend nearly 4 months on Billboard's Album Chart, peaking at #11.  With a cast of artists as diverse as Dio, the Style Council and Red Rider, the soundtrack would land 3 singles in the Top 100 in 1985, including two that would crack the Top 10.

The first single from the soundtrack to hit the charts was Journey's "Only The Young".  The song was recorded three years earlier, and was initially intended for the band's 1983 Frontiers album.  The band was on hiatus when the song was picked for inclusion on the Vision Quest soundtrack.  It would ultimately peak at #9 in March of '85.

The other two hits would enter the charts on the same day, March 2.  John Waite was fresh off a 1984 #1 single, "Missing You".  The song "Change" was originally included on Waite's 1982 Ignition album, and was picked for the soundtrack almost three years later.  It would become a minor hit for Waite, peaking at #54.

The blockbuster from the soundtrack was Madonna's "Crazy For You".  Madonna was on top of the music world in early 1985, riding the success of both her solo debut and its follow-up Like A Virgin.  Her #2 song "Material Girl" was just beginning to fall from the top of charts when "Crazy For You" neared the top of the charts.  In fact, the two songs would spend two weeks together in the Top 5, a rare feat for any artist.  "Crazy For You" would ultimately unseat "We Are The World" and spend a single week at the top spot, becoming Madonna's second #1 single.

Mr. Movie Soundtrack

Movie soundtracks were ripe with hits all throughout the 1980s, producing numerous Top 10 and #1 hits for a wide variety of artists.  In 1985, no fewer than 9 different songs from soundtracks hit the top spot on the charts! (See: 1985: The Year Of The Soundtrack?)

Picture sleeve from Kenny's 1986 #2 hit "Danger Zone" from the movie Top Gun

No single artist reaped the benefits of the soundtrack more than Kenny Loggins.  Kenny racked up 4 Top 10 hits from movies throughout the 1980s, each from a different film!  Here are the songs that made Kenny into "Mr. Soundtrack" for the decade:

1. "I'm Alright", from the movie Caddyshack.  Kenny's them song, which Caddyshack's gopher danced to during the closing credits of the film, peaked at #7 in the fall of 1980.
2. "Footloose", from the film of the same name.  Kenny's biggest hit topped the charts for 3 weeks during spring of 1984.  Another Loggins song from the film, "I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man)", made it as high as #22 later that summer.
3. "Danger Zone", from the film Top Gun.  "Danger Zone" would spend a week at #2 in the summer of 1986.
4. "Nobody's Fool", from Caddyshack II.  The movie was awful, but Kenny landed in the Top 10 again, peaking at #8 in late summer of 1988.

 In 1987, Mr. Soundtrack nearly added a fifth Top 10 movie song to his list.  "Meet Me Half Way", from the Sylvester Stallone film Over The Top, would peak at #11 in spring of 1987.

Who is Kenny's closest competitor?  The ubiquitous Phil Collins, who would top the charts with four different movie songs, albeit from only three different films:  "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)", from the film Against All Odds, "Separate Lives" (with Marilyn Martin) from the film White Nights, and "Two Hearts" and "Groovy Kind Of Love" from the film Buster.

Who Gave the Drummer a Microphone? Part 3

The last installment in our singing drummers series features one of the decade's most successful artists, Phil Collins.  Collins began the decade as the lead vocalist and drummer for the band Genesis, but it wasn't until he went solo that he would find Top 10 success as a singing drummer.

All hail, the king of the Singing Drummers!

Collins' first album, 'Face Value' (1981), featured the haunting song "In The Air Tonight"; despite the song's popularity, it would reach no higher than #19 in the US.  A year later, Collins issued his second solo album, 'Hello, I Must Be Going'.  It would take a cover version of a former #1 by the Supremes to get Phil into the Top 10:  his cover of "You Can't Hurry Love" would reach #10 in 1982.

Collins would sing and drum on a number of Top 10 (and several #1) hits throughout the decade.  As a solo artist, his Top singing/drumming hits include "One More Night", "Don't Lose My Number", "Take Me Home", "Against All Odds", and a host of others.  He would reach the Top 10 as a singing drummer with Genesis as well, cracking the Top 10 with "That's All", "Invisible Touch", "Land Of Confusion", and several others.

If there are other singing drummers that hit the Top 10 in the US during the 1980s, I've yet to find them. Peter Criss sang and drummed on Kiss' Top 10 hit "Beth", but that was in 1978.  Jimmy Marinos would sing and drum on the Romantics' 1980 hit "What I Like About You", but it wouldn't even crack the Top 40, let alone the Top 10.  Any other 80s singing drummers out there?

Who Gave the Drummer a Microphone? Part 2

'The Long Run' LP featuring drummer Don Henley

Song #2 in the series featuring singing drummers is "The Long Run" by the Eagles.  The Eagles had a string of hits through the 1970s, most featuring drummer Don Henley and guitarist Glenn Frey on vocals.  Their 'final' studio album (until they reunited nearly 20 years later) was 'The Long Run', which would produce 3 Top 10 songs beginning in 1979.

"Heartache Tonight" featured Glenn Frey's vocals, and would hit #1 in 1979.  Another Top 10 hit from the album was "I Can't Tell You Why", which would peak at #8 in 1980, but was sung by bassist Timothy B. Schmit.  The final Top 10 song, "The Long Run", is the only to feature Henley on vocals and drums; it would also reach #8 in 1980.

Henley would go on to a successful solo career during the 1980s, landing four different songs in the Top 10 between 1982 and 1989.  Henley still played drums on a lot of his solo work; however, since several different session drummers were used on his solo work (Jeff Porcaro, Steve Jordan, Jim Keltner), his solo Top 10 songs are excluded from this discussion.

Who Gave the Drummer a Microphone?

Night Ranger's Midnight Madness album, with drummer Keagy at lower left

Today's fact is the first of a series in which I will shine the spotlight on a Top 10 hit from the 80s that was sung by, of all people, the band's drummer.

Up first, Night Ranger's epic 1984 song "Sister Christian".

Originally known as 'The Rangers', the band changed its name to Night Ranger in 1982 after a copyright dispute with another band.  The band put together a string of hits throughout the decade, including two Top 10 singles, and 3 others that would crack the Top 20.  Most of these hits were sung by bassist Jack Blades.  But, for one fateful season in early 1984, the band let its guard down and let the drummer do the singing.

Drummer Kelly Keagy wrote "Sister Christian" for his sister, Christy, who was considerably younger than he.  The song was born out of Keagy's surprise at how quickly his younger sister had grown up.  The song was intended to be titled "Sister Christy", but Jack Blades' couldn't understand what Keagy was singing and thought he was saying "Sister Christian".  And the title stuck.

The second single from Night Ranger's 'Midnight Madness' album, the song's success was bolstered by MTV keeping the music video in heavy rotation all summer.  Ultimately, the song would reach #5 on the US charts, and become Night Ranger's biggest hit.  And leave us to debate exactly what "motoring" is...

Paging Dr. Noah Drake...

Sleeve from "Jessie's Girl" 45, with a Dr. Noah Drake name drop

When Rick Springfield came from seemingly nowhere to top the US charts in 1981 with "Jessie's Girl", many thought he was a new face on the music scene.  In fact, Springfield had been around for over a decade -- in 1972, he climbed all the way #14 with "Speak To The Sky", and the 22-year old Australian pop star seemed destined for greater success.

By 1981, however, Springfield's music career was fizzling.  His latest album, 'Working Class Dog', was being held from release by his record company; Springfield was unsure how successful it would be even if it was released.  In the meantime, Springfield landed the role of Dr. Noah Drake on the popular soap opera 'General Hospital'.  Springfield's popularity on the soap led to increased radio airplay for "Jessie's Girl" (the first single from the album), and by summer's end it was the #1 song in the United States.

My, what handsome doctors they have in Port Charles!

Ultimately, Springfield's renewed music career would produce 16 Top 40 hits throughout the 1980s (including five that cracked the Top 10), 4 Grammy nominations, and one Grammy Award in 1982. Not bad for a washed up former teen pop star.