Music & Me

It has provided a soundtrack to my life so far. I used it, Can't Buy Me Love by the Beatles to be precise, to start my TED talk three years ago. Depeche Mode's Somebody was "our" song. I was featured on BFM and to make that segment personal was asked to pick a few of my favourite songs. Amongst others, I chose Those Magic Changes ... because we need to start at the beginning, when all the boys wanted to be Dany Zuko, what more a boy hitting puberty.

Recently, an old pal from JC, Y, tagged me for a week of 80s music challenge. I chose the following:

Feels Like Heaven by Fiction Factory. It's apt to name a Scottish band who contributed to the decade known as the British Invasion. They had just one hit and what a song. Like other 'one hit wonders', they demonstrate how tough the music industry is. Still, it's better to have had impact once than none at all

Sometimes It Snows In April by Prince. Along with David Bowie and Glenn Frey, Prince died this year. We mourn these artists not because we know them but because they help us know ourselves.

Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie. This one features two artistes, sadly no longer with us, who provided plenty of anthems to grow up with. Both Mercury and Bowie were theatrical, both felt immense pressure and lamented, in this number, "this is our last dance!". Fortunately for many of us, we continued to dance on.

In The Sentimental Past by Leslie Cheung. More than a decade since Bruce Lee introduced the Asian hero on the global silver screen, John Woo brought us 'A Better Tomorrow'. This was also the height of the Cantopop Craze, a music movement across East Asia not unlike the British Invasion. This tragic theme is by Leslie Cheung (why do I keep picking songs of dead people? 😢) is so moving, achingly so, that one wishes for a world with more heroes (but hopefully without the violence).

Running To Stand Still by U2. We can't relive the 80's without U2. Uber cool then and still so now. Political activists to boot! And then their poetry...

"You got to cry without weeping

Talk without speaking

Scream without raising your voice"

Sabai Sabai by Thongjai McIntyre is from our neighbourhood; an infectiously happy song about feeling good from a country of fun loving folks. It's been updated for the 21st century and it's still as happy sounding as ever.

Key Largo by Bertie Higgins. This one is special only because we (P, K, B and I) were not. We tried to perform it at a JC talent competition. Well, at least one of us went on the cut a couple of albums.

Shake It Off by Taylor Swift. This is technically not 80s music, though it's from the album titled 1989 and performed by the artist that is defining our kids' teenage years angst, Taylor Swift

"Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play

And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate

Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake

I shake it off, I shake it off

Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break

And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake

Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake

I shake it off, I shake it of"

Although I bent the rules with Taylor Swift's number, there were just too many good songs I couldn't include. I left out Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Wham!. I also had to leave out greats songs from the 60s and 70s. Not exactly from my teenage years but I certainly grew up listening to them. 

These included:

- Yesterday because if not for Beatles then, we will not have the music of today

-  Summertime by Janis Joplin because she leaned in first and broke all barriers incl one of those gone too soon at 27

- Hotel California because the Eagles remind us that we have all checked in to this world and can't leave (not yet anyways)

- The Soft Parade by the Doors, helmed by the iconic Jim Morrison

And more recently songs by divas such as:

- Angel because Sarah McLachan has the voice of an angels and in today's world, we all need guardian angels more

- Rehab by Amy Winehouse whose life imitated her art and vice versa

Truth be told, there is one idol from the 80s that I still listen to every time I have the chance. He has since disappeared and so in my mind he is still looking like this. Like an idol should. 

Photo from Mesosyn.com