Happy Thanksgiving!!

A Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers!!

The above clip is a 1988 Metlife commercial, aired during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (always an important part of Thanksgiving for me, ever since I was little). 

Growing Pains

I used to enjoy the '80s sitcom Growing Pains. There was something about all of the characters that I could like and appreciate.

The parents, Jason and Maggie Seaver, were baby boomers, a member of that extraordinarily large generation which came of age during the '60s, and which were often featured on many an '80s movie or TV show. Boomers, who at the time were in their 30s, and many of whom were what was then termed "young urban professionals" (or "Yuppies" for short), were most identified with the movie The Big Chill and the TV show Thirtysomething.  But they were everywhere, including sitcoms like this. 

I kinda liked it, actually, since I had my own nostalgia for the '60s back then, and had a strong attraction to '60s culture. I remember there was an episode where some youthful acquaintances of the now middle aged Jason Seaver got together with him, and encouraged him to re-join in their effort at reviving the rock band that they had been in during their teen years. 

Their daughter, Carol Anne Seaver, was a nerdy, intellectual kid. I was too, and I identified with her most. Later on in the show, she was shown going off to college, and interacting with other would be intellectual youths.

Their older son, Mike (played by Kirk Cameron), was initially a goof off, but later on became involved in the theater. As a high school drama kid, of course I could identify with his interest, and his transformation into a "theater kid."

Then there was their younger son, Ben, who was just sort of there. He was okay though.

As time went on, the family changed, aged  and grew. New characters were introduced, including one played, in one of his first roles by the very young Leonardo DiCaprio.


Growing Pains ran from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992.

Only somewhat related to the topic: Here's Jim Carrey doing an pretty good impersonation of Alan Thicke, who played the father, Jason Seaver. From a 2011 episode of Saturday Night Live.

Hungry Like The Wolf

Here's the adventurous music video for Duran Duran's big 1983 hit "Hungry Like The Wolf."  

This was a breakthrough hit for Duran Duran, a band which exploded onto popularity in America as part of the Second British Invasion, and which would go on to score a large number of more hits during the '80s.


This week has been devoted to the Second British Invasion of music groups which exploded onto the American music scene in 1983. My previous posts on the subject are below. I encourage checking them out:


Repost: MTV and the Second British Invasion Groups: Culture Club


"Britain Rocks America- Again"


The Police


The Kinks: "Come Dancing"

Repost: Second British Invasion: Madness and Thomas Dolby

Repost: Second British Invasion: Madness and Thomas Dolby

This is a re-post of the June 23, 2011 post. I'm re-posting it as part of a week devoted to the Second British Invasion.


The Second British Invasion of 1983 is most often associated with its most popular acts, like Duran Duran, Culture Club, Eurythmics and the Police. But the launching of MTV brought exposure to a large number of quirky bands from both sides of the Atlantic. And the new art form of music videos generated a lot of creative, quirky and fun-loving masterpieces. Heres two such examples from the UK:

The Second British Invasion of the early '80s really did open the door for Americans to access a wide range of arty British musical culture which had not made it to the USA before. A lot of it was from the various subgenres which sprung up in the New Wave aftermath of punk in the '70s and early '80s. One example is the group Madness. Madness originated in the ska reveival which took place in Britain around 1978-79, but which didn't really obtain too much exposure in the United States. Finally, in 1983, Madness joined the British Invasion to hit it big with the chipper, catchy song "Our House," a big hit in '83.  The writer Simon Reynolds, in his book, "Rip It Up and Start Again" compared this song to the Beatle's "Penny Lane."

The Second British Invasion also brought the quirky, creative synth-pop of Thomas Dolby. A good example of it is the sonf "She Blinded Me With Science," which actually became more of a hit in America than in the UK. And a big hit it was. The video is an excellent example of how creative and fun-loving video could be during the early '80s. It kind of reminds me of the Beatles films in the late '60s, with its quirky humor and smile-inducing imagery.

The Kinks- "Come Dancing"

The Kinks first became well known during the first British Invasion of music groups during the 1964-1965 era, with hits such as "You Really Got Me," and "All Day and All of the Night," and "Tired of Waiting for You."  In 1970, they again hit on both sides of the Atlantic, with "Lola."  Although the Kinks continued to make music, and continued their popularity in the U.K., they largely disappeared from the U.S. charts during the '70s.

Then in 1983, after an absence of many years, the Kinks joined in the Second British Invasion of the U.S. music charts, and had a big hit with a wonderful song called "Come Dancing." "Come Dancing" was a sentimental gem of a song which tenderly recalled times past. According to Wikipedia:

 The song is a nostalgic look back at childhood memories of its writer: the Kinks' frontman Ray Davies, remembering his older sister going on dates to the local Palais dance hall where big bands would play. The lyrics tell how the Palais has been demolished and his sister now has her own daughters who are going on dates.

"Come Dancing" is a tribute to Davies' sister Rene who bought him his first guitar, with the song's lyrics affording Davies' sister a happy life denied her in reality. Living in Canada with her (reportedly abusive) husband, the 31-year-old Rene was visiting her parental home in Fortis Green at the time of Ray Davies' thirteenth birthday — 21 June 1957 — on which she surprised him with a gift of the Spanish guitar he'd tried to persuade his parents to buy him. On the evening of the same day, Rene — who had a weak heart as a result of a childhood bout of rheumatic fever — suffered a fatal heart attack while dancing at the Lyceum ballroom.

Its a sweet song, and a great song for a comeback by the Kinks onto the American airwaves.

The Police

The Police, one of the first new wave bands to achieve worldwide success, first achieved their popularity during the late '70s and early '80s. In 1983, they joined the wave of British bands invading America with their hugely successful album, Synchronicity. An album containing creative and catchy songs which also often had an intellectual edge and social commentary, Synchronicity was a presence on the album charts throughout 1983.






The highest charting song off of Synchronicity was the very popular "Every Breath You Take," a song that I remember being heavily played on the radio during 1983.

  One of the most creative videos, however, belonged to one of the follow up singles, "Wrapped Around Your Finger."   


Shortly after the major success of Synchronicity, the groups brainy lead singer, Sting, left to undertake a solo career. Always lending an intellectual element to the '80s music scene, Sting was often a champion of human rights causes and the source of many creative artistic efforts in both music and acting.

"Britain Rocks America- Again"

On January 23, 1984, Newsweek magazine featured a cover with Boy George and Annie Lennox, and a big article about the colorful wave of new British music groups which were invading America with help the help of the new cutting edge music channel, MTV. According to Newsweek:

"The British are coming -again. Twenty Years after the Beatles first appeared on 'The Ed Sullivan show,' conquering America. with their long hair, cheeky wit and pell mell rock and roll, a new wave of British bands is exciting a new generation of American fans."

Newsweek described the style of the new groups:

"Irony abounds. The mood is sardonic. Singers sometimes border on catatonic. And the look of the new  bands is something else again. Some of them sport clothes and haircuts that recall 'Brideshead Revisited.' Others evoke 'Blade Runner' or 'the Road warrior.' Still others recall Marlon Brando in 'The Wild One.' Lined up, they would form an improbable parade of ghouls, transvestites, bikers with spiked dog collars, mercenaries in battle fatigues, tie-dyed tramps and dapper young squires."

I think the description is a bit much, but it shows how mainstream culture viewed this colorful new, varied musical style, with its odd styles and quirky videos. But for many of us growing up at the time, its was all fun and exciting and new.

The article goes on to describe the American attraction to the new British musical invasion:

"America is welcoming the new wave with open arms -- and wallets. The extent of the new British beachhead was revealed on July 16, 1983, when 18 singles of British origin appeared in the American Top 40, eclipsing the previous record, set on June 19, 1965. Heading the list of last summer's top British groups was the Police. Close behind were other such familiar stars as David Bowie, the 37 year old godfather to many of the new British groups, and the Kinks, veterans of the first British invasion, enjoying their biggest hit in years. But the brightest names were Culture Club and Eurythmics - two new groups that continue to dominate American airwaves six months later. Culture Club is currently enjoying its fifth straight Top 40 single and Eurythmics has just released and striking new album, "Touch," that contains some of the strongest electronic pop yet. Meanwhile the bland but best selling Duran Duran, with its glamorous video clips, is preparing a North American tour that some insiders predict will be one of the top grosses of the spring season."