Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Say Cheese!




Other possible titles for this entry:

"Who cut the Cheese?"

"Cheesy Goodness"

"Its Cheese-a-riffic!"

...or, my personal favorite...

"Songs on my iPod that are so cheesy that I will blame my Husband for downloading them when it was actually me, after 2 glasses of wine and too much time watching the beginning rounds of American Idol."

Hee, hee.

I have a confession to make. I love cheesy songs. More specifically, cheesy love songs from the late 70's to the early 90's. And I have the feeling that I'm not completely alone on this island of Christopher Cross and Air Supply. I know there are many more out there just like me - Like you! Yeah you. The one with "I Wanna Sex You Up" blasting from your ear buds.

Yesterday I had television on the 80's music station (love that digital cable) while I was cleaning the house. When from the television I heard the first few notes of a song so quintessentially gouda that it stopped me in my tracks and brought tears to my eyes. That song was "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg. Man, I LOVE that song. And its so wrong to love that song. Dan Fogelberg is not an artist you're going to admit to loving in mixed company and especially not after your friends are talking about the latest song by the The Killers or Death Cab for Cutie. Can you just imagine the reaction? He's the kind of singer you'll admit loving to someone whose darkest secrets you already have knowledge of. Like your best friend from High School who was crazy in love with her 20 year old boyfriend - you know, the one who drove the camaro - who quoted Survivor in your Senior Yearbook.

"I was living for a dream,
Loving for a moment
Taking on the world,
That was just my style
Now I look into your eyes
I can see forever,
The search is over
You were with me all the while"

(c'mon, you know somebody who quoted something like this in their yearbook.)

Okay, I've shared some of my favorites, now you share some of yours. This could be fun. All you need to do is comment on your favorite song or songs that you still crank up in your car. But with the windows rolled all the way up. I'm going to lay down some ground rules, however, as to eliminate the haters.



- This is not a forum to judge others. After all, one person's cheese is another person's Brie... or something like that.

- The songs do not have to be love songs, they can also be those ridiculous songs that you loved in the clubs (think "Rump Shaker") or those crazy heavy metal songs from the late 80's. Careful, though. I was a metal girl all the way. Big hair, ripped jeans and everything. Ugh.

- Cheesy songs are subjective but they need to be real songs that you are embarrassed to admit that you like. They can't be cheesy for cheesy's sake. For example, all songs by Weird Al do not qualify, or any other parody song for that matter. "The Homecoming Queen's got a Gun?" Uh uh. That doesn't cut it either.

- Likewise, songs that are embarrassing now but were really popular back in the day. These are the ones that had cred at that moment but haven't stood the test of time. Like some early Madonna or Whitney Houston. Although, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" might slip through.

- All songs have to be somewhat recognizable. Please no deep cuts from albums that nobody else has heard of. I have Billboard on standby.



So let's go, people. Bring out those fondue pots and stir 'em up because I've got my bread cubes ready to dip in.

Okay, that was officially my last cheese metaphor.

17 comments:

Mom101 said...

You can search my blog for all my cheesy ipody goodness, but I think my most embarrassing admissions included the Barbra Streisand/Barry Gibb duets and Thank God I'm a Country Boy by John Denver.

And thank you VERY MUCH for getting that stupid Old Lang Syne stuck in my head for like the seventeenth time this year. It's not not enough that I'm singing it all Christmas long.

Anonymous said...

Oh I just blasted "Stayin Alive" by the Bee Gees the other day - also, Nights on Broadway by them - I think I am channeling Tony Manero when I hear them.. also 'Gloria' by Laura Branigan..Christopher Cross's 'Sailing' or 'Ride Like the Wind' (Have I embarrased myself enough yet? lol)

Chicky Chicky Baby said...

Mom 101 - Girl, you got nothing to be guilty of. Damn it. Now that song is in my head. I guess that's payback for the Old Lang Syne one.
Wendy - Somewhere tonight Barry Gibb's ears are ringing. And I love "Ride Like the Wind" too... I have to go download that one right now!
Haven't heard a really embarrassing song yet!

ms blue said...

Love songs like "Missing You" by John Waite and "Life In A Northern Town" by The Dream Academy still strike a nerve.

Any of the early Prince albums gets me dancing.

I've got to play these classics for my little ones.

Christina said...

All I gotta say is "Oh Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind - hey Mickey!"

Yeah, I'm a big fan of cheesy 80's tunes. I liked "Can't Touch This", I liked "I wanna be a Cowboy", and I loved "Whip It".

Chicky Chicky Baby said...

Blue - Great songs choices - especially "Life in a Northern Town" (love that one!) - but not exactly cheesy enough. But really great songs! I would save "Darling Nikki" until your kids are a bit older, though. :)

Christina - clap, clap, clap, Hey Mickey, clap, clap, clap
Okay that one finally bumped "Guilty" from my head.

ms blue said...

You're right but I'd never admit to owning records by Tiffany, Debbie Gibson or Jody Watley. Oh, whoops!

Are "Rio" by Duran Duran and "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield cheesy enough to be cool again?

MrsFortune said...

Hmm ... well, I did cop to the whole Streisand/Gibb thing in re: a post from Mom 101 a while back, but you want CHEESIER than that? Wow ... I'm gonna have to think ...

Well, I have several versions of "The Girl From Ipanema" on my i-tunes ... (tall and tan and dark and lovely / the girl from Ipanema goes walking) ...

Umm, okay here's one that I really and truly do like that I think is embarassing ... "The Boy from New York City" (ooh-wah ooo-wah come on Kitty) ... by Manhattan Transfer. Oh, and "Stroke" by Billy Squire. LOVE LOVE LOVE both of those songs. :-) And not in a "guilty pleasure" sort of way but I really like both of them.

Chicky Chicky Baby said...

Blue - those songs are totally cheesy enough to be cool! Especially the Debbie Gibson/Tiffany thing.

Mrs. Fortune - We might have a winner! Manhattan Transfer?! Wow. That might be better than having Samantha Foxx on my iPod.

Anonymous said...

"Reunited" by Peaches & Herb

I remember slow dancing to this song with my gelled-up hair, spike heels and man-cut jacket with shoulder pads.

God, did I just admit that?

Mom101 said...

Rio is NOT cheesy.

Chicky Chicky Baby said...

Sweatpants Mom - oooh, Peaches and Herb. That's almost as cheesy as Manhattan Transfer. And that sounds like a damn sexy look. I loved the man style jackets and the high heels.

I think that this Duran Duran thing deserves its own post. Does the music hold up? Were we crazy for wallpapering our rooms with their posters? Will I go blind from wearing all that blue mascara?
Ahhh, John Taylor. He was hot!

Anonymous said...

"I wanna have some fun
move my body all night long"

how about Alphaville's Forever Young (I want to be FOREVVVVER YOUNG..) lol..

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this post, Chicky?

Teacher lady said...

One word: The eighties. Come On, Eileen (by Dexy's Midnight Runners, of course) and Tainted Love by Soft Cell. I actually had both played at my wedding reception (to my first husband.) No wonder things didn't work out! Love the blog, by the way!

Anonymous said...

Oh man this was good! Thanks for stopping by, I love your stuff. Anything that makes me laugh that hard is a good thing.

And I noticed you our canines have the same name "Damn Dogs" and our former feline also went by "stupid cat." Well more specifically "stupid f'n cat." She's someone else's stupid cat now :)

Chicky Chicky Baby said...

Wendy - Naughty Girls Need Love Too. Even if we're not as naughty as we used to be. And I thought long and hard about the "Forever Young" song. I remember it being a lot more cool, back in the day, than it is now. Is that thanks to "Napoleon Dynamite"? And have you noticed there's a remake of that song on the "OC" promos? Hmmm. I think this also deserves its own post. Glad you're enjoying this!

Teacher Lady - I love those two songs and I cannot, in good conscience, put them on the Cheesy list. They're just too good! Although, the 80s decade as a whole could fall under the "Cheesy" category. And I loved the title of your blog! I'm really looking forward to reading more.

Mama C-ta - I'm glad you enjoyed the post so much. I love making people laugh. And, the damn dogs indeed. The God Damn Dogs! And "stupid" does not even begin to accurately sum up my cats. :)

jane said...

The comments here are so fun to ready! It is getting interesting! Like it!Are there DVDs for these are these. I think they are kinda old.