Year 6, Day 75

Good Morning! Today's song is Alive & Kickin' by Jesse Dee.

I've had this song saved for a long time and have never found the right day to show it to you, but I think enough is enough, so you get it today. So Jesse Dee is an American singer whose been around since the late 90's and currently has two albums under his belt. This song is from his 2008 album, which was his debut. And before that he was in a group called Decifunk, and also was the voice in The Dirty Whites. If this song peaks your interest enough you should check out his other album, which he released in 2013 and has been touring extensively for. That one is kind of his baby, and while I guess maybe I could have done a song from there, I would feel like I was cheating on this one. So listen to both and compare and contrast with me.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 74

Good Morning! Today's song is Bitch by Meredith Brooks.

Meredith Brooks in a singer who was active from 1976 to 2007. She started out in a band called Sapphire, but they broke up in 1982. She released a solo album in 1986, then joined two other girls in a group called the Graces the next year. The trio released an album, but then got dropped by their label in 1991. She got signed as a solo artist in 1995 with her debut album out in 1997 followed by a tour. Her second album came out in 1999, then the next one was released in 2002. She signed to a new label in 2004 and re-released her old albums. She made a children's album in 2007 and then basically retired from music without any fanfare, just slipped out of the industry. She's gotten a writing credit on one of Bebe Rehxa's songs in 2018 because it borrows melody from this song, which I hope they worked out before releasing the song. I thought she was a newer artist than she is so reading about her was surprising. Maybe it'll be the same for you.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 73

Good Morning! Today's song is Barracuda by Heart.

Heart has been around since 1973 and are made up of Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Ben Smith, Craig Bartock, Chris Joyner, and Dan Rothchild. Originally the band was called The Army, then they switched the name to White Heart (a reference to a book by Arthur C. Clarke) before shortening it to Heart. It wasn't permanent though because the name changed to Hocus Pocus. The band members all on their own ended up moving to Canada, and restarted Heart there. Their debut album came out in 1976, and became a huge success. Unfortunately some of that success was from the studio suggesting the sisters in the group were sexual partners. It pissed Ann off enough that she wrote this song. They left the label, signed with a different one and released an album, then the old label released a half finished album of theirs only to have to recall it so the band could finish it and release it with their new label. They made it big from those, but started to decline in popularity in the early 80's until they switched their sound a bit in 1985 with their new album. In 1995 when one of the sisters left to focus on family, the band technically took a hiatus, with other projects keeping them busy. Heart came back in 2004 with a new album (their first since 1993), and continued on until 2016. The sisters stopped speaking to each other because of an incident involving their families and have been touring with their own bands, but said that Heart was on hiatus not broken up. Apparently this year they are back together with a tour planned, but only time will tell.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 72

Good Morning! Today's song is Love Is A Battlefield by Pat Benatar.

Pat Benatar has been in the industry since 1972 when she joined a lounge band called Coxon's Army. By 1975 she performed at an amateur night in the Catch A Rising Star club, and became a regular member there for years. She got signed in 1978, then released her debut album with 1979. The next one came out in 1980 which featured her first big hit. The next album came out in 1981 and won her her second Grammy. There was another album before this song came out in 1983. She has continued to make albums and tour extensively through the years, and is even still releasing songs as recently as 2017 which I hadn't known. I kind of assume automatically that anyone who found fame in the 80's has retired by now, but writing these is just proving me wrong. Are there any artists you guys can think of that you were surprised to find were still in the industry? Let me know.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 71

Good Morning! Today's song is What A Feeling by Irene Cara.

Her full name is Irene Cara Escalera and has been active since 1968. She started off doing shows, on and off Broadway, then starring in some television shows. She got cast in Fame in 1980 as a dancer, but when they heard her sing they rewrote the part to incorporate her voice. She sang two songs in the film and ended up nominated for both at the Academy Awards. She continued doing more acting through the 80's, reaching true stardom when she sang the song for Flashdance in 1983, winning a Academy Award, Oscar, and Golden Globe. She released three albums, and collaborated with a group called Hermanos for a song. She mostly toured during the 90's, then formed a band called Hot Caramel which she's been focusing on, releasing an album in 2011. So if you're curious about her newer stuff look up that group and let me know your thoughts on it.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 70

Good Morning! Today's song is Love Shack by B-52's.

These guys have been around since 1976 and are made up of Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, and Ricky Wilson. The name B-52 is actually after a beehive hairdo meant to look like the nose of a Boeing B52 jet… which props to them for even finding that and thinking that was band name worthy. They released their debut album in 1979, and another released in 1980. The next album came out in 1983 and saw some members switch instruments. After a year long break, they came back to write in 1985. Writing together wasn't working so they decided to work on songs separately. Later that year Ricky Wilson died from AIDS, which he hadn't told most of the others about so they wouldn't worry about him. They released the album they had been working on, but the whole band was in mourning so they took two years off to recover. They came back with an album in 1989 which is when Love Shack was released. After one more album without Cindy, they stopped writing music, instead opting on touring and performing, collaborating with some other artists individually, and doing songs for pop culture installments. The next album came out in 2008 (16 years later) and has been doing tours with all kinds of people since. I'll admit this is the only song by them that I know right now, but I'm planning to look up more and I hope you are too.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 69

Good Morning! Today's song is Whip It by Devo.

Devo has been around since 1973 and have had a lot of members, but currently they are made up of Gerald Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, Josh Freese, and Josh Hager. The name devo is meant to mean de-evolution, that humanity in regressing, which...yeah, I can see that. The media labelled them as a joke band which obviously stuck since that's all I ever thought they were, but that seems a little in-congruent with what actually sparked them to start the band for real, which was a shooting at their school at what I'd consider a peace rally. De-evolution indeed. They released eight studio albums from the 70's to the 90's before decreased popularity, label financial issues, and general band conflict caused them to take a hiatus to try and change the collision course they felt they were on. The hiatus lasted from 1991 to 1996, but they were getting together during that time and doing songs for films, so they weren't truly gone. They came back in 1996 and spent time doing shows while music was released from the band's side projects, although nothing under the Devo mantle was done until their new album in 2010. This song played into the silly reputation, and is the best known song of theirs to hit my generation's ears, which was released in 1980. Because of it I've always known them as the dudes with the weird hats, but learning some of the facts about them makes me think there is way more to the group. I'm not going to get into all of it, as I'm still trying to learn it myself and don't want to mess up facts, but if you're curious, look them up.

Peace.