15/100 Video - "Personal Jesus" - Depeche Mode (1989)

 

I'll always remember 1989. The holy trinity of alternative rock, The Cure, New Order and Depeche Mode, all released amazing albums.

Think back to the early 80s for minute. Hands up if you thought back these guys would be making videos sporting cowboy hats and playing guitars at the end of the decade?

The evolution of Depeche Mode from a quirky synth-pop act to filling stadiums in North America was impressive. Like U2 with the The Joshua Tree, Depeche Mode stormed North America with an amped up, somewhat industrial form of dance music typifying the Violator album in 1989.

"Personal Jesus" is a club classic with an unstoppable beat, atmospheric guitars and menacing vocals. The badass video is a bonus. Well done boys, you've come a long way.

27/100 Video - "Wicked Game" - Chris Izaak (1989)

The sensual video "Wicked Game" by Chris Izaak is a dreamy classic. 

Like all great melancholy numbers, the song is hauntingly beautiful.

And like with every song and video, we will all have our own interpretations.

A dream? Fantasy? A break-up? 

Some of us will see a fantasy world: an extended Calvin Klein commercial.

Others will view it as a heartbreaking break up. 

Pop culture fans will associate this song with Rachel and Ross's date in the museum. And the track is a bit of foreshadowing... if you look at it from Ross's perspective.

Chris Izaak said during an interview that the song is about a strong attraction to somebody that is not necessarily good for you.

45/100 Video - "Lullaby" - The Cure (1989)

If you have arachnophobia or a fear of sleep, then the video for "Lullaby" by The Cure may not be for you.

The song is apparently based on a recurring nightmare Robert had as a child when he was eaten by a giant spider.

The swirling classical instruments and hypnotic beats jive well with the visuals.

And the vocals are Robert Smith at his creepiest, and are likely to cause a few nightmares and over-the-shoulder glances. 

The video was inspired by David Lynch's 1977 debut horror movie Eraserhead.

1989 - "Personal Jesus" - Depeche Mode

I'll always remember 1989 as when the holy trinity of alternative rock, The Cure, New Order and Depeche Mode, released amazing albums.

Think back to the early 80s for minute. Hands up if you thought back these guys would be sporting cowboy hats and playing guitars at the end of the decade?

The evolution of Depeche Mode from a quirky synth-pop act to filling stadiums in North America was impressive. Like U2 with the The Joshua Tree, Depeche Mode stormed North America with an amped up, somewhat industrial form of dance music typifying the Violator album in 1989.

"Personal Jesus" is a club classic with an unstoppable beat, atmospheric guitars and menacing vocals. The badass video is a bonus. Well done boys, you've come a long way.

Other favourites from 1989: 

"Fascination Street" - The Cure

"Monkey Gone to Heaven" – Pixies

"Bust A Move" - Young MC

"Round and Round" - New Order

#43. "Personal Jesus" - Depeche Mode (1989)

Think back to the early 80s for minute. Hands up if you thought back these guys would be sporting cowboy hats and playing guitars five years later?

The evolution of Depeche Mode from a light synth-pop act to filling stadiums in North America was quite impressive. Like U2 did a couple years prior with the The Joshua Tree, Depeche Mode captured the hearts and minds of America with an amped up, somewhat industrial form of dance music with the Violator album in 1989.

"Personal Jesus" is the best song from that period: a big beat that don't quit while twangy guitars and clinical keys keep things interesting. 

The badass video is a bonus. 

Well done boys, you've come a long way.

#64. "Fascination Street" - The Cure (1989)

The Cure are one of the most misunderstood bands of all time. 

First of all, they are not "goth". I'd argue they are unclassifiable (is that even a word?). And man, I like to make me some categories...

Kings of versatility, The Cure can play any style they dang well please.

Pick up any album since 1982 and you'll discover a diverse range of moods and sounds (rock, pop, bitter and the sweet, the three minute orchestral openings, the painfully sad and slow dirges to the insanely happy, loonie-tunes and everything in between).

"Fascination Street" is a masterpiece of texture. 

Epic may be an overused adjective these days but the word defines this track perfectly. The sweeping layered intro lasts 1:20 before Robert Smith's first vocal kicks in. 

Everyone brings it on this intense groove: from Simon Gallup's throbbing even menacing bass line, the hypnotic rhythm guitar, and just enough (but not too much) synth. 

The song is apparently a tribute to the band's escapades on New Orlean's Bourbon Street. Or it could be about a disintegrating relationship? That's the beauty musical lyrics, the multiple interpretations.

#72. "Monkey Gone To Heaven" - Pixies (1989)

Lyrically, "Monkey Gone to Heaven" by the Pixies tackles serious subjects like God and the growing environment issues of the day e.g. pollution, ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect.

Musically, the tune sounds breezy and cool with a folky chorus, although it does have a somewhat menacing bassline.

The alternating loud-soft verses preceded and influenced Kirk Cobain and Nirvana's sound from their 1991 album Nevermind. 

The breakdown could possibly be the first time that the alt-rock talk-scream trademark vocal was delivered: 

"If man is 5 / Then the devil is 6 / And if the devil is six / Then god is 7"

So in summary, the Pixies were creating grunge before the official grunge era kicked in.

Another equally popular single from the 80s had been resurrected in the 2009 (500) Days of Summer film soundtrack:

#74. "Bust a Move" - Young MC (1989)

We take it for granted today, but tracks like "Bust a Move" by Young MC (along with "Funky Cold Medina" by Tone Loc) vaulted hip hop to the mainstream in the late 80s.

Rumpshakin' tomfoolery is guaranteed by this old school club tune that will fill the floor with a motley crew of party animals from all the sociodemographics. 

If you ain't bustin' a move to this groove then you're  probably doing it wrong. But since my name appears in the lyrics, I may be a little overprotective about this catchy number.

Fun fact: Flea from the Chili Peppers is responsible for that peppy bass line.

Move it boi!

#80. "Round & Round" - New Order (1989)

By the end of the decade, New Order had shed its Joy Division punk rock roots to become an iconic pioneer of electronic music made for the dance floor.

In 1989 the band went on a working holiday to Ibiza to record Technique, arguably their greatest album. 

Lyrically, the songs are stormy, stemming from lead guitarist/singer Bernard Sumner's divorce and the souring relationship with their record label Factory.

Musically, most of Technique is reflective of the emerging acid house scene of Manchester's Haçienda and the dance floors of Ibiza clubs. 

The result: an excellent blend of dance and rock and New Order at its creative peak.

The disco / techno inferno "Round & Round" was the second single released, stirred by Peter Hook's driving bass. Combined with the sunny synth and guitar melodies, the music act as a foil to Bernard's subdued vocals and biting lyrics.  

Fave lyrics: "The picture you see is no portrait of me. It's too real to be shown to someone I don't know."

#87. "Pump Up The Jam" - Technotronic (1989)

And what a jam it was! 

Part hip-hop, part house, "Pump Up The Jam" filled the floors at all the clubs on Argyle Street (The Dome, Rosa's, Bogart's) every weekend in the fall of '89. 

It was also a sneak preview of what was to come. 

We may not have quite realized it at the time but this little eurodance floor stomper became the template for the 90s dance music revolution featuring the likes of C & C Music Factory, Black Box... 

It didn't matter what you listened while at home or in the car, this tune demanded your attention at the club. And if you weren't getting busy on the floor, you were most definitely watching the proceedings.

I'll never forget the cool hippie who used to set up shop along the perimeter of Bogart's sunken dance floor and grooved on the spot shaking her booty and tambourine for hours to jams like this: the very epitome of 'dance like no one is watching.'