Because it’s February and this world needs more love right now, and because it’s absolutely freezing outside…I’m going to focus on some songs that are about hot lovin’- in all forms.

I have loved the particularly hot artist who sang this perfectly hot song since I was in sixth or seventh grade. Even though I was only twelve years old I knew hot when I saw it. And Rod Stewart and Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? were hot.

The song from the album Blondes Have More Fun was released in November 1978. Back then, radio was king and this song was on repeat.I was instantly smitten. I mean come on, this song is so damn, well, sexy- forty eight years later it still gives me all the feels.

Rod Stewart in the 70s. YUMMMY! Was any rock star sexier than Rod the Mod? Not many, that’s for sure.

A lot of critics and people who were fans of Faces and the Jeff Beck

Group disdained this song as Stewart’s attempt to cash in on the disco craze. Thought that he had foregone his blues rock cred. But disco was really over by 1978 and who cares anyway if that was true. Disco was fucking amazing. And the song did go to #1 on the Billboard charts so there’s that.

Duane Hitchings, who co-wrote the song with Stewart and drummer Carmine Appice, claimed in an interview that the song was sort of a spoof on the lounge lizard disco era singer, a la Bill Murray’s character on Saturday Night Live.

The arrangement was controversial, supposedly cobbled together from a bunch of plagiarized parts from The Rolling Stones Miss You, which came out that same year, to the chorus from Jorge Ben Jor’s Taj Mahal, and the synth riff lifted from Bobby Womack’s song If You Want My Love, Put Something Down on It.

I had zero knowledge of any of this when I was twelve years old. I just knew that voice, the blonde shag, the leather and that the sex appeal of Rod Stewart was something I wanted a part of, even if I didn’t know what part that was yet. Funny fact- my mother was alarmed and concerned about my huge crush on Rod Stewart…..I think she secretly thought he was sexy as hell too but didn’t want to admit it.

The lyrics to this song were everything a pre-adolescent in 1978 thought was exciting. Seeing someone attractive at a bar. Feeling nervous but intrigued. Hearts pounding in anticipation. Rod Stewart singing Sugar, Sugar. That synth. THAT SYNTH. Catching a cab to a high rise apartment- visions of love and lust in New York City dancing in my seventh grade head.

Relax baby, now we’re all alone.

SAX SOLO!

Song break.

Then they wake at dawn. Oh, my goodness.

Rod’s whispering If you really need me, just reach out and touch me….

Damn whispering is sexy.

So….12 year old me and fifty-something me-different versions of the same soul, have something in common. We knew, we know, perfection when we felt, saw, and heard it and Da Ya Think I’m Sexy, by Rod Stewart is THE perfect song.

You can watch all my PERFECT song videos at https://www.youtube.com/@SFB66

Back with the second love themed song for this month. I low-key hate Valentine’s Day but I love this perfect song about love. The Pretenders Message of Love was released forty five years ago this month. I was in ninth grade and was completely taken with The Pretenders; Chrissy Hynde and her dark shag, bangs in her face, heavy kohl eyeliner. She was punk but put-together-punk. Sexy in a different way than, like, Debbie Harry was. Pete Farndon, fucking gorgeous, with his dark hair swept up in a DA, the earring, the pink Fender bass. Yummy. Martin Chamber’s funky sideburns and James Honeyman-Scott’s really distinctive Rickenbacker riff work. They were New Wave, but not techno New Wave and not Rock-a-Billy New Wave. They sounded like no one else. Not Blondie or The Cars or Devo. Fresh and sassy!

The formation of The Pretenders in Hereford, England in the late 70s happened after Chrissy Hynde’s varied and interesting adventures after leaving Kent State University. Born in Akron, Ohio she was a student at Kent State at the same time as Jerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo, and she was there during the May 1970 massacre. Hynde moved to London in 1973 and among other things she worked for the New Musical Express and at Vivienne Westwood and Malcom McLaren’s clothing store Sex. She was involved with members of both the Sex Pistols and The Clash before eventually meeting Farndon, Chambers and Honeyman- Scott.

Their alternative-punk cred is real, their first single was a cover of The Kink’s Stop Your Sobbing and was produced by Nick Lowe.

Message of Love was on their second album, Pretenders II. It starts with Chambers’ infectious swinging beat, then Honeyman -Scott and Farndon join in, and then Hynde joins in proclaiming the reason we’re here is to love each other, take care of each other. When love walks in the room, everybody stand up!

How can you not stand up and start swinging to that beat? And how can you not love a song that quotes Oscar Wild, “ We are all of us in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

Do yourself a favor this VD, spin some Pretenders and spread some love. It’s good, good, good. Message of Love is THE perfect song.

https://www.youtube.com/@SFB66

Even though Valentine’s Day is over, it’s still February, so I’ve got one more hot song about lovin’ that I want to talk about. Can’t really make a list of hot songs and not include something by Prince, and his early perfect hit I Wanna Be Your Lover is my personal favorite.

Prince, sex, sex and Prince. They go together like peanut butter and jelly, right? My introduction to Prince was during my senior year of high school, 1984, when Purple Rain came out. I don’t think I was aware of him before that. My music taste was fairly limited and pedestrian when I was 18. Plus, I grew up far away from anything that was happening, so, again, limited access. That’s why I can’t get enough of people who are audiophiles and music buffs now. I just want to know, well, EVERYTHING.

Back to the purple one. I’m pretty sure the first time I heard/saw Prince performing I Wanna Be Your Lover, well, actually lip syncing, was on those American Bandstand and Midnight Special videos. You know, that famous performance while he’s wearing women’s lingerie. Zebra panties tight in all the right places, and that shredded zebra print vest thingy. His hair long, guitar strapped sexily across his torso. What other male could rock women’s lingerie? And still be deliciously attractive to women? No one. We all know that.

The song was released in 1979. It was the lead single from his second album. There are some other official videos of Prince singing this song and one in particular was considered so risque that it was never released. It was considered a disco hit, being released at the tail end of the disco craze, and reached Number 2 on Billboard’s Disco Action chart. The song propelled him to a level of fame that had eluded him and his earlier releases and garnered him a tour with Rick James.

The lyrics are pretty simple, and purely Prince with double entendres and suggestive images. I mean that chorus, right? Am I right? You know you feel it. Supposedly this song was written about Patrice Rushen and Prince’s crush on her.

There is not much I can add to a discussion of Prince except that if you were of a certain age in the 80s, you were so damn lucky to have been alive. His prolific output of fun, danceable sexy songs was major, I mean MAJOR! There was simply no one else who could compare to him- hello, yeah, a sideways reference to Nothing Compares 2U which he wrote for Sinead. And his absolutely genius ability to write prolifically, sing, and play virtually any instrument was unparalleled. His charisma, his affect, his entourage, his outfits. His commitment to absolute authenticity and control over his music.

I wanted to conclude the “love” songs for this month with this PERFECT song because it’s a song that makes you feel sexy when you sing it, sexy when you dance to it, sexy when you watch Prince, and we all need to feel sexy. Feeling sexy makes you literally look sexy. And when we look and feel sexy, we can make the world a happier place. And making the world a happier place is a noble cause. Prince sure as hell made the world a better place.

Listen to this, dance your ass off, feel sexy. I Wanna Be Your Lover is THE perfect song.

You can watch this and other videos at https://www.youtube.com/@SFB66

Billy Idol Eyes Without a Face

I’d been thinking about including Billy Idol here for a while, and his nomination for inclusion in the RnR HoF, long overdue IMO, spurred me on to talk about this perfect song- Eyes Without a Face.

Billy Idol was integral to the soundtrack of elder Gen X teen life. I mean I can’t hear any of his songs without being transported to the early to mid 80s. White Wedding, Rebel Yell and Dancing With Myself were radio and MTV staples in the early 80s and Mony, Mony, get laid, get fucked, was played at every single fraternity party I ever attended. He was sight to behold on MTV clad in black leather and the platinum blonde punk rock DA. The sneer, the snarl of those luscious lips….a bad boy who was every good girl’s dream.

Eyes Without a Face from the album Rebel Yell is quintessential early 80s perfection in all the best ways. It was released in April, 1984, the end of my senior year of high school. Do you remember those last few months before you graduated from high school? Trying to make memories, caught between the headiness of getting the hell out of high school and the nervousness excitement of being on the edge of adulthood? Partying like there was no tomorrow. Thinking about leaving behind friends, family and everything that you thought you knew? Heady, heady times for this 18 year old. Eyes Without A Face reminds me of all of that.

This song is just sexy from beginning to end. Judi Doziers’s silky techno synth opening, those snappy pops from the drum machine that sound like claps, Perri Lister, Idol’s paramour, singing the chorus in French in the background, and famous Salsa bassist Sal Cuevas’ melodic bassline all give the song its ethereal, otherworldly feeling. It’s like velvet. Until…

Steve Stevens’ kicks everything into a whole other level, I mean he MAKES this song. When that tempo changes, that guitar riff sends me into ecstasy. And Billy rapping

When you hear the music, you make a dip

Into someone else’s pocket then make a slip

Steal a car, go to Las Vegas

Ooh, gigolo pool

Hanging out by the state line

Turning holy water into wine

Drinkin’ it down, oh

I’m on a bus, on a psychedelic trip

Reading murder books, tryin’ to stay hip

I’m thinkin’ of you, you’re out there so

Say your prayers…

And then the tempo slows down again and ends the same way it began with that sexy slow synth sliding into…….something…

One of the reasons I’ve always loved this song is because it feels like a more personal, biographical song than Idol’s previous hits. There is something that touches on a personal and deep level. He’s said as much, that it was about life on the road and how it messes with your mind and your real life.

Idol’s inspiration for the song was a 1960 black and white French horror film with the same title. He said it reminded him of the emptiness and what he called moral decay on the streets of New York City in the late 70s and early 80s. The video echoes the dark theme of that and other black and white horror films with its smoke filled scenes and gothic aura. The video was nominated for best cinematography and best editing for the 1984 MTV video music awards.

Billy is still kicking it with Steve, both of them looking fabulous. Here’s hoping that Bill gets his due and finally gets into the Hall of Fame this year. You can register to vote at the HoF website. Go do it! And revisit 1984 by listening to Eyes Without a Face, THE perfect song.

You can watch all my Perfect Song vids on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@SFB66

INXS was one of those bands that just got better and better…through different eras, from the mid seventies when the fledgling band formed all the way through the 90s. Just bangers on every single album. Of course they were helped by Michael Hutchence’s gorgeous- ness that was perfect for the MTV video era.

Not Enough Time is THE perfect song for many reasons. One, the lyrics. It’s a love song. A damn sexy love song. Put some headphones on, listen to it and tell me it doesn’t do anything to you.

And I was lost for words in your arms

Attempting to make sense

Of my aching heart

If I could just be

Everything and everyone to you

This life would just be so easy

Not enough time

For all that I want for you

Not enough time for every kiss

And every touch and all the nights

It’s almost hard to remember just how fucking big, how great INXS was in the 80s. I always liked them. But then Kick happened…. And holy fuck did that Kick them into the stratosphere. That album and its four top ten hits, New Sensation, Never Tear Us Apart, Devil Inside and Need You Tonight were everywhere; radio, MTV….they were major in 1987 and ‘88.

The band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1977 with the Farriss brothers, Jon, Tim and Andrew, Gary Beers, Kirk Pengilly and Hutchence and were originally called the Farriss Brothers. They gained some local popularity and a chance meeting with Midnight Oil’s manager Gary Morriss led to them supporting Midnight Oil on tour. It was one of MO’s crew members who suggested changing the band’s name to INXS. I first remember them and the song One Thing when they were still a ska/New Wave outfit, which I thought was very cool when I was in high school. By the mid 80s their sound shifted to,I guess, outright rock.

I found an article that claimed that this song is INXS’s worst song. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if they’re wrong. Not Enough Time was the third single from their 8th album Welcome to Wherever You Are, which IMO is a great album title. Jon Farriss’ percussion hooks you at first and the keyboards create that atmospheric feeling that almost hypnotizes you. Then the lyrics begin and yes, I get lost for words….

I highly suggest when you want to be hypnotized, put your headphones on, listen to this PERFECT song!

And don’t forget to go vote for them at the Rock Hall website

You can watch all my THE PERFECT SONG vids on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@SFB66

The Emperor’s New Clothes by Sinead O’Connor is the perfect song. I should have posted this at least yesterday on St. Patrick’s Day if not earlier but as usual I’m late so here we are today.

It may not be her best song- but it was perfect for many reasons.

Oh, Sinead. What a beautiful, gifted, tragic, misunderstood, brave human.

I was vaguely aware of her from her 1987 album The Lion and the Cobra and Mandinka and the sexy as hell I Want Your Hands on Me. That song gets me….yowza!

But then the absolute blockbuster I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got came out in 1990. It contained Nothing Compares as well as the Prince penned Nothing Compares 2U that had that accompanying stunning video.

Emperor’s New Clothes was released as a single in June of 1990. The song topped Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart for a week. The song is probably Sinead’s most “rock and roll” song. And that’s why it’s perfect. It’s passionate, socially conscious, and has a personal, confessional feeling that is typical of many of her songs. It’s rumoured that the song is about U2. Supposedly she did not like them because she considered them too unwilling to really go against the mainstream. Sinead definitely was not afraid to be controversial. And she paid the price for being a truth-teller that’s for sure. We could use more truth-tellers in this fucked up world.

Sinead’s first husband John Reynolds is playing that intense drumming that opens the song. That beat is what really catches you- or me anyway. Andy Rourke of The Smiths plays bass on the track.

The lilt, the edge in her voice is just so choice here.

That intense guitar part, paired with that percussion before, what I think it the most powerful third verse, and most Sinead part of the song:

Everyone can see what’s going on

They laugh ‘cause they know they’re untouchable

Not because what I said was wrong

Whatever it may bring

I will live by my own policies

I will sleep with a clear conscience

I will sleep in peace

Damn, Sinead! If I had only a fraction of the guts that she had, the power in this declaration of independence, the guts to be who she was without apology. And at the end the driving outro, repeated over and over just sends the message home that she was a force to be reckoned with.

One reason I love this song is because it takes me back to a very specific time and place in my life. The lyrics

How could I possibly know what I want when I was only 21 just hit hard. Shit I still don’t know what I want and I’m waaaay past 21. The 1990s in my mind are encased in amber. The last decade before our culture, society, collective consciousness and unconscious changed. Before digital. Before the explosion of the internet. It was a great time to be young and I wish we could all go back.

All hail sister Sinead- Emperor’s New Clothes is the perfect song.

You can watch all my THE PERFECT SONG vids on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@SFB66

Blackwell Hall on the Circle of William Smith College. Some fun was had here!

I Can’t Wait by Nu Shooz is THE perfect song. That distinctive bass and hand clap is unmistakable. When I hear it I can’t help but get funky with my bad self. And it takes me right back to one of the most soul charging seasons in my life- the spring of 1986. I cannot believe that it was forty years ago. In honor of that long ago spring, and the memories associated with it, I’m digging into the perfect songs from the spring of1986 and I Can’t Wait is the first.

Nu Shooz was a Portland, Oregon band formed in 1979 by husband and wife John Smith and Valerie Day and originally twelve other members. Smith says he was inspired by the bassline in Grandmaster Flash’s The Message as well as surf beats and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for the funk. I Can’t Wait was originally released in 1985 and garnered airplay on Portland radio but failed to get the attention of a major record label until it was remastered by a Dutch DJ and record producer. It was re-released and became known as the Dutch mix. This version caught the attention of Atlantic Records which signed the group in early 1986 and the song was included on the album Poolside.

I Can’t Wait is the perfect amalgamation or synchronicity or fusion or whatever you want to call of older analog recording equipment and instruments and the emergence and domination of synthesizers- so very, very 80s. And the video is delicious mid 80s perfection- the outfits, the hair, the graphics- everything screams 1986!

When I hear this song, I am transported to Geneva, New York, springtime- which if you live in upstate NY you know spring takes a long time to arrive, and when it does it makes people literally delirious. I was delirious that spring, in lust with a blond Hobart Lacrosse player who was, well, a player. I could not believe that he might have a thing for me. Boy was that fun. I transferred to Hobart and William Smith as a sophomore in September 1985 and it took me most of that year to feel like I had a place, like I fit in. Finally, when the weather broke that spring, I felt like a whole different person. It was magical. I was in a haze, I felt dreamy and light and airy. Have you ever experienced something like that? Where you felt like you were shedding past versions of yourself? Whenever I hear this groovy song I teleport to those heady, hazy days and feel so happy. And for those reasons, I Can’t Wait by Nu Shooz is the perfect song.

Was I a prep or a hippie? Or just a girl wanting to have some fun?

You can watch all my THE PERFECT SONG vids on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@SFB66