The great thing about music is the memories it can bring back of a time or place.
The emotional connection can be huge. For me the music of the very late 70’s and all of the 80’s bring back really fond memories.
Here are 5 songs we play that without fail give ‘Fitzy The Feels’.:
Sister Sledge – We are family
This song was on the first album I ever owned - Solid Gold Hits Vol 25. It was 1979, I was 8 and pleaded with mum to buy it. That Album got a thrashing on the old 3 in 1 Hi Fi Stereo. In fact mum had to get the belt replaced that powered the turntable!
Artists like Kiss, The Commodores, Little River Band, Cheap Trick and Robert Palmer had tracks on the album. I still have the album now... although it is rather scratched!
Toto- Africa
Have you ever rung a radio station to request a song? In 1982 there was no music streaming service like Spotify, so if you didn’t have the song on an album or a cassette and wanted to hear it, you rang the radio! This is the first and only song I’ve ever rung a radio station to play.
I was home sick from primary school and they had a request lunch hour on the radio and I phoned through on the old dial phone. I was so nervous as the announcer answered the phone! The song played about 15 minutes later and I thought I was 10 foot tall because I had chosen it!!
Harold Faltermeyer – Axel F
Now I’m NOT talking about the Crazy Frog version!! I love this bit of synth genius from Harold Faltermeyer in 1985. It comes from the soundtrack to one of my favourite movies of all time ‘Beverley Hills Cop’. It was always an adventure as an early teen to get on the bus with friends (no parents) and go into town to the movies feeling all independent and grown up! As a 14 year old I thought the movie was one of the funniest things I’d seen. The movie has some great songs in it from Glenn Frey, The Pointer Sisters and Sheila E. But those opening synth chords on Axel F appear numerous times in some of the best scenes in the movie.
INXS – Never Tear Us Apart
The album KICK from INXS is one of my absolute favourites. While I was cramming for School Cert exams in 1987 this was playing on high rotate in my room! The defining album from the ‘little pub band from Australia’ that went number 1 world wide. Some amazing songs on it like Need You Tonight, New Sensation and Devil Inside. But the song Never Tear Us Apart always puts a smile on my face because in the early 2000’s I was lucky enough to sit down and interview Kirk Pengilly from the band... the one who belts out that amazing saxophone in the song.
His memories and thoughts about the late Michael Hutchence and how that song makes HIM feel now, I’ve never forgotten.
U2 – With Or Without You
To be honest, anything from The Joshua Tree or Rattle and Hum reminds me of one of the best days of my life. November 4th 1989 when U2 came to Christchurch and played Lancaster Park. It was my first really BIG concert.
60,000 fans, beautiful spring evening. We’d been playing cricket at Boys High in the afternoon and we could hear the sound check so the anticipation just grew! Plus we won our game! Then headed off to see the biggest band in the world back then play. Still gives me goose bumps. Great night.
