Dancing To The Decadence Dance - #2

#2 – More Than Words – Extreme

Original Release Year – 1990 (me aged 14)

Where to begin with this one? This is one of those songs I wish I’d written. I remember hearing this for the first time and finding it a bit cheesy, but then I heard it again. And again. I’m guessing there was a lot of hormonal changes going on at the time, but the acoustic guitar and the cracking harmonies just hit the sweet spot for me. I do recall it was one of the first cassette singles I ever bought, with a B side called “Nice Place To Visit” which was very rocky, not what I expected at all.

With no internet or satellite to guide as to what this band were like other than this song, I had to go by instinct and buy the album: “Pornograffiti”. I suppose the title should have given me a clue as to what the rest of the album would be like, but I was surprised to find funk, acoustic, jazz and metal all on the same album. But for me this is still the stand out track, it’s a karaoke favourite, I’ve sung it countless times and made friends cry (I think because they liked it), and it brings out the soppy romantic in me.

My Blood Runs Cold, My Memory Has Just Been Sold. #3

#3 – Centrefold – J Geils Band

Original Release Year – 1983 (me aged 7)

Very bizarre that a song about a college girl turned soft porn star should grab my attention at the age of 7, but then there’s no accounting for taste at that age. I didn’t possess the record itself, so the only place I could have seen it was on Top Of The Pops. In fact pretty much all my early musical upbringing came through that one show. What sticks in my mind is Peter Wolf climbing all over classroom chairs, something that must have seemed very appealing at that age. Having just watched the video again, I have no recollection at all of the women in lingerie.

I’m not sure why this was a particular purple patch for my musical education, but I have a fond memory for contemporary tracks like “Abracadabra” by the Steve Miller Band and “I Love Rock N Roll” by Joan Jett. But “Centrefold” is all the more strange as the J Geils Band pretty much vanished without trace in the UK. Maybe it's because all songs with whistling in are cool. It was all the more surprising to come across it on a CD entitled “Let’s Rock! With Smashey and Nicey” in an Asda in Scotland (opening line “Pop-a-doodle-doo gherkins, Mad Mike Smash here”. I don’t remember being so chuffed to find a song on a CD in my life.

The video is great but embedding is forbidden, so come find it here