I also refuse to front as if Milli Vanilli was not pretty awesome
― nabisco, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:10 (fifteen years ago) link
Loved MV at the time, definitely. I remember how pissed off I was when the scandal erupted: suddenly, I was not even allowed to play their records anymore, it was a really really weird thing (a week previous, I'd have to play some of their songs TWICE in a night; immediately after, kaput).
― sw00ds, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:13 (fifteen years ago) link
In an idea world we would have just switched to having famous middle-aged REAL MV singers walking around in the rain in spandex pants with their guts hanging out
― nabisco, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:17 (fifteen years ago) link
I confess I don't have a strong memory of many Milli Vanilli songs, but I agree in principle that there's no reason the songs couldn't still be awesome once the jig was up.
Indeed, if one were feeling all pomo'n'shit one could decide that the songs were MORE awesome by virtue of their association with a big meta-joke that was in some way an ironic indictment of and/or comment upon modern Image-construction, starmaking, the music-industrial complex, etc. etc. etc.
― Ye Mad Puffin, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:27 (fifteen years ago) link
no they were just awesome stupid fun
― Barack You Like A Husseincane (HI DERE), Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:28 (fifteen years ago) link
>>>Indeed, if one were feeling all pomo'n'shit one could decide that the songs were MORE awesome by virtue of their association with a big meta-joke that was in some way an ironic indictment of and/or comment upon modern Image-construction, starmaking, the music-industrial complex, etc. etc. etc.<<<
Don't know if I took it THAT far, but I did at the time strongly champion the idea that they should actually fight back hard on it, point out the hypocrisy of the situation, etc. (or at least give the finger in their next video during one of their dance routines).
― sw00ds, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:33 (fifteen years ago) link
correction: make that "awesome stupid fun dance routines."
― sw00ds, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:34 (fifteen years ago) link
My fondest memory of MV: deejays changing the lyrics to "Blame It on the Rain" to "BLAME IT ON HU-SSEIN YEAH YEAH" during the first Gulf War.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:37 (fifteen years ago) link
I vaguely remember that! I hope Rush Limbaugh isn't reading this. Wouldn't want to give him any ideas.
― sw00ds, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:44 (fifteen years ago) link
Pretty sure the MV track that would hold up best for me is "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" with its part-and-parcel retread of Chris DeBurgh's "Lady in Red" beat.
― sw00ds, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:46 (fifteen years ago) link
(Unless the thievery happened in the other direction, though I don't think so.)
Would have been a neat trick for Deburgh to have traveled forward in time to bite off of Milli Vanilli!
― Barack You Like A Husseincane (HI DERE), Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:48 (fifteen years ago) link
Heh - I couldn't recall what year that came out, but I'm assuming it was '85/86.
― sw00ds, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:50 (fifteen years ago) link
Pretty sure it was late '86/early '87
― Barack You Like A Husseincane (HI DERE), Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:51 (fifteen years ago) link
Always appreciated <a href = "http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/music/rbmilli-91.php">George Clinton's response</a> to MV:
"'We want to get the funk out of the two Milli Vanilli guys because we don't appreciate how the recording industry is treating the artists,' says proven foe of fraudulent funk George Clinton in the March/April New Funk Times (Ehrenstrasse 19, W-5000 Köln 1, Germany). Clinton notes that the Four Tops were the only Motown act who never 'had people sing lead and background' for them. 'Artist' can mean anything. Dancing is an art and pantomiming is, too--even lip-synching is an art! That's a hard thing to do--to dance and lip-synch. And it's hard to lip-synch when you are passionate 'cause when you get carried away and you want to pause it--'wait a minute'--, but the tape says 'Fuck you!' The tape doesn't want to wait.'" Passing off the duo's egomania as the inevitable fruit of their biz-determined charade, George hopes to repeat his reclamation job on the then scandalized, since high-charting Vanessa Williams. 'Once we finish with them, they'll definitely be sangin'! I mean, everybody can sing--even if it's only in the bathroom or a crowd.' Carsten Heyn, who manages the act now dubbed Rob & Fab, says they're currently in a European studio working up a late-summer single. He was sufficiently flattered by Dr. Funkenstein's plan to try and arrange a meeting last time his clients hit L.A., but couldn't make the hookup."
― sw00ds, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:55 (fifteen years ago) link
oops - link here: http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/music/rbmilli-91.php
"Good Thing" towers over everything else on this list. When I was a wee lad I'd always air-piano the Jools Holland solo. Rock!
― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 22 January 2009 19:58 (fifteen years ago) link
This might just be the worst list I've ever seen on one of these polls. 1989was an awful, awful year for mainstream pop music.
That being said, I'm going with Mike & The Mechanics' "Living Years"--subtle, poignant,and holds up well.
(seriously: "Batdance" all the way)
― Joe, Thursday, 22 January 2009 23:01 (fifteen years ago) link
Batdance is also perhaps the strangest U.S. #1s I can think of...
― Joe, Thursday, 22 January 2009 23:03 (fifteen years ago) link
Those synths on "The Living Years" are as subtle as a sack of apeshit breaking your kneecaps.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 22 January 2009 23:06 (fifteen years ago) link
"Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" bears more than a slight lyrical/musical resemblance to LL's "I Need Love."
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 22 January 2009 23:08 (fifteen years ago) link
First few times I heard Milli Vanilli on the radio, I just assumed they were another good new-jack-swing group. (Might have even thought one of their songs was Bobby Brown. They weren't really that far apart.)
― xhuxk, Thursday, 22 January 2009 23:28 (fifteen years ago) link
has way better R&B-flavored songs elsewhere in his solo catalog
"Easy Lover"! (Okay, not exactly "solo", per se'. But still.)
― xhuxk, Thursday, 22 January 2009 23:44 (fifteen years ago) link
Haha, a friend frequently likes to point out that "The Living Years" is the worst song ever written.
― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Thursday, 22 January 2009 23:52 (fifteen years ago) link
pretty sure this was the year I got arrested twice
that's just how bad the pop music was
― J0hn D., Friday, 23 January 2009 00:00 (fifteen years ago) link
I kinda wanted to vote for "Batdance" because it's weird and silly and fun, but there's no denying "Like a Prayer" has meant more to me than any of these other songs.
― Tuomas, Friday, 23 January 2009 00:07 (fifteen years ago) link
vick-vick-vick VICKI VALE
― Courtney Love's Jew Loan Officer (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 23 January 2009 00:19 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm pretty sure I haven't heard 80-90% of this list since 1989... (not complaining!)
timely classics indeed.
― (*゚ー゚)θ L(。・_・) °~ヾ(・ε・ *) (Steve Shasta), Friday, 23 January 2009 00:26 (fifteen years ago) link
Like a Prayer should be the runaway winner, but I voted Straight Up just for the wicked synth lead into the chorus.
― ledge, Friday, 23 January 2009 00:34 (fifteen years ago) link
"Straight Up" is a worthier heir to Control than "Miss You Much."
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 23 January 2009 00:42 (fifteen years ago) link
b. brown just over bon jovi
― crackers is biters (M@tt He1ges0n), Friday, 23 January 2009 01:01 (fifteen years ago) link
so taking you off my speed-dial for this
― J0hn D., Friday, 23 January 2009 01:11 (fifteen years ago) link
Absolutely convinced that '89 was a great pop year, but its greatness wasn't so evident in the number ones (lots of better stuff a little further down the chart, "Buffalo Stance," Soul II Soul, "Paradise City," Young MC, etc.).
― sw00ds, Friday, 23 January 2009 01:17 (fifteen years ago) link
... "The Way You Love Me" (Karyn White), "Every Little Step" (Bobby Brown), "Funky Cold Medina," "Patience"...
― sw00ds, Friday, 23 January 2009 01:20 (fifteen years ago) link
Karyn White's "Superwoman" was that year, too, right? Definitely voted for that in Pazz & Jop. What else hit? Kix "Don't Close Your Eyes," Cinderella "Coming Home" and "Gypsy Road," Def Leppard "Rocket," White Lion "Little Fighter" -- beats the living hell out 2008, that's for sure.
― xhuxk, Friday, 23 January 2009 01:42 (fifteen years ago) link
Warrant "Down Boys" and "Heaven," Will to Power "Fading Away," Tom Petty "Free Fallin'," Don Henley "The End Of The Innocence"...
― xhuxk, Friday, 23 January 2009 02:00 (fifteen years ago) link
Karyn White is SO forgotten.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 23 January 2009 02:03 (fifteen years ago) link
yet more here too, probably:
http://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres89.php
― xhuxk, Friday, 23 January 2009 02:11 (fifteen years ago) link
"Every Little Step" didn't reach #1?!
― Eric H., Friday, 23 January 2009 02:28 (fifteen years ago) link
Still think it's weird that "Keep On Movin" did double the business of "Back To Life" on P&J.
My pops used to always sing "Back to Life" when I was v. little.
― The Reverend, Friday, 23 January 2009 02:30 (fifteen years ago) link
the bangles wins out over madonna and roxette ('the look').
never pictured myself voting for the bangles in anything.
― Charlie Howard, Friday, 23 January 2009 02:30 (fifteen years ago) link
also, I know xhuxk was never its biggest fan, but Inner City's "Good Life" (though I now much prefer its followup, "Big Fun," which, surprisingly, didn't even make the Top 100 but was a big club hit for sure). Plus the Technotronic hits + Ten City's "That's the Way Love Is" (all from "the Dean's List").
― sw00ds, Friday, 23 January 2009 03:14 (fifteen years ago) link
i'm not - i think keep on movin' is the much better track. although 13 year old me would probably have wildly disagreed
both those inner city singles were awesome. i can't remember if they were hits in aus but they certainly got plenty of airplay.
― Cooking From A Stovetop (electricsound), Friday, 23 January 2009 03:18 (fifteen years ago) link
that should be "i'm not surprised"
― Cooking From A Stovetop (electricsound), Friday, 23 January 2009 03:19 (fifteen years ago) link
most bewildering is that 'bust a move' did not make #1
― Cooking From A Stovetop (electricsound), Friday, 23 January 2009 03:21 (fifteen years ago) link
Agreed.
― sw00ds, Friday, 23 January 2009 03:29 (fifteen years ago) link
I can put myself in the moment of this year frighteningly well. Would have gone "Buffalo Stance" given the chance, but as things are, I want to make sure "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" gets a vote.
PS: Yes, "Batdance" is undoubtedly the strangest #1 hit of the rock era.
― Joseph McCombs, Friday, 23 January 2009 08:18 (fifteen years ago) link
I despised "Batdance" at the time, and don't think I found it particularly "strange" at all -- just another collage record in the wake of M/A/R/R/S etc., and bad at it. Maybe I should maybe revisit it.
I know xhuxk was never its biggest fan, but Inner City's "Good Life" (though I now much prefer its followup, "Big Fun,"). Plus the Technotronic hits + Ten City's "That's the Way Love Is"
Did I really dislike Inner City that much then? If so, the hate didn't last long. Debut LP is good, and I reviewed one of their later ones in Rolling Stone. Pretty sure I always thought Technotronic were great. And I like that Ten City single, too, though when I found a cheap copy of their debut CD a couple years ago, I couldn't get into the rest of it.
― xhuxk, Friday, 23 January 2009 12:49 (fifteen years ago) link
You know, I feel certain, xhuxk, that around that time you at least mildly dissed Inner City (maybe in that Pazz & Jop CIUT show you did with Phil and Marc Weisblott?), but it's possible I'm confusing them with Soul II Soul. I remember you comparing one of them to Tofu pizza (a comment that made me laugh at the time even though I disagreed).
― sw00ds, Friday, 23 January 2009 13:41 (fifteen years ago) link