Naff childhood songs you listen to but turn down at the lights

Mulva · 20-02-2021, 02:48 AM

Apologies if this has done through songs that are your guilty pleasure...looking to share songs that take you back to a certain time and/or place in your youth, but they are songs that are well outside your usual music tastes and could be considered a bit suspect or embarrassing. Stuff that you listen to purely to reminisce rather than because the singing or lyrics or music itself is good, and you wouldn't listen to it with friends in the car unless they are your closest and have shared memories of that song.

Might just be me and because I am turning 50 this July?? Like there's lots of old music I like from my youth and 20s and have no shame in playing, like Zeppelin, Angels, AC/DC, INXS, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Powderfinger, Fooeys etc - but this is about the songs that are very niche, likely wasn't your choice to listen to at the time, it is what others subjected you to. As these are 'bad' songs there is no expectation that you click all or even any of the following links.

Among the 'good' songs in my earliest memories, there is also 'bad' stuff like the Grease soundtrack and Leo Sayers Greatest Hits, and weirdly I get flashbacks from Captain & Tennille "Love Will Keep Us Together)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QNEf9oGw8o and Donna Summers "I Feel Love" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm-ISatLDG0

Reckon nearly everyone of my vintage would recall the theme to the show 'Minder' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRR-x9JZ_Oo which takes me back to certain house lived in for 2 years in small country town when I was 10, along with Billy Field "Standing on the Outside" (You weren't in Love With Me) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMer297X_LI

Same place, eldest sister had Suzi Quattro Greatest Hits on high-rotation, so there is the obvious "Devil Gate Drive", "Can the Can", "48 Crash" and "Daytona Demon", but more vivid memories for me come from the funky 'Your Mamma Won't Like Me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMZEy-2iztE and the mellow duet "Stumbin' In" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGaF4tKUl0o

Same sister was also into The Stranglers, so several of their songs take me back to various times and places in the 80s...obviously there is "Golden Brown", but for me the first 10 seconds of "Skin Deep" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw9mEFn38to immediately brings back not only a time and place, it brings back the smell of the bee-hive in the wall cavity of the scout hall that we dangerously raided, and the smell of the burning porno mags we thought had smoked the bees. "Always the Sun" also takes me to another time in 80s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYQTL-ws6p4

Other sister was into Joe Jackson, so my playlist now has "Real Men" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA65lg1HWt4 and "Steppin' Out" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJwt2dxx9yg and "Breaking Us in Two" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7IGRNWVQkc

Year 11 was when I have to take responsibility for some of my own choices - I'm ok with entire Beastie Boys License to Ill album that I taped off a tape I borrowed from the library (and got on CD in late 90s)...but have to fess up to listening to some Sigue Sigue Sputnik like "Massive Retaliation" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE28b0fX0tk and "Rockit Miss USA" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMTbFulJdbk

Year 12 there is They Might Be Giants "Don't Let's Start" which I'm sorry I can't (won't) explain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAmFTmCs3IY

1991, Drooper B&S Ball at Roseworthy, they had Big Audio Dynamite "Rush" on high rotation, literally playing it every hour and sometimes 2 or 3 times back to back...and when they would play it everyone would go even more mental than what was already the most mental B&S I can (and can't) recall. There was a drooping cock about 3 or 4 metres long suspended from the roof of the marque, it would occasionally shoot water out the end and given we were in a paddock in winter it created a massive mud-bog...few times I had to be showered in my tux from head-to-toe by a beer-gun-guy, which was fine until I didn't make it into my swag but slept in the back of mate's mum's Escort panelvan that was bare metal, soaked head to toe in clothes wet with beer, middle of winter. Following morning we got into footy clubrooms in town, no hot water but showered anyway, no towel only a handtowel we found under a bench that was dirty and dried stiff and I think was the "magic wet towel" that a country footy-trainer thinks fixes any injury. 3 of us used it before returning for the recovery.

Not long after that, every friggin' club in Adelaide, Utah Saints with Kate Bush "Something Good" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixMWhpg0iXU

And around then too, Transformers on Friday night at the Bridgeway, the last-song-of-the-night-lights-come-on song was Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons "Oh What a Night" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTUhnIY3oRM

Sorry for massive post. Anyone got a weird/dodgy/random playlist they want to admit to?

**PG2** · 20-02-2021, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulva

... Anyone got a weird/dodgy/random playlist they want to admit to?

From my top 25 most played on iTunes...

The Yeti · 20-02-2021, 10:32 AM

I’m going to put a Spotify playlist together based off this thread ��

Here’s my entries

Escape club, wild Wild West https://youtu.be/6vE5ewvxdfo

Lucus, Lucus with the lid off https://youtu.be/sY5zaDZq0sc

Thomas Dolby, she blinded me with science https://youtu.be/V83JR2IoI8k

I’ll post more later

MDS69 · 20-02-2021, 03:08 PM

The stuff from the very back end of the ‘70s and all the ‘80s takes me back to my school years of family holidays, crushes on girls at school etc etc. what a time to be a hormonal kid. Geeze life was so much better then, or so it seemed.

oldel · 20-02-2021, 03:29 PM

Oi, nothing wrong with big audio dynamite (or B.A.D.2), turn it up!

How about punk, but with saxophone? Not so sure about that, but I like it anyway.

fnp · 20-02-2021, 03:32 PM

**aussiblue** · 20-02-2021, 03:40 PM

Quote:

How about punk, but with saxophone? Not so sure about that, but I like it anyway.

And I thought I might be the only X-Ray Spex fan in Australia and surely on the forum. Sadly Poly Styrene died of spinal and breast cancer in 2011. Lora Logic was the original sax player.

**GasoLane** · 20-02-2021, 03:43 PM

This is the good thing about being a 'Boomer'. We got to hear and see all the good bands the first time around ..............................and before Autotune

raceteam · 20-02-2021, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulva

Year 12 there is They Might Be Giants "Don't Let's Start" which I'm sorry I can't (won't) explain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAmFTmCs3IY

Same album, but better!

marty351 · 20-02-2021, 04:10 PM

The Offspring, Nirvana, Pantera, Frenté, Boss Tones, 'Tallica, Elton John, etc...

oldel · 20-02-2021, 06:31 PM

Yeah the Offspring is pretty cringey these days. As far as nirvana everyone talks about the legend, but hardly anyone listens to it these days.

What about the 1970s? Some bands were huge then and ingrained in our culture - everyone knows the songs, some are in movies and ads. Some of the potentially embarrassing ones I have on my playlist are things like ELO, BTO and fleetwood mac. I crank them in my car but probably turn them down at the red lights.

Citroënbender · 20-02-2021, 10:16 PM

I like just chancing on some old stuff; especially when your earworm matches what’s playing in somewhere you’ve just walked into.

My father was into punk and some of its offshoots in the seventies; Stranglers in their pre-Golden Brown days, early Boomtown Rats, Wire, Radio Birdman… If there was a defining childhood tune for me it was probably Autobahn!

**DJR-351** · 21-02-2021, 10:32 AM

I guess I just don't give a dam what anyone thinks about my tastes in music so don't get embarrassed about it, it's all over the shop anyhow

most of the time the radio is tuned into a station playing the old stuff anyway so if something comes on I like I'll usually turn it up...

**X-AHH** · 21-02-2021, 09:01 PM

Thai is my personal theme song, get yer own

https://youtu.be/H_7Kx2FlFQY

5thFordWA · 15-04-2021, 10:06 PM

My memorable music years were late 1960s when I was an apprentice mechanic.

A few years ago a friend put me on to a Perth heritage radio channel - I tried it out and by chance the first song I heard was Down in Monterey - Eric Burdon and the Animals. I had to just sit in my car and listen to it - it was like a religious experience after not hearing it for over 40 years. For you "young ones", the Monterey Pop Festival preceded Woodstock by about 2 years in 1967. So many stars performed at Monterey, this video shows a few of them, that's Ravi Shankar at the start. And its a very powerful piece of music IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xExo67OLrdY

Cheers.

15-04-2021, 10:17 PM

Mulva · 15-04-2021, 10:34 PM

Got to admit, when I saw this thread the following day, there was that moment when you see a weird thread, then you see it was you that started it

Must have been a big night

JasonACT · 15-04-2021, 10:52 PM

What, like Simon and Garfunkel's greatest hits or Neil Diamond's hot August night?

Nah, not me.

falcon_bandit · 15-04-2021, 10:55 PM

Ah-lala-laha-long, Ah-lala-laha-long, Ah-lala-laha-long, long le long long longgggg......

Mulva · 15-04-2021, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonACT

What, like Simon and Garfunkel's greatest hits or Neil Diamond's hot August night?

Nah, not me.

lol, I don't use the CD player in my car so I have a CD in there with Sweet Caroline set to go...so when I get pulled over I switch to CD, and instead of the cop coming up and I'm sitting there listening to something like Faith No More Midlife Crisis, I've got Sweet Caroline playing softly and a nice, apologetic demeanour. Really helps pass the attitude test and walk away with a warning instead of ticket. In my old car I used to use the CD player, so back then I'd quickly switch to 5AA instead (local AM talkback station). I'm turning 50 soon, so this really does help shift their perception of me.

Same CD also has some Simon and Garfunk too - Hazy Shade of Winter. The USB I listen to instead of CD has the Bodyjar version of same song.

JasonACT · 15-04-2021, 11:16 PM

LG17 · 15-04-2021, 11:16 PM

They didn't have videos or music clips for the songs I heard as a child in the middle of last century...

**mad2** · 15-04-2021, 11:35 PM

i'm currently going thru my muzic comp that i've just fired up again .. . . .. currently grabbing some music off upay to add. no one has mentioned the sex pistols ................ or wacko jacko of "i'm an individual" fame

Mulva · 15-04-2021, 11:42 PM

My old man was into Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, so memories of the 70s come back from songs like:

Still the Same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuqagqnaDmY

Hollywood Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhuVwVpr3WY (mate that is a drummer (so low IQ lol) says this is a physically taxing song to drum)

We've Got Tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZQR3KqvYPc

Night Moves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mRFWQoXq4c

**98TLS** · 15-04-2021, 11:42 PM

No need to turn it down at lights but,many moons ago (more than many) headed off in my long gone XYGS with a few mates to see Flowers as they were known then ie Icehouse and these guys kicked the evening off.
https://youtu.be/5kk4m33lqyA

sgt_doofey · 16-04-2021, 11:15 AM

John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom.
Dad used to fire it up early on a Saturday morning in the 90's, on our Yamaha home theatre system when us teenagers were still in bed at no doubt, felt like 6am to us, but was more like 9am. Then he'd start vacuuming the house...

It's now on my Spotify playlist for liked songs.

five 7 · 16-04-2021, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonACT

Perth 86 for me.
https://youtu.be/LG5lY54uhGs

shedcoupe · 18-04-2021, 02:06 PM

I have no shame .....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4bo4ByFhLM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X02t8vKLtbw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPPx55UxCUA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiEIToOWr64

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dVecMeeplY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QGRBpH64sY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_QLzthSkfM

Mulva · 29-04-2021, 02:02 PM

Looking at this video I think I now understand why younger me was keen on the woman singing the chorus - must be her really big...err...voice

Promises - Baby It's You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqM3P7LziIc

Think this one was Cav's favourite song at his 50th birthday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ge8_6rtQvs