Jim and I recently saw The Human League, Soft Cell and Alison Moyet at the Chicago Theatre. What an amazing show! I’m so happy we decided to go together. Alison Moyet has a fantastic voice and was so energetic. I could have skipped Soft Cell altogether. And then Human League were back to phenomenal with many costume changes and two dancing keytar players.
The Human League is one of my go-to bands when I need an emotional reset, something to calm me down and make me feel positive again when work or life is overwhelming. I also use “Keep Feeling Fascination” (1983) whenever I have an annoying song stuck in my head to drive it out. (I think it’s because there are so many different hooks in the song you can’t get any one of them stuck.)
Another song that is a balm to me is “Come Dancing” (1982) by the Kinks, which also has an amazing video. It tells the story of the old dance halls and the importance of music in one’s life. I love many 60s and 70s Kinks songs of course but this one is full of just the right kind of nostalgia, and was a loving tribute by Ray Davies’ to their older sister Rene.
Next is another of my long-time favorite bands. I loved Tears for Fears when “Shout” and “Sowing the Seeds of Love” were all over the radio, but only discovered “Mad World” (1982) as an adult. It’s a little more sad but still very soothing to me. I hope to see them on tour some day. Their 2022 album The Tipping Point was excellent.
All three songs have elements of childhood in the lyrics and/or the video, and they all came out around the time I was 8. But no post about music videos would be complete without the pioneering “Tonight” (1979) by Michael Nesmith. I was a big Monkees fan as a kid and discovered Mike’s solo music as an adult. He has a great sense of humor and this video makes me smile. (I highly recommend his autobiography Infinite Tuesday.)