"Gangnam Style" Psy (2012)

At History's Dumpster, it doesn't have to be old to get tossed in. Pop fads are being created all the time.  There's no reason to make it purely nostalgia. If it were, it would get boring for me as the blogger here. Quickly.

Today, we look at the craze known as "Gangnam Style", an internet meme gone berserk lately. What is it?

If you've been living under a rock (and with things as crazy as they are in the world, I can't really blame you.) "Gangnam Style" is a video and funny dance by pudgy Korean rap star Psy and currently the fastest rising song on today's Top 40 charts:

http://cclamp.radioandrecords.com/rrwebsite20/Members/Charts.aspx?ChartId=1

Flash mobs doing the Gangnam Style dance pop up everywhere regularly and the dance had been a regular feature of morning talk shows. People everywhere seem to love it, as videos of them dancing to it keep popping up everywhere on YouTube.

You could call it The Macarena of 2012.

And in a way, "Gangnam Style" has finally opened up the door for one of the richest known sources of sometimes excellent undiscovered pop music, known as K-Pop (Korean Pop). But I also worry if K-Pop will be pigeonholed by "Gangnam Style" There's far more to it than just this song. MUCH more. But knowing how the record and radio industry work, they always look for copycats of The New Big Thing and never really dig deeper for the hidden gems, which K-Pop has no shortage of

On the other hand, it could usher in a K-Pop music revolution, Having been a fan for years, it's about time.

Here's one of my favourites from Loveholic, a 2004 K-Pop classic, titled - what else? "Loveholic". It's a pop song sung entirely in Korean, but I like the melody. And the lead singer's hair in lights.....Nice touch.

And while for some people, the bowlegged side to side stepping with arms folded looks stupid. But so does every other dance really. And you have to admit, the song is fun relief in a sea of Justin Bieber, OneRepublic and Carly Rae Jepsen tunes that flood the Top 40 airwaves today.

For now.

There will come a time when we'll all get sick of it (some folks already are.) But for now, enjoy it while it's here.

Just don't make any YouTube videos. Please. You don't look as cool as Psy. Please......

Lost '80s Pop Classic Week: "All Is Forgiven" (Red) Siren (1989)

For today's BONUS lost classic, we feature a band that no one knew what to make of when they came out. Were they metal? Were they pop? The music was metal looks and guitars, but Madonna-like vocals, lyrics and hooks. Mercury Records thought they had a blockbuster.

The band is Siren. And I still remember the early promo hype Mercury Records made over this 1989 album. First, it was supposedly the very first major label studio album that wasn't mastered on tape, but totally to digital hard drive - something that would be eventually be standard in the recording industry.

As for Siren, things didn't go so good. First, they were forced to legally change their name to Red Siren (reportedly after another band named Siren threatened to sue.) The first pressings of their All Is Forgiven LP/CD (under the name Siren) quickly became collector's items.

After a second single "One Good Lover" stalled in the lower reaches of the rock charts, they disbanded. Red Siren's bassist Jon Brandt went on to play in Cheap Trick briefly, but not much is known of the other members of the band.

That's how it goes in rock n' roll sometimes. So enjoy this little chestnut.....

Lost '80s Pop Classic Week: "Hanging On A Heart Attack" Device (1986)

AWESOME lost one hit wonder....and some of the biggest '80s hair of any non-glam metal band you'll ever see!!

Device was a band formed by Holly Knight. She was the writer of some of the biggest hit songs of the '80s, including "Love Is A Battlefield" (Pat Benatar), "Better Be Good To Me" (Tina Turner) and "Obsession" (Animotion). Plus many others too numerous to count.....

This was Device's only hit.

Lost '80s Pop Classic Week: "More Than Just The Two Of Us" Sneaker (1981)

For this morning's Lost '80s Pop Classic Week Moments of Mush selection, I really cranked up the AC (as in "Adult Contemporary".)

If you REALLY want to get a woman in her '40s excited and asking "WHO SINGS THAT?" and "MY GOD, I HAVEN'T HEARD THIS SONG IN AGES!", whip this one out.

Sneaker was a one-hit wonder band of West Coast session musicians from the '70s and early '80s (the "If Toto Can Do It, We Can Too!" school.) They played on recording sessions for Steely Dan (and The Dan thanked them by writing them a tune, "Don't Let Me In" on their self titled debut album, where this tune comes from as well.)

Their name was inspired from a Steely Dan song, "Bad Sneakers".

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