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Forum » Chew The Fat » The Ghosts of Labor Days Past
eddstarr
So I was just wasting time spinning the year dial on the time machine when "1986" locked-in.

Ahhh, 1986!


When cars were boxy and the boxy King of the Road was the Lincoln Town Car.  You could pile all your friends in the back seat with room leftover for Slurpees, of the largest size.



What I will never forget from Labor Day 1986 was all the MTV fans falling all over one of the most unusual mega hits of the year. I mean none other than Cameo's Classic, "Word Up" featuring LeVar Burton doing his best Michael Dorn impression on camera as a video police detective closing in on lead singer Larry Blackmon.

Love this stuff! 

Larry Blackmon is a tough man to arrest. LeVar ends up cuffing the wrong person, (looks like she gonna read Detective Burton his rights!).





Unbelievable - a 30 year old tune that can still put your backfield in motion, lol.



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Benjanime
edd, you have the potential to write an article. hop to it!
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NLogan
Oh man. I definitely remember the song. I had no clue LeVar was in the video. Hilarious.
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eddstarr
Benjanime wrote :

edd, you have the potential to write an article. hop to it!
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I have arthritis, and my butt hurts.
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shakin steak
Oh, man. I don't know if anyone else will agree, but I hear a little bit of "Word Up"'s melody in this 




Also! Love them old Town Cars! I had 2 of them. Still my favorite car.
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eddstarr
I hear a little, "Word Up", in the cord shifts of "(You've Got Me Confused With) Someone Who Cares", especially when the background singers chime in.

Labor Day has always been an "odd" holiday for me because I associate it with the last fun before going back to school. And back to school was high with anticipation and anxiety. Kinda "fear of failure" mixed with "back with my old friends again".

As a result, music on the radio during Labor Day would stick in my brain in a way it never did the rest of the year.


Let me pick on 1970 again, my goto year when I want to make a point, lol.
The neighborhood always came together on Labor Day so the parents could share the joy of having the kids go back to school again. Us kids sorta formed a support group to ease the fears over another looming school year. 

Somehow the song, "Love . . . or Let Me Be Lonely", seemed to sum up perfectly what I was feeling back in the day. I'm sure you'll know what I mean when you listen to it. 

Btw, this has to be one of the strangest song titles ever!


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Vaporman87
@eddstarr: Funny you should mention that song. The Paul Davis version was played this week on SiriusXM's '80s on 8 during the Top 40 Countdown for this week in 1982. That was the first time I recall ever hearing the song. Paul's version only made it as high as number 40.
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eddstarr
Amazing that you mentioned Paul Davis Vaporman - I was just about to post Paul's other hit song from one year earlier in 1981.

As I remember, "Cool Night" was released around Halloween of 1981 and charted over on Billboard's "Hot 100" almost immediately. But what stunned everyone, especially Casey Kasem at "American Top 40", was how Paul Davis spilled over to the "Easy Listening" and "Adult Contemporary" charts where "Cool Night" stayed for over 6 months!

By Labor Day 1982, "Cool Night" made the last days of summer seem tailor made by Paul Davis - what a wonderful singer/songwriter. 

Paul Davis is an American Original:


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eddstarr
Remember the 80's - when movies stayed in theaters for weeks and actually gained popularity in the process?

Shout out to Labor Day 1987:


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shakin steak
I don't even have to watch it to know: I'd buy that for a dollar!
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Vaporman87
I'm still wondering where I can buy a 6000 SUX.
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You love this signature.
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