Quoting the Allmusic.com biography written by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "Howard Jones was one of the defining figures of mid-'80s synth pop. Jones' music merged the technology-intensive sound of new wave with the cheery optimism of hippies and late-'60s pop." I personally loved Howard Jones' sound the first time I heard it and have been a fan ever since.

His debut album, Human's Lib, was released in 1983 going #1 in the UK but only reaching #59 on the U.S. album charts. His second album, 1985's Dream Into Action, was his most successful in the U.S. going platinum and reaching #10 on the album charts. He would release two more albums in the 80s and his last single to chart was released in 1992. He might not have as big of a name in the U.S. as some others from the 80s, but several of his singles rank as some of my very favorites from the entire decade. So without further ado, here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 HOWARD JONES SONGS:

10. "Hide and Seek" from Human's Lib (1983) - This is the song that Jones performed at Live Aid in 1985 [link to video of Live Aid performance]

9. "All I Want" from One to One (1986) [link to video]

8. "What Is Love?" from Human's Lib (1983) [link to video]

7. "Lift Me Up" from In The Running (1992) - This is his last Top 40 hit in the U.S. and only song not from the 80s on this list [link to video]

6. "Like To Get To Know You Well" from Dream Into Action (1985) - Was featured in the film Better Off Dead in a scene which ranks on my Top Montage Scenes from 80s Movies list [link to video]

5. "Everlasting Love" from Cross That Line (1989) [link to video]

4. "Life In One Day" from Dream Into Action (1985) - Features backing vocals by the all-female group Afrodiziak which included Caron Wheeler [link to video]

3. "New Song" from Human's Lib (1983) - His debut single from his debut album [link to video]

2. "Things Can Only Get Better" from Dream Into Action (1985) - Also features backing vocals by Afrodiziak [link to video of live performance]

1. "No One Is To Blame" originally from Dream Into Action (1985), but U.S. Single version is from One to One (1986) - This is one of my very favorite songs of the entire decade. It was re-recorded with Phil Collins as drummer, backing vocals and producer of the version which would become the U.S. single. He has done several acoustic versions that I really like too including one released on his 1996 album Live Acoustic America [link to video for the U.S. single version]

There's my list. If you are a fan of 80s music, you are likely a fan of the "synth-pop" sound. If you are a fan of that sound, then you have to appreciate the great work of Howard Jones. As I said earlier, I am a huge fan and want to wish Mr. Jones a wonderful birthday. I want to thank him for these wonderful songs which I still enjoy as much today as I did back in the 80s. Howard Jones is still performing as well as recording new music (you can find out lots more at his official website), but it is that magical run in the mid-80s that I will always remember him for best.

That will do it for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks so much for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you are interested in reading more of my Top 10 lists, please click there for a summary. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Have been sending daily 80s tweets out via Twitter, so be sure to follow me there. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: If you stare at this blurry green square long enough, you should be able to see a giraffe. Keep looking and let your eyes focus. Stare hard & you should be able to see it. Give it a try!

Quote of the day: "The challenge is in the moment, the time is always now." -James Baldwin

With all of the attention being paid to the film Avatar, last month I posted an issue on adjusting box office results for inflation. In that issue, I noted that the film most seen in theaters from the 80s was none other than 1982's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. That distinction also included its re-releases in 1985 and 2002 putting it currently at #4 all-time on the adjusted list (behind only Gone With the Wind, Star Wars and The Sound of Music) for pure attendance. That impressive accomplishment deserves a quick look back, so here is the original trailer for Steven Spielberg's classic E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial...

I can remember that my Mom had to make my brother and me go see this movie, but we left the theater loving E.T. We weren't alone because it became a bigger blockbuster than any movie that had preceded it. Roger Ebert wrote, "This is not simply a good movie. It is one of those movies that brush away our cautions and win our hearts." It was a modern fairy tale of sorts.

The film was nominated for nine Oscars at the 55^th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Gandhi won that award, but even its director, Richard Attenborough, declared, "I was certain that not only would E.T. win, but that it should win. It was inventive, powerful, [and] wonderful." It did win four Academy Awards-Best Original Music Score, Sound, Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects. The film is included on many "best of" lists including being voted the 24^th greatest film of all time by the American Film Institute, one of the 100 best films ever made by Time magazine and among the top ten of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14 by the British Film Institute.

An extended version of the film, including altered special effects, was released on March 22, 2002. There were certain shots that Spielberg always wished had been better, so those shots were adjusted through CGI. This new release grossed another $35 million domestically and the 20th anniversary DVD set also added to the financial success of the film. I own that DVD set and just last year shared it with my young daughter for the first time. She loved E.T. too and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to do that with her over 25 years after I first was mesmerized myself. As a bonus, here is the trailer for the 2002 special edition release of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial...

Here are some interesting bits of trivia regarding E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial:
- The alien's face was reportedly inspired by the faces of Carl Sandburg, Albert Einstein and Ernest Hemingway.
- Mars, Inc. found E.T. so ugly that the company refused to allow M&M's to be used in the film, believing the creature would frighten children. This allowed the Hershey Company the opportunity to market Reese's Pieces. (The Hershey Company's profits rose 65% due to the film's prominent use of Reese's Pieces.)
- Harrison Ford played the school principal, but his only scene was cut as Spielberg considered his presence would be too distracting. Ford's then wife, Melissa Mathison, wrote the screenplay.
- The script was written on the location of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) during filming breaks. Spielberg dictated the story to Melissa Mathison because she was a screenwriter and because she was there to be with her husband at the time, Harrison Ford
- During post-production, Spielberg decided to cut a scene featuring Harrison Ford as the headmaster at Elliott's school because his presence might be too distracting. The scene featured Ford's character reprimanding Elliott for his behavior in science class and warning of the dangers of underage drinking; he is then taken aback as Elliott's chair rises from the floor, while E.T. is levitating his "phone" equipment up the staircase with Gertie.
- Debra Winger not only provided the temp voice for E.T. but also played one of the ghouls in the Halloween sequence. She is wearing a monster mask and a lab coat and carries a poodle.
- Ultimately, E.T.'s voice was provided by Pat Welsh, an elderly woman who lived in Marin County, California. Welsh smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, which gave her voice a quality that sound effects creator Ben Burtt liked. She spent nine-and-a-half hours recording her part, and was paid $380 by Burtt for her services.
- Michael Jackson won a Grammy Award in 1984 for Best Recording for Children for his contributions to the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Story Book Album. His song "Someone in the Dark" was included though a court battle between record labels prevented the song from ever going mainstream.
- James Taylor wrote a song intended for use in the movie called "Song For You". The song was ultimately not used in the movie. However, it was eventually recorded in the mid 1980's for release on his That's Why I'm Here album.
- E.T. provided the inspiration for Neil Diamond's song "Heartlight" but no mention is ever made of the movie in the lyrics.
- Drew Barrymore enjoyed her big screen breakout at 7 years of age for playing the adorable little sister "Gertie". Steven Spielberg is her godfather. Barrymore was ranked #5 on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Kid Stars.

There is just a handful of interesting tidbits about this blockbuster film. E.T. is from the 80s, but really transcends decades as greatness often does. The numbers don't lie in most cases and this is no exception. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is one of the most seen films of all time and I am proud that it originated in my generation yet has been shared with future generations and will with generations to come.

That'll do it for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Preview Review, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

As a result, with an introduction by Jamie Foxx here is the video for "We Are the World 25 for Haiti"...

As you saw, Michael Jackson, who co-wrote the original with Lionel Richie, was edited back into the new version singing a couple of his original lines. This made Jackson the only performer from the original version to sing on the new version as well. In addition to Richie & Jones as conductors, here is the list of performers who took part.
These are the artists with solos (in order of appearance):
Justin Bieber, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Nettles, Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Miley Cyrus, Enrique Iglesias, Jamie Foxx, Wyclef Jean, Adam Levine, P!nk, BeBe Winans, Usher, Celine Dion, Fergie, Nick Jonas, Toni Braxton, Mary Mary, Isaac Slade, Lil Wayne, Carlos Santana (solo with a guitar), Akon, T-Pain, LL Cool J, Will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, Iyaz and Kanye West

Here are the other artists part of the chorus only:
Patti Austin, Kristian Bush, Zac Brown, Brandy Norwood, Melanie Fiona, Jimmy Jean-Louis, A. R. Rahman, Gladys Knight, Jordin Sparks, Rob Thomas, Musiq Soulchild, Randy Jackson, Taj Jackson, Taryll Jackson, TJ Jackson, Sean Garrett, Benji Madden,
Joel Madden, Al Jardine, India.Arie, Brian Wilson, Julianne Hough, Keri Hilson, Tyrese Gibson, Robin Thicke, Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas, Trey Songz, Jason Mraz, Harry Connick Jr., Vince Vaughn, Ethan Bortnick, Katharine McPhee, Faith Evans, Kid Cudi, Bizzy Bone, Jeff Bridges, Raphael Saadiq, Mya, Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Orianthi (on guitar) and Anthony Hamilton

Wow, quite the ensemble! I am sure this benefit song will be hugely successful in accomplishing its goals. It will also hopefully remind people of the greatness of the original or expose it to those who were not even born yet back in 1985 when it was released.

With that in mind, I thought I would re-visit the original "We Are the World" song which as I mentioned earlier was penned by Lionel Richie and the late, great Michael Jackson. It was preceded and possibly inspired by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" which I did an entire issue on worth checking out again if you missed that one.

The original was released on March 7, 1985 and the initial shipment of 800,000 records sold out within three days of release. In its first four months already raised $10.8 million and by October of 1986, "We Are the World" had raised over $51 million surpassing the initial goal of $50 million for Africa. It would reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April and stay there for four weeks. At the 1986 Grammy Awards, the song and its accompanying music video won four awards including both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. As of 2009, "We Are the World", which was eventually named the biggest-selling single of all time has sold more than 20 million units and raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the US.

Here is the video for the original "We Are the World" by USA For Africa...

Here are the lyrics to "We Are the World" along with the artist who sang each line:
There comes a time when we heed a certain call (Lionel Richie)
When the world must come together as one (Lionel Richie & Stevie Wonder)
There are people dying (Stevie Wonder)
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life (Paul Simon)
The greatest gift of all (Paul Simon/Kenny Rogers)

We can't go on pretending day by day (Kenny Rogers)
That someone, somehow will soon make a change (James Ingram)
We're all a part of God's great big family (Tina Turner)
And the truth (Billy Joel)
You know love is all we need (Tina Turner/Billy Joel)

( CHORUS )
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving (Michael Jackson)
There's a choice we're making we're saving our own lives (Diana Ross)
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (Michael Jackson/Diana Ross)

Well, send'em you your heart so they know that someone cares (Dionne Warwick)
And their lives will be stronger and free (Dionne Warwick/Willie Nelson)
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread (Willie Nelson)
And so we all must lend a helping hand (Al Jurreau)

( REPEAT CHORUS )
We are the world, we are the children (Bruce Springsteen)
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving (Kenny Loggins)
There's a choice we're making we're saving our own lives (Steve Perry)
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (Daryl Hall)

When you're down and out there seems no hope at all (Michael Jackson)
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall (Huey Lewis)
Well, well, well, let's realize that a change can only come (Cyndi Lauper)
When we (Kim Carnes)
stand together as one (Kim Carnes/Cyndi Lauper/Huey Lewis)

(REPEAT CHORUS AND FADE )

The song concludes with Bob Dylan and Ray Charles singing a full chorus, Wonder and Springsteen duetting, and ad libs from Charles and Ingram.

In addition to those noted above, here are the other artists who were part of the chorus:
Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper, Jackie Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Bette Midler, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, Anita Pointer, Ruth Pointer and Smokey Robinson

There are many great stories about the recording sessions and the process that created this powerful song. Most importantly, this supergroup of musicians from all different genres came together, "checked the egos at the door" and did something special. Looking back 25 years later, I think I can appreciate it even more than I did back not only as a song, but as a statement.

"We Are the World", along with Live Aid and Farm Aid from the 80s, demonstrated that rock music had become more than entertainment, but a political and social movement. Journalist Robert Palmer noted that such songs and events had the ability to reach people around the world, send them a message, and then get results. Yep, it happened in the 80s.

That will do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: With the Winter Olympics getting under way, I wanted to share one of my all-time favorite play-by-play moments which just happens to be for down-hill skiing. You can even hear the guy yelp as it happens. Feel guilty for laughing at someone else's pain, but in this case I just could not help it...

Quote of the day: "Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened." -Buddha

When it comes down to it, I just enjoy watching the Griswold family do their thing. Thanks to the vacation website homeaway.com and its new advertising campaign, we are able to follow Clark and Ellen on an adventure again. In connection with a special Super Bowl commercial, homeaway.com has a 14 minute mini-movie starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo reprising those roles. It is called Hotel Hell Vacation and is really quite funny too, so I wanted to feature it here for your viewing pleasure...

To be honest, I had not really heard of homeaway.com before this, but I will definitely keep them in mind in the future as a result. At the very least, this ad campaign has accomplished that. Thanks for giving us another Griswold adventure and thanks for doing it right. I am happy to see another example of the 80s still being very alive and relevant even in 2010.

That's all I have for this quick issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: There is a video compilation out there titled "The 100 Cheesiest Movie Quotes of All Time" that is pretty fun to watch. It is about 10 minutes long. It only has a small representation of 80s movies and they do pick on a few particular films a little more than others. Whether a line is "cheesy" or not is debatable, but you can still have a cheesy line that fits the moment properly. Some of these lines might be cheesy, but I don't feel they deserve to be ridiculed. Either way, it is an entertaining 10 minute compilation and wanted to share it with you here:

Quote of the day: "It is the nature of man to rise to greatness, if greatness is expected of him." -John Steinbeck

Today (February 5, 2010) is the 53^rd birthday of Nick Laird-Clowes who is best known as part of the British folk rock group The Dream Academy along with Kate St. John and Gilbert Gabriel. The band had one successful single in the U.S. and that was from their debut 1985 self-titled album. "Life In A Northern Town" reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February of 1986. It is reported that the song was a tribute to Nick Drake, the British singer-songwriter who tragically died of an antidepressant overdose in 1974. I have always liked this mellow song with an outstanding chorus, so I decided that this week's Flashback Video would be "Life In A Northern Town" by The Dream Academy...

There were two different versions of the music video. That was the first one which was made in 1984 and was directed by Tim Pope filmed in Hebden Bridge near Halifax in Yorkshire, UK. The second version was filmed in 1985 and was directed by Leslie Libman and Larry Williams. It was filmed in and around Newcastle upon Tyne with some scenes filmed in Manchester in the UK and in the USA (near Pittsburgh, PA). The video featured footage from one of their first TV appearances, on the British music show The Tube. Libman also directed other 80s videos like "Manic Monday" by The Bangles, "Mad About You" by Belinda Carlisle and "Sweet Freedom" by Michael McDonald among many others. Here is that second and more popular version of the video...

A cover version of "Life In A Northern Town," recorded by the country music duo Sugarland (with guest vocals from Little Big Town and Jake Owen), was a Top 40 country hit and Grammy Award nominee back in 2008. As for The Dream Academy, all three members of the band remain active recording musicians, each with his or her own career though they last released an album together in 1990 and last toured in 1991. They did have a couple songs included in the John Hughes classic films Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, but The Dream Academy is surely known as a "one hit wonder" in the U.S. Like I said about Peter Schilling in my last issue, at least they gave us one classic 80s song and that's one more than most musicians ever get.

That'll do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.