Being Halloween week, I have already covered an 80s movie and 80s television special so I only thought it fitting to cover an 80s song as well. The song I chose is "A Nightmare on My Street" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.
This is the first single I recall from the 1988 triple-platinum album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (even before "Parents Just Don't Understand"). The song's release coincided with the fourth Nightmare on Elm Street film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, but producers at New Line Cinema were not pleased. A video allegedly shot for the single was buried, and a disclaimer was hastily included on each pressing indicating that the record and the single was not officially affiliated with the "Nightmare" property.
Since there is no official video for the song (I could not make this a Flashback Video issue), I am going to share with you a homemade video for this comical song which is done using scenes from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. You can watch this video to hear the song and as a bonus you get to see some Peanuts clips too...
As you should know, the Fresh Prince is better known today by his real name, Will Smith. He does not get enough credit as a rapper, but he was a witty lyricist and had good flow back in the day. In fact, I did a past issue refuting another bloggers ignorant claim that Will Smith was one of the 25 worst rappers of all time. "A Nightmare on My Street" is not one of my favorites, but it is from the 80s and I just felt it was fitting with Halloween coming.
That'll do it for another short 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 now 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". Trying to send 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: I was (am) a big fan of the television series Scrubs which is now only available to watch in syndication after a 9 season run. One of the characters on the show, "Ted" played by Sam Lloyd, is a member of an a cappella group and they actually appear in several episodes. Surprisingly, this is a real group and they are called The Blanks and they even have an album out. In the random performances on Scrubs, the group sings commercial jingles, TV theme songs and other songs. In one episode, they perform the 80s classic by Michael Sembello "Maniac" which I especially enjoyed. Here you can watch and listen for yourself...
Quote of the day: "Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold." -Judith Olney
Back to the 80s: 'A Nightmare on My Street' by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - Kickin' it Old School
The song's release coincided with the fourth Nightmare on Elm Street film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, but producers at New Line Cinema were not pleased. A video allegedly shot for the single was buried, and a disclaimer was hastily included on each pressing indicating that the record and the single was not officially affiliated with the "Nightmare" property.
