Billy Idol - “Eyes Without a Face”
Known for his “rebel yell”, his lippy snarl, and that dangerous mixture of peroxide and leather, Billy Idol soon became a caricature of the 80s bad boy once the decade passed. Yet, those songs that aren’t so reliant on the cartoonish persona remain fresh and timeless.
Inspired by a French horror film of the same name, the dreamy new-wave ballad “Eyes Without a Face” is one of those songs that never goes out of style. When Mr. Idol puts his fists down and his lips uncurl, he’s capable of making beautiful pop songs.
The The - This Is The Day
Today seems like a nice day for an 80’s throwback. This song has been revived courtesy of the M&M’s commercial, which has been around for about a year. This Is The Day appeared on the 1983 release, Soul Mining.
Matt Johnson has been the only consistent band member since The The’s formation in 1978!
The Smiths - Frankly, Mr Shankly
When we put out a call for new Tuneage contributors, we had no idea we’d get that kind of response. An unexpected side effect of the submissions, though, was the reminder that I had bands in my catalog who have fallen out of regular rotation. Thanks to Dan Arel, I was reminded of how much I love The Smiths, and I’ll be spending today “catalog diving” with their music.
The Smiths’ songs are whimsical, fun, and littered with dry humor. The song Frankly, Mr Shankly (thought to be an oblique reference to some of the disputes The Smiths had with Rough Trade in the 80s), is easily one of my favorite songs off their album The Queen is Dead. Its bouncing bass line and lyrical witticisms make for a song I can listen to over and over again, and it’s a great song for a sunny Sunday afternoon.
