MEMOREX MINUTE: RIP Eric Carmen

Plus, a new mainstream-radio hit from an old high school friend

This week brought the news of the passing of Eric Carmen, singer of one of the most monumental pop hits of the 1980s: “Hungry Eyes,” a hit from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. The song was not only a huge at the time, but is — I guarantee you — playing in yours or someone else’s dentist’s office at this very moment. Carmen also happened to be the co-writer of a song from another giant 80s-movie soundtrack (more on that in a sec), not to mention a power-pop master from the 70’s as a member of the Raspberries.

Of course, when I fell in love with the song in 1987, I’d never heard of the Raspberries; I didn’t know his song “All by Myself,” (let alone its notoriety as a sappy whine-fest). All I knew was that the song from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, which I received as a Christmas gift in fourth grade, was magical: “Hungry Eyes” seemed to capture and express the secret longing in my 10-year-old-heart as I gazed at a certain dark-haired boy across the gym at a basketball game. Even after more than three decades (and downright overplay of) this song, there are moments when I can still feel a flash of what it felt like to have that crush—and despite our never having spoken, (nor danced at all, clean or dirty style), it was true: “I feel the magic between you and I-I-I-I.”

In addition to being a timely soundtrack to a pre-teen girl’s development of real and deep crushes, there was something so quintessentially 80s-pop about this song. Even with the sax (all the top-40 songs from the 80s seemed to feature sax solos), this song is, in my mind —in my eyes, if you will — a timeless classic rather than a guilty pleasure. And lest you want to rib me for something that might now seem cheesy, here’s a quick excerpt from his New York Times obituary obit (which includes something Carmen once said about his early influences as a songwriter):

Emerging [in the 70s] at a time when FM radio playlists tilted toward the thundering blues-rock of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple…the Raspberries recalled the intricate songcraft and lush melodies of the mid-’60s pop masters.

“I had spent my youth with my head between two stereo speakers listening to the Byrds and the Beatles and later on the Beach Boys,” Mr. Carmen said in an interview.

I’d also had no idea until I read the obit that he’d co-written a song for Footloose in 1984: “Almost Paradise.” (Wow! We’re knocking on heaven’s door!) But I did know and dearly love his post-Dirty Dancing hit, “Make Me Lose Control.” I still think that one’s great, too — a dreamy “cruising” song that I put on a Spotify playlist of “Great Summer Songs” for my teenage nephew who was learning to drive. A playlist that I texted to him as a link (which I highly suspect never got clicked on). I still miss the ability to make a gift of a tangible mix for someone. (Sigh.)
“Turn the radio up for that sweet sound…”

And now, one more musical note especially for my Gen Xers:

Have you noticed there’s a new Green Day song on the radio, and that it’s good? A perfect piece of power-pop, in fact— and with lyrics that might be particularly appropriate for midlife?

“I was sober now I’m drunk again/
I’m in trouble and in love again/
I don’t want to be a dead man walking
I don’t want to be a dead man walking”

Plus, I like the key change (or whatever it’s called) when it gets to the bridge.

And while I hadn’t planned for this week’s post to be entirely focused on music, I have to cap it off with a this:

Rockstar wannabe wish-list item

As I mentioned in my last post, I was thrilled to get to see the amazing singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis perform at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Davenport. She played a number of songs off my two favorite albums of hers (Voyager and On the Line), as well as tunes from her upbeat new album Joy’all; a cover a I didn’t recognize; and some tracks from Rabbit Fur Coat and Acid Tongue. She sounded amazing! And, (as is always the case with the stylish Lewis), she looked great, too. I noticed before she even took the stage that there was a little circular platform next to the main mic. Sure enough, during the show, she hopped up on it a few times— and not only did it light up, but it appeared to have a fan that made her hair blow up and out behind her head like a model’s in a photo shoot. A friend snapped this shot of her standing on it.

Pic borrowed from my friend Jane.

Can anyone build one of these for a person to put in their bedroom in front of the mirror so they can stand on it and sing into a hairbrush? Asking for a friend.

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