Song of the Day: 'Stars on 45 Medley' by Stars on 45

Trying to unpack this No. 1 single to someone born in 1977 -- such as my would-be hubby -- is kind of like explaining Shields and Yarnell or Doug Henning. (You've heard the Archies and the Beatles and disco before, right?) I played it for the first time in decades last night -- Damian was perplexed to say the least -- and got a little emotional remembering how it was constantly on the radio as my brother Bill would be driving us to the tennis courts in our neighborhood in Phoenix when I was a kid. The La Casita recreation center was very close -- we still drove because it was 110 out in the shade -- so we'd have to stay in the car to be able to hear the whole thing! About the only person not mesmerized by this Dutch novelty hit was Kim Carnes, who had her streak at No. 1 interrupted after five weeks -- but then got four more on top, giving "Bette Davis Eyes" a total of nine nonnconsecutive weeks at No. 1!

I've probably used this as Song of the Day before, but this time I've got the video!

P.S.

Damian wasn't very impressed by Jackie DeShannon’s original "Bette Davis Eyes," either. "What is this, honky-tonk?"

Song of the Day: 'Stars on 45' by Stars on 45

It was so nice having drinks last week with my former Times colleague and fellow late '60s-born baby Jesse Fox Mayshark, who totally got my Stars on 45 reference on the first try! 

Old-timers will remember that it hit number one in 1981, interrupting Kim Carnes's nine weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. The whole thing seems rather ridiculous now -- disco/Archies/Beatles -- but perhaps the recent assassination of John Lennon set the stage for this most bizarre medley that my brother Bill and I couldn't get enough of while riding back and forth to the La Casita tennis center in our old neighborhood.