Blue Monday.

For years, during and away from STUCK IN THE 80s, I’ve been raving about and enjoying the music from Manchester and Greater Manchester, England, including but not limited to New Order, Joy Division, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The Buzzcocks, Happy Mondays, James, The Chameleons, The Fall, When In Rome, as well as Lisa Stansfield, Swing Out Sister, The Bee Gees, The Hollies and Simply Red.  Even this past weekend, Hope and I were taking about New Order’s incredible 1983 hit, “Blue Monday,” and how amazing it must have been to have heard this in the club at the time of its release! 

The cool floppy disk-like cover art for New Order’s “Blue Monday.”

Well, this past Monday, May 22, 2017, was indeed a Blue Monday, but not the cool, danceable New Order-kind of Monday.  By now, I’m sure everyone has heard about the tragic bombing in Manchester immediately following a concert by American Pop star, Ariana Grande.  The bombing happened at Manchester’s largest venue, the Manchester Arena (which has a capacity of 21,000 people). 

The Empire State Building in NYC, paying tribute to the victims of the Manchester attack by going dark.

As people were filing out of the venue, many of whom were stopping at the merch table on their way out, a 22-year-old man and British citizen (and of Libyan descent) took his own life and the lives of 22 others by detonating a bomb inside the venue.  At least 120 others were injured from the blast (with nearly half of those folks having to be hospitalized).

The Eiffel Tower in Paris also went dark, paying tribute to the victims of the Manchester attack.

Among those 22 people who died that night were Georgiana Callander, an 18-year-old superfan of Ariana Grande; Kelly Brewster, a 32-year-old fan who covered her niece from the explosion; Alison Howe and Lisa Lees, two friends (and moms) who weren’t even at the concert and were just waiting for their daughters to come out after the show; and Saffie Rose Roussos, an eight-year-old girl who was prolly attending her first concert ever and had her whole life ahead of her and then some.  Students and teachers at the school she attended (about 40 miles north of Manchester), held a moment of silence for Saffie, and then sang Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” (the popular GLEE version) in her honor.

Eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos, the youngest victim of the Manchester attack.

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest structure in the world, showing their support for the U.K. and the victims of the Manchester attack.

Many nations around the globe expressed their sorrow regarding the Manchester attack, and their solidarity and their prayers.  Donald Trump called ISIS (who made an unconfirmed claim of responsibility for the attack) “evil losers.”

While my response might have been a bit more eloquent than Mr. Trump, I will agree that ISIS is evil, and yes, they are losers.  All over the globe, ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has caused much havoc and taken far too many lives under a mask of religious violence, but when it’s all said and done, they really just don’t give a shit about anything except maybe their beloved Prophet Muhammad.  As a lifelong Catholic (practicing, non-practicing and recovering), I can’t imagine the Apostle of God would be down with all this.  Just sayin’.

Please know what you just read was not said to demean Muslims or Muhammad; my beef is with ISIS.

Here’s another reason why the collective of ISIS are a bunch of losers, or in my book, rank somewhere next to ticks and cockroaches as having no meaning or need for existence on this Earth: ISIS thinks that, with every venue they blow up, it’s going to stop people from returning to see concerts.  They are so fucking mistaken.  I’m in mourning for the loss of people I didn’t even know from this Manchester attack, and the one in Paris in late 2015.  Many folks around the globe are in mourning too.  But, you can’t let ISIS win. 

It’s alright to fear.  It’s alright to be scared.  I’m scared more often than I’d like to admit for whatever reason, but for the sake of it being alright to be scared, I’m admitting it here.  Of course, I’d never want something to happen to anyone I love (family, friends, radio listeners, kind blog readers) because of ISIS.  Moreover, though, I’d never want anyone I love to give up something they love or love doing because these misguided, coward ISIS motherfuckers have their own agenda and don’t want you to do anything you love.  It’s alright to be scared.  It’s alright to fear.  But, just because they don’t give a shit about their own lives or the lives of others in this world, you can’t let it stop you from doing something you love, with someone you love.  So, don’t let it…

Sending many thoughts and prayers, and peace and love, to everyone in Manchester, England, and beyond, after a very Blue Monday…

#ManchesterUnited #ManchesterAttack #WeStandWithManchester

song of the day – “Breakout” | SWING OUT SISTER | 1987.

Here’s one of those songs that I absolutely did not like when it was originally released, but grew to enjoy and love.  Manchester, England is the birthplace to many great bands and artists like New Order, The Smiths, Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Buzzcocks, The Chameleons, Happy Mondays, The Outfield, Tim Booth, Electronic, The Stone Roses, David Gray, Oasis, Bee Gees, Simply Red and Joy Division.  Manchester, England is also the birthplace to the Brit-Pop band, Swing Out Sister (fashion designer-turned-vocalist Corinne Drewery, keyboardist Andy Connell, and at first, drummer Martin Jackson).

Swing Out Sister’s debut album, IT’S BETTER TO TRAVEL, was released this week in 1987, and was the band’s first of nine studio albums released through 2008.  And, from that album, was the band’s breakout song, titled appropriately enough, “Breakout.” 

Released in early October 1986, “Breakout” was a refreshing Brit-Pop treat with Jazz influences, unlike anything else on radio at that time.  A month later, “Breakout” reached its No. 4 peak in the U.K., but it took awhile longer for the single to break out here in the U.S., debuting on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in mid-August 1987.

“Breakout” went on to spend two weeks at No. 6 on the Hot 100 in November 1987, a whole year after its peak on the U.K. singles chart.  “Breakout” stuck around through January 1988, nearly spending a half-year on the Hot 100, ending up as one of the biggest hits of 1987, and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group (Swing Out Sister was also nominated for Best New Artist).

Around the globe, “Breakout” also reached No. 4 in New Zealand, No. 6 in Ireland, the Top 20 in Australia, Belgium and Canada, and the Top 30 in Germany and Holland.

The follow-up single to “Breakout,” the lovely “Twilight World,” was already climbing the Hot 100 when “Breakout” was still on the chart, and peaked at No. 31 in late February 1988.  The band would make two more appearances on the Hot 100 – “Waiting Game” (No. 86, 1989) and “Am I The Same Girl” (No. 42, 1992). 

In 2014, Swing Out Sister started a crowdfunding project through PledgeMusic titled “A Moveable Feast,” saying, “We’re making a thing, don’t know what it is yet.  Come along for the ride and we’ll find out together.”  The result was the album, RUSHES, released in 2015, which was sent out to those who had pledged. 

Whenever I think of Swing Out Sister, I think of their charismatic style, with equal parts Pop and Jazz, and a hint of something I wasn’t hearing anywhere else.  “Twilight World” remains my favorite song by them, but I’ll never forget about their big “Breakout…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMBk-O7D-R0