Brooke and I watched the AFI 100 Years, 100 Songs special on television last night. No real surprises, but I did learn something. I’d always assumed that “New York, New York” was an older song, from the ’40s or ’50s, but it was actually written for Martin Scorsese’s musical flop of the same name in 1977! Yeah, right in the middle of the punk explosion! I was gobsmacked.
In the same vein, where was the Ramones’ “Rock ‘n Roll High School”?
Wednesday June, 23rd 2004.
To: AFI (or any involved in voting process )
Topic: Comments on AFIs Top 100 Movie Songs of all time.
Generation X would like to take this time and thank all the qualified music critics born during the Pre-Construction of the Titanic Era for not attending any newly released films during the past 25 years! We read AFIs Top 100 Movie Songs list and suspect that all voters just got fed of with all music in films after Chariots of Fire in the early 80s. (Heaven forbid, Vangelis used a Synthesizer for the music in the film).
Looking over the top 100 songs selected, the top 10 are absolute quality picks and should be applauded. ‘Over the Rainbow’ (#1), ‘White Christmas’ (#5), and Good Old Marvin sliding in at #9 for ‘The Way We Were’ Those receive a ‘Thumbs up!’ from us, for so much great music was given birth to before us.
However, have you aging voting critics ever heard of Prince? You know the motorcycle singer who wears perfume, and who can out perform anyone from your era? The guy who is self taught on a variety of instruments, an original songwriter, dancer, vocalist, and pop icon for millions? – Well, he made a movie that slipped your top 100 list that is actually one of the top 3 best selling movie soundtracks of all time. It is called ‘Purple Rain’ It was us, generation X, who made those millions of purchases of the album. Perhaps the voters were to busy listening to ‘The Yankee Doodle Boy’ (#71 on the list) from 1942 during the 80s to even consider a man who dresses like a female at times to be considered an artist. Sorry, the Song ‘Purple Rain’ from the film should have given Yankee Boy a run for its money.
This thought process of yours is starting to explain why the highest ranking 80s songs in the list are way down at #44 ‘Wind beneath my wings’- from Beaches, and #40 ‘Fight the power’- from Do the right thing
Where is ‘Eye of the Tiger’ (Survivor) – from Rocky 3? Ask any guys who were born around the Disco Era what song from a movie gets them pumped for anything physical… See if they respond with ‘Do Re Mi’ (#88) from ‘The Sound of Music’
Please don’t tell us that you’ve never heard of ‘The Breakfast Club’. Please say that ‘Don’t you forget about me’ by Simple Minds was supposed to be somewhere in the top 100…it was a printing error correct?
Yes, let us curse the 80s! For ‘The windmills of your mind’ (#57) is so much more memorable then ‘A view to a kill’ by Duran. After all, it’s not as if ‘A view to a kill’ went to #1 on the Billboard Charts in 1985, and was the only song in the History of James Bond films to do so…or was it?
Remember a little film called ‘Top Gun’ from 1986? Kenny Logins earned himself a solo in ‘We are the world’ for ‘Danger zone’-from Top gun, and ‘Footloose’- from footloose. Voters, do us all a favor. Please watch the introduction to Top Gun as the song ‘Danger zone’ kicks in. It is so amazing and really should be used by the US Air force to recruit glory hounds. As you do, try to imagine and accept that a movie featuring post World War 2 aircraft can have a quality punch to it. Funny how a movie called ‘Top hat’ got a song in there at #15…oh wait…1935, that explains it, my fault.
Astonished to see that ‘Footloose’, being the most influential movie musical over the past 20 years, slid in with ‘Footloose’ (#96) However, no mention of other classics from its most glorious soundtrack? ‘Lets’ hear it for the Boys’, ‘Almost Paradise’, or ‘I need a hero’? Well at least you listened once to your grandkids when they came bouncing over to visit in their leg warmers and camouflage pants.
We, Generation X, do possess, and admit to having the ability to make mistakes also. Sometimes, in moments of confusion, we may be caught yelling ‘Ghostbusters!’ at a retro night in a club after Ray Parker Jr. asks ‘Who are you going to call?’ However, we acknowledge the great classic songs of the past 100 years from all decades and rejoice in their significance and emotion. Lets’ be honest. Do people think that by saying older is better then new, that they are automatically more cultured?
That they are in touch with the finer side of the arts?
It seems obvious that a certain decade was almost completely ignored in this Top 100 list. We really should be careful though. It is possible that the survey said ‘Pre VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) era. If it did, this opinion is void, and we apologize.
Austin
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