At least that’s what I try telling myself.

TV is also how I find out about new songs or up-and-coming artists I may have missed out on otherwise. Sometime in the late 90′s, early 2000′s, music became the driving force behind TV shows. There is no bigger offender of this trend than Grey’s Anatomy. Don’t get me wrong: whoever is in charge of finding the music for some of their episodes is a fraktaculating genius. (Hey, if Sarah Palin can say “refudiate“…) With the exception of last season’s finale that was sans music yet, distinctively, just as powerful, they are right on the money with their selections. The soundtrack elicits the kind of emotions they were looking for – so says my bath towel.

Last season (outside of the season finale), I was on GA strike. It was getting too silly and I, for one, was not laughing. This Summer, I’ve been all about the silly shows because that’s what Summer is for. (You can mess with my Summer, people, but hands off my Fall.) Surprisingly, there’s been less of the normal silly, and more of the hard-to-believe-yet-entertaining attempts. In that light, one show gracing my DVR is Covert Affairs (think Alias). At the end of the premiere episode, the featured song played. It was necessary for the moment, but I lost focus of it because I was completely enraptured in the song. This is a common occurrence for me. I can find meaning in a song from a commercial where hamsters are the star. It’s not hard. But this…

In researching, I would soon find out this song played during a GA episode this past season. I love Brandi Carlile anyway (discovered while watching an older episode of Grey’s Anatomy), so it wasn’t hard to pin the voice. I was so overwhelmed, I had to find a video for it. In the words of Vivian Ward, big mistake. Big. HUGE.

Sob. Fest. Anybody got a ShamWow?

Over the last few months, I’ve been nostalgic for the 80s. I’m not sure why, but I’ve been especially eager for 80′s soundtracks. The other day, I tweeted that typing Kenny Loggins in to the artist tag of LastFM brought me so much happiness, I could barely contain myself. What I didn’t mention was how much 80′s soundtrack music Mr. Loggins shook loose in the LastFM directory. Where I was happy before, I was in total bliss now.

I’m highlighting a few of the songs that changed my life and still, to this day, take me to a special place every time I hear them. I hope it kicks the dust off of a few of your 80s favorites, too.

Take My Breath Away

Artist: Berlin
Movie: Top Gun (1986)

Love Theme

Artist: Stan Whitmire
Movie: St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)

If You Leave

Artist: OMD
Movie: Pretty In Pink (1986)

Cry Little Sister

Artist: Sisters of Mercy
Movie: The Lost Boys (1987)

Glory Of Love

Artist: Peter Cetera
Movie: The Karate Kid II (1986)

I’m Alright

Artist: Kenny Loggins
Movie: Caddyshack (1980)

The Heat Is On

Artist: Glenn Frey
Movie: Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Of course, these aren’t the only songs I think of when I think 80′s movies. The list could go on and on but, even by blogging standards, I don’t think I have enough room to list them all. And I’m sure I’m missing some real gems.

Cover Image: Graffiti by ~JESSboo on deviantART

That same Fall, Dead Presidents hit theaters. A huge Larenz Tate fan (and a clear sign I have a thing for short men), I mowed people down just to see it. I was obsessed. The next day, I bought the soundtrack and a huge wall poster that glowed and scared the hell out of visitors whenever the lights were out. (Turn on a black light, and it was Pee Pants Central.)

I played the soundtrack so much, I was almost sure I’d break the stereo in my room. Filled with soulful hits from the 60′s and 70′s like Walk On By from Isaac Hayes, and If There’s A Hell Below from Curtis Mayfield, I was also almost sure I was scaring the living crap out of my very white roommates.

And, whenever I was having a particularly bad day, I would play this song. A lot.

Yeah. I’d have been a little scared of me, too.

Song: The Payback
Artist: James Brown
Album: The Payback (February 1974)
FEAR says: Before Bill Duke, this was the man who told you you’d effed up. Classic.

I just lost you, didn’t I?

I like female singers that can singer way higher than me. There. If you can make a cat howl, I’m prone to be a fan of yours. Why? Because I can’t hit that high. My vocal chords just aren’t short enough. I don’t feel like a girl singing all manly the way I can. This is never more prevalent than when I take on the role of singer when I’m playing Rock Band with BFam. I know, I know. Another Rock Band reference. AND I may as well break out my walker because ROCK BAND IS NOT REAL!

Dream killers.

Anyway, a few times at the mike, BFam thought it a fantastic idea to play a few electropop songs I’d never heard of before. Electropop is not really my thing. I put it in the same category as House music. (Urgh! HOUSE MUSIC! THUMP-A-THUMP-A-THUMP-A!) Being a lover of music, I’ll try anything once. Why not. How bad could it be.

And I tried it and WHO DO THEY HAVE SINGING THESE PARTS?! ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS?!

After screeching like a howler monkey over a few songs, BFam thought it best if I stuck to guitar on these songs. I couldn’t have agreed with him more. Silenced, I was able to actually hear the song and realize I might like the genre a little bit. A teeny, teeny, tiny bit. Enter The Veronicas. These are some bad mamma-jammas. I like them! They make me wanna get up and do The Carlton.

Song: Untouched
Artist: The Veronicas
Album: Hook Me Up (April 2009)
FEAR says: Untouched no more!

Every season of the show, Kimora gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the makings of her Fashion Week design show. It’s always frantic. Always harried. Everything is chaos, chaos, chaos up until the very last minute, then the show goes off without a hitch. I always love seeing the man behind the curtain for big events. It’s way more entertaining than the actual event.

This season, Kimora asked her trusted foot soldiers to find her a diverse ethnicity of models. This is something Kimora always asks for, so it’s not out of the ordinary. But, because it’s Fashion Week, her staff is left scrambling for models that have time in their schedules among the many other fashion shows happening at the same time. One particular model was what Kimora was looking for, but she was a newbie. She hadn’t strutted the runway much, and a big component of the shows – especially if you’re the first model out – is taking your initial step to a musical cue. The song chosen was one I’d never heard before, but was one of the first songs Kimora walked to during her modeling days. The girl got it wrong so much, that Kimora had to stand next to her and tell her when to go. Over and over, Kimora made the DJ cue the song again, so much that she began singing along with it. By the time the show was over, the song was ingrained in my skull. I had to know its origin.

Having a laptop handy while you’re watching TV is almost essential nowadays. You never know what you’re going to need to research.

I’d never heard of Malcolm McLaren. When I dug a little deeper, I realized why. While he was a big name in the fashion world, a world I know nothing about, he was also a big name on the House music scene. Ugh. Gag. Feh. I like House music like I like bananas. And I don’t like bananas. I loathe bananas. House music just has way too much going on. All the boombuhdee-boombuhdee-boombuhdee against my head, and all of a sudden, I’m here. But I really, really like this song.

Trust me. I’m disappointed in myself, too.

Song: Something’s Jumpin’ In Your Shirt (f/ Lisa Marie)
Artist: Malcolm McLaren
Album: Waltz Darling (July 1989)
FEAR says: Walk the body! (Sorry, that sounded cooler in my mind.)