Leading up to my sister’s totally rad 80s dance 40th birthday party, I’d been playing a ton of my favorite 80s and early 90s music.
Each song had a story.
Good Vibrations – This is sung by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch when he was still just a singing pile of abs and before he won an Academy Award after dropping the “y” and one of the “Mark”s from his name.
Escapade – Janet Jackson was the soundtrack of many sassy 6th-grade dance parties for me. We could never quite decide whether we liked her or Paula Abdul better.
She Drives Me Crazy – Yes they really are called the Fine Young Cannibals, although the coolest among us refer to them as FYC. No, I do not know any of the lyrics to the verses. Only dogs can hear that.
80s music has become sort of a background to our lives, any time we’re not listening to Hamilton.
So, the other day, Wanda came up to me and said, “I can’t wait to start first grade in September. I just can’t wait!”
“It will be so fun.”
“Yeah because I can’t wait to see ‘Gomer’.”
“Gomer” is one of the boys she kissed on the mouth last year before I informed her that kissing was for older people. Then he became her boyfriend before I informed her that having boyfriends was for older people. So she asked him to wait for her and be her boyfriend in high school. He said yes, but apparently she’s been doubting his sincerity.
She continued, “The thing is, when I see him, I’m just gonna go up to him and say, ‘Straight up, now. Tell me do your really wanna love me forever?”
“Oh yeah?”
She looked sheepish.
“Yeah, because, you know, like, I really just want to know, okay?”
“I think that is a great idea. Just get it all out on the table.”
I mean, I don’t want her caught in a hit and run or something.
Bwahaha! I love this!
I love this.
I know. She is killing me.