Bitchin’  (See that album collection?)

“Riding on the Me—troooo..” by Berlin is wafting through the car dealership. I’m waiting for a new car key as I lost one. I want to sing along to the 80s tune but I don’t think the other patrons would appreciate it. Instead, I think back to senior year in high school when someone did an air band performance to the song, another 80s thing to do, air bands. I thought I would use the 90-minute wait to blog; instead I listened to music and looked up the song on my smartphone to see if I remembered the band. I was thrown back to a time of New Wave music, dance bars, college and my husband.

Every song was mellow alternative like Squeeze: Black Coffee in Bed and never the racy type like Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Relax. It’s like they knew my 80s music mix, the songs that bonded my friends together and my husband and me. This is pretty deep market research. Mainstream radio stations never played these songs back then. Did the dealership raid my cassette collection? It feels weird to know I am old enough to be a market demographic with nostalgic tendencies. Ninety minutes flew as I thought about my first Devo concert, looking for row zero with my friend. It was right there, between row “N” and “P.” It was row “O.” We dressed new wave for the concert, an over-sized sweatshirt dress with Candy slides for me.

$10.50 for Row “zero.”

“Wow. Do you play a lot of 80s music here?” I asked the cashier. The Cure “Pictures of You” played in the background.

“Yes we do. And we play 70s and 60s, too.” He offered.

“It just takes me back to the bar scene and cassette tapes. Ya know what I mean?”

“Sure,” he said a little hesitantly. (Does he know about cassettes?) “I remember the songs. I was ten.” I bet he’d make a great bartender. He’s such a good listener.

After my appointment I scrolled youtube and found U2, New Order, Depeche Mode, Madness, English Beat, The Smiths, The Smithereens, INXS, A Flock of Seagulls, The Police, Romeo Void, Yellow, Pet Shop Boys, Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, The The, and Talk Talk. Wow those last three had creative names. Memories of the endless hours my friends and future husband spent dancing at bars flashed in my head. I loved the way my husband dressed and the way he danced. Lucky for me, he turned out to be smart and a good dad. If that dealership played our wedding song, “I’ll Stop The World And Melt with You” by Modern English, I might have cried and never left.

I talked about my fun day with hubby.  We ran through a bunch of songs off his 80s playlist and reminisced, so, so many, so many. Sound like an 80s band? Dang!  I just want to go dancing.

What’s your favorite 80s tune?