Friday Flashback #32 - Girl Groups

Jump on into the WayBack Machine and we'll check the 80's for all female groups. It's a common lot this week, Bananarama, the Bangles and the Go-gos, but it's the extra stuff that is kinda cool. Bananarama never made the jump from England until their song "Cruel Summer" was used in the original Karate Kid. The Bangles and the Go-Gos had different beginnings, definitely more rock than the pop sounds they had great success with, but success comes with pleasing the masses. Bit's of trivia, Manic Monday was written for the Bangles because the songwriter had a SERIOUS crush on lead singer Susanna Hoffs (who only became lead singer when they hit it big, previously they shared vocal duties). That songwriter - was PRINCE! Also, their remake of Simon & Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter" was done for the movie Less Than Zero which starred Jami Gertz, Robert Downey, Jr., and brat-packer Andrew McCarthy. Fellow brat-pack member Rob Lowe appeared in a Go-gos video I didn't select, but you can find him in the video for "Turn to You." For the Go-gos I selected "Vacation" because I have fond memories of that video from the early days of MTV and from a later album "Head Over Heels." I never cared much for Belinda Carlisle's look in the second one, as she started gaining weight after her drug addiction and the haircut was a little too short, but in all their work Jane Wiedlin was really cute. You can see Jane on her own as Joan of Arc in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and in her solo video "Rush Hour."

Bananarama - Cruel Summer

Bangles - Manic Monday

Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter

Go-gos - Head Over Heels

Go-gos - Vacation