The music video for Every Breathe You Take was one I'll always remember. This was WAY before we had cable at our house... and I didn't know what Mtv was. I was at my Auntie Ann's house. My sister, my Mom and I were visiting her and my cousins Jennifer and Jimmy. There was a band or a guy playing a stand up bass and playing a song I knew from the radio. I didn't know if it was live, or what channel it was even on. I knew the TV was color because of the commercials so I couldn't figure out why the video was in black and white. Looking back at this video you can sort of see why the Police broke up. Sting was sort of the focus, and it didn't really seem like a band.
The Police had other hits on the Synchronicity album like Wrapped Around Your Finger. It was a good, but very dark ballad. I wouldn't really notice that song and others on the album until college. "Wrapped" also apparently had the interest of pop artist John Mayer, who happens to be the same age as my sister. Mayer included a lyric about Wrapped Around Your Finger in his song called 1983. "It's a bitter sweet feeling hearing Wrapped Around Your Finger on the radio." Songs can take you back to a time and place. I myself have hundreds of them; that is the sole reason I chose to write this autobiography.
Even overrated rapper Puff Daddy thought to make reference to the Police. He ended up rewriting some of the Every Breath You Take lyrics and doing a Biggie Smalls rapper tribute. The rapper Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed, and Puff Daddy's "I'll be missing you" version of Every Breath You Take took off in popularity. I was in college at the time, and I wasn't really a fan of the remake. You won't be seeing post about it when i reach the 1999 posts. Puff Daddy is a rapper who changed his name half a billion times and got popular riding other artist's coat-tails. Hence the tribute song. Just my two cents. I will post it so you can decide for yourself.
The first dose of George Michael came in Wham! This music is now what I like to call "mall" music. It gives you a little spring in your step while you're shopping. When I was little, we went to the mall. KayBee Toys was the LAST place we would go before we left for home. I remember walking past it umpteen times while my mom and sister go to all these clothing stores. It wasn't until years later when I discovered HotRocks... the rock t-shirt store in the center isle of the mall.
Toys R Us had not yet made it to Appleton, it was in Green Bay at the time. The drive was probably a 30 minutes north. This was around a decade before the "441 bypass" was put in, that basically cut the bottom way around the outside of Appleton. We had to drive to Little Chute and take N to 41 North to get up to Green Bay. I thought that Green Bay was like heaven. It had a) the Green Bay Packers, and b) Toys R' Us!
In my 20's, I figured out that my Mom had the perfect scam. Step one: take my sister and I to Toys R Us. My cousin Ben and I are only about three months apart in age. At Toys R Us, my Mom would say "do you think Ben would like THIS for Christmas?" and of course if I liked it I would say "yes." So we put it in the cart thinking that's what we were getting my cousin for Christmas. We got him a ton of stuff for some reason... and I would forget all about this. Christmas day comes later in the year and I am opening up the EXACT same things. Santa brought them for me!
The Toy's R Us theme song was addictive. "I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys R Us kid..." even adults sang that song. We tend to make fun of titles and slogans. Our family ended up calling the store Toys are NOT Us. But it didn't stop there... we renamed the grocery store Pick 'N Save "booger bank," KMart "KFart," ShopKO "snotKO," and Burger King "booger fling." It's likely I'm forgetting a long list of other examples. This was way before people started calling Taco Bell alternative nicknames! This behavior was not considered naughty, my parents got a big kick out of it. Perhaps these were just early displays of creativity. Thank God these flashes of fun were not squandered by strict child rules & "proper" manners.
By the time Toys R Us came to Appleton in the late 80's early 90's, there was no more Wham!, there was only George Michael. I'll talk about those albums later on. Can anyone even name the other guy in Wham! without Googling it??? I would only get to enjoy the benefits of a local Toys R Us for about 5 or so years. After that, CD stores and guitar shops became more interesting than a toy store. That's what happens when you grow up.... even if "you don't want to grow up."
