After reeling from the shock of discovering a Duran Duran video that I hadn’t yet seen, I was quickly smitten with the ’80s decor showcased in various scenes. From the chrome and glass coffee and dining tables to the white sofa and ’80s Deco lighting, it was all I could do to keep from whitewashing my living room and filling it with musicians in New Romantic blouses. Top it off with a vase of tulips, and I’m in ’80s design heaven.
Friday Video Pick: “We Can Change It” by Jem
For a “Halloween weekend” Friday Video Pick, we bring you this seasonal piece by Jem, the unbelievably stylish ’80s cartoon series we’ve profiled all week. See Jem and the Holograms in costume, singing about making positive changes while fending off a giant cat, bat, and Frankenstein-esque monster. At the very least, the video will tempt you to consider adding hot pink and lavender as accent colors to your witch costume…
Friday Video Pick: “You Belong to the City” by Glenn Frey
When it came time to choose a song to culminate Mirror80’s week-long reflection on Neon Noir, we just couldn’t pass up a track with phrases like “You belong to the night,” “river of darkness” and “neon light.” Add a place on the Miami Vice soundtrack, and we knew we had our Friday Video Pick!
Friday Video Pick: “Dracula’s Tango” by Toto Coelo
With Halloween rapidly approaching, there was no other choice for today’s Friday Video Pick. This hauntingly likable tune from British New Wave pop group Toto Coelo was not as popular as their first release, “I Eat Cannibals,” but it’s perfect for this time of the year!
Friday Video Picks: ’80s Junk Food Commercials Starring Jenny Lewis and Seth Green!
I was watching the above Skittles commercial from the late ’80s when I spotted child star Jenny Lewis (she’s the one in the glasses who asks “Is this the house that gives Skittles?” at the end of the piece). Surely you remember Jenny Lewis, who appeared in many an ’80s TV commercial, as well as films like The Wizard and Troop Beverly Hills.
Friday Video Pick: “You Know Me Better” by Roisin Murphy
This week’s Friday Video Pick is not from the 1980s. But we just couldn’t take our eyes off the ’80s-inspired fashion in this video from 2008.
Friday Video Pick: “Talk Talk” by Talk Talk
Yes, the title of this week’s video pick and of the band itself are the same… I remember seeing the name of this song in print and being struck by the repetition of the juxtaposed band and track. And soon I was equally struck by the song. Like Missing Persons’ “Give,” this Talk Talk video features metallic accents, strategic lighting, and a dynamic song with pumping energy from start to finish.
Mid-Week Match-Up: Radballs!
If you were waiting for the perfect ’80s-inspired gameplay for your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, you’re in luck. Introducing Radballs, an app by Glow Play that awesomely combines the style of the past with the technology of the present. Radballs cleverly builds on the puzzle-rific tradition set by gaming favorites like Tetris and Bejeweled, then cranks it up another level by adding cheeky graphics in ’80s motifs and a synth-based soundtrack featuring acts like OK Go and Com Truise. Enjoy our match-ups featuring Radballs promotional screen shots and ’80s textile design.
Friday Video Pick: “Run to You” by Bryan Adams
What better way to usher in Fall than by watching a four-minute Bryan Adams video featuring “Face of the Eighties” Lysette Anthony running through Autumn foliage?! Yes, it’s “Run to You,” a video that may seem simple by today’s standards, but in 1985 was nominated for MTV Video Music Awards in five different categories!
Friday Video Picks: “Sister Christian” and “When You Close Your Eyes” by Night Ranger
I won’t deny that it was the Old Navy back-to-school commercial to the tune of “Sister Christian” that reminded me it was time to revisit the music videos of Night Ranger. But it doesn’t matter how I got here… Let Night Ranger usher in your back-to-school season with these two classic videos!
