Music, Fashion, Culture - Set List

Saturday, April 5, 2025

Pretty in Pink Film + Soundtrack


1986 American Teen
Romantic Comedy Drama

Directed by Howard Deutch
Written by John Hughes
Produced by Lauren Shuler

Cast -
Molly Ringwald
Harry Dean Stanton
Jon Cryer
Annie Potts
James Spader
Andrew McCarthy

"Brat Pack" film

Budget - $9 million ... Box Office - $40.5 million

- Soundtrack -

Released in February 1986

Genres considered - Post Punk, New Wave

In Rolling Stone's The 25 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time.

AllMusic - 4/5 Stars

Track Listing -
1.  If You Leave Me
2.  Left of Center
3.  Get to Know Ya
4.  Do Wot You Do
5.  Pretty in Pink
6.  Shellshock
7.  Round, Round
8.  Wouldn't It Be Good
9.  Bring On the Dancing Horses
10.  Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

1986 -
Debuted at No. 5 on Billboard 200 
Peaked at No. 50 on Billboard 200
No. 3 on Billboard Soundtrack Albums (Year end)

If You Leave (From "Pretty In Pink")

April
Pink For a Girl

Thursday, April 3, 2025

I Wish


The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020) - No. 4

Rolling Stone - 2020

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

No. 4 - Songs in the Key of Life

by Stevie Wonder


Released in September 1976

18th album by Stevie Wonder
Signature album

No. 1 on Billboard 200

No. 1 on Billboard Pop Albums Chart

No. 1 in Canada 

No. 2 in January 1977 behind the Eagles' Hotel California

Second best-selling album of 1977 behind Fleetwood Mac's Rumours

"I Wish" & "Sir Duke" - No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

"Isn't She Lovely" - Not a single but a signature Stevie Wonder song

Grammy Awards (1977)
Album of the Year ... Producer of the Year ... Best Male Pop Vocal Performance ... Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

Best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of Stevie Wonder's career

"...one of the greatest albums in popular music history..."

No. 7 on VH1's Greatest Albums of All Time (2001)
No. 56 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest (2003)
No. 57 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest (2012)

Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (2002)

Inducted into the National Recording Registry (2005)

Review Scores -
AllMusic - 5/5 Stars
Encyclopedia of Popular Music - 4/5 Stars
The Great Rock Discography - 8/10
MusicHound R&B - 5/5 Stars
Pitchfork - 10/10
Rolling Stone - 5/5 Stars
The Rolling Stone Album Guide - 5/5 Stars

Track Listings -

Side One -
1.  Love's in Need of Love Today
2.  Have a Talk with God
3.  Village Ghetto Land
4.  Confusion
5.  Sir Duke

Side Two -
1.  I Wish
2.  Knocks Me Off My Feet
3.  Pastime Paradise
4.  Summer Soft
5.  Ordinary Pain 

Side Three - 
1.  Isn't She Lovely
2.  Joy Inside My Tears
3.  Black Man

Side Four -
1.  Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing
2.  If It's Magic 
3.  As
4.  Another Star 

Certified Gold in France
Certified Platinum in Australia & the UK
Certified 2x Platinum in Canada
Certified Diamond in the U.S.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

The Jackson 5 - ABC

April Special - The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5

Left to Right
Tito, Marlon, Michael, Jackie, Jermaine

Formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964

Among the first black performers to establish a crossover audience

With Motown, The Jackson 5 were the first group to debut with four consecutive No. 1 singles on Billboard Hot 100 - "I Want You Back" (1969), "ABC" & "The Love You Save" & "I'll Be There" (1970)

The Jackson 5 had 17 Top 40 singles in five years.

With Epic Records, the Jacksons (with the youngest, Randy, and without Jermaine) released four albums and one live album from 1976 and 1981.

The Jackson 5 & The Jacksons have sold over 150 million records worldwide - one of the best-selling artists of all time.  

The Jackson brothers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980.  They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

"ABC" & "I Want You Back" - In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll

"ABC," "I Want You Back," & "I'll Be There" - Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame

Awards & Nominations -
3 Grammy Nominations 
4 NAACP Image Awards*
*3 for The Jackson 5 ... 1 for The Jacksons

The Jackson 5 -
Special Commendation for Positive Role Models (1972)
Honored by the United States Congress

The Jackson 5 -
Honorary Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (1975)

The Jackson 5 -
Organization of African Unity -
Strengthening Afro-Americans (1974)

The Jackson 5 -
Inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame (1999)

The Jacksons -
BMI Icon Award (2008)

Current Members -
Jackie Jackson & Marlon Jackson

Former Members -
Tito Jackson & Michael Jackson (both passing away)
Jermaine Jackson (to 2020)
Randy Jackson (to 2001)

The Jackson 5 - 10 albums (1969 to 1975) 

The Jacksons - 6 albums (1976 to 1989)