1985 (song)

Infobox Single
Name = 1985


Artist = Bowling for Soup
from Album = A Hangover You Don't Deserve
Released = 2004 (Worldwide)
Format = Digital download, CD single, Airplay
Recorded = Red Ruby Productions
Atlanta, Georgia
Genre = Pop punk
Length = 3.13
Label = FFroe, Jive, Zomba
Writer = Jaret Reddick, Mitch Allan, John Allen
Producer = Butch Walker
Certification = Platinum (RIAA)
Last single = "Punk Rock 101"
(2003)
This single = "1985"
(2004)
Next single = "Almost"
(2005)

"1985" is a song best known for its performance in 2004 by the pop punk band Bowling for Soup which reached #23 on the Hot 100. Featured in their album "A Hangover You Don't Deserve", as well as the American popular music compilation "Now That's What I Call Music! 17", and "Barbie Hit Mix, Vol. 2", "1985" was originally written and recorded by the band SR-71, led by Mitch Allan, who co-wrote the song with Jaret Reddick.

Origins

According to [http://www.sr-71.net/news/index.htm SR-71's website] , Bowling for Soup's Jaret Reddick (a friend of SR-71) heard the song (from their album "Here We Go Again") and asked for and received permission to record a cover version. However, according to [http://www.bowlingforsoup.com/1985.html Bowling for Soup's website] , it was Allan that called Reddick to suggest the possible cover. Either way, it was Bowling for Soup's version, with slightly reworked lyrics from the original, that has become familiar to most United States radio listeners and topped the charts.

References to the culture of the 80s

Because the Bowling for Soup version of the song differs in lyrics from the SR-71 original it also differs in some references to the 80's as well. Certain references were removed from the original and replaced with new ones while some were added in places where the original song repeated lines.

Detailed references:

*Whitesnake and the music video that featured Tawny Kitaen on the hood of a Trans-Am.
*Bruce Springsteen
*Madonna
*A time prior to Nirvana
*U2
*Blondie
*When MTV primarily showed music videos
*References to Brat Pack films:
* "The Breakfast Club"
* "Pretty in Pink"
* "St. Elmo's Fire" ("Bowling for Soup version only")
*"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" ("SR-71 version only")
*Wham! and Duran Duran ("Bowling for Soup version only") being better than Limp Bizkit
* The line "Never knew George was gay, hoped they'd hook up one day" ("SR-71 version only") is a reference to former Wham! member George Michael who revealed many years later that he is a homosexual.
*Asking where miniskirts made of real snakeskin are
*Asking why Sammy Hagar is singing in Van Halen ("Bowling for Soup version only")
*Questioning why Mötley Crüe has become classic rock
*A time when sitcoms and game shows were popular and reality shows were nonexistent
* A reference to "...on the radio", which resembles the timbre of the voice singing the verses in The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star", known for being the first video ever played on MTV in 1981 ("Bowling for Soup version only")
*Ozzy Osbourne before he was an actor ("Bowling for Soup version only")

Parodies

*Matt Hodgson "That One Guy" has released a parody, "1955," based on "Back to the Future". The song became a hit on the Dr. Demento Radio Show.

*Johnny Crass has released another parody, "Being a Fag Jedi," based on "Star Wars". This version relates the plot of "Revenge of the Sith", and compares the prequel trilogy unfavorably to the classic trilogy.

*The Bob Ricci band parodied the song as "Beach Boy Soup", using the lyrics of the Beach Boys song, "Kokomo".

*Christian Rock Parody band ApologetiX released a parody of this song titled "None Too Ladylike" on their 2006 studio album, Wordplay.

*Dino-Mike wrote a song to this called Another "1985" Parody making light of the fact that so many had parodied the original song.

*Musical comedian Odd Austin wrote a parody to 1985 called "That '70s Song" about the popular show about the 1970s on Fox.

Cover versions

The song has been covered by Richard Thompson on the live album "1000 Years of Popular Music".

Other songs

*Gym Class Heroes had a song on their self-released 2001 album, "...For the Kids", titled "Eighty-Five", which they still play a portion of today at their live concerts.
*There is a 1970s song by Paul McCartney called "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five".
*"1985" is a song on the Manic Street Preachers' 2004 album "Lifeblood".
*Another song by the same name still is by Roper on their album "Brace Yourself for the Mediocre".
*There is a song by The French Kicks entitled 1985 on their album "One Time Bells".
*Japanese punk rockers The Blue Hearts wrote and performed a song entitled "1985" during the year itself. In the song, the year is pronounced in the English manner, "nineteen eighty five", instead of in Japanese.
*In 2004, Patrik Isaksson recorded a song in Swedish named "1985", which reached the Swedish hitlist Svensktoppen .

External links

* [http://www.bowlingforsoup.com/ Bowling for Soup Website]
* [http://www.sr-71.net/ SR-71 Website]