This past Wednesday, August 25, 2010 marked the ninth anniversary of Aaliyah Dana Haughton‘s (known to fans as “Aaliyah”) death.  She was only 22 years young at the time and both her music and acting career was exploding at the time of her death.  We’ll never know why our Creator calls some of us home so much earlier than others, but Aaliyah short life has certainly not been forgotten by celebrities and fans alike.

In memoriam of Aaliyah’s sudden and tragic passing 9 years ago, I’m dedicating this week’s Throwback Friday post to her.  “Back and Forth” was a song off Aaliyah’s first album “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number” (in 1994) and was her first music video.

AALIYAH-BACK AND FORTH
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Need some fresh tunes for your playlist? Check out all of my Throwback Friday posts by CLICKING HERE.

Related Links

• MTV (Rap Fix)- Aaliyah Remembered Nine Years After Death
• Starpulse.com- Missy Elliott Pays Tribute To Aaliyah
• Real Major- RIP Aaliyah
• Liveagl.com- Throwback Fridays: Aaliyah- If Your Girl Only Knew <– hey! i thought i was the only one with Throwback Fridays…

I realize I haven’t hit up Throwback Fridays with enough R&B.  Earlier this week, I went searching for this Tony! Toni! Toné! tune and thought I’d make it this week’s post.

Get your slow dance on under the disco lights and enjoy!

Album: The Revival
Year: 1990
Song: Whatever You Want

Read all of my Throwback Friday posts by CLICKING HERE.

We’re at that point in the summer, at least in the United States, where just about anywhere you go in the country it’s hot like summer.  This is when we start to hate the season and wish for cooler days to come even faster.  Instead of moping around, especially when those heat waves and killer humidity roll through, take a minute to appreciate all the wonderful things that are associated with summer- BBQs, summer love, running through the sprinklers, beautiful perennials, vacations, and more.

To help get you in the mood, DJ Ifelicious , is queuing up some DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince who brought us the chart topping “Summertime” back in 1991.

Enjoy!

Looking for tunes to add to your playlists? Check out all of my Throwback Friday posts by CLICKING HERE.

Ok, I know it’s not Friday, but I just heard this song and thought I’d resurrect my Throwback Friday posts with Naughty by Nature‘s “Uptown Anthem.” These cats from “Illtown,” aka East Orange, New Jersey, made a bunch of hip hop chart toppers in the early 90s. Shoo! They made “O.P.P.” famous before Tiger Woods. 

“Uptown Anthem” is from the soundtrack from the film “Juice” released on 1992. “How far will you go to get it?” LOL! I still remember the subtitle that was on the VHS cover. What you know about VHS tapes and VCRs, son? 

Naughty by Nature’s members were Treach, Vin Rock, and DJ Kay.

Enjoy!

Related Links

• All Hip Hop- Naughty By Nature Heading To Persian Gulf For US Troops
• MooKee- TC Cell Phones Teaming Up With Naughty By Nature
• Consequence of Sound- Naughty By Nature drops EP, album to follow

I heard the song “More Than Words” by Extreme on the radio the other day and was reminded of how much I love it. It’s definitely going on my “rainy day” playlist.  I honestly think it’s one of the most beautiful ballads ever made- does that sound extreme? (no pun intended)

“More Than Words” features lead singer Gary Cherone with Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt on the guitar and harmonizing vocals.  Other band mates included Pat Badger and Paul Geary.  The song is off the album “Extreme II: Pornograffiti” and hit #1 on the US and UK billboard charts.  They’d probably be classified as one-hit wonders because “More Than Words” was by far their greatest commercial success.

Below is the video for “More Than Words.”  I can’t help but think that Gary and Nuno look like a white version of Milli Vanilli in the video , but I guess that late 80s/early 90s Kenny G hair was all the rage back then?  I also wonder how many proms had this song as their theme in ’90 and ’91.

Enjoy this week’s Throwback Friday, “More Than Words” by Extreme…

Turn back the musical time clocks with me every (well, almost every) Friday as I share a variety of Throwback Friday tunes typically from the 70s and 80s.

Want to see more?

Check out all of my Throwback Friday posts by CLICKING HERE.

Who would’ve thought that 2 weeks in a row my Throwback Friday posts would be TV theme songs in honor of the passing of sitcom icons?  Rue McClanahan, most famously known as “Blanche Devereaux” on the hit TV show “The Golden Girls,” passed away yesterday June 3, 2010 after suffering a stroke.

Last remaining Golden Girl, 88 year old Betty White, stated “Rue was a close and dear friend. I treasure our relationship…It hurts more than I ever thought it would, if that’s even possible.”

It must be a moment when you’re entering an era when your friends are dying all around you.  I’ve had several family members that lived over 100 years and I can’t help but pause to think of how lonely that could be on so many different levels, while a blessing at the same time.

Well, let’s smile for a moment and take a trip down Memory Lane as we watch and listen to the theme from “The Golden Girls” called “Thank You For Being A Friend.”

RIP Rue McClanahan…

Golden Girls Opening Theme

Looking for some funky fresh tunes to add to your playlists? Check out ALL of my THROWBACK FRIDAY posts!!!

Related Links

• People- Betty White: Rue McClanahan’s Death ‘Hurts More Than I Ever Thought’
• LA Music Industry Examiner- Golden Girls theme song ‘Thank You For Being A Friend’ goes viral after Rue McClanahan death (video)
• ABC News- “Golden Girls” Actress Rue McClanahan Dies of Stroke

Today, Friday, May 28, 2010 Gary Goleman passed away at 12:05pm from an inter-cranial hemorrhage at a hospital in Utah.  Best and most fondly remembered during his years as a child star who played “Arnold” on the hit tv series “Diff’rent Strokes,” he made the line “What you talkin’ about Willis?” a classic.  Gary dealt with health issues for nearly his entire life having been diagnosed with congenital kidney disease at the age of 2 which also stunted his growth.

Over the years, he struggled with various troubles with the law but also made occasional TV appearances including VH1′s “The Surreal Life.”  Like so many child stars, he never regained the level of fame he had while on “Diff’rent Strokes.”  He even ran for governor of California in 2004.

Since today is Throwback Friday, I decided to pick the theme from “It Takes Diff’rent Strokes” as the song.  It was written by Alan Thicke, Gloria Loring, and Al Burton.  Alan Thicke and Gloria Loring were the voices on the show’s theme song. (source: Diff’rent Strokes Fun Trivia)

RIP 42 years young Gary Coleman.

February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010.

Diff’rent Strokes Opening Theme – Version 2 – Click here for more blooper videos

Looking for some funky fresh tunes to add to your playlists? Check out ALL of my THROWBACK FRIDAY posts!!!

Related Links

• People- Diff’rent Strokes star Gary Coleman dies at 42
• Huffington Post- Gary Coleman DEAD: Diff’rent Strokes actor dies in Utah, wife Shannon Price at his side
• USA Today- Gary Coleman dies at age 42
• Ranker- Top 5 moments of Gary Coleman’s life

Yes, today is Biggie Smalls birthday, but I felt disingenuous dedicating my own Throwback Friday post to him since I was never a die-hard fan.  Instead, I picked a song that just touched me personally today.  I’m keeping it in the 70s like last week by choosing “Happy Feelin’s” by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly from the album by the same name.  This was after the group had been discovered in the Bay Area by Marvin Gaye who helped them get signed to Capital Records.

It’s funny, because all this time I just assumed that Maze featuring Frankie Beverly were from DC, but I’m realizing that it just may be the result of my hubby’s fascination with the group as well as their popularity that I recall in the DMV growing up.  Frankie, who changed his name from Howard to Frankie when he was 15 years old after the group Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers (how’s that for a factoid, eh? lol), is actually from Philly but never identified himself with the Philly sound of the time.  There’s some really great bio info on the group over on AOL Music.

Grab someone you love, move the coffee table out of the way, and get ready to “harmonize” and dance in the living room to “Happy Feelin’s.”

Enjoy!  … p.s. this version is 7 mins 11 secs.  Remember when songs had extended play and sounded good for every extra minute?  Good times, y’all.

Looking for some funky fresh tunes to add to your playlists? Check out ALL of my THROWBACK FRIDAY posts!!!

See!  I told you this week I would go back a decade.  Time for some 70s spring/summer lovin’ music.  Released in 1976, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” is the title track off Roy Ayers’s album.  A native of LA, it only seems natural that this jazz artist would pen a song like this.  As I listen to it now, it feels like a precursor to sounds you hear in G-Funk made popular in the late 80s and 90s by folks like Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Nate Dogg.

Roll down the windows, open the sunroof, throw on some shades, and ladies make sure your lip gloss be poppin’ (lol) and just vibe out to “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” by Roy Ayers.  There’s no official video for it, but  I found a live performance that was pretty hot.

Enjoy!

In case you’re completely unfamiliar, I thought it would be helpful to add the album version below.

Looking for some funky fresh tunes to add to your playlists? Check out ALL of my THROWBACK FRIDAY posts!!!

Now here’s a song that’s for rolling up the windows in your car and singing at the top of your lungs or in the shower while you’re getting crunked for your work day- especially the chorus.  The year is 1985, and the movie “Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome” was in theaters.  Tina Turner was at the prime of her singing career, although we can argue that her music is timeless.  “We Don’t Need Another Hero” by Tina Turner was the theme song for “Mad Max” a film in which she also played a leading role of Aunty Entity alongside Mel Gibson (“Max”).  If you listen to the lyrics, between singing at the top of your lungs , the song speaks of peace and hope for the future.  The video for the song and won a MTV Music Award for Best Female Video and peaked at #2 on the US Billboard charts.

Check out this week’s Throwback Friday song/video “We Don’t Need Another Hero.”  Tina’s costume and hair in this video are fierce!

Enjoy!

Looking for some funky fresh tunes to add to your playlists? Check out ALL of my THROWBACK FRIDAY posts!!!