"IN YOUR EYES" PETER GABRIEL (1986)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

If you’re an 80’s child, you simply can’t forget the scene. Lloyd Dobler hoists a boombox above his head outside Diane Court’s bedroom window. He doesn’t say anything. He just lets a masterpiece by Peter Gabriel do all the talking, to prove he loves her. Most teenage boys have pathetically tried to copy Lloyd’s move or at least thought about doing it. Which is ridiculous when you think about it. What made Lloyd cool was the fact that no one else thought of that before him. Everyone else post-Lloyd is simply uncool. The song he played, of course, is “In Your Eyes”.

This is not your average ballad. It’s a cultural phenomenon, partly due to its unique persona. It’s one of the greatest recordings ever to merge pop with worldbeat – and do so in a way that didn’t cheapen either genre. But it’s also a phenomenon because of the movie scene. Say Anything, without a doubt, gave “In Your Eyes” an identity that was attached to the movie’s hip. In fact, when Gabriel played the first few bars of the song during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl about ten years ago, John Cusack walked onto the stage, handed him a boombox and took a bow, before quickly walking off again. The scene and the music are forever inseparable.

“I SEE THE DOORWAY TO A THOUSAND CHURCHES IN YOUR EYES.”

"IN YOUR EYES" PETER GABRIEL (1986)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Say Anything

If you’re an 80’s child, you simply can’t forget the scene. Lloyd Dobler hoists a boombox above his head outside Diane Court’s bedroom window. He doesn’t say anything. He just lets a masterpiece by Peter Gabriel do all the talking, to prove he loves her. Most teenage boys have pathetically tried to copy Lloyd’s move or at least thought about doing it. Which is ridiculous when you think about it. What made Lloyd cool was the fact that no one else thought of that before him. Everyone else post-Lloyd is simply uncool. The song he played, of course, is “In Your Eyes”.

This is not your average ballad. It’s a cultural phenomenon, partly due to its unique persona. It’s one of the greatest recordings ever to merge pop with worldbeat – and do so in a way that didn’t cheapen either genre. But it’s also a phenomenon because of the movie scene. Say Anything, without a doubt, gave “In Your Eyes” an identity that was attached to the movie’s hip. In fact, when Gabriel played the first few bars of the song during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl about ten years ago, John Cusack walked onto the stage, handed him a boombox and took a bow, before quickly walking off again. The scene and the music are forever inseparable.

“I see the doorway to a thousand churches in your eyes.”

"(NOTHING BUT) FLOWERS" TALKING HEADS (1988)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

The album Naked, in one sense, represents the ongoing evolution of Talking Heads. It is far less poppier than their previous studio release True Stories. But in another sense, it’s a return back to the band’s early work that was influenced largely by world music. On “(Nothing But) Flowers”, the musical trajectory leans much closer to the aesthetic and structure of Paul Simon’s iconic Graceland album. And I just love it.

One of the instrumental delights on the track is the inclusion of Johnny Marr on lead guitar. Fresh off The Smiths’ breakup, Marr jumped in to lay down a track that sounded in lock step with the Talking Heads world beat approach. But it also interestingly sounded distinctly like Johnny Marr at the same time. The similarities to his signature riff on “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” are unmistakeable. With wide-ranging scales, “(Nothing But) Flowers” is also one of Byrne’s greatest vocal achievements with the band.

“This was a Pizza Hut. Now it's all covered with daisies.”