Friday Night Videos --# Sol 16 --Day 20

Friday Night Videos -- #Sol 16--20

Why Am I still Up?

Okay, this is the latest I ever have posted. Normally, I am in bed by now. It has been a busy day, and no, I am not waiting for the "Friday Night Videos" show because first it is not Friday, it is Sunday night. Tomorrow is a school day.  I should be in bed.


Second of all, videos can be found at anytime nowadays. Wow! Ironically, I no longer watch them. The art form when I last checked seems to have metamorphosed into mostly women jiggling body parts and men flashing dollar bills. I know there are quality aesthetically beautiful music videos with great artists sometimes communicating a story, but somehow in the past 10 years, I have not had much time to view and sort through the new "stuff."

Here Is What I Have For Tonight...Not the best...

When I was young, I used to stay up vainly to catch the coveted "Friday Night videos" show to catch the latest Janet Jackson, Lionel Richie, or Michael Jackson videos.

Most Saturday mornings, I would wake up only to realize that once again I missed the show and would have to wait an entire week to catch Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" video or Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It" or Culture Club's, "Karma Chameleon" videos.

I remember spending Saturdays in my mother's room. No, not cleaning up? But rather dancing the day away in front of her dresser's mirror. We would play all our favorites.  I would rap along with Sugar Hill's, "Rapper's Delight": 

"Singin' on'n'n'on'n'on on'n'on,
The beat don't stop until the break of dawn
Singin' on'n'n'on'n'on on'n'on,"

Or, I would try to dance like a real dancer to Flashdance's theme song. Sometimes, I would even run and put my tights and pink leg warmers on. I would then have to dance on my mom's bed, so I could check out my leg warmers as I danced. A little vain, I know!

I vividly remember one moment: I was dancing around my mother's room.  I was shaking "it" side to side and holding my fist as a microphone. At that moment,  I remember thinking whether when I was "old" I would still like and dance to Janet Jackson's, "Pleasure Principle", Control" or Madonna's "Let's Get Into the Groove."  

Now, four years away from 50, I still love to dance. There is more fat to jiggle and the knees do not allow me to jump as high while kicking my legs side to side to the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" or singing to the Go Go's "Our Lips Are Sealed." 

You Tube? Oh Yes!

Years ago, while I was dancing in the living room an older tune came to my mind. I asked my son, "Where is that CD?" I was sweating and was about to run to switch CDs, when my son grabbed the computer and typed the song's title. I suddenly felt so silly. Instead of dancing, I explained to him how during my siblings' dancing marathon in the 80s, we would stop to "put the needle on the record" ( from "Pump Up The Volume") whenever we wanted to hear the song again or the entire record. Eventually, we got a fancy record player where the needle automatically lifted and settled gently on the record. There was no jumping around the record player for fear of scratching the record.

I Did It! I am Still Awake!

Going back to Friday Night Videos, on the nights we did stay awake, Michael Jackson's dancing and singing "Beat It" would wake us up from our commercial slumps when sleep threatened to pull us to the other side.

Today, one can watch video 24/7, but unfortunately last time I checked I was not pleased. I am sure there are good videos out there.  Oh, and I guess, I could google them, but I do not have much time. I could always search for some positive Hip Hop artists such as Mos Def and Common, but I will not lie, I find myself googling the old stuff such as Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out" or  Hall and Oates' "Private Eyes."

Wow! The thought that I no longer need to deprive myself of sleep to see Madonna's hip dancing and singing "Over the Borderline!"  And there was always Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for her Money." On that note, I better go get ready for work tomorrow. I can always re-play those videos on another day: there's You Tube?

Who would have known?