[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1b8AhIsSYQ]
I have absolutely no idea what they are trying to get across with this video, but the song is one of those classic, overly catchy eighties tunes. It's a song everyone loves to claim they hate, but that can't be the case. The song was #1 on not only the Hot 100 in 1985, but the Hot Rock Tracks chart, too. There are plenty of songs that fall into similar categories of claimed hatred, guilty pleasures if you will. This one just happens to be one of the top ones.
The city mentioned in the song is never clearly identified. References are made to San Francisco, Cleveland, and NYC, making the location in the song somewhat ambiguous. The video goes even further, showing us views of other places, including Washington, D.C. The lack of directly labeling any one city does make it possible for listeners to connect it with their own city, making it more personal. This is the route a lot of radio stations took when playing the song upon its release.
It's almost funny to me that this song was written directly for a movie or musical. It's just so ridiculous sounding that you almost have to think it's from a musical. Not that all musicals sound ridiculous, but they definitely have a unique sound. This song fits in that more than it fits in pop music, and you know it has to be pretty out there to stand out from other music from its time. The song has been voted worst song of the 80's in a Rolling Stone readers' poll by a reportedly huge margin. Plus, that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. It's been ragged on in magazines, online polls, TV shows, everything! However, with all that bad press to its name, it managed to go all the way to #1 in 1985 in the US and #12 in the UK in 1985.
It was used in the newest installation of the Muppets franchise, as seen in the video above. It's the perfect song for the purpose of the film. It was one small piece that helped Jason Segal and crew stay close to what the Muppets have always been.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU4mqvGw-wY]
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