20 Year High School Reunion

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Remember the Aztecs!

Class of 1987

20 Year Reunion Mix

(compiled by yours truly as a CD to be given to every guest)

plus liner notes that never made it to the inside cover.

The hardest part of putting this together was coming up with songs that most people would recognize, as well as enjoy, and was representative of most genres of music (no country music lovers at our old school). Another criteria was that the songs had to have been recorded between the years 1984 - 1987 (I did cheat with one song, though). I think it went over well and most people seemed to be happy to have a musical memento of the event. For quality control, I listened to rough drafts of this mix (some songs had to be cut or I had bad copies of them) so much so that my daughter now knows the words to "Just Like Heaven" & "Lips Like Sugar"!

KEY:
songs in blue - I actually like and enjoy these songs/bands
songs in brown - yuk
songs in green - don't like but included it for variety

Just Like Heaven The Cure (1987)
I love this song! Written by lead singer Robert Smith for his wife; from their 1987 album, "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me".

When I Hear Music Debbie Deb (1984)
No dance at our school was complete unless this song was played, along with "Let the Music Play" (by Shannon) which ends the CD.

You Give Love a Bad Name Bon Jovi (1986)
I couldn't stand Bon Jovi - I considered them a pussy rock band, but they were hugely popular. I couldn't stand their look - gross and hairy chests, teased hair, acid washed jeans, and fringed leather jackets . This song also gained a new following because of the butchered American Idol remake by Blake, the beat boxer. From the album, "Slippery When Wet".

Control Janet Jackson (1986)
This was for the r & b crowd. Janet was coming out on her own. The beginning of her collaboration with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.


Lips Like Sugar Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
Waaaay better than the weak-ass remake by Coldplay. Love Ian McCullough's voice. From their eponymous fifth album.


Walk Like an Egyptian The Bangles (1986)
This song was kind of gimmicky, but was included for the awesome whistle solo. Just kidding, I included it because it seemed like something fun and corny to put in.


Oh Sheila Ready for the World (1985)
Hey, this band played at our Grad Night in Disneyland, along with Bobby Brown (who had just gone solo from New Edition), Glass Tiger and...get ready for this...Wang Chung!!! Very Prince protege-like. On my friends always thought the lead singer said in the intro (say in mock English accent), "Like they always say...What's good for the goose, is always good for the gander...Oh SAILOR (it was supposed to be "Oh Sheila!")! Ha ha.


Bizarre Love Triangle New Order (1986)
Good dance song although the band was boring in concert. One of their more popular and upbeat choices. I really would have liked to include "Thieves Like Us" (which was in the "Pretty in Pink" soundtrack) but I chose a more well known song.

New Sensation INXS (1987)
A fun dance song - it was this or "Never Tear Us Apart" but that was too gut wrenchingly slow. Both are from the album "Kick". Too bad Michael Hutchence died the way he did.

Dress You Up Madonna (1984)
I called about 5 people to try to get this song. No one, ABSOLUTELY no one had the album "Like a Virgin". Thane and my brother saved the day by sending me copies of the mp3. The copy I had on my computer had a skip to it and being the perfectionist that I am, could NOT include it on the cd unless it was perfect. The inclusion of this song was also a bit of an 'in-joke' in that Thane used to play this song in a band called Feedback. We got so sick of this song!

Rebel Yell Billy Idol (1984)
OMG! Billy Idol!!!!! He played the Del Mar Fair that year. One of my friends in high school actually followed his limo to LA. once after one of his concerts at the Sports Arena. Dude, what happened to him? Love this song - verry cool song, very 80's!

Point of No Return Expose (1987)
Another Latin freestyle song by East Coast trio Expose. Not much of a fan but they were popular.

Strange Love Depeche Mode (1987)
From their album, 'Music for the Masses' - one of my friends, N, suggested that this was when the band started to 'suck' or go downhill. I wanted to put "People are People" but that came out in early 1984, when we were still in 9th grade. So many choices. I also messed up on the title, not realizing until after all was printed that "Strange Love" should have been one word. Yeah, nobody cares about these details!

You Make Me Feel So Good Book of Love (1986)
Such a happy, bouncy song! I loved this song! Not sure how many other people knew of Book of Love, but they're in here!

Pride (In the Name of Love) U2 (1984)
This was a much better song than "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and the excruciatingly and mind numbingly boring, "With or Without You" from the best selling "Joshua Tree" album. Although this song was from my personal favorite album, "The Unforgettable Fire", this song had that spark, those glorious chiming guitars from The Edge and lyrics that celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. U2 jumped the shark (for me) after "The Joshua Tree".

Fight for Your Right Beastie Boys (1986)
Most of the party-type jock people were into the Beastie Boys. I wasn't a big fan but included it nevertheless to get at least one rap-type song in. "Brass Monkey" was also a choice but it didn't end "cleanly" so this song it was. From the album, "Licensed to Ill".

Head to Toe Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (1987)
Don't like the chick's voice - too nasal. Thanks Ronin for letting my rip this song from your cd though! You have a very diverse and vast collection!

Kiss Prince (1986)
Although "Erotic City" would have been a great choice, it was too long - nearly 8 minutes. Plus, looking back on it, the lyrics are pretty vulgar ("F--k so pretty you and me, Erotic City come alive" & "We can f--k until the dawn", etc). I didn't want any of the alumni having any problems especially if they played this cd and their kid(s) heard it. I wrestled with many Prince choices. "Take Me With U" was a contender, but "Purple Rain" was also too long and too slow. I picked this minimalist, catchy and bass-free tune instead from Prince's "Parade" album.

Let the Music Play Shannon (1983)
This is the song that I considered a "cheat" because it was released in 1983. Shhhh! Don't tell! Another really popular freestyle genre choice and a dance floor staple during our high school dances.


Songs that didn't make the cut:
Be Near Me - ABC
Take on Me - A-Ha
The Dance Electric - Andre Cymone
Sex Shooter - Apollonia 6
Digging Your Scene - The Blow Monkeys
Boy, I Touch Roses, Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes) - Book of Love
I Feel for You - Chaka Khan
She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
Hot Hot Hot!, In Between Days, The Love Cats, A Night Like This - The Cure
Lookout Weekend - Debbie Deb
Blasphemous Rumours, Master and Servant, Somebody - Depeche Mode
In My Dreams - Dokken
The Show - Doug E. Fresh
Anything, Anything - Dramarama
Notorious, A View to a Kill - Duran Duran
Bring on the Dancing Horses - Echo & the Bunnymen
And My Beat Goes Boom, What is a DJ if He Can't Scratch, Egypt Egypt - Egyptian Lover
Human Beat Box - Fat Boys
Desire - Gene Loves Jezebel
I Miss You, Meeting in the Ladies Room, The Men All Pause - Klymaxx
Rock the Bells - LL Cool J
Blue Monday, Elegia, Perfect Kiss, Shell Shock, Thieves Like Us - New Order
Take a Chance - Nuance
Secret, If You Leave - Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark (OMD)
Tricky, Erotic City, Raspberry Beret - Prince
It's Tricky, You Be Illin', Walk This Way (with Aerosmith) - Run DMC
Rock You Like a Hurricane - The Scorpions
Give Me Tonight - Shannon
Glamorous Life - Sheila E.
Blood & Roses - The Smithereens
How Soon is Now?, Bigmouth Strikes Again, Cemetry Gates, Ask - The Smiths
Head over Heels - Tears for Fears
EZ Come EZ Go, Gettin' Better, Little Suzi - Tesla
Chili Sauce, Jungle Love - The Time
Roxanne Roxanne - UTFO
Dreams, Loves Come In - Van Halen
Barbara's Bedroom - Whistle
Dear God - XTC

and much more that I can't remember!

20 year reunion

Okay, we're officially old, middle aged farts!

I got an email about our upcoming 20 year reunion! Go Aztecs! Rah rah and all that shit! Yeah, yeah.

But seriously, I did forward the email to our tiny cohort regarding this upcoming event. Let's see what the organizers come up with. Most of us didn't go to the 10 year and I have been pretty resistant about the reunion.

Hmmm...am I curious to see which former classmates turned out fat, bald, cranked out the most kids, have had plastic surgery (jugs, lips, botox even?), or still look the same? Perhaps I'd be curious to see how people have changed personality wise. Are the same people I disliked back then different people now? I would certainly hope so. Or maybe the curiosity remains if people turned out successful and are doing well in their lives. But would I want to go? If Bert goes, it would suck if he went alone. There are quite a few couples, like us, who have been together since high school.

We see most of our close friends (at least the ones who haven't moved away) on a semi-regular basis (holidays, b-day parties, get togethers, etc). Those are the people we consider our friends and whom we care about. Part of me dislikes having to be "social" with people I don't know or give a rat's ass and fake idle chit chat.

Fellow Class of '87 Aztecs, would you go to this shindig? Would you drag your spouse/significant other to it?