Michael Jackson: Rest in Peace

Today marked perhaps the ultimate tragedy for any true patron of the 1980s and its music, the lost of its biggest star and greatest icon, Michael Jackson. The King of Pop.

At the age of 50, he was far too young, but many of the greatest stars seem to burn out before their time.

The author of some of the best and most popular music to ever travel the airwaves, from Thriller to Beat It to Smooth Criminal to Dirty Diana to Billie Jean and beyond, he contributed immensely to the soundtracks of many lives, and he will be missed.

80s Music as Workout Fuel

As you may know, at Colin Timberlake, Colin is an avid fitness nut and sometimes insane willpower and body tester. But the guy knows his stuff when it comes to the gym and as of late, he has been presenting his iPod Weightlifting Playlist...20 songs at a time.

It is not exclusively 80s, but the best decade of all time does play a prominent role in the playlist, so if you want to check out the list (now up to 120 songs), you will see more than a few 80s classics that are inspiring for weightlifting or running or whatever your workout entails...

Enjoy!

20 Songs for Lifting Weights - Part 1
20 Songs for Lifting Weights - Part 2
20 Songs for Lifting Weights - Part 3
20 Songs for Lifting Weights - Part 4
20 Songs for Lifting Weights - Part 5
20 Songs for Lifting Weights - Part 6

The Movie Montage Hall of Fame at ColinTimberlake.com

In the interests of discussing great 80s music, sometimes it is necessary to bring in great 80s movies...which brings me to a collection of clips that has been assembled at ColinTimberlake.com. It is with Colin's fine work that there has been amassed the:

MOVIE MONTAGE HALL OF FAME

This Hall of Fame features a collection of film's greatest montages, most of which occurred during...that's right: The 80s.

Whether it's Teen Wolf, Scarface, Rocky IV or the Karate Kid, due attention has been paid and due respect has been given. Cheers to a lost art of filmmaking that will surely reappear when the 80s resurface and take over the world as they should.

Bananarama: Cruel Summer (1983)

They were the prototype for the often-imitated girl band that would proliferate like wildfire in the 1990s and the early 21st century.



The trio of Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin made up the 80s superband Bananarama, and Cruel Summer from their self-titled album remains one of their most successful singles, and one that has enjoyed a great deal of longevity, sampling and remixing.



The song also has the distinction of appearing on the soundtrack for the '80s classic film The Karate Kid.



Cruel Summer was also covered and released as a single by Ace of Base, with the track also serving as the album title.

Frozen Ghost: Pauper in Paradise (1989)

Another of the hidden gems to arise from the Canadian pop / rock scene in the 1980s was Frozen Ghost, a band that won the Juno award (Canadian Grammy) for Most Promising Group in 1987.



The band released three successful albums, the middle one being Nice Place to Visit in 1988, with Pauper in Paradise being one of the most memorable singles included.



The band split up in the early 1990s, but its members went on to enjoy minor success in ventures such as producing other acts. They remain one of the nation's most fondly remembered '80s acts.

Sammy Hagar: Winner Takes it All (1987)

There was Rocky. There was Rambo. And in 1987, there was Lincoln Hawk, another of Sylvester Stallone's strong but silent, down on his luck, action-drama protagonists.



Over the Top, like many of the great action films of the decade, the film was driven in no small part by its soundtrack, with the most notable contribution coming from future Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar.



Sylvester Stallone himself participates in the video, which is thematically centred around the storyline of the film. Over the Top was Rocky-like in many respects, featuring a hard-working underdog taking a one-in-a-million run at the armwrestling championship. The video also features Over the Top villain and real-life armwrestling legend Rick Zumwalt.

Madonna: Papa Don't Preach (1986)

It is among several contenders for Madonna's most controversial song. 1986's Papa Don't Preach set the Bible Belt on fire with it's focus on teen pregnancy and may have caused more of a ruckus with the moral majority than her pointed brazier.



One of the flagship singles from the immensely popular True Blue album, the music video co-starred Danny Aiello (The Last Don, The Professional) as Madonna's distressed father, trying to come to terms with her situation and decision.



The song was covered almost 20 years later by Ozzy Osbourne's kid Kelly. Although you have to wonder what Ozzy Osbourne could preach to his children not to do, with any credibility.



And here's the live version...