I decided to do a little research to see what was the #1 song in the US of A 20 years ago this week, and I found this:
INXS - Need You Tonight/Mediate
I was half way around the globe when Need You Tonight was first released, and I still remember the DJ of the local American station saying, "And now, a new sure-to-be-hit from that Australian band Inks"!
That's right. That's how this DJ pronounced the band's name.
Inks.
The DJ wasn't an Arab, which could have at least given him some excuse for the poor pronunciation. This wasn't INXS' first hit either (enter What You Need and Listen Like Thieves), therefore there was no real reason for any American DJ to screw up the band's name. Unless the DJ was either really square, a classical DJ subbing in for the Top 40 guy, or both.
Speaking of square, I thought the whole flipping the signs in Mediate was cool. And original. Until I saw this clip being played during a Dylan documentary on PBS a few years later:
Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues
So I guess I'm a little slow on the uptake when it comes to pop culture references, but hey, did you know INXS was paying homage to Bob when their video just came out? Didn't think so.
In any case, there's this one small unassuming, non-attention-grabbing game that's being played here in town on Sunday, and so, in the spirit of it all, I'll leave you with this:
The Chicago Bears - The Super Bowl Shuffle
You know all the words. And you also want to play the cowbell while you rap. Don't lie.
Have a great weekend.
3 comments:
Inks!!
I called them "I. N. X. S." until someone said "in excess" to me.
I remember watching "Need You Tonight" jump into "Mediate" and thinking immediately that it was a great homage to Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues." So, yes, I claim bonus points for being aware of the reference, even though the Dylan song was released six months before I was born. I must have absorbed the knowledge while in the womb.
David: See, you were one of the actual cool ones. I, on the other hand, just thought I knew everything.
Comment: I.N.X.S.? Classic.
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