12/1 - Boyz II Men Broke What Surprising Beatles Feat?
Plus the Legend of Zelda, Naked Gun, obscure Nintendo 64 games, and more
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you loved, forgot, or never knew existed
December 1st, 2023 • Issue 180
This week in the ‘80s and ‘90s
December 1st
1988 - Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest was released.
1988 - Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was released for NES in North America.
1990 - The series finale aired of the Legend of Zelda animated show.
The Legend of Zelda animated series based its relationship between Link and Zelda off Moonlighting.
While The Legend of Zelda cartoon included lots of action, it also focused heavily on the teen drama relationship between Link and Zelda. (That relationship also spawned the short-lived show’s famed and enduring catchphrase, “Excuuuuse me, princess.”)
And the writers have admitted they based the relationship on the Bruce Willis-Cybill Shepherd relationship from Moonlighting.
1990 - Gerardo’s single Rico Suave was released.
1990 - The series finale aired of Alvin and the Chipmunks.
1990 - Pat debuted on Saturday Night Live.
1990 - Whitney Houston’s single I’m Your Baby Tonight hit number one.
1990 - Digging began on the Chunnel between England and France.
1991 - Britney Spears appeared on Star Search.
1992 - Positive K’s I Got a Man was released.
1992 - Apple ended its Apple II line.
1994 - Game Show Network debuted, as did HGTV.
1996 - America Online dropped its minutes restrictions and went unlimited.
1997 - Latrell Sprewell of the Golden State Warriors choked his coach, PJ Carlesimo, during practice.
1997 - Kenny G set a world record by holding a note on his sax for 45 minutes, 47 seconds.
1999 - Jay Z stabbed a record exec at a nightclub in New York.
December 2nd
1982 - Barney Clark became the first recipient of an artificial heart, created by Robert Jarvik.
1983 - The almost 14-minute Thriller music video premiered on MTV.
1988 - The Naked Gun hit theaters.
The Naked Gun couldn’t use its original title because of Police Academy’s movie theater dominance.
The Naked Gun was a continuation of a quickly-canceled ABC sitcom called Police Squad!
But Paramount Pictures vetoed that title for the movie since it was too close to Police Academy — another police comedy franchise that was cranking out sequels like crazy in the ‘80s.
The producers (Jerry Zucker, David Zucker, and Jim Abrahams) chose The Naked Gun from a list of Paramount’s approved options because “it promised so much more than it could ever possibly deliver.”
1989 - The series finale aired of The Smurfs.
1990 - Roxette’s single It Must Have Been Love was released.
1993 - Pablo Escobar was killed by police in Medellin, Colombia.
1993 - Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue’s Whatta Man was released.
1994 - Cobb hit theaters.
1995 - Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s single One Sweet Day hit number one.
1995 - Ace of Base’s album The Sign was certified by Guinness as the bestselling debut ever.
1997 - Janet Jackson’s single Together Again was released.
2000 - The Smashing Pumpkins played their final concert.
2001 - Enron filed for bankruptcy.
December 3rd
1984 - The Band Aid single Do They Know It’s Christmas was released.
1988 - Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy.
1988 - Will to Power’s single Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird Medley hit number one.
1990 - Nightline aired Madonna’s Justify My Love video.
1991 - Phillips launched the CD-i.
1992 - The Simpsons episode “Lisa’s First Word” aired.
1994 - Boyz II Men’s On Bended Knee hit number one.
On Bended Knee replaced another Boyz II Men song at number one — the first time an act replaced itself atop the charts since The Beatles.
When On Bended Knee hit number one on this day in 1994, it replaced Boyz II Men’s I’ll Make Love to You.
That was the first time an act dethroned its own number one song since The Beatles did it with I Want to Hold Your Hand and She Loves You (and then Can’t Buy Me Love) in 1964.
1999 - The Mars Polar Lander crashed into Mars.
2001 - The Segway was released.
2002 - Christina Aguilera’s album Stripped was released.
December 4th
1980 - Led Zeppelin broke up.
1981 - Falcon Crest premiered on CBS.
1981 - Warren Beatty’s movie Reds hit theaters.
Warren Beatty became the third person ever nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original/Adapted Screenplay for a single film.
The previous two were Orson Welles for Citizen Kane and Woody Allen for Annie Hall.
Beatty won one of the three, for Best Director.
1982 - Herschel Walker won the Heisman Trophy.
1987 - Madonna filed for divorce from Sean Penn.
1991 - Pan Am ceased operations.
1992 - The Distinguished Gentleman hit theaters.
1997 - The NBA suspended Latrell Sprewell for choking his coach.
December 5th
1983 - NFL Football, the first NFL-licensed video game, hit arcades.
1984 - Beverly Hills Cop hit theaters.
1986 - Heartbreak Ridge hit theaters.
1987 - Belinda Carlisle’s single Heaven Is a Place on Earth hit number one.
1992 - Alabama beat Florida in the first SEC championship game.
1997 - Good Will Hunting hit theaters.
1998 - A collaboration I have no memory of and can’t believe existed, a duet between Celine Dion and R. Kelly called I’m Your Angel, hit number one.
December 5th, 1998 marked a major change in the Billboard Hot 100 — songs could now chart based on radio airplay only, even if they weren’t commercially released.
Until December 5th, 1998, a song could only make the Billboard Hot 100 if it was commercially available for purchase.
Celine Dion and R. Kelly’s I’m Your Angel actually was released commercially one week earlier, so it didn’t kick off the “airplay only allowed” era with an airplay only song victory.
The first airplay-only song to hit number one wouldn’t come until June 17th, 2000, with Try Again by Aaliyah.
1998 - James P. Hoffa, Jimmy Hoffa’s son, became head of the Teamsters’ union 23 years after his father’s disappearance.
2000 - The O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack was released.
December 6th
1964 - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer debuted on NBC.
1986 - Peter Cetera and Amy Grant’s single The Next Time I Fall hit number one.
1990 - The NHL approved two new franchises: Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators.
Tampa, Fla., and St. Petersburg, Fla., competed in 1990 to see which city would get an NHL franchise.
Though Tampa and St. Petersburg are usually considered an interchangeable pair of cities — and though they represent the exact same metro area — both applied separately for an NHL expansion franchise.
But Tampa got the nod in 1990, and St. Petersburg did not.
Tampa and Ottawa also beat out Miami; San Diego; Anaheim, Calif.; and Hamilton, Ontario.
1991 - Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country hit theaters.
1994 - Aaliyah’s single Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number was released.
1994 - Warner Bros. announced The WB, the first new U.S. broadcast network in nearly a decade.
1995 - Michael Jackson was hospitalized after collapsing at a HBO special rehearsal.
1997 - As Good As It Gets hit theaters.
1997 - Tonic’s only hit, If You Could Only See, peaked at number 11.
1998 - Hugo Chavez was elected president of Venezuela, six years after staging a coup and 22 years before he would tamper with U.S. voting machines from beyond the grave.
2001 - Newfoundland was renamed Newfoundland and Labrador.
December 7th
1980 - John Lennon’s single (Just Like) Starting Over hit number one.
1984 - City Heat hit theaters.
1985 - Mr. Mister’s single Broken Wings hit number one.
1985 - Bo Jackson won the Heisman Trophy.
1987 - Remote Control premiered on MTV.
1990 - Ted Turner and Jane Fonda announced their engagement.
1990 - Edward Scissorhands hit theaters.
1994 - Howard Stern talked a caller out of committing suicide.
1995 - The Galileo spacecraft arrived at Jupiter.
1996 - “Celebrity Jeopardy” debuted on Saturday Night Live.
1996 - Toni Braxton’s Un-Break My Heart hit number one.
1999 - Blue Man Group’s debut album Audio was released.
The Blue Man Group’s album was nominated for a brand new Grammy category: Best Pop Instrumental Album.
Audio, which included the Blue Man Group’s unique musicmaking style of PVC pipes and such, was one of five of the first-ever nominees for Best Pop Instrumental Album.
The album lost to Joe Jackson (not Michael Jackson’s father, the British singer/musician best known for Is She Really Going Out with Him? and Steppin’ Out).
2001 - Ocean’s Eleven hit theaters.
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news
Rob Reiner announced the sequel to This Is Spinal Tap is set to film in February and “everybody is back.” There are also going to be lots of cameos from Paul McCartney, Elton John, Garth Brooks, and others.
Beetlejuice 2 is done filming, according to an Instagram post by Tim Burton.
A spinoff reality show based on Sex and the City is coming. It’s called Is There Still Sex in the City? and it’s about “four ‘fabulous’ friends in their 50s who are looking for a love do-over.”
Last week, Daryl Hall got a restraining order against John Oates. We now know the reason: Hall is trying to block Oates from selling his share of their music to a conglomerate. And so far, it’s working: Yesterday, a judge granted the order to keep Oates from selling.
Recommendations of the week
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you loved
Here’s a look into the enduring popularity of Toto’s Africa and attempts to figure out why it’s still hanging on.
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you forgot
McDonald’s has a new adult happy meal coming out. And the toys inside are McNugget Buddies… which were one of the iconic Happy Meal toys from the ‘80s and ‘90s.
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you never knew existed
Someone found a copy of one of the most obscure Nintendo 64 games ever — and found it at a Goodwill for $14.99. The game is called ClayFighter: Sculptors Cut, which was a 1998 Blockbuster-exclusive version of a game called ClayFighter 63 1/3. The game should sell for at least $1,000 in its condition.
Have a great week!
-Sam