8/16 - What Iconic '80s Role Almost Went to Billy Zane?
Plus trivia on Jay-Z, golf movies, Dishwalla, Uncle Buck, and more
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you loved, forgot, or never knew existed
August 16th, 2024 • Issue 217
Be Kind, Rewind
What happened on this day in the ‘80s and ‘90s — plus lots of bonus trivia
August 16th
1984 - John Z. DeLorean was acquitted on cocaine charges.
1985 - Madonna and Sean Penn got married.
1986 - Madonna’s single Papa Don’t Preach hit number one, as did her album True Blue.
1986 - Bon Jovi’s album Slippery When Wet was released.
1995 - The Usual Suspects hit theaters.
1996 - Tin Cup hit theaters.
Tin Cup is the highest grossing golf movie of all time.
Tin Cup has a lifetime gross of $53.8 million, which doesn’t sound that incredible… yet beats out every other golf movie. (Also, they don’t make golf movies anymore, which helps its cause.)
Caddyshack is second at $39.8 million and Happy Gilmore is third at $38.8 million.
1996 - The Fan hit theaters.
2000 - Lifehouse’s single Hanging by a Moment was released.
August 17th
1979 - Life of Brian was released in theaters.
1983 - Prince’s song Delirious was released.
1986 - Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen played his first concert since losing an arm.
1989 - James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow got married.
1992 - Woody Allen admitted to his affair with Soon-Yi.
1994 - David Caruso quit NYPD Blue to begin his movie career with Jade.
1995 - Yo! MTV Raps aired its series finale.
1996 - Ross Perot was announced as the Reform Party’s first-ever presidential candidate.
1996 - Dishwalla’s one hit, Counting Blue Cars, peaked at #15.
Counting Blue Cars originally had a different title — one which the singer disliked but every one else wanted.
Dishwalla’s lead singer, JR Richards, was the primary writer on Counting Blue Cars. The original title was going to be “Tell Me All Your Thoughts” — which was, in retrospect, a more recognizable lyric from the song. But Richard says he crossed that out on his handwritten page of lyrics and went with “Counting Blue Cars” because it sounded “more poetic.”
But the record label — and his bandmates — all preferred the original title. Richard ultimately won the argument.
To this day, the other members of Dishwalla would’ve preferred the other version. In 2015, drummer George Pendegast says said in an interview it was “bad branding… a song that was called something other than what it should’ve been.”
1997 - VH1’s Behind the Music premiered.
1999 - Brian McKnight’s single Back at One was released.
August 18th
1981 - Herschel Walker took out an insurance policy on himself while at the University of Georgia.
1989 - Uncle Buck hit theaters.
Uncle Buck had a remake in India in 1991, called Uncle Bun.
The remake was in the language Malayalam and the main character was named Charlie Chacko.
1994 - Ini Kamoze’s single Here Comes the Hotstepper was released.
1995 - Mortal Kombat the movie hit theaters... with a PG-13 rating.
1995 - The Baby-Sitters Club movie hit theaters.
1998 - Aerosmith’s single I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing was released.
2001 - Alicia Keys’ single Fallin’ hit number one.
August 19th
1983 - Mr. Mom hit theaters.
Michael Keaton turned down Splash to star in Mr. Mom; Ron Howard turned down Mr. Mom to direct Splash.
So Tom Hanks starred in Splash and lesser-known director Stan Dragoti took on Mr. Mom.
1993 - Mattel acquired Fisher-Price to become the largest toy company in the U.S.
1993 - Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger got married.
1997 - Sarah McLachlan’s single Building a Mystery was released.
1997 - Boyz II Men’s final number one hit, 4 Seasons of Loneliness, was released.
1997 - Fleetwood Mac’s reunion album The Dance was released.
August 20th
1989 - Saved by the Bell premiered on NBC.
1989 - The Menendez brothers killed their parents.
1992 - SWV’s Right Here was released.
Right Here was SWV’s debut single — but the remix became a much bigger hit as their fourth single.
RCA Records released Right Here, SWV’s take on Michael Jackson’s Human Nature, as the group’s debut single and the lead single off their album It’s About Time.
The single was a modest success, hitting 16th on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and 92nd on the Billboard Hot 100.
Then SWV had a few other singles, including Weak, which was a number one hit.
After that, the record label released the Right Here (Human Nature Remix) which they contributed to the Free Willy soundtrack. That version had some lyrics changes, a better beat, a young Pharrell with the catchphrase “S, S, W, double V,” and, most important, way way more of Michael Jackson and Human Nature.
That version made it all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
1996 - Ginuwine’s single Pony was released.
1997 - The South Park episode “Weight Gain 4000” aired on Comedy Central.
August 21st
1987 - Dirty Dancing hit theaters.
Billy Zane was strongly considered for the Swayze role in Dirty Dancing.
Screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein says Zane ultimately lost out because his dancing wasn’t good enough. “He danced like someone who looked like he had learned to dance beautifully for his bar mitzvah.”
1990 - Prince’s soundtrack to Graffiti Bridge was released.
1990 - Ratt’s album Detonator was released.
1992 - The Ruby Ridge standoff ended tragically.
1993 - I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers peaked at number three on the Billboard charts.
1993 - Slam by Onyx peaked at number four on the Billboard charts.
1994 - John Denver was charged with drunk driving after crashing his Porsche into a tree.
1996 - Netscape 3.0 was released.
1998 - Dead Man on Campus hit theaters.
1998 - Blade hit theaters.
August 22nd
1986 - Stand By Me hit theaters.
1992 - Tom Cochrane’s Life is a Highway peaked at number six on the Billboard charts.
1997 - GI Jane hit theaters.
1998 - Harvey Danger’s one hit, Flagpole Sitta, peaked at number 38.
1998 - Jay Z’s single Can I Get A... was released.
Ja Rule is one of the writers on Can I Get A… and was going to use it as his own debut single — until Jay-Z wanted it.
Ja Rule does have a featured verse on the track, but performed it under his stage name at the time: Jah.
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news
The house from Poltergeist in Simi Valley, Calif., is on the market for the first time in 45 years.
John Slattery is going to star in a TV reboot of the 1997 movie The Rainmaker. The series will be on USA.
Netflix is making a Ghostbusters animated series. It’s been in development since 2022.
LEGO is releasing a Nightmare Before Christmas set (for adults) next month.
Get Your Book-It Stickers Here
Recommended articles about ‘80s and ‘90s pop culture you loved, forgot, and never knew existed
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Here are 13 of the best ‘90s movies to watch with your kids. (Not to be confused with the list about a month ago in this section on the PG movies not to watch with your kids.)
Check out an oral history of The Go-Go’s and their pioneering journey to become an all-female band that wrote their own songs and played their own instruments.
Have a great week!
-Sam