Feb 26 - NBA Jam, CD players, Quad City DJs
Plus LL Cool J, Lean on Me (the movie), and more
The Retro by 11 Points
Modern perspectives on ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia
February 26, 2021 • Issue 36
This week in nostalgic history
February 26th
30 years ago, on February 26th, 1991 - LL Cool J’s single Mama Said Knock You Out was released.
Mama Said Knock You Out was an important song that came at a real crossroads in LL Cool J’s career. It was theoretically a statement LL wasn’t ready to back down from the forces changing the rap world; a now harder-edged world which seemed to be leaving him behind. (The song is oddly un-metaphorical, though; it takes a very fast turn from the double meaning in the opening line “don’t call it a comeback / I’ve been here for years” to about four minutes of him literally rapping about a boxing match.) As a hugely successful song, it showed LL still did have a place in the evolving hip-hop world.
However, the song was arguably more important for LL’s real career arc, which wasn’t in the world of rap or, um, boxing: It was in acting. LL has textbook glamour muscles (which I don’t say pejoratively, as they’re aspirational, no doubt), and this song was an attempt to reframe the perception of his hard-earned but aesthetically-driven physique into one possessed by a real tough guy.
That message must’ve resonated on some level, as LL was soon able to make the leap from rapper to action star — forging a path that many, many rappers would follow. And he’s used his Mama Said Knock You Out-borne tough guy persona ever since, eventually landing a lucrative lifetime appointment in CBS’s NCISiverse.
Also on February 26th: Musical Youth’s one hit, Pass the Dutchie, peaked at number 10 (1983)… Michael Jackson’s album Thriller hit number one, where it would stay for 37 weeks (1983)… Hairspray hit theaters (1988)… George Michael’s song Father Figure hit number one (1988)… Falling Down hit theaters (1993)… the World Trade Center was bombed (1993)… Selena performed her final concert before she was killed (1995)… Booty Call hit theaters (1997)
February 27th
25 years ago, on February 27th, 1996 - Four singles were released: Quad City DJs’ C’mon N Ride It, Alanis Morissette’s Ironic, Dishwalla’s Counting Blue Cars, and Busta Rhymes’ Woo Hah.
What a day for music this was in 1996, as this day alone does a wonderful job summing up four of the great mid ‘90s musical subgenres through four very different artists.
C’mon N Ride It serves as a representative of a genre I’d call “‘90s spring break rap” — unapologetic, catchy, noisy dance tracks that still get people up and excited today. This is where you’ll find everything from Tootsie Roll to all of 2 Live Crew’s oeuvre.
Ironic stands as the representative of the earnest female singer-songwriter genre, one that was absolutely thriving at this point in the mid ‘90s. Ironic was part of Alanis’s onslaught of hit singles from her album, Jagged Little Pill, and despite its lack of pure irony, at least it hits the modern definition of irony. (Definition: Thing that happens.)
Counting Blue Cars is here as an offshoot of the ‘90s sincere rock genre. Dishwalla was a one-hit wonder who wouldn’t amass quite the success of their peers like the Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms, Better Than Ezra, et. al. (But I still love some occasional Counting Blue Cars.)
And finally, Busta Rhymes’ Woo Hah, his debut solo single, stands as a representative of the transition toward late ‘90s shout rap, also employed by DMX and several if not all of the No Limit Soldiers.
It’s rare that one day could produce four such diverse singles, all of which could spawn Pandora stations I’d listen the hell out of — so good job, random day in late February 1996.
Also on February 27th: Gloria Gaynor won the one and only Grammy ever for Best Disco Recording for I Will Survive (1980)… the Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial where he caught on fire aired, with the flames edited out (1984)… the series finale aired of The Love Boat (1987)… Patrick Swayze’s single She’s Like the Wind peaked at number three (1988)… Milli Vanilli claimed they were more talented than all the top artists of all time (1990)… Wilson Phillips’ single Hold On was released (1990)… Janet Jackson’s iconic Rhythm Nation World Tour kicked off (1990)… Roxette’s single Joyride was released (1991)… 16-year-old Tiger Woods played in a PGA event (1992)… Pokemon debuted for Game Boy in Japan (1996)… divorce was finally legalized in Ireland (1997)… Tupac’s single Do For Love was released (1998)… Apple discontinued the Newton handheld (1998)
February 28th
38 years ago, on February 28th, 1983 - The record-breaking series finale of M*A*S*H aired on CBS.
Based on what I can gather about the demographics of the readers of this newsletter, few were either alive or watching adult TV in 1983 — but all have probably heard of the M*A*S*H finale.
The M*A*S*H finale did almost 106 million viewers — 77 percent of all TVs on at the time. It remains, to this day, the single highest-rated episode of any TV series ever. (Some Super Bowls have drawn better, but no episodic show.) And considering the fragmentation of the TV viewing audience, where today’s top shows would kill for one-tenth of the viewership of the M*A*S*H finale, it’s hard to imagine any TV show will ever break its record.
Also on February 28th: Pretty in Pink hit theaters (1986)… Wham broke up (1986)… the series finale aired of Coach (1989)… Jewel’s album Pieces of You was released (1995)… Blues Traveler’s single Run Around was released (1995)… Kiss reunited at the Grammys (1996)… Donnie Brasco hit theaters (1997)… Celine Dion’s single My Heart Will Go On hit number one (1998)
March 1st
33 years ago, on March 1st, 1988 - Ice Hockey was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Ice Hockey is a terrific game, and quite possibly the only hockey-related item I’ve ever purchased.
The game works because of its simplicity — simplicity that stems from both the limitations of 8-bit video gaming in 1988 and really smart game design. You build your team (more on that below), skate around, fight, hit wicked slapshots, occasionally get called for icing without knowing why, and defend your goal with only vertical movement. You could pick up Ice Hockey today and enjoy playing it in minutes with zero learning curve.
Ice Hockey lets you build your four-man team (you have a fifth with your goalie, but you don’t get to pick him). Each of your players is one of three body types: Skinny (fast, but easily checked and with no shooting power); average; or large (slow but powerful). You then take your squad (I was always partial to two skinny, one average, one fat, though YMMV), choose a country like Czechoslovakia or the U.S.S.R., and compete. Then, between periods, Zambonis treat the ice — offering an unofficial mini game challenge to try to pause the game just as all three Zambonis are lined up in a row.
I’ve played other hockey games since, but none has ever entertained me the way Ice Hockey did. It remains a true, if sometimes underrated, classic of the NES.
Also on March 1st: Swatch watches hit the market (1983)… Baltimora’s one hit, Tarzan Boy, peaked at number 13 (1986)… Pro Wrestling for NES was released (1987)… Clarissa Explains It All premiered on Nickelodeon (1991)… The Doors movie hit theaters (1991)… the Cranberries’ album Everybody Else Is Doing It was released (1993)… Yahoo was incorporated (1995)… the 888 toll free area code debuted (1996)… Notorious BIG’s single Hypnotize was released (1997)… The Cardigans’ one hit, Lovefool, peaked at number two (1997)… Titanic became the first movie to gross $1 billion worldwide (1998)
March 2nd
38 years ago, on March 2nd, 1983 - The first CD players and CDs were released in the U.S.
The arrival of CDs in the U.S. was not a day-one game changer. In 1983, the average person was still more than fine with cassettes as the mass-market music option. And CDs, with a nearly $1,000 price tag for the player (close to $2,500 in today’s dollars) and $16 to $20 for each album, debuted in fewer than 100 stores nationwide, aimed at a sliver of a sliver of the population.
However, CDs were inevitable. The cassette medium had serious flaws and CDs were indisputably a better medium. It took a while — a full decade, even — before prices came down and adoption went up. But CDs were able, finally, to supplant cassettes and stand alone at the top of the musical mountain.
It wouldn’t last. No format ever does. Throughout music history, every major format tends to have about 20 to 30 years of owning the market before it gives way to the next big thing. Various phonograph innovations followed that cycle from the late 1800s through the 1970s. Tapes had their run before CDs fully took over. And they had their run until digital music reigned supreme. It’s arguable that downloadable mp3s had the shortest run, now supplanted by streaming audio; perhaps the cycle is now speeding up even more, and, in the process, CDs are further and further in the rear view window.
Also on March 2nd: This Is Spinal Tap hit theaters (1984)… Sheena Easton became the first and only artist to have a single hit the top 10 on all five major Billboard singles charts with her song Sugar Walls (1985)… the Apple Macintosh II was released (1987)… Pepsi’s controversial ad featuring Madonna premiered (1989)… the New York Mets’ Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry almost got into a fistfight in front of reporters at spring training (1989)… The Hunt for Red October hit theaters (1990)… Color Me Badd’s single I Wanna Sex You Up was released (1991)… Seven Mary Three’s one hit, Cumbersome, peaked at number 39 (1996)
March 3rd
32 years ago, on March 3rd, 1989 - Lean on Me hit theaters.
I really like the movie Lean on Me, even if it scared the hell out of childhood me, making me legitimately petrified that high schools were all just pure anarchy. (The opening montage of the film, set to Guns N’ Roses’ Welcome to the Jungle, is one I still haven’t forgotten.)
The best part of the film may be its mold-breaking portrayal of Principal Joe Clark (played by Morgan Freeman, exploding with energy) as a flawed protagonist. It would’ve been quite easy to lionize him, both considering his accomplishments and considering the storytelling of the era (this movie was made before antiheroes really became a thing) — but the movie resists the temptation. He’s no doubt the hero of the film, but he’s a flawed hero, a hero using jarring, and sometimes illegal, draconian measures in a pure distillation of the ends justify the means. The film doesn’t shy away from that, which takes it from a cookie cutter “change the system” hero’s journey to something unique for the late ‘80s.
Also on March 3rd: Nena’s one hit, 99 Luftballoons, peaked at number two (1984)… Moonlighting premiered on ABC (1985)… Metallica’s album Master of Puppets was released (1986)… Rodney King was attacked by the LAPD (1991)… La Bouche’s single Be My Lover was released (1995)… Savage Garden’s single Truly Madly Deeply was released (1997)… Daria premiered on MTV (1997)… Faith Hill’s single This Kiss was released (1998)
March 4th
27 years ago, on March 4th, 1994 - NBA Jam was released for Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo.
Sports video games essentially take one of two directions: An attempt to be as realistic as possible, bounded only by the technological limitations of the day, to appeal to true fans of the sport and hardcore gamers — or an attempt to capture the essence of a sport in a more cartoonish way to appeal to a broader audience but not the bellwether fans.
There are few sports games that were ever more in the latter category than NBA Jam — and also few sports games as successful in their time and enduringly influential. In fact, NBA Jam proved the viability of the entire cartoonish sports game category.
NBA Jam was really the second-to-last runaway arcade hit, well, ever. (Dance Dance Revolution would be the final one, unless something really strange happens.) The game took the top NBA players from every team (plus a sprinkling of charming randos like Mike Iuzzolino, Blue Edwards, and Brad Lohaus) and put them in raucous two-on-two games featuring flipping dunks, flying elbows, flaming basketballs, and, if you put in the right cheat code, oversized heads. Players couldn’t get enough. There was close to nothing realistic about the game, but it was so damn fun, people preferred it to any previous attempts to translate basketball to video games. It put games like Double Dribble and Tecmo NBA Basketball to shame, even if both were good games, especially in their time — they weren’t as good as NBA Jam.
The game’s reputation preceded it as it made the transition to the top home consoles of the time on this day in 1994, selling huge numbers and receiving strong reviews.
NBA Jam has also spent the past quarter of a decade influencing sports games across all genres, from NFL Blitz to Mario Kart. It also created three catchphrases still recited today in: “Boomshakalaka”… “He’s heating up”… and, of course, “He’s on fire.”
Also on March 4th: Police Squad! premiered on ABC and didn’t work as a TV show but became the Naked Gun films (1982)… the series finale aired of Silver Spoons (1987)… Chip N Dale’s Rescue Rangers premiered (1989)… the first ESPY Awards were held (1993)… John Candy passed away (1994)… Michael Jordan grounded out in his first at-bat in spring training (1994)… Dish Network went live (1996)… Just Shoot Me premiered (1997)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.
Disney+ added a disclaimer to some episodes of The Muppet Show for “negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.”
Adam Sandler and Christopher McDonald both told Dan Patrick they’d be down to make Happy Gilmore 2. I mean, Adam Sandler has a deal to make a million movies a year for Netflix, might as well. As long as it doesn’t interfere with production of Hubie Halloween 2.
A reality competition series based on Frogger is happening at Peacock. They’d better get Jason Alexander on board as a host or, better yet, contestant.
Matthew McConaughey thought he was going to get the role of Jack in Titanic. He even did a screen test with Kate Winslet.
CBS’s new Paramount+ just announced a ton of reboots, spinoffs, and revivals (seems those are a big part of their strategy): Frasier, Flashdance, Fatal Attraction, Beavis & Butt-Head, Yo! MTV Raps, Real World New York reunion, Road Rules, Rugrats, and more.
The trailer is out for the new Mighty Ducks movie, which comes out on Disney+ on March 26th.
Dodge almost made an off-road minivan in the ‘90s.
A Milli Vanilli movie by Brett Ratner has been dropped because no one’s working with Brett Ratner again after the sexual misconduct and harassment claims against him. I once had jury duty with him many years ago and sat across from him all day in the waiting room. He brought his assistant along. Obviously not comparable to his other transgressions, but still a total heel move.
An old behind-the-scenes video of Michelle Pfeiffer whipping the heads off four mannequins in one take on the set of Batman Returns and then getting a cheer from the crew is going viral.
Throwbacks and recommendations
Sentences that make sense: Post Malone did a cover of Hootie and the Blowfish’s Only Wanna Be with You in honor of Pokemon.
The alternate ending to Titanic has resurfaced online, where the crew from the modern day boat catch Rose about to throw the necklace overboard and there are tons of speeches back and forth before she actually throws it.
Here’s a hard-hitting New York Times piece on who’s still buying VHS tapes.
Check out a seven-minute doc on whatever happened to the Columbia House music club.
Thanks for reading!
-Sam