The Retro
by 11 Points
Modern perspectives on ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia
January 28th, 2022 • Issue 84
This week in nostalgic history
January 28th
36 years ago, on January 28th, 1986 -The Challenger space shuttle exploded.
Every generation (or subset of a generation) has a “first big news story” they remember. For my subset of late Gen X, it’s the Challenger.
Although I don’t remember where I was when the Challenger disaster happened, I definitely remember the day; hearing about a space shuttle exploding into space.
Of course, as kids, we didn’t grasp the timeline of the space race — how this tragedy came less than two decades after the greatest triumph. While the Challenger explosion didn’t instantly bring the end to the era of manned space exploration, it was, in many ways, the beginning of the end.
Also on January 28th: The NBA held its first-ever Slam Dunk Contest (1984)… We Are the World was recorded (1985)… the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl (1990)… the Beastie Boys single Sabotage was released (1994)… a judge declared a mistrial in the Menendez case (1994)… Memphis received a Canadian Football League team (1995)… Corona’s one hit, Rhythm of the Night, peaked at number 11 (1995)… TLC’s single Creep hit number one (1995)… the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl (1996)… 112’s single Anywhere was released (1999)… Yahoo purchased GeoCities (1999).. the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants in the Super Bowl (2001)
January 29th
34 years ago, on January 29th, 1988 - Tetris first appeared in the U.S. as a PC game.
Tetris was invented by a software engineer in the Soviet Union in 1984 but didn’t make its way west until 1987 (in Europe) and then this day in 1988 (in the U.S.)
The game was an instant hit every time it cracked a new market and the U.S. was no exception; Spectrum Holobyte, the U.S. rights holders, sold 100,000 copies in a year.
And they did so with an unexpected and somewhat risky strategy: Not hiding the game’s Soviet roots. Rather than lean into the common Cold War marketing instinct, Spectrum Holobyte (accurately) felt the pragmatic, geometric, drab-colored USSR ethos best contextualized the game.
Even when Nintendo got its hands on the rights a few years later and sparked the ultimate Tetris phenomenon, they also never shied away from its Soviet side. The iconic Tetris music was Russian, Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The background scenes featured Russian landmarks. While Nintendo hyper colorized the game — it was Nintendo in the late ‘80s after all — it still remained very boxy, very square, very Soviet.
Eventually, Tetris became such a phenomenon that it would sell regardless of its Soviet roots. (Plus, with the fall of the Soviet Union, those roots wouldn’t mean quite as much to future generations.)
Tetris remains one of the best selling video games of all time with more than 200 million copies sold. And even though there have been countless iterations and innovations on the formula (I’m personally a huge fan of The New Tetris for Nintendo 64), the game still sells today with its most basic gameplay: eight shapes, drop ‘em down, form lines.
Also on January 29th: Physicians Weekly announced that Mona Lisa’s smile was evidence of facial paralysis (1987)… MLB dropped its “game winning RBI” stat after nine years (1989)… MLB decided to retire its game-winning RBI stat after nine years (1989)… Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell went into effect (1993)… Queen Latifah’s only top 40 hit, UNITY, peaked at number 23 (1994)… the San Francisco 49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowls, defeating the San Diego Chargers (1995)… Garth Brooks refused an American Music Award, saying Hootie and the Blowfish deserved it more (1996)… She’s All That hit theaters (1999)… Eiffel 65’s one hit, Blue (Da Ba Dee) peaked at number six (2000)… Savage Garden’s single I Knew I Loved You hit number one (2000)… President W. Bush first used the phrase “Axis of Evil” (2002)
January 30th
23 years ago, on January 30th, 1999 - Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time hit number one.
Since there’s little that can be said at this point about the Britney Spears story or one of the most successful pop singles of all time, I will instead offer up four trivia facts you can deploy at will to mildly impress people.
The song was originally offered to Backstreet Boys, TLC, and the British boy band Five, all of whom passed.
The original title was Hit Me Baby One More Time, but the record label turned “hit me” into an ellipses to try to distance the song’s title from evoking violence.
The famous music video was shot at Venice High School, the same school where Grease was filmed.
Britney’s love interest in the video is played by her cousin Chad.
Also on January 30th: Hall & Oates’ I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) hit number one (1982)… the Washington Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl (1983)… INXS’ single Need You Tonight hit number one (1988)… the Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl (1994)… Kevin Eubanks became band leader of The Tonight Show (1995)… Magic Johnson came out of retirement to once again play for the Los Angeles Lakers (1996)… the New Radicals had their only top 40 hit, as You Get What You Give peaked at number 36 (1999)… the St. Louis Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans to win the Super Bowl (2000)
January 31st
29 years ago, on January 31st, 1993 - Michael Jackson performed the first solo halftime show.
It’s strange to think of now, considering how big of a deal the Super Bowl halftime show is today, but until the early ‘90s there was a fraction of the pageantry. For the first few decades of Super Bowls, the halftime show featured college marching bands or small-time acts (e.g., The Simpsons once parodied Up with People’s performances from a few ‘80s Super Bowls).
So what sparked the change to mega concert spectaculars? Although the NFL is reluctant to admit it, the credit (or blame, depending on your perspective) goes to In Living Color.
In 1992, In Living Color aired a live special during halftime of the Super Bowl. Approximately 22 million people switched channels to FOX to watch it.
The next year, the Super Bowl halftime show enlisted Michael Jackson, the biggest artist possible at the time, to prevent something like the In Living Color incident from happening — essentially a warning to other shows who would dare to try to pull the same stunt to compete.
Since then, a few others have tried to counterprogram the halftime show (MTV with Beavis and Butt-head in the mid ‘90s, WWF in 1999 and 2000, Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl) — but can’t compete. Nearly 30 years later, the halftime show remains as big an event as the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl commercials.
Also on January 31st: Blondie’s single The Tide Is High hit number one (1981)… Down and Out in Beverly Hills hit theaters (1986)… The Wonder Years premiered on ABC (1988)… the Washington Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl (1988)… LaToya Jackson appeared in Playboy (1989)… McDonald’s opened its first location in the Soviet Union (1990)… The National daily sports newspaper began publishing (1990)… the Spin Doctors’ single Two Princes was released (1993)… the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl (1993)… Waiting for Guffman hit (a few) theaters and the special edition re-release of Star Wars hit (a lot of) theaters (1997)… Janet Jackson’s single Together Again hit number one (1998)… Family Guy premiered (1999)… the Denver Broncos defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl (1999)… Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens was in a group fight where, let’s just say, someone stabbed someone (2000)
February 1st
28 years ago, on February 1st, 1994 - Green Day’s album Dookie was released.
Green Day didn’t necessarily create the genre of pop punk but, at a minimum, they modernized it and took it mainstream.
Dookie was Green Day’s third album but first major label release and they were all good with smoothing out some of the rough edges of their punk music to produce an album with plenty of broad musical appeal. Dookie was the result — and was a far better result than the record label expected.
Green Day wound up scoring five hit songs from the album and, beyond that, ushering in a wave of pop punk that’s remained surprisingly relevant through today. Green Day’s success was followed by everyone from The Offspring and Good Charlotte to Sum 41 and New Found Glory; the Warped Tour, featuring the genre, became the longest running festival tour in U.S. history, running annually from 1995 until the pandemic ended it in 2020.
Green Day, however, was almost too big for the Warped Tour, appearing just once (in 2000).
Also on February 1st: Blondie’s single Call Me was released (1980)… Late Night with David Letterman premiered on NBC (1982)… Inspector Gadget aired its series finale (1986)… Contra was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (1988)… Tecmo Bowl was released for NES (1989)… John Grisham’s book The Firm was released and became the bestselling novel of the year (1991)… the Cold War came to an end (1992)… the Super Nintendo Super Scope was released (1992)… Jeff Gillooly pleaded guilty for his role in the Nancy Kerrigan attack (1994)… Better Than Ezra’s single Good was released (1995)… Classic Sports Network, now called ESPN Classic, went live (1995)… Bone Thugs ‘n Harmony’s single Tha Crossroads was released (1996)… Visa and Mastercard announced new security features to allow for safe online shopping (1996)… Gina G’s one hit, Ooh Ahh (Just a Little Bit) peaked at number 12 (1997)… the Lycos search engine launched an mp3 search feature (1999)
February 2nd
37 years ago, on February 2nd, 1985 - Foreigner’s I Want to Know What Love Is hit number one.
There are certain bands that often elicit the same knee jerk reaction from now-adults whose formative childhood years were in the ‘90s. It goes like this:
Person 1: mentions band
Person 2: I don’t think I could name a single one of their songs.
Person 1: How about [rattles off 5+ well known song titles]?
Person 2: Oh yeah, I guess I do actually know them really well. I had no idea.
Foreigner is one of those bands. And atop their list of “oh yeah” songs is I Want to Know What Love Is, their only number one hit in the U.S. (that’s right: sadly neither of their temperature hits in Hot Blooded or Cold As Ice were number one hits).
Also, side note, the name Foreigner was surprisingly prescient. The band was a much bigger success in the U.S. than in their native England.
I Want to Know What Love Is came during the “too much success has now led to a powder keg of infighting” stage of Foreigner’s behind the music arc. The song was written by keyboard player Mick Jones and reluctantly recorded by his newly-minted arch rival, lead singer Lou Gramm. The song was an instant hit which should’ve mended fences but instead just furthered the rift; Gramm eventually wound up leaving Foreigner over the direction of the music.
While he would come back at least once, the version of Foreigner that still tours today is headed up by Jones as the only remaining original member.
Also on February 2nd: The FBI released the details of its ABSCAM corruption sting (1980)… O.J. Simpson married Nicole Brown (1985)… Elton John and George Michael’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me hit number one (1992)… Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan played against each other in the NBA for the first time since their respective returns from retirement (1996)… Black Sheep hit theaters (1996)… President Clinton introduced the country’s first balanced budget in 30 years (1998)… Blackstreet’s single Take Me There was released (1999)… Hugo Chavez took office in Venezuela, and immediately began planning how to alter Georgia voting machines 21 years later from beyond the grave (1999)… the Oxygen Network debuted (2000)
February 3rd
21 years ago, on February 3rd, 2001 - The XFL debuted.
It was, perhaps, inevitable that Vince McMahon would try to start a football league. He’s always wanted the WWF/E to be more than just wrestling but to permeate all of entertainment. Meanwhile, football has long been the most popular sport in the U.S. and the NFL rarely has competitors. Those two scenarios came to a head in 2001 when McMahon, making more money than ever with pro wrestling’s late ‘90s boom and WWF’s parent company going public, decided to launch the XFL.
The reasons why the XFL lasted a mere single season have been litigated and re-litigated in the court of pop culture over these past two decades but in short, the football wasn’t good enough and the “extreme” smash mouth rules were too friendly to the defense which meant low-scoring games.
However, the sentiment behind the XFL wasn’t wrong: Americans did want another football option. Unfortunately for the XFL, that other option was already in existence — in the form of college football. By the beginning of the 21st century, college football was already starting to look more like the pros than amateurs (and the exponentially growing TV contracts and coverage would confirm that). Sure, the NCAA season ran concurrent with the NFL, but that was fine — it just made the fall and winter all about football, then made the heart grow fonder with absence during the time off in the other seasons.
In spite of the XFL’s infamy, it did establish a surprisingly sticky brand name. So a few years ago, when the idea of alternative football leagues once again resurfaced like the cicadas that they are, McMahon resurrected the XFL against all odds — and this time, brought in top pro football minds to try to craft a set of rules and build a league that wouldn’t look so amateurish or be so boring.
It might’ve worked… had the pandemic not cut off the inaugural season, leading to an acrimonious end between all parties involved.
But never fear: the XFL brand name will outlive us all. Dwayne Johnson bought the rights and the third iteration of the XFL is launching at this time next year.
Also on February 3rd: Y.M.C.A. by the Village People peaked at number two (1979)… Pixar spun off from Lucasfilm to become an independent company (1986)… Darryl Strawberry entered rehab (1990)… Reds owner Marge Schott was suspended by Major League Baseball for racist comments (1993)… Homeward Bound hit theaters (1993)… the trial of the LAPD officers who beat Rodney King began (1993)… Boys on the Side and the Jerky Boys movie hit theaters (1995)… Joan Osbourne’s only hit, One of Us, peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 (1996)… Az Yet’s cover of Hard to Say I’m Sorry was released (1997)… Usher’s single Nice and Slow was released (1998)… Shaggy’s single It Wasn’t Me hit number one (2001)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.
Fight Club was just released on China but with a big twist: In the end, the police foil Tyler Durden’s anarchist building explosion plan. From Vice: “In China... imported films are often altered to show that the law enforcement, on the side of justice, always trumps the villain.”
Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of Late Night on NBC and Seth Meyers will welcome back David Letterman as a guest.
Josh Gad posted a teaser for the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel with Rick Moranis.
Simpsons composer Alf Clausen has dropped his wrongful termination lawsuit against FOX.
41% of people who watched Seinfeld on streaming services last year were 34 or younger, meaning they were either toddlers or not even born when the series first aired.
Josh Duhamel is replacing Emilio Estevez in Disney+’s Mighty Ducks reboot series.
Nothing Compares, a documentary about Sinead O’Connor, premiered at the (virtual) Sundance Film Festival last Friday. The doc does not feature the song Nothing Compares 2 U, however, as Prince’s estate owns the rights and denied its use.
eBay will now authenticate any trading cards worth $750 and up.
Meat Loaf passed away this week at age 74. And Louie Anderson passed away at 68.
Throwbacks and recommendations
Garth’s Mirthmobile from Wayne’s World is up for auction.
Rats running through mazes has evolved: A Hungarian neuroscientist has trained rats to play Doom.
A Grateful Dead x Care Bears mashup cooler just went on sale.
Thanks for reading!
-Sam