The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you loved, forgot, or never knew existed
May 20th, 2022 • Issue 100
This week in the ‘80s & ‘90s
May 20th
31 years ago, on May 20th, 1991 - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s single Summertime was released.
Will Smith’s music is appreciated, for the most part, ironically. From Parents Just Don’t Understand to Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It to Wild, Wild West, we fondly and nostalgically remember the Will Smith rap era for its camp.
Summertime might be the exception. Sure, it still has one or two corny lyrics — those are the Will Smith table stakes — but it’s a song that garners real, non-ironic appreciation, both back when it was released and on through today.
I’m not sure there’s a runner up for in the entire Will Smith discography.
Also on May 20th: The Police’s single Every Breath You Take was released (1983)… Beverly Hills Cop II hit theaters (1987)… Willow hit theaters (1988)… the series finale aired of Small Wonder (1989)… Paula Abdul’s single Forever Your Girl hit number one (1989)… Gilda Radner passed away (1989)… Toonces the Driving Cat debuted on SNL (1989)… Bonnie Raitt’s single Something to Talk About was released (1991)… the series finale aired of Cheers (1993)… Maverick hit theaters (1994)… the series finale of the original Star Search aired (1995)… the series finale aired of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1996)… the series finale aired of Roseanne (1997)… Meredith Brooks’ single Bitch was released (1997)… the Portland Trailblazers debuted the Hack-a-Shaq technique (2000)… Macy Gray’s only hit, I Try, peaked at number five (2000)
May 21st
23 years ago, on May 21st, 1999 - Susan Lucci finally won a Daytime Emmy after 18 years of losses.
I’m sure Susan Lucci is a huge name in the soap opera world. An iconic soap opera actress who sold more than her share of Soap Opera Digests at grocery checkouts across the land.
But you can trace her notoriety outside of the soap opera bubble exclusively to her Daytime Emmy losing streak. As the streak just kept growing during the ‘80s and ‘90s, her frustration and repeated losses became a zeitgeist-cracking conversation topic. Susan Lucci became the poster child of close but no cigar — breaking her outside of the soap opera bubble.
But on this day in 1999, on her 19th nomination for best actress, she actually won.
She would receive two more nominations after this — and she lost both times. When ABC canceled All My Children in 2011, Susan Lucci retired; her final career record at the Daytime Emmys was 1-for-21.
Which is really the best of all outcomes for her: She gained mainstream fame with the 20 but still got her long-deserved prize with the one.
Also on May 21st: The Empire Strikes Back hit theaters (1980)… Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior hit theaters (1982)… Annie hit theaters (1982)… David Bowie’s single Let’s Dance hit number one (1983)… Marvin Gaye’s final album, Dream of a Lifetime, was released (1985)… EU’s one hit, Da Butt, peaked at number 35 (1988)… the series finale aired of Miami Vice (1989)… the series finale aired of Newhart (1990)… The Real World premiered on MTV (1992)… the series finale aired of MacGyver (1992)… All-4-One’s single I Swear hit number one (1994)… the season finale of the Simpsons ended on a cliffhanger of who shot Mr. Burns (1995)… Metallica’s single Until It Sleeps was released (1996)… Toni Braxton’s single You’re Makin’ Me High was released (1996)… the series finale aired of Wings (1997)… Microsoft and Sega announced they were working together on a video game system, which would turn out to be the Dreamcast (1998)… Notting Hill hit theaters (1999)
May 22nd
24 years ago, on May 22nd, 1998 - The series finale aired of Singled Out.
Singled Out was a lighthearted dating show from the mid ‘90s micro-era of MTV. Less mean-spirited than most MTV dating shows, it featured a contestant whittling down from a large pool of potential dates to one based on their answers to benign, superficial questions.
The show was certainly popular in its time, but the popularity quickly faded.
Why? The show was almost too fluffy — as we’ve learned from the Bachelor empire, the audience likes some relationship stakes (even fake ones) in its dating shows. Singled Out had none. No one watching believed any pair from the show would last. Odds are none of the couples ever went on a single date.
It was algorithmic dating before there was such a thing. And while it was fun for a while, without stakes, the show lacked the staying power of other dating TV tentpoles.
Also on May 22nd: “Puck Man” the video game was tested in Japan (1980)… Rambo: First Blood Part II and Brewster’s Millions hit theaters (1985)… the NBA had its famous Bird/Dominique duel (1988)… North Yemen and South Yemen merged into just Yemen (1990)… Windows 3.0 was released (1990)… Microsoft PowerPoint was released for Windows (1990)… Madonna’s album I’m Breathless was released (1990)… Encino Man hit theaters (1992)… Johnny Carson hosted his final episode of the Tonight Show (1992)… the series finale aired of Saved by the Bell (1993)… the Toronto NBA franchise announced it would be called the Raptors and revealed its logo (1994)… the series finales aired of The Critic and Blossom (1995)… the Laverne & Shirley 20th anniversary reunion special aired (1995)… the first Mission: Impossible film hit theaters (1996)… Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas hit theaters (1998)… Fatboy Slim’s only hit, Praise You, peaked at number 36 (1999)
May 23rd
31 years ago, on May 23rd, 1991 - The famous/infamous Chinese restaurant episode of Seinfeld premiered.
The Chinese restaurant episode of Seinfeld, the 11th episode of the show’s second season, was the purest distillation of Larry David’s vision of the show about nothing.
The entire episode takes place inside a Chinese restaurant (mostly its entrance area) as Jerry, George, and Elaine wait for a table. That’s it. And like most sitcom bottle episodes, comedy ensues as the characters grow increasingly bored and frustrated with their circumstance and with one another.
The episode was written by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld — and NBC hated it. The episode went into production only after Larry David threatened to quit if NBC stopped him from making it.
What no one realized at that moment: Seinfeld would (finally) start catching on with a large audience around episode eight of the second season. That added even higher stakes to this risky episode: The audience was growing, but fragile. If this episode alienated new, word-of-mouth viewers, it could’ve been a series killer.
Of course, that didn’t happen. Some people liked it (critics loved the chutzpah of an episode like this) and some didn’t. But either way, people kept watching Seinfeld. And when it returned in season three, the audience grew even larger.
Also on May 23rd: The Shining hit theaters (1980)… Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom hit theaters (1984)… the series finale aired of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1994)… Pulp Fiction was named the best film at the Cannes Film Festival (1994)… the series finale aired of Full House (1995)… Luniz single I Got 5 on It was released (1995)… The Lost World: Jurassic Park hit theaters (1997)… Mariah Carey’s single My All, which I have zero memory of, hit number one (1998)… WWF wrestler Owen Hart was killed during a pay-per-view event due to a stunt gone wrong (1999)… the series finale aired of Sister, Sister (1999)… Eminem’s third album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was released (2000)… Netflix went public (2002)
May 24th
25 years ago, on May 24th, 1997 - Hanson’s single MMMBop hit number one.
Hanson didn’t originally intend for MMMBop to be a bubblegum pop megahit.
A year before releasing the single, Hanson recorded another version of the song. Yes, Hanson wrote the words and music to MMMBop, it was not cooked up in a lab by a record label. Well… not initially.
Their 1996 indie version was a stripped down, more vocal-focused performance on their independent album. The song is still unmistakably MMMBop — the melody is there, the lyrics are there, the harmonies are there, it’s all there. It’s just not a polished pop hit.
But then, once Hanson caught the music industry’s eye, the hitmakers came in and worked with them to tweak their music for maximum commercial appeal. The version of MMMBop we all know was the result. It hit number one in the U.S. on this day in 1997 and would hit that mark in a dozen other countries as well.
Although it feels like Hanson were one-hit wonders with MMMBop, that’s not the case. They’d have two more top 20 hits in the next few years (the forgotten songs I Will Come to You and This Time Around; their song Where’s the Love also would have charted but it was ineligible as the MMMBop B-side) — though nothing would ever touch the popularity of MMMBop.
Also on May 24th: Rock Lobster by the B-52s peaked at number 56 on the Billboard chart (1980)… Vince McMahon Sr. died of cancer (1984)… A View to a Kill hit theaters (1985)… John Moschitta set the world record for fast talking at 586 words per minute (1988)… Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade hit theaters (1989)… Thelma and Louise hit theaters (1991)… Aaliyah’s debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number, was released (1994)… Braveheart hit theaters (1995)… Leslie Nielsen’s movie Spy Hard hit theaters (1996)… Tim Allen was arrested for drunk driving (1997)… the series finales aired of Mad About You and Melrose Place (1999)… Mission: Impossible II hit theaters (2000)
May 25th
32 years ago, on May 25th, 1990 - Back to the Future Part III hit theaters (1990)…
Back to the Future Part III, an unexpected western, begs the question: Has the the third movie in a trilogy ever been a bigger departure in genre from the prior two movies?
Sure, there have been good third movies in trilogies and bad third movies in trilogies, but this is a new categorization: Third movies that switched entire genres.
I couldn’t think of a single one (the internet says Evil Dead, but I’ve never seen the trilogy to weigh in).
My only candidate isn’t a trilogy: The Fast & Furious franchise pivoting from street racing movies to international spy/heist thrillers in its fifth movie.
Also on May 25th: Star Wars hit theaters (1977)… Alien hit theaters (1979)… a guy called Spider Dan scaled the Sears Tower (1981)… Return of the Jedi hit theaters (1983)… Wham! single Everything She Wants hit number one (1985)… Hands Across America took place (1986)… Crocodile Dundee II and Rambo III hit theaters (1988)… the series finale aired of You Can’t Do That on Television (1990)… Mariah Carey’s single I Don’t Wanna Cry hit number one (1991)… LaTour’s one hit, People Are Still Having Sex, peaked at number 35 (1991)… Jay Leno debuted as new host of the Tonight Show (1992)… John Starks of the New York Knicks posterized Michael Jordan (1993)… Beverly Hills Cop III hit theaters (1994)… Brad Nowell of Sublime died from an overdose (1996)… the series finale aired of Home Improvement (1999)… the first blind climber reached the summit of Mount Everest (2001)… Pearl Harbor hit theaters (2001)
May 26th
28 years ago, on May 26th, 1994 - Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley got married.
The strangest “in retrospect” aspect of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley’s marriage is it seems less and less like a pure publicity stunt the more time that passes.
No, it wasn’t a “normal” marriage — Michael Jackson was in the echelon of fame where he couldn’t have a normal marriage — but it wasn’t borne entirely from ulterior motives either.
At the time of the marriage, which happened in the Dominican Republic on this day in 1994 but did not become public information until August, there was a lot of speculation about the real reason behind it. Was it Jackson trying to keep himself relevant in advance of his upcoming album? Was this because of his obsession over Elvis? Was he trying to deflect from the molestation talk that swirled around him nonstop? And on Lisa Marie’s side, was this her way of better launching her new music career? Or carving out her own slice of fame outside of just being Elvis’s daughter?
I’m sure some of those elements played some role; career impact calculations are part of any celebrity marriage. But beyond that, the pair seems like they had a genuine affection for each other from decades of friendship — again, not the emotional connection you’d find in a non-mega-celebrity marriage, but enough for the circumstances. They also likely found solace in how each other understood everything involved with music superstardom; there were few other candidates for either.
Even if the marriage was built on something real, though, it wasn’t built to last. Lisa Marie says she gave Jackson an ultimatum over his drug use. Other reports said he wanted kids (she already had kids) and she was reluctant to have more with him.
They got divorced less than a year-and-a-half later. But for a moment in there, in some hard-to-understand way, this marriage was likely more real than the public ever knew.
Also on May 26th: The first casino in Atlantic City opened (1978)… Deniece Williams’s single Let’s Hear It for the Boy hit number one (1984)… Larry Bird had a famous steal in the NBA playoffs (1987)… the series finale aired of the Tracey Ullman Show (1990)… Mariah Carey’s single I’ll Be There was released (1992)… Menace II Society hit theaters (1993)… a home run bounced off Jose Canseco’s head and his career was never the same (1993)… Bob Barker admitted to groping Price Is Right model Diane Parkinson (1994)… Casper hit theaters (1995)… Ghost Town DJs’ single My Boo was released (1996)… the Supreme Court ruled Ellis Island is mostly in New Jersey (1998)… Robert Horry hit a game-winning buzzer beater for the Lakers (2002)… Eminem’s album The Eminem Show was released (2002)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news
There’s an animated Married… with Children revival show in the works featuring the original cast doing the voiceover work; networks and streaming services are currently bidding on it.
The Circle K from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, which is located in the Phoenix area, held two screenings of the movie this week — ahead of the store shutting down permanently yesterday.
Porno for Pyros will play its first live show in 26 years this weekend at a music festival in Florida.
Kenny Loggins says he wasn’t the first choice to perform Danger Zone on the Top Gun soundtrack — it was allegedly offered to everyone from Corey Hart to REO Speedwagon, who all turned it down.
Also, here’s a look at how Kenny Loggins became the king of ‘80s soundtracks.
NBC will air the Quantum Leap reboot on Monday nights this fall. Their Night Court reboot will start midseason.
CBS has ordered the True Lies reboot TV show to series for midseason.
One of the kids from Jaws has been named the new police chief of the town in Martha’s Vineyard where the movie was filmed.
Vangelis, the composer of Chariots of Fire and the Blade Runner score, passed away this week at age 79.
Throwbacks and recommendations
You can now buy a replica of Elliott’s bike from E.T.
Here’s an article asking and answering: “Why does Jurassic Park still rule almost 30 years later?”
The Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers meta reboot movie premieres today on Disney+.
Thanks for reading!
-Sam