Saturday 9: Waiting for a Star to Fall (1988)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) "Waiting for a Star to Fall" was literally inspired by a falling star. The singing/songwriting duo of Boy Meets Girl was at a big, outdoor concert and could have sworn they saw a falling star in the night sky. Have you ever seen a falling star? No.
2) They offered this song to Whitney Houston, who declined to record it. Whitney did have hits with two other songs they wrote: "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and "How Will I Know?" What's your favorite Whitney song? Remember how overwhelming it can be when love meets lust? This song captured that for me. (Plus, I really liked her little jacket.)
3) Boy Meets Girl were George and Shannon, a husband-and-wife team originally from Seattle, WA. In 2016, Seattle was named America's most "bike-friendly city." Do you own a bike? Not anymore.
4) George and Shannon met for the first time at a wedding. She was a guest, he was in the band. Think of the last wedding present you bought. Was it from the bride and groom's registry? I can't recall exactly what it was -- it was so long ago that the bride and groom now have two children -- but it was from the registry.
5) In 1988, when this song was popular, 98% of American homes had a TV set. Today, that figure has dipped to 96%, presumably because Millennials are watching more content online. What's the last video you watched online? "So Emotional," Whitney.
6) In 1988 saw the introduction of one of the most memorable slogans of all time: "Just Do It." Without looking it up, do you know what brand "Just Do It" promotes? Nike.
7) In 1988, Sonny Bono went from entertainer to Republican politician when he was elected Mayor of Palm Springs. Have you ever met the mayor of your town? Yes, but he wasn't yet mayor. Just a candidate. I told him I wasn't crazy about how the incumbent had privatized animal control, virtually handing it over to a local animal shelter. The shelter is good, but since it's a volunteer organization I worry that the quality of care depended on the volunteers and I wished there was more oversight. He responded -- rather refreshingly, I thought -- that he really didn't know much about this but would look into it.
8) Michael Douglas took home the Oscar in 1988 for his portrayal of Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street. The American Film Institute named Gekko one of the "top movie villains of all time." Do you think bad guys are as interesting as good guys? I think the best movies have the most balanced conflict, with an evenly matched hero and antagonist.
9) Random question: Have you ever seen a photo of yourself naked? (Baby pictures don't count.) I recently saw an xray of my spine. Does that count?
