Saturday 9

 Saturday 9: Promises, Promises (1983)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this week's song, Naked Eyes lead singer Pete Byrne admits he believed his girl's promises, right from the start, but now he knows he should have been more careful with his heart. Do you consider yourself more trusting or skeptical? I've become more skeptical with time.

 

2) He looks back on when he and his girl laughed like kids. When did you recently literally laugh out loud (opposed to keystroking LOL)? "60% of the time it works every time." I just watched reporter Brian Fantana (Anchorman) explain his choice of cologne.

 

3) He accuses her of not being able to finish what she starts. How about you? Do you finish what you start, or can you think of projects that you're unlikely to ever complete? I have a list of things to do around here, but it sometimes seems adding to the list is as far as I get.

 

4) Naked Eyes was a British New Wave band who had four Top 40 singles, including "Promises, Promises." They never toured 40 years ago because it was difficult to recreate their synthesizer-driven sound onstage. Is there a band or singer you would have liked to have seen perform live, but never did? Sinatra or Elvis.

 

5) While "Promises, Promises" is about an untrustworthy lover, Peter Byrne says he and bandmate/cowriter Rob Fisher worked well together because they knew they could trust one another professionally. By sharing honest assessments of creative ideas, they knew Naked Eyes would never put out "rubbish." If you want an honest opinion on something important, where do you turn? It depends on the subject. Different friends have different strengths.

6) Madonna was a Naked Eyes fan. Are you a Madonna fan? Not in the slightest.

7) In 1983, when this song was on the radio, the Lotus 1-2-3 program made it easier for PC users to build spreadsheets. Are you answering these questions on a PC or a Mac? Laptop or desktop? Android or iPhone? MacBook Air.

 

8) Also in 1983, America West Airlines took off for the first time, taking passengers from Las Vegas to Phoenix. Where did you go on your first flight? What about your most recent flight? First flight: O'Hare to Fort Lauderdale. Most recent: Los Angeles to O'Hare.

9) Random question -- Finish this statement: If I knew then what I know now, I would have worked harder for, and contributed more money to, Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. I just never believed anyone would look at that narcissistic reality show host and say, "YES! He deserves access to the nuclear codes." I was wrong. We cannot let this happen ever again.

Gentle souls preparing to peacefully tour the Capitol