This week in The Zone, we are discussing nostalgia and things of the past. And while I'm all for remembering the days of couple skates at the Champion Roller Rink, teen dances at Aulizio's and Perkins on a Friday night, I was thinking more about the music I associate with those days.
Yes folks, the oldies, but still the goodies.
Every generation has these songs. The songs you might not hear for years and as soon as that first beat drops, you know every word like you heard it yesterday. The songs you remember exactly where you were the first time you heard them. The songs that in 15 years from now, your kids will look at you like you're crazy when you are singing them full blast in your mini van.
The first one is for the ladies, because I don't know a girl around my age that doesn't know every single word to the song "Shoop" by Salt N' Pepa. This realization was made at my class reunion. Because when this song came on, literally every female started singing. Right now, just with the mere mention of the song, I hope every girl reading this is singing the line "Let me shoop to the next man in a three-piece suit."
Guy or girl, not one person, I mean not one, cannot yell the words "Mount up!" after someone yells out, "Regulators!" If I could take a count, I will bet nine out of 10 people who know this song are now in their heads busting out the lyrics, "It was a clear black night, a clear white moon."
This classic song by Warren G. and Nate Dogg takes me back to the school bus, eighth grade. We thought we were so cool.
Runners-up in the hip hop genre of classic songs, "The Humpty Dance," "Poison," by Bel Biv Devoe and let's not forget, "Ice Ice Baby."
Now, let's take a look at some of the ballads that have touched our hearts and memories through the years. Wow, I sound like a "Time Life Music" commercial.
I've always been partial to Shai's acapella hit, "If I Ever Fall In Love," and "I Swear" by All 4 One. But I'm sorry, the hands down winner in this is Boys II Men, "End of the Road." If you don't think about a couple skate when you hear this song, I doubt you grew up in the 1990s.
But let's be honest, the song that has somehow passed through three generations and gets my vote for the most known and sung song by everyone on the planet ... drum roll please ... "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.
Obviously, children of the 80s grew up on this song. We children of the 90s either appreciated the music of our prior decade or just watched the final episode of "The Sopranos," and now it has reached to the children of today. I was in one of my dance classes a few weeks ago and one of my 13-year olds knew every word. I was impressed.
I realize there were many songs missed, and I want people to e-mail me and let me know what they were. We can even write back and forth in song lyric. Now that would be a good time.
Oh, and P.S. Is the "Life Alert" lady the new "I've fallen and I can't get up" lady? I think so.
Sulonen is a sports writer at the Tribune Chronicle. E-mail her at dsulonen@tribtoday.com