Spring break -- 80s style

This week's Stuck in the 80s podcast tackles the great American tradition of "Spring Break." But before we unleash Sean Daly's epic story about his trip to Jamaica in the late '80s or my story about being mauled by a peanut-butter-loving Doberman in Fort Lauderdale, you -- the 80s nation -- will have to do your part.

We want to know: What are your favorite vacation-related songs from the 80s? You've got the obvious selection above -- "Vacation" by the Go-Go's. But what about "Holiday Road" by Lindsey Buckingham or "Holiday" by Madonna?

I know there are a ton more out there. So fire away with your suggestions!

Comments

[Douglas Arthur]

Of course every legit punker needs to include Holiday In Cambodia by Dead Kennedys.

[chad]

well van halens whole OU812 brings back visions of the beach, although none in louisiana worth going to exist. but in the summer of '88 i went to san diego for a friends graduation from navy basic training. i had, maybe a week earlier, seen the van halen monsters of rock tour in houston. for those you you that dont remember the line-up, it was van halen, scorpions, dokken, metalica, and kingdom come. so that trip conjours up images of a cajuns first trip to california. i remember listening to said record, dubbed onto cassette during the flight, and the flight attendent asking me to turn it down somewhat. years later, i would actually go to the mecca, cabo san lucas, mexico. for five days, i hardly slept, had a few too many coctails(namely cabo wabo tequila), and probably aged five years in those five days. good times indeed. other vacation themed songs could include: the outfield-your love, night ranger-(you can still) rock in america, def leppard-photograph, sammy hagar-i cant drive 55, van halen-dreams, cabo wabo, bryan adams-summer of 69, journey-dont stop believin, ratt-lay it down, reo speedwagon-live every moment, rick springfield-living in oz, tesla-love song, loverboy-working for the weekend, i guess thats enough

[jane]

Douglas! A man after my own heart -- I was totally going to suggest "Holiday in Cambodia." Love!

Great podcast topic, gentlemen. I'm on a Spring Break trip right now, but alas it is completely debauchery-free. Damn having to be a responsible adult-parent.

Going to college in FL, I kinda felt that Spring Break was something I got to experience all the time. However, my sorority sisters and I always blasted Loverboy's "Hot Girls in Love" before going on any similar outing. It seemed to sum things up beautifully.

[Douglas Arthur]

How about Adrian Belew's "Coconuts" from his very fine Mr. Music Head Cd? ( The one with Oh, Daddy) That is a really evocative summer song!

[Bassnote]

Spring Collection - The Vapors
Party All Night - Quiet Riot
Party Out Of Bounds - B-52's
Party Machine - Hoodoo Gurus
Goin' Crazy - David Lee Roth (also Just Like Paradise)
Sunglasses at Night - Corey Hart

[Tom]

I'd add to the list

Fight For Your Right- Beastie Boys
Summertime Girls- Y&T
Ice Cream Man- Van Halen
Standing On Top of The World- Van Hagar
Ride Easy- Asia

All good cruising tunes for vacation/spring break.

[cheezstake]

Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty.

My dad made a tape for me to listen to as I flew home from St Pete after the summer of '89 and it's been on my most played list ever since.

[Bassnote]

24 Hour Party People - Happy Mondays

[Marissa]

At age 19, my best friend and I drove from Kankakee, IL to San Diego, CA. He was moving there to go to photography school. His mom wouldn't let him drive alone. So, I volunteered (I flew back). His green Datsun B-210 was packed to the gills. Fortunately, it had a tape player.

The most memorable tunage blaring from that cassette deck was Cyndi Lauper's "She's So Unusual." Primarily, "She Bop," "Money Changes Everything," and "When You Were Mine."

Those aren't traditional vacation songs, but whenever I hear them, I am catapulted back to that summer -- crammed into a car without a/c and feeling totally, incandescently joyful.

[Darren...]

The Outfield's "Play Deep" CD...always think of Spring Break in Key West (at Will Crook's vacation home)...

[Spears]

Hey Darren -- I'll be telling the story of that particular Spring Break in the Keys during this week's podcast. Same break that involved the dog attacking me on the way down there.

[Marissa]

So, while I was racking my brain for songs about vacations and spring break, two movies came to mind: SHAG -- With Phoebe Cates, and "Where The Boys Are '84" with Lisa Hartman. Stellar flicks? Not so much.
"Shag" had some pretty decent songs if I'm not mistaken, but I don't know how many are actually 80s tunage.

[Douglas Arthur]

Shag was set in the 60's I believe. Was named after the dance, not the "dance of the 7 buttons". Was a decent movie, but not super memorable. I don't remember a beach scene though. It has been a while since I saw it.

[Spears]

I liked Shag, but aside from being made in the 80s, there's nothing really 80s about it. That being said, I'm sure we'll bring it up in this week's podcast. No way we'll do a "Top 10 lines from Shag" segment, but it will get a nod.

[Douglas Arthur]

Shag was on of the very few "coming of age" movies that were so popular in the early half of the 80's that actually focused on female character. Otherwise it was mostly horny dudes trying to get laid and see the girls topless. They just don't make movies like that anymore.

[jane]

it's too bad -- or maybe not -- that there's not an '80s remake of the quintesential spring break song: "where the boys are." although I suspect that connie francis is now in her 80s, but that probably doesn't count.

[Brett]

Road Trip to Athens -- Better than Ezra.

They went looking for the guys from REM and found them. Not their best song, but still a pretty good story.

[Hamptune]

If it is an 80's spring break song it can only be "Paradise" by .38 Special From "Nerds II" - terrible movie, but good song that you can only think of Spring Break when you hear it...

[Marissa]

Actually, Lisa Hartman (who starred in Where the boys are '84) did sing a remake of the song made famous by Connie Francis. At least according to the out of print soundtrack listing she did.

"Where The Boys Are" - Performed by Lisa Hartman
"Hot Nights" - Performed by Jude Cole
"Seven Day Heaven" - Performed by Shandi
"Mini-Skirted" - Performed by Sparks
"Be-Bop-A-Lula" - Performed by The Rockats
"Jennie" - Performed by Peter Beckett
"Woman's Wise" - Performed by The Rockats
"Girl's Night Out" - Performed by Toronto
"Slippin' & Sliddin'" - Performed by Phil Seymour
"All Fired Up" - Performed by Rick Derringer

[Marissa]

HA! Here's a clip from "Where the Boys are '84" that's filled with total 80s cheese.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du8OpfhSzFw

[Skigator93]

Van Halen - Panama.

I know it has nothing to do with the cheesy panhandle beach mecca, but when you're a high school kid in the 80s, cruising down to the Redneck Riviera, nothing puts you in the mood more than blasting the old Panama.....

Anything by the B-52s is also good "going to the beach" music.

[Eric62]

It took a little while to dredge this up, but there was a crazy (actually, terrible) movie in 1983 appropriately enough titled Spring Break. Kind of a male counter-weight to Marissa's "Where the Boys Are, 84.''
Anyway, I thought I recalled a lot of good music, and I was right:

That .38 Special song also featured in the Nerds film (boy, those cats get around)
Cheap Trick's Spring Break
Me and the Boys by NRBQ

[jane]

One more thought: I would totally be remiss if I didn't at least mention the songs of one J. Buffett as great soundtrack music to any spring break experience. While most of the songs I listened to ("Cheeseburger in Paradise", "Pencil Thin Moustache" "Why Don't We Get Drunk...") were originally recorded/released in the '70s, they were as much of my '80s beach experience as anything.

[denvermatt]

Another Holiday by the Other Ones.

What about movie "Spring Break"? Not a classic but a nice little booby movie when I was in my early teens. I still have it on VHS (I don't think a DVD exists)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IE4N5iTZ0g

[denvermatt]

Oops Didn't see Eric's post. I also have the Soundtrack on Vinyl

[tev]

Back on Holiday~~ Robbie Nevil
Summer Vacation~~The Party

[David P]

"Seven-Day Weekend" by Elvis Costello and Jimmy Cliff, from the dreadful movie "Club Paradise."

Probably ought to throw in "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys as well.

[chad]

i totally forgot about the movie spring break. i used to have it on vhs. one of those early 80s boobie flicks, but it was pretty funny. a few other tunes, 38 special-paradise, cheap trick-spring break, up the creek.

[Marissa]

I'm pretty sure "Spring Break" was a regular item on USA's UP! All Night with Rhonda Shear.

[The Lunchbox]

Not quite the 80's, but they get a break since they're from Tampa:
Holiday - The Outlaws (1977)