No One is to Blame...Howard Jones, 1986.
Angsty 80's songs, from the soundtrack of my life, is my theme for the A-Z challenge this year.
Ah, spring of my junior year in high school, and the smell of indecision was in the air. I had recovered nicely from a breakup and was caught between someone I daydreamed about, someone I was forever waiting for, and dating someone with potential friendship ending risks. While Howard Jones was busy trying to reassure me that no one was to blame in this cluster of a teenage mess, he was also mirroring how impossible things felt on the average afternoon...
We want everyone.
There was bound to be trouble even when we weren't looking for it...
You can feel the punishment, but you can't commit the sin.
And the line that really summed me up nicely...
The insecurity is the thing that won't get lost.
I remember singing this in my bedroom, over and over, until I had the lyrics mastered. Remember how tedious it was to rewind a cassette to listen to a song over again? Whoops, too far, or not far enough.
Aspirations in the clouds but your hopes go down the drain.
I don't remember most of 1986...probably because I was pregnant most of that year. I didn't listen to music, didn't go to the movies...for all of 1986, I was basically a no-show.
ReplyDeleteI remember this one. Always thought it was a little depressing.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago I had a garage sale and got rid of all my cassette tapes. I didn't think I would but someone bought the whole lot. Wasn't selling them for much, but hey, it's more than I thought I'd get.
The sucky thing about having to rewind and fast forward all the time, eventually that tape went bad. And sometimes you still couldn't figure out those lyrics. Kids today have it so lucky, all they have to do is google the lyrics, and they'll find them right there. :)
Darn cassettes!
ReplyDeleteI love this song too!
You're killin' me!
I feel my hair getting bigger.
:) HMG
Love it. Great pick!! :)
ReplyDeleteOne of my all-time favorite songs from my tortured by love college days. You also cracked me up about the cassette tape...been there, done that SO many times...
ReplyDeleteTina @ Life is Good
Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
@TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge
Haha! Rewinding the cassette (not to mention trying to record from the radio)...those were the good old days!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED that song. And Tears for Fears...now I'm totally dating myself. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those people who sings songs without knowing all the correct lyrics or doesn't actually think about the lyrics (which is funny, given how much I like words) and those are really awesome lyrics! I can't believe I never thought that hard about some of them. Part of them, yes, but thanks for writing them out.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your "caught between boys" thing. I was in the exact same place, junior year, 1986.
I'm glad someone else remembers cassette tapes. I had the worst tape player; it was forever wrapping the tape too tight, which resulted in slow play on the second side - not a nice sound for your favorite singers - or it was just eating the tapes. I've cleaned ribbons of tape out of reader heads more times than I'd like to admit. All my stuff is MP3 now! :-)
ReplyDeleteWhere I blog on your blog!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest brother has LIVED by that line: You can feel the punishment, but you can't commit the sin. Poor bitter baby. I hear that song and think of him. Sigh.
I was quite the um, adventurous young lady who simply ignored all the rules, drank, stayed out late and got laid (when I was way too young). My brother complained to my mother "Why is that she gets to have all the fun?" My quite sage response (now 25 years later)is that I have scars (real ones and self inflicted shame) beside those wild memories. Though I still chuckle about him getting married at 30, a virgin.
Tapes. Oh the memories.
Haha! The rewind button, was always the first thing to go on my cassette deck. And I still have some of my old tapes even now. I just can't bear to part with them. :)
ReplyDeleteI spent many hours playing a single over and over to memorize the words. Great 80s pick :)
ReplyDeleteI loved this song. I bought the album when I was in London and played it the entire time I was there. He was the man!
ReplyDeleteSinging along at the top of my lungs ;)
ReplyDelete- Heather The Evil Twin with Love From the A to Z Challenge @thewinetwins.blogspot.com
I wish cassettes were still sold in stores- love them!
ReplyDeleteI still hear this song on the radio! Great pick!
ReplyDeleteI. Love. This. SONG!!!! I remember when it first came out, and then Phil Collins liked it and he rearranged the song and he and Howard Jones re-recorded it. :D
ReplyDeleteTry the Live Acoustic America album for some great renditions of his stuff. Just him on piano and a percussionist. Ace. He's from Wales too!
ReplyDelete