Corners of my mind

A few weeks ago when we were driving the 550km home from the farm Rob and I got to listening to an easy/smooth/old radio station that was playing hit after hit on some ridiculous count down of over 890 best songs from the 80’s and 90’s. We were obviously thrilled, the kids notsomuch, as we sang our hearts out as we passed the kilometres on the Pacific Highway. A personal highlight would have to have been when this song came on:

Just like *that* I was back to 1992 singing every single word, verbatim, including each “yeah, yeah, yeah” and “come on now. Uh huh huh yeah” that Luther and Janet pumped out. I even scared myself how much I knew, and I think I impressed Rob a little too. I mean…SUCH skill!

This morning Rob and I were staying at my little sister’s place as we were up in Sydney for a family wedding, and as the girls were with their grandparents, we had the place to ourselves. We slept in, ate a cooked breakfast and then decided to sit on the couch and watch a bad movie. We chose this one, because, POINT BREAK. Come on.

Point-Break1

We sat like lazy teenagers from times gone by, watching the movie sprawled over couches, eating junk food, chatting and laughing like you do when you have no place to be for 2 hours, no one asking you for anything. Now was Rob’s time to shine pulling out almost every single line as they passed, my favourite being “Man, it jacks up. You drop down into the pit, it’s 25 feet straight down…and your balls man, your balls are about THIS BIG.” He even said it with the right inflections of the stoned surfer accent. I was impressed.

As I said to Rob after my Janet/Luther rendition, how is it that I used to know the exact steps which led to the outbreak of WW2 or the Vietnam War – date for date, step for step and now….NOTHING. No idea. Vague recollections if I am lucky. But Janet and Luther singing? Well DER. Course!

Same goes for every lyric of “Shoop” or “Bust a move” but my OWN CHILDREN’S BIRTH YEARS? They can be a little shady I must admit (I am eternally grateful for my UberKate necklace with their birth dates on it). How can it be that our minds retain the most useless stuff and forget the important stuff? It must be true that cramming really doesn’t work in the long term…and how over and over and over again   listenings of Madonna’s “Crazy for You” mean that it’s locked away. Forever.

What’s the most useless thing you remember? No matter how hard you try not to?
Do you know all the words to Janet and Luther too?
Just how good a film was Point Break? Why was everything so good in 1991/92?

Comments

  1. Bree Di Mattina says

    I know SO many song lyrics from any era. But Point Break… which was totally my era…. never seen it!

  2. Oh lord, I loved Point Break. That opening scene with Keanu in the rain sent my teen heart fluttering!
    I can recite every single line in the movie Stand By Me, ridiculous but true. I memorised it in 1988 and never forgot.

    There are so many good things about the early 90s that it would take up more than this comment! x

  3. Sharon Johnson says

    Loved Point Break there’s something about men and surfing that is all macho. I take my hat off to them. Patrick Swayze was abit of a heart throb for me. A little on the rough and raw side; was the appeal. Maybe not to the extent of Sam Worthington but thats another story.

    91-92′ was about freedom and independence for me. I had little money, a world of endless opportunities at my door. Living in the moment was what it was all about. Rich in life ! How I miss thee…

  4. Amanda Garven says

    On it! Husband is downloading it as we speak! God i love this movie.

  5. Most useless thing I remember? Vanilla Ice Ice Baby… Similar period I think. Vaguely recall recitals with dance moves in school hallways. Yup, I did. Early 90’s have a lot to answer for.

  6. I was just laughing and sharing all this with my husband, and then exclaimed…’and she knows all the words to Shoop!’, and he goes ‘woah, like you do!’. Yes, I do too. However, my friend’s birthday’s, my credit card pin and pretty much all the maths I ever learned in high school? Gone. From. My. Brain.

  7. Oh god, then I played the song, and all I can think about is Girlfriend magazine and Impulse deodorant spray!

  8. Chrisy Clay says

    Young Guns 1 & 2 ….. almost word for word…… “Yoohoo, l’ll make you famous” 🙂 My husband refused many years ago to watch it with me anymore !!

    • BabyMacBlogBeth says

      I hope you still watch it…nothing better than reciting an entire film (and nothing more annoying for the person next to you!)

  9. Alli @ ducks on the dam says

    Wake up and smell the coffee Mrs Bueller…….

  10. Chelsea Sutherland says

    How to speak in Jellybean and some other weird kid’s language where you add “op” to the end of letters in a name (eg Cop Hop E Lop Sop E A is how you’d say my name, and my sister and I used to have long & fluent conversations in it).

  11. Karen Fiebig says

    The most useless thing I know is that all of the ABC stations on the AM band in South Australia add up to 18… So, I listen to 891 – 8+9+1=18 I also have been known to listen to 729 – 7+2+9=18 or 639 – 6+3+9=18…. I think elsewhere in the country it may be 9 or 18…. See… useless!

    I loved 1992-1997 – I had graduated high school and had moved to QLD, then travelled around Australia – I was free, young and had zero responsibilities. I have a small tattoo on my hip that I got in that time and people often ask me if I regret getting it. ‘Never’! I always say. It reminds me of a wonderful time in my life. I often wonder if the teenagers of today have the same connection to music as we did… it can evoke such emotion 🙂

    • BabyMacBlogBeth says

      That is VERY good useless into Karen – classic! Reminded me that I know every train station from Epping to Newcastle as I used to listen to it every morning when I was waiting for the school train!

  12. MotherDownUnder says

    It drives me nuts that I can remember all the words to terrible songs…the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song for example…but I have yet to commit my favourite recipes to memory.

  13. I actually mentioned this on Instagram today – I can remember every line of every play I’ve ever done. I’m talking pages and pages of Shakespeare, Greek tradegies, the entire score of Les Mis… what a waste of space.

    • BabyMacBlogBeth says

      That’s quite extraordinary. I’m going to give you my important dates in script form and refer to you going forward. OK?

  14. Rosierockets says

    Love it! I too have retained countless lyrics to bad songs, all of Heathers and The Lost Boys, but ask me about Pythagoras’ theorem and I stare blankly. I am the queen of retaining useless info, people at work are amazed during our daily lunch time quiz all the random shit I know LOL!

  15. Lol – I’m awesome at songs and lyrics… But remembering bin night – ARGH!

  16. Song lyrics. Simpsons quotes. Seinfeld quotes. Kath & Kim quotes. Celebrity tidbits. I’m chock FULL of useless info! What I did last night? No idea. Although that might have something to do with the bottle(s) of wine we had.

  17. 1992 was the best year in music, along with 1997 and 2006.
    I love The Best Things in Life are Free. Janet Jackson was amazing in the 90s.

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