I see this raucous, irreverent, hard-driving mashup as a celebration of the '80s and early '90s. Hard rock, dance-pop, and adult contemporary dominated the charts, while hip-hop was just beginning to take the world by storm. In my opinion, some of the most memorable songs from that period were the ones that dared to fuse multiple genres together; think Aerosmith and Run-DMC's "Walk This Way" and the KLF's "Justified and Ancient". These unlikely combinations from forward-thinking songwriters and producers served to introduce new audiences to unfamiliar forms of music, and could be considered spiritual precursors to the mashup in some respects.
Here's my attempt at paying tribute to those freewheeling days gone by. If you lived through that era and had your finger on the pulse, chances are you might remember one or more of the songs in my intermingled party playlist:
Paula Abdul - The Promise of a New Day
Extreme - Decadence Dance
Poison - Nothin' But a Good Time
Michael Bolton - Steel Bars
Huey Lewis and the News - Do You Believe in Love
Beastie Boys - (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)
Journey - Any Way You Want It
Tears for Fears - Break It Down Again ("Worldbuilder" Soundmark)
Incidentally, I have a theory about the Nintendo employees who were tasked with coming up with a name for the Wii's successor. They must have been listening to Huey Lewis and the News' "Do You Believe in Love" when inspiration hit. ;)
