 |
| Honeymoon Suite's self-titled debut album. Released in 1984, it produced four certified gold singles in Canada. |
It was the first time I had heard any Honeymoon Suite song on TV in
years, and never on a network TV show. It brought back a lot of memories,
starting with the album “Wave Babies” came from.
My friend Mat, Video Hits and Columbia House
For the longest time I thought my first exposure to Honeymoon Suite
was from their second album, but it turns out that it actually was from their
debut album entitled, “Honeymoon Suite”.
There was a show on after school on CBC called “Coming Attractions”
which morphed into “Coming Attractions Video” then “Video Hits”. Originally, it
featured all kinds of entertainment news, but evolved into a show that played
music videos, hosted by Samantha Taylor.
It was some time in Grade 9 when I started watching it more often.
That’s when I started hearing about this contest they were running. I did not
pay too much attention, other than that the prize was a cameo appearance in
Honeymoon Suite’s next video. My friend and neighbour Mat, talked about it
periodically too. The next thing I recall was seeing that video, and it
featured a sweeping panoramic shot of Niagara Falls and a couple of those
binocular machines you can plug coins into to watch the falls. It was part of
the honeymoon theme of Niagara Falls. That video was “Wave Babies”, and Mat
later told me the aforementioned cameo was a couple seconds of the two winners
bopping to the music.
The next time I gave that debut album “Honeymoon Suite” any attention
was when Mat bought it when he joined Columbia House. It was one of the initial
10 he purchased to join.
By then, the end of 1986, I was well acquainted with the band’s sound.
I wanted more, so I borrowed Mat’s tape and immediately dubbed a copy of my
own. I was not disappointed with what I heard.
The debut album
The first four singles on that album were the ones that all made it to radio.
I have a few odd memories. It may have started with "New Girl Now", but it was "Burning in Love" that I always remember. Me and Mat used to cruise down Mayor Magrath Drive in Lethbridge listening to that song, bellowing out the chorus, "I'm still, a lonely man, burning in love". One day, I was hanging out with Mat's younger brother, and he said to me, "You know what my brother was singing this morning?"
"No," I replied.
"White steel, a lonely man…"
Why was he doing that? It turns out that's what he thought Johnny Dee was singing. I laughed so hard, because for one, that makes no sense, and two, I have made up words just as bad for other songs. I can still here, "White steel, a lonely man, burning in love."
The other memory was more heart wrenching. A few months ago I documented the horrible first date I had to go see "Secret of My Success". Well, I was too dumb to take a hint. I kept calling that girl, and will write about what transpired at another time. However, when the annual Whoop-Up Days fair and midway hit Lethbridge the summer of 1987, I phoned her to see if she wanted to go to "Midnight Madness". She did not. I went with a buddy of mine and, with "Burning in Love" playing in the background, I saw her getting on a ride. That was the official end of my pursuit of that girl.
Unfortunately, I had no new girl now.
"New Girl Now", "Wave Babies", and "Stay in the Light" followed. Due, in part to Canadian content requirements, they all got a lot of air play and made Honeymoon Suite a household name in the mid-1980s.
Parting thoughts
Honeymoon Suite is a band I started listening to after they gained some popularity. Usually, we hear the debut album and interest builds from there. Here instead, I got to know Honeymoon Suite and, with no new album forthcoming, went looking for more music. In this case it happened to be older music.
Still, I was not disappointed, and it just reinforced my love for a band I still listen to, even if it is 30 years later on a medical drama on CTV.
The first four singles on that album were the ones that all made it to radio.
I have a few odd memories. It may have started with "New Girl Now", but it was "Burning in Love" that I always remember. Me and Mat used to cruise down Mayor Magrath Drive in Lethbridge listening to that song, bellowing out the chorus, "I'm still, a lonely man, burning in love". One day, I was hanging out with Mat's younger brother, and he said to me, "You know what my brother was singing this morning?"
"No," I replied.
"White steel, a lonely man…"
Why was he doing that? It turns out that's what he thought Johnny Dee was singing. I laughed so hard, because for one, that makes no sense, and two, I have made up words just as bad for other songs. I can still here, "White steel, a lonely man, burning in love."
The other memory was more heart wrenching. A few months ago I documented the horrible first date I had to go see "Secret of My Success". Well, I was too dumb to take a hint. I kept calling that girl, and will write about what transpired at another time. However, when the annual Whoop-Up Days fair and midway hit Lethbridge the summer of 1987, I phoned her to see if she wanted to go to "Midnight Madness". She did not. I went with a buddy of mine and, with "Burning in Love" playing in the background, I saw her getting on a ride. That was the official end of my pursuit of that girl.
Unfortunately, I had no new girl now.
"New Girl Now", "Wave Babies", and "Stay in the Light" followed. Due, in part to Canadian content requirements, they all got a lot of air play and made Honeymoon Suite a household name in the mid-1980s.
Parting thoughts
Honeymoon Suite is a band I started listening to after they gained some popularity. Usually, we hear the debut album and interest builds from there. Here instead, I got to know Honeymoon Suite and, with no new album forthcoming, went looking for more music. In this case it happened to be older music.
Still, I was not disappointed, and it just reinforced my love for a band I still listen to, even if it is 30 years later on a medical drama on CTV.
No comments:
Post a Comment