I Can Dream About You

Billed as a summer blockbuster in 1984, Streets of Fire crosses action drama and romantic comedy genres as it explores the conflict between love and fortune. Tom Cody (Michael Paré) returns home from the Army to rescue ex-girlfriend and musical sensation Ellen Aim (Diane Lane) from Raven (Willem Dafoe) and his motorcycle gang who kidnapped her and retreated to the inner city. The rock & roll fable never exploded at the box office despite a studded cast, but lives on as a cult classic like several of the generation’s best. Many recall it for featuring Dan Hartman's hit single "I Can Dream About You," which reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It is performed by fictional doo-wop band The Sorels in the final scene as Tom and Ellen determine their fate. Actor Stoney Jackson lip-syncs to Winston Ford's vocals, however Hartman's version is the only commercially released on album and in the music videos that exist.


Music video version with vocals by Dan Hartman and performance by the Sorels:

Music video version with vocals and performance by Dan Hartman:

Eric Clapton, 24 Nights in London

Twenty years ago, rock and roll hall of famer and influential guitarist Eric Clapton released his compilation of live concert recordings from London's Royal Albert Hall. The 24 Nights album combines songs from 18 concerts in January and February of 1990 and 24 straight concerts in February and March of 1991. The series showcases four different styles of instrumentation as he takes to the stage with his backup crew, as well as artists including Phil Collins, George Harrison, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen. The video release features an extended "Old Love" performance with a 9-piece band—an unprecedented testament to his talent and ability to sell powerful blues emotion.

Nik Kershaw on the Global Jukebox

A staple of the 80s—music that could move mountains and unite a world of people. At a time when famine was spreading throughout Ethiopia, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organized a pool of talented musical artists in an effort to provide food and relief. The Live Aid concert was a dual stage event simultaneously broadcast from JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and Wembley Stadium in London on July 13, 1985. It garnered 100,000 and 72,000 spectators in the respective venues and 1.9 million global viewers—one of the largest broadcasts to date. Among Wembley's stellar lineup was teen idol Nik Kershaw who had the year prior broke into worldwide acclaim with his hit single "Wouldn't It Be Good." It rode the peak at No. 4 on the UK chart for five weeks and reached No. 46 in the United States due to the popularity of its music video on MTV. Inspired by the old adage "the grass is always greener on the other side," the song seemed to resonate across the Atlantic. It seemed to harness a built-in ability, one that captured listeners' emotions—one that caused them to act. The fund raiser gathered $283.6 million in aid, far exceeding expectations. Although undoubtedly a collaborative effort by some of the era's greatest, perhaps Kershaw was the closest to literally moving landscape with his lyrics.