Friday Flashback :: Tom Tom Club's Genius Of Love
The Friday Flashback for October 19, 2007 is The Tom Tom Club's Genius of Love.
In 1981, the nascent hip-hop scene and New York Underground scene were influencing each other's styles and the results were fantastic! It was a cool time where everything was new, and fresh with the music reflecting togetherness and cross-cultural appeal.
The Tom Tom Club was an outgrowth of this time, beginning as a diversion for members of pop supergroup the Talking Heads (of Burning Down The House fame). These cats, joined with Tina Weymouth and her sisters on vocals, recorded the eponymous album in Barbados while "sunning and funning," and the results reflect the circumstances.
Genius of Love features an infectious beat, simple, catchy lyrics, and a great hook. In fact, it was so infectious that it's one of the most sampled rhythm tracks in all of hip-hop -- Grandmaster Flash copped the track for 1982's It's Nasty (Genius of Love) and Mariah Carey had not one, but two hit singles that lifted the rhythm, including Daydream.
Plus, the animated video, which took off from the cartoony style of the album cover, was one of MTV's first classics.
There are some songs that are plain timeless, and will get rocked by our kids' kids. One of the very best of those timeless tracks is today's flashback joint, Genius of Love, which became enormously influential throughout the '80s and '90s.
Tom Tom Club :: Genius of Love
Album: Tom Tom Club
Released: 1981
Billboard peak: #2 U.S. Black Singles, #31 U.S. Pop Chart (both in 1982)
Play the Track: Genius of Love (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').
In 1981, the nascent hip-hop scene and New York Underground scene were influencing each other's styles and the results were fantastic! It was a cool time where everything was new, and fresh with the music reflecting togetherness and cross-cultural appeal.
The Tom Tom Club was an outgrowth of this time, beginning as a diversion for members of pop supergroup the Talking Heads (of Burning Down The House fame). These cats, joined with Tina Weymouth and her sisters on vocals, recorded the eponymous album in Barbados while "sunning and funning," and the results reflect the circumstances.
Genius of Love features an infectious beat, simple, catchy lyrics, and a great hook. In fact, it was so infectious that it's one of the most sampled rhythm tracks in all of hip-hop -- Grandmaster Flash copped the track for 1982's It's Nasty (Genius of Love) and Mariah Carey had not one, but two hit singles that lifted the rhythm, including Daydream.
Plus, the animated video, which took off from the cartoony style of the album cover, was one of MTV's first classics.
There are some songs that are plain timeless, and will get rocked by our kids' kids. One of the very best of those timeless tracks is today's flashback joint, Genius of Love, which became enormously influential throughout the '80s and '90s.
Tom Tom Club :: Genius of LoveAlbum: Tom Tom Club
Released: 1981
Billboard peak: #2 U.S. Black Singles, #31 U.S. Pop Chart (both in 1982)
Play the Track: Genius of Love (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').
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Put your roller skates on! Hey...ho...hey...ho(waving hands)...thanks for the memories :-)