Saturday 9: Voices Carry (1985)

It's once again time to join Sam and the rest of the gang for a little Saturday 9 fun. Please be sure to visit the Saturday 9 site to find links to the other bloggers who are playing or to join in yourself.

 

Saturday 9: Voices Carry (1985)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This song was chosen because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please share this link to The National Domestic Violence Hotline. Let's spread the word that there's help out there.

1) In this song, a woman is "hushed" by her lover. When were you last told to "keep it down?"  Just the other day when my husband was watching the news. 

2) Her lover tells her tears are something to hide. Researchers tell us that crying can be good for us, because by releasing emotional stress, it lessens physical stress on the cardiovascular system. Are you comfortable crying infront of other people?  I guess I'm not since I rarely cry in front of others....but I really don't cry much in private, either.

3) In this video, the woman makes a scene by speaking up in a theater. Today theater goers are more likely to be disturbed by a cell phone ringing or its screen illuminating. Are you careful to turn your phone off in the theater, church, etc.?  Yes. Unfortunately, I'm terrible at remembering to turn it back on.

4) When this group, Til Tuesday, was still struggling, Cyndi Lauper was already a star. Cyndi offered to record this song, which would have brought the group some fast cash, but only if they agreed not to record it themselves. Obviously they didn't take the deal. Tell us about a time you took a risk on yourself, and it paid off.  It would have to be when I got involved in youth ministry. I didn't want to teach and surely had no experience or talent, but I ended up going from teaching little kids, to teaching teens in youth group and Sunday School, to teaching at camp, to running the vacation Bible school program, to teaching at that denomination's national youth convention, to leading teens on mission trips, to sitting on the administrative board of the region....all in a 3-4 year period of time. You never know what you can do.

5) Til Tuesday's lead singer, Aimee Mann, went to Open High School in Richmond, Virginia. This charter high school is dedicated to helping students become "self-determined thinkers and learners." Do you recall your high school as permissive or regimented?  I'd say it was just a normal high school for the times, but I suppose by today's standards it would be considered regimented. I know I found out as my kids went through it's hallowed halls that it's certainly not the same school I went to.  They are guilty of teaching white-washed history and common core math and they were caught "cheating" on standardized tests...coaching kids, letting them retake the tests, discarding low scores...all to get a better rating from the state and therefore, more money.

Yep, this is really how it's done now. You
should see how they do long division.

6) Aimee has been on the road through 2017 and, like most artists, sells tour merchandise. Her line includes reusable tote bags. Do you bring your own bag to the grocery store?  No, for the most part I only do "big" grocery shopping trips so I would need a LOT of bags. I only do that if I'm going to Aldi's where I have to buy my bags...but I'm reusing the ones I bought because they are soooo much stronger than the crappy plastic ones everyone else uses. How are we saving the planet by making thinner bags when you need to double-bag just to carry a roll of paper towels??

7) Aimee has tried her hand at acting and appeared on Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. From Dracula to Barnabas Collins to Lestat, vampires are a popular culture staple (especially in October). What do you suppose accounts for their enduring popularity?  The whole immortality thing? If it's not that then I have no idea. People like to be scared a bit, so I get the old school vamps, but I don't get the whole attraction to the new ones. I don't find them sexy in the least.

8) In 1985, when this song was popular, Bruce Springsteen was at the top of the charts with Born in the USA. A massive commercial success, Born in the USA has sold more than 15,000,000 copies in the United States alone. Is it in your collection?  Surprisingly, no. I liked Bruce well enough back in the day and I still enjoy some of his songs (Pink Cadillac is a favorite), but I've never bought an album/CD/download.

9) Random question: In which race would you do better -- the Iditarod, with sled dogs in Nome, or speeding in a car at 200+ mph at the Indianapolis 500?  I was nearly in a head-on collision yesterday when someone coming the other way tried to pass the car in front of them. My bus was coming down a hill at 55 mph and the passer had to have been doing at least 60. We were too close together when she pulled out and she should never, ever have tried. The car being passed never slowed down (oblivious, scared, mad?). I hit my brakes, geared down and tried to ease as far off the road as possible when there really was no place to go except into a 3 ft. deep ditch. The woman just made it, yanking the wheel at the last possible second. I still can't believe she tried it. Had we hit it would have been bad.  So, yeah, I'm going to go with the Iditarod.  Even though I hate snow and extreme cold I'll take the dogs rather than certain death at 200 mph.

This is pretty much the image that was
passing through my brain at the time.