Last Song Syndrome: Neneh Cherry - "Buffalo Stance" (1989)

This was one of the most fun songs of the eighties for me. It was 1989, and at a point when I was into New Wave and Pop all at the same time- New Wave I got from listening to the likes of NU107, and Pop listening to 99.5RT.

Neneh Cherry exploded onto the music scene with this catchy pop tune that really got my attention. Mostly because it took a while for you to sing (or rap) along to the lyrics, and well, it was a fun, danceable track.

Years later, I would find out that "Buffalo Stance" was an effort from Cameron McVey- who at the time, had gone by the name of "Booga Bear", and was also Neneh Cherry's boyfriend- and later on- husband. This would be the same Cameron McVey that would go on to produce for All Saints and the Sugababes, and some early Massive Attack.

So here we have it- off the Raw Like Sushi album, Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance", with an accompanying video from YouTube, and lyrics for you to sing to. Enjoy!

Neneh Cherry
"Buffalo Stance" (1989)

Gigolo
Tell me about it!

Who's that gigolo on the street?
With his hands in his pockets and his crocodile feet
Hanging off the curb, looking all disturbed
At the boys from home. they all came runnin'
They were makin' noise, manhandling toys
Thats the girls on the block with the nasty curls
Wearing padded bras sucking beers through straws
Dropping down their drawers, where did you get yours?

Gigolo... Huh, sucka?
Gigolo... gigolo... Huh, sucka?

Who's looking good today?
Who's looking good in every way?
No style rookie
You better watch don't mess with me

No moneyman can win my love
It's sweetness that I'm thinking of.
We always hang in a buffalo stance
We do the dive every time we dance
I give you love, baby, not romance
I'll make a move, nothing left to chance
So don't you get fresh with me

Get funky. Yeah, Timmy.

So you say you wanted money but you know its never funny
When your shoes worn through and theres a rumble in your tummy
But you had to have style get a gold tooth smile
Put a girl on the corner so you can make a pile

Committed a crime and went inside
It was comin' your way but you had to survive
When you lost your babe, you lost the race
Now you're lookin' at me to take her place.

Who's looking good today?
Who's looking good in every way?
No style rookie
You better watch don't mess with me

No moneyman can win my love
It's sweetness that I'm thinking of.
We always hang in a buffalo stance
We do the dive every time we dance
I give you love, baby, not romance
I'll make a move, nothing left to chance
So don't you get fresh with me

Smokin'. Not cokin'. Get funky sax.

Looking good, hanging with the wild bunch.
Looking good in a buffalo stance.
Looking good when it comes to the crunch
Looking good's a state of mind

State of mind don't look behind you
State of mind or youll be dead
State of mind may I remind you
Bomb the bass...rock this place!

What is he like? what's he like anway?
Yo man what do you expect the guy's a gigolo man
You know I mean?

No moneyman can win my love
It's sweetness that I'm thinking of.
We always hang in a buffalo stance
We do the dive every time we dance
I give you love, baby, not romance
I'll make a move, nothing left to chance
So don't you get fresh with me

Wind on my face, sound in my ears
Water from my eyes, and you on my mind
As I sink, divin' down deep...deeper into your soul.

No moneyman can win my love
It's sweetness that I'm thinking of
No moneyman can win my love
It's sweetness that I'm thinking of

No moneyman can win my love
No moneyman can win my love


Couldn't find a Neneh Cherry website, but she does have an entry on Wikipedia right here.

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!

Last Song Syndrome: Lou Gramm - "Just Between You and Me" (1989)

Again, this is one of my favorites from the old days of radio. Lou Gramm is one of the main creative forces behind the 70's/80's rock band Foreigner- that's him to the right with Mick Jones, Rick Willis and Dennis Elliott. In fact, we already wrote a post on one of my all-time favorite Foreigner songs, "Hot Blooded", on this particular blog.

The year was 1989, and by that time, Foreigner was one of the biggest rock bands around. Not only were they huge in the late 70's, they were continuing to churn out hits well into the late 80's.

As the band's lead singer, Gramm can be heard distinctly on a lot of their hit songs, including "Feels Like The First Time", "Cold As Ice", the aforementioned "Hot Blooded", "Urgent", "Double Vision", "Juke Box Hero", "Head Games", "Dirty White Boy" and "Say You Will". Of course, their two biggest hits were the synth-ballads "Waiting For A Girl Like You" in 1981, and "I Want To Know What Love Is" in 1984.

Now Lou Gramm and Mick Jones weren't exactly seeing each other eye-to-eye at this time; Jones wanted to keep doing the more commercial (and more lucrative) synth-ballad sound, while Gramm wanted to go back to a more solid rock-n-roll structure.

Lou did get to do what he wanted through a couple of solo projects, the Ready or Not album of 1987, and the Long Hard Look album of 1989, which had the single "Just Between You and Me".

The song's almost 20 years old, but it's still one of my most favorite songs. Been singing to it over the weekend- so check it out here, with a video I found on YouTube, and lyrics to sing to. Enjoy!

Lou Gramm
"Just Between You and Me" (1989)

Staring at each other with accusing eyes
Keep our voices low, and don't act surprised
If the word gets out, yeah, that's alright

I know you're just looking for some sympathy
But listen you don't know how it gets back to me
You're getting reckless, girl, but that's alright

Now don't you know that one cold word's
gonna lead to another
And then we'll have nowhere to go

Chorus:
Even if heaven and earth collide tonight
We'll be all alone in a different light
I don't care what the world can't see
It's just between you and me, you and me.

I see telltale signs of a love in decline
There should be something to say, but we don't take the time
And I don't understand, but that's alright

Now you can turn the page or you can tear me apart
Don't make an open book out of my private heart
You should know better now, but that's alright

Don't you know that one cold word's gonna lead to another
And then we'll have nowhere to go

Chorus:
Even if heaven and earth collide tonight
We'll be all alone in a different light
I don't care what the world can see
It's just between you and me
I say it's just between you and me

If we don't work this out we won't recover
We'll lose this soulful love for one another
But with all I've heard and all I seen
I'm still lost in your mystery

And don't you know that one cold word's gonna lead to another
And then we'll have nowhere to go

Chorus
Even if heaven and earth collide tonight
We'll be all alone in a different light
I don't care what the world can see
It's just between you and me

Even if heaven and earth collide tonight
We'll be all alone in a different light
Now I don't care what the world can see
When it's just between you and me
It's just between you and me
You and me

Heaven and earth
I don't understand

You can check out Lou Gramm's official website here, or his Wikipedia entry here.

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!

Last Song Syndrome: 38 Special - "Back Where You Belong" (1983)

I have to admit- my appreciation for 38 Special came rather late. I first noticed the band in 1989, when I was in high school- and at the time, "Second Chance" was already getting massive airplay on the radio.

I remember having the hardest time getting a copy of the album- until a couple of years later when an aunt of mine sent me a copy of the album Bone Against Steel (nope, no "Second Chance" there, either).

It wasn't until a few years later when I started working for a radio station that I was able to unearth all those great 38 Special singles and albums I missed out on in the eighties. And yes, eventually I was able to get me a CD of "Second Chance", as well as other 38 Special favorites of mine, including this oldie from 1983- a cool track you might remember called "Back Where You Belong".

38 Special
"Back Where You Belong" (1983)

I heard you're askin' how I'm feelin'
I guess I'll play it day by day
I'm still around now, my heart is healin'
But some things never gonna change

'Cause now I know love ain't easy to find
I let you go, now I'm changin' my mind

Chorus:

I know that love, it don't come easy
It took so long, it's been hard to find
So love, you must believe me
Ain't gonna let it slip away- I know I was wrong
I want you back where you belong
Want you back where you belong
Back where you belong

I played around now, I've done some dealin'
I found that love should be with you
And so you're gone now, my head is reelin'
Don't wanna be with someone new

And so I go, with a feeling inside me
'Cause I know what I'm leaving behind

(Chorus)

I guess in time I stop and think it over
Everything that we've been through
This heart of mine may never find another
Who loves me just the way you do
Hey girl!

I heard you're askin' how I'm feelin'
I guess I'll play it day by day
I'm still around now, my heart is healin'
But some things never gonna change

'Cause now I know love ain't easy to find
I let you go, now I'm changin' my mind

(Chorus)

Back where you belong, hey, hey
I know that love, it don't come easy
It took so long, it's been hard to find
And so love, you must believe me
Ain't gonna let it slip away, baby


Check out 38 Special's official website here, or their entry on Wikipedia here.

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!

Music Charts on "My Thoughts In Stereo"

Starting this week, I have decided to keep track of specific music charts by way of this blog. Partially for work, and partially for personal purposes, I've always referred to music charts as a gauge of what's going on in the international music scene.

I suppose it started with my fixation on those old chart shows from Casey Kasem (which was on RT and on KC for a time) and Rick Dees (which was on RT for the most part). As I joined the radio industry, the music being played on radio became very diverse- and so you now have different charts tracking airplay and record sales for different radio formats.

Radio and Records or R&R is an industry magazine I've been reading up on (at least as much as I can, anyway) since my early radio days at 99.5 RT. Even to this day, it has always been an invaluable tool to any radio or record industry executive. I've always had it bookmarked, and I continue to refer to their charts on a weekly basis.

I thought I might as well do all that via this blog- check out the pertinent music activity for my current line of work. And so with that, I'll be tracking the following music charts:

1. CHR/Pop - Contemporary Hit Radio or Top 40, is the most popular of all these music charts, hence the term 'pop'. It gives anyone at the very least a reference point of the general feel of the music atmosphere at a particular point in time. Then again, pop music doesn't appeal to everybody, and so you have a wide variety of other 'alternative' formats.

2. AC - The Adult Contemporary format is essentially pop music for a more mature audience; it's CHR radio that's generally devoid of hard rock, hip-hop, teen pop and dance tracks.

3. Urban AC- more like a personal preference, really. Urban AC is mostly soul and R&B music- music that typically caters to an African-American audience, but without the rap or heavy hip-hop.

4. Triple A- is your Adult Album Alternative radio format. Some call it 'underground' , others would refer to it as 'progressive'. It caters (again) to a more mature market, but it differs from regular AC in that it has more a diverse sound- drawing from alternative rock, alternative country, blues, jazz, folk, even world music, but tends to stay away from heavy rock and rap.

5. Smooth Jazz - is also known as new adult contemporary (or NAC). It draws more from pop jazz than it does traditional jazz, but also has R&B, soul and funk elements.

I like keeping track of music so I have an idea who to keep my eyes and ears on- whether looking out for a particular CD, or knowing what song gets used in the soundtrack for certain songs and movies, or just watching out for bits on music and entertainment news.

I'll also be keeping track of the most popular recurrents every week. Recurrents are songs still frequently aired on a radio station even several months after the initial debut. According to Radio and Records, recurrents are:

"...titles that have appeared on the chart for 20 or more weeks and have fallen below the top 20."

The way I see it, recurrents are your more popular songs which have somehow managed to maintain a sizeable (and seemingly sustaining) amount of airplay and sales, and therefore, a persistent deal of likeability. For many radio stations, these songs are 'defining' titles that pretty much make up a signature sound.

So watch out for these charts. I'll try to keep em as regular as possible.

Cheers, everyone!

Last Song Syndrome: Mo Thugs Family - "All Good" (1998)

Now here's a cool track. While I was going through my music files, I just discovered an alternate, more laid-back mix of the Mo Thugs 1998 hit, "All Good", which featured Krayzie Bone (of Bone Thugs N Harmony) and Felecia Lindsey-Howse on vocals.

I just realized that I hardly knew the lyrics and all I was singing to was the "It's all G-double O-D, good for me..." part. Which was pathetic.

So I thought I'd do everyone a favor and provide a copy of the lyrics right here, just so we can get it right when we feel like groovin' to this song- which I am right now.

The vid right here features the regular, radio-played version. The alternate, laid-back version will be played on my station, of course.

In the meantime, here they are: Mo Thugs featuring Krayzie Bone and Felecia Lindsey-Howse with "All Good".

Mo Thugs featuring Krayzie Bone
and Felecia Lindsey-Howse
"All Good" 1997

Krayzie:
Mo, Mo, Mo, Mo, Mo . . .
Mo Thug, Mo Thug, Mo Thug, and we are Mo Thugs, Mo Thugs, Mo Thugs.

Felecia:
It's all good. My lovin's all good.

Felecia:
Lately, you've been stressin' me about when I'm a give you some
Callin' me, jockin' me, sweatin' me, gonna rush me none,
'Coz when the time is right I'm gonna let you know, and that's for sure
So wait on me patiently and see what I got in store, 'coz

I'm gonna represent to the fullest, I'll be there
And I promise you no regrets
Just put your trust in me, and baby,
I promise this shit is legit (legit, legit, legit . . )

Felecia:
It's all good. My lovin' is, my lovin' is, all good, all good, all good...
You know it's all good, all good, all good...

Krayzie:
Yep, yep, yep. It's all G-double O-D, good, good, good...
Yep, yep, yep. It's all G-double O-D, good with me, with me, with me...

Felecia:
If I told you once, then I told you twice- you gotta get to know me
There's more to a relationship then jumpin' in the sheets
And if that's all you want, then you better go, 'coz that ain't me
I don't give my love to just anybody.

If I'm not correct, then prove me wrong, and just hold on
Gradually, you will see, just how good it'll be
When the time is right, I'll ease your mind with a little bump and grind
Fantasies full of ecstasy: we'll have a real good time.

Felecia:
It's all good. My lovin' is, my lovin' is, all good, all good, all good...
You know it's all good, all good, all good...

Krayzie:
Yep, yep, yep. It's all G-double O-D, good, good, good...
Yep, yep, yep. It's all G-double O-D, good with me, with me, with me...

Krayzie:
Since it's all good, baby, we can get it on- hey, you wanna ride?
Krayzie Bone. Come and jump in the Benz and tell your friends you will get with them later.
Come and let me take ya- got a couple things I wanna show ya.
I'm really tryin' to know ya- I'm just curious: is it really all good? You serious?
(I'm serious. ..)

If it is, then I gotta jump on it, ride it- ghetto cowboy.
Surprise, you thought I was quiet- I never was shy, baby, niggas just act like that.
Lay back, but don't let that fool ya, rule ya.
Really give that the nigga the bag, 'cause we won't have time to talk.
I've been peepin' for a minute now (Yep, yep, yep . . .),
And I know just where I'ma start.

Let me listen to your heartbeat. Boomp, boomp,
Racin' into the situation.
Is it gettin' kind of hot in here? Naw, that's you.
Temperature's risin', so am I.

Felecia:
It's all good. My lovin' is, my lovin' is, all good, all good, all good...
You know it's all good, all good, all good...

Krayzie:
Yep, yep, yep. It's all G-double O-D, good, good, good...
Yep, yep, yep. It's all G-double O-D, good with me, with me, with me...

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!

Last Song Syndrome: Annie Lennox - "No More I Love You's" (1995)

I was sorting out some songs at the station earlier on, and my player had this particular song on. I vividly remember way back in 1995 when we first played this song on 99.5RT- it was the same week when we introduced three other songs I fell in love with when I first heard them: Sophie B. Hawkins' "As I Lay Me Down", Samples' "Weight of the World", and Jun Lopito's "Pure Souls".

I've always been a huge Annie Lennox fans, especially during her days with The Eurythmics. She also had some very interesting solo projects, including this one- "No More I Love You's".

While there is a freakish quality to the video- including a rather vampire-esque Annie Lennox- it did leave a very lasting impression. Nevertheless, I'd say the imagery fits the song quite well.

Totally adore the song.

So I hope you guys enjoy this one as well: "No More I Love You's" by Annie Lennox.

Annie Lennox
"No More I Love You's" (1995)

I used to be lunatic from the gracious days
I used to be woebegone and so restless nights
My aching heart would bleed for you to see
Oh but now...
(I don't find myself bouncing round whistling
and fortunes to make me cry)

No more "I love you's"
The language is leaving me
No more "I love you's"
Changes are shifting outside the word
(The lover speaks about the monsters)

I used to have demons in my room at night
Desire, despair, desire, so many monsters
Oh but now...
(I don't find myself bouncing round whistling
and fortunes to make me cry)

No more "I love you's"
The language is leaving me
No more "I love you's"
The language is leaving me in silence
No more "I love you's"
Changes are shifting outside the word

They were being really crazy They were on the come. And you know what mammy? Everybody was being really crazy. Uh huh. The monsters are crazy. There are monsters outsides.
No more "I love you's"
The language is leaving me
No more "I love you's"
The language is leaving me in silence
No more "I love you's"
Changes are shifting outside the word

Outside the word.

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!

Last Song Syndrome: Technotronic - Move This (1989)

OK, so I saw the Bob Odenkirk-directed "Let's Go To Prison" last night on HBO. Yeah it was a little half-baked, but still, I'm a huge fan of Will Arnett- the dude who played Gob (pronounced Jobe) on the brilliant comedy series, "Arrested Development".

The end credits showed the three lead actors- Will Arnett, Dax Shepard (from "Without A Paddle") and Chi McBride (the principal from "Boston Public")- all crammed into a car singing to this trippy Technotronic song.

"Move This" came out on the same Technotronic album that spawned the massive hit "Pump Up The Jam". Later on, it was featured on one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies (no big loss, if you didn't watch it).

Technotronic almost pulled off a Milli Vanilli: Belgian producer Jo Bogaert and Manuela Kamosi came up with the album, but needed an "image model" to push them commercially- so they got Zairian-born fashion model Felly to serve the purpose (that's her on the album cover).

You actually get to see Felly singing on the video of "Pump Up The Jam", but when the album became an unexpected hit, Technotronic suddenly found themselves booked for live performances and guest TV appearances. It was a smart move on the group's part to reveal Ya Kid K as the real singer of Technotronic- and it's Ya Kid K you now see on the video of "Move This"

So here we have it- Ya Kid K and Technotronic with "Move This". Enjoy!

Technotronic
"Move This" (1989)

Yo, come on move this

Shake that body
Shake that body

People don't you know, don't you know
It's about time?
Can't you hear the jam is pumpin'
While you taste a piece of mine
Many different flavors
And the spice is strong
Get into the hot stuff
Let me pour a little song

Baby lemme show you how to do this
You gotta move this
You're doin' fine
There's nothin' to it
You gotta groove it
Come on and move this
Shake that body for me...



People don't you know, don't you know
It's about time?
Can't you hear the jam is pumpin'
While you taste a piece of mine
Many different flavors
And the spice is strong
Get into the hot stuff
Let me pour a little song

Baby lemme show you how to do this
You gotta move this
You're doin' fine
There's nothin' to it
You gotta groove it
Come on and move this
Shake that body for me...

Shake that body for me
Shake that body

People don't you know, don't you know
It's about time?
Can't you hear the jam is pumpin'
While you taste a piece of mine
Can you feel the mellow crawlin' fast
Drum on baby, rhythm blast
Pump it, pump it, pump, pump it up
Nothin' can make this one stop

Oh yeah
You gotta move this, groove this, move this on
Shake your body for me

Shake that body
Shake that body for hmm
Shake that body for me
Shake that body

People don't you know, don't you know
It's about time?
Can't you hear the jam is pumpin'
While you taste a piece of mine
Can you feel the mellow crawlin' fast
Drum on baby, rhythm blast
Pump it, pump it, pump, pump it up
Nothin' can make this one stop

Toes be tappin'
Fingers snappin'
Hands clappin' and my mouth rappin'
Talkin' 'bout how cold lappin'
Shut up and do the walk
Use what you got show me
You're on the floor so let me see
Don't say nothin' 'less i saw
And remember I like it raw

You gotta move this
You gotta move this
Oh yeah, you gotta move this
Aw, aw shake that body for me

Baby lemme show you how to do this
You gotta move this
You're doin' fine
There's nothin' to it
You gotta groove it
Come on and move this
Shake that body for me...

Raised on Radio!

I was an avid radio listener when I was a kid- as early as 8 or 9 years old, if I could remember it right.

For me, it was a great way to connect with the chicks! Of course we all had childhood crushes back then (man, I couldn't even remember their names...), and well, if you wanted to have some common ground for interaction, there was always music on the radio.

High school was no different. The ladies also loved getting their tunes on the radio. And dudes get points if they can play guitar to whatever song was hot back then. Yeah, so I also got into playing guitar for the chicks, big deal :).

By mid-high school, I remember having the radio on while I studied in the early hours of the morning (yes, I actually studied when I felt like it). 24-hour radio stations were new back then- which was how I discovered 99.5RT- and it was the coolest thing for me since sliced bread.

For the most part, I was a Top40 dude. I think it started earlier on back when it was on 93.9 WKC. After casey Kasem left and Shadoe Stevens took over, it was still alright, but WKC was already starting to play less of the pop that I wanted, and more of the designer music that wasn't at all cool.

Hahaha- Viktor Laszlo? Silver Pozzoli? Modern Talking? Yikes.

Soirees and dance parties were the hugest thing then. So if you wanted the cool chicks, you have to be into New Order, or The Cure, or even Depeche Mode. For the more pop-oriented? There was Rick Astley, Expose and Paula Abdul.

Heck, I even tried to join a radio station back in my third year of high school- coz I thought it was probably the coolest thing to do so. Haha it didn't work out then. (Sidenote: It did work out many years later, when I finally got in 99.5RT in 1994.)

I had the radio tuned in day in, day out back then. RT was my station at night, and the radio was on even while I was sleeping, so you get the morning show on while you were getting ready for school. Not knowing what 24K was back then (RT's trademark oldies show on Fridays, playing nothing but RT classics)- I tuned out, and switched to another station. Usually it would be Magic 89.9, NU107, or WLS-FM.

LS was the coolest on weekends with its Great Music Jam- that was 1988 til 1990 I think- and they were playing songs from the early part of the decade. Lots of Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Wham!, Madonna and Spandau Ballet back there.

My appreciation for new wave, punk and rock in general, I got from NU107 (aw man, remember Ethnic Faces' Golden Boy? Man, I gotta find that song) and Power 105 (the frequency is owned by 105.1 Crossover now). The Smiths? Flesh for Lulu? The Clash? R.E.M.? Man, those were the days.

College was a little different. You meet all kinds of people- and I remembered this one dude who had this massive collection of casettes and CDs of (what I could remember) Crossover music- he had Spyro Gyra, Kalapana, Stephen Bishop, Mike Francis, Yutaka, Angela Bofill- looking back, it was one of the coolest collections I have ever seen.

No, I didn't quite appreciate it for what it was back then. I was still a pop-boy parading as a new-wave chong. Easy listening and smooth jazz wouldn't be my thing until much much later.

Monster Radio was the new Magic 89.9. Grunge was the new new wave & punk. Everyone had a Mellow Touch 94.7 or a 96.3 WRock love song collection on mixed tapes, and the hopeless romantics tuned in to Lovenotes (sappy sometimes, but it made for great listening!).

I remembered discovering 105.1 Crossover in '93 or '94. If everyone was into love songs, the cooler kids were into a more sophisticated kind of love songs. The ladies then were a little classier, a little more emotional, and sometimes, a little angstier (high school was rough, I imagine...). There were those who were into Julia Fordham, Swing Out Sister, or Lisa Stansfield, or Everything But The Girl.

I joined 99.5 RT as a DJ in 1994, and I distinctly remember my roommate was very much into Crossover. He'd have it on while he was studying. I forgot his name though, but I'm sure he's a doctor by now.

Thirteen years later, I'm still in the radio industry. I've gone from DJ, to dude in charge of audio production, to events guy, to dude in charge of sales and marketing, and finally Program Director.

So as a radio executive, what can we learn from all that?

A lot. Radio appeals very much to the young- even as young as pre-teen. While your friends and peers have a strong influence on what you listen to, ultimately your personal taste dictates your choice of music.

Radio can be a declaration of independence, but at the same time, it's also an instrument for socialization. Also, pop culture influences radio, in the same way radio influences pop culture.

Radio has a very personal connection, and therefore a strong association with parts of your life. Your musical preferences generally persist throughout, which is why most people you know are "stuck" in a certain decade or era- nothing's wrong with that- it's really just a matter of personal preference.

Make an effort to learn more from your market- listen to their stories, observe them in their natural environment, take notice of how they use other media, and how it affects their interaction with their peers.

Used with other research available to you, what you glean from your observations are key to the kinds of strategies you form for your marketing plans.

Re-education for the Masses!

I live in the Philippines, and for a small little country, I'd like to think we have a rather diverse set of radio stations. We have NU107 for rock n'roll. CHR/pop from stations like Magic 89.9, Jam 88.3, Monster Radio, Max FM and Hit FM. A variety of easy-listening from Mellow 94.7, 105.1 Crossover, Wave 89.1 and 92.3 XFm.
While we do have a lot of ground covered in terms of music, I think we need a venue for music-maniacs like myself to learn new stuff. I was already into music early on in my life, collecting some 45s, even bought an LP of Michael Jackson's Thriller, then went on to cassette tapes (ha! I think some of my first buys were Heart, The Bangles, Rick Astley and Debbie Gibson!). Haha now that I think of it, I was such a pop-boy. My education in cool didn't come 'til much later.
I think it was in 2nd or 3rd year high school when I was introduced to 99.5 RT, new wave (via NU107 and Crossover), A to Z records (in Anonas), XB102, the local punk scene, N.W.A. and Eazy E, and other stuff. I would study (study?! who studies?!?) at 2 or 3 AM and it was then I discovered the music of 99.5 RT. It was pop/top 40 stuff, but not entirely the kind of stuff played on other radio stations back then. And for some reason, I liked it: "Walking On Ice" from Devonsquare, Paul Carrack, 38 Special, Expose, Tracy Chapman, some Lita Ford, even classics from China Crisis, The Pretenders and The Little River Band. (looking back, that was some pretty diverse adult contemporary stuff!)
Anyway, I thought I knew a lot about music til I actually JOINED 99.5 RT as a lowly DJ in 1994. It was cool playing all the music you enjoyed so much, but what I also enjoyed was hanging out with all the other DJs, and they'd even go far as saying, "Hey man, you should play this stuff next week," and hand me over an album of Roxy Music (Avalon- which contained "More Than This" and, well, "Avalon"). Also, hanging out at RT's massive music library was such a treat- and there would always be somebody around who'd tell you a little something about any song you were curious about.
These days, you don't HAVE to join a radio station to have a kick-ass education on music and music appreciation. You have the internet, you have music video channels, you have wikipedia, and countless other sites online that offer all kinds of information on all kinds of artists from all over the world.
My current favorite? Yahoo Launchcast. You can pick just about any kind of genre there is, and immerse yourself in some new and familiar tunes from your favorite kind of music. Lately, I've been immersing myself into lots of 80' rock and alternative, 90's big hits, today's big hits and lite office music. Great stuff, really.