Show Notes
Dave records an episode of the Past Tens: Top 10 Time Machine podcast without co-host Milt (who is away on a winter trip or something) and brings on his brother Adam Yas as guest co-host. Each present a personal top 10 list of the greatest opening lines of 1980s songs, alternating picks and briefly discussing why each first line stands out. Adam explains his criteria: lyrical quality, vocal delivery, the artistic statement/arrival moment for the artist, and whether the line opens a great song. They discuss and play clips of selections including Wall of Voodoo’s “Mexican Radio” (Adam’s #10), De La Soul’s “Me Myself and I” (Dave’s #10), Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” (Adam’s #9), ’Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry” (Dave’s #9, with Dave recalling seeing Amy Mann perform in Boston), Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” (Adam’s #8, discovered via The Young Ones), Dennis DeYoung’s “Desert Moon” (Dave’s #8), Duran Duran’s “Rio” (Adam’s #7, including discussion of Patrick Nagel’s cover art and the band’s image), Elton John’s “Kiss the Bride” (Dave’s #7), Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” (Adam’s #6, framed as a major cultural turning point), Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance” (Dave’s #6, with background on her family), Run-DMC’s “King of Rock” (Adam’s #5, plus Adam’s middle-school lip-sync story), Poison’s “Fallen Angel” (Dave’s #5), Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song” (Adam’s #4, with Perry Farrell’s impact and Lollapalooza mentioned), Foreigner’s “Jukebox Hero” (Dave’s #4), The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated” (Adam’s #3, noting their late-’70s origin but US soundtrack release in 1980), Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes” (Dave’s #3, with Dave clarifying “Harlow gold” and dedicating it to their late father), David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” (Adam’s #2, highlighting Bowie’s reinvention with Nile Rodgers and Stevie Ray Vaughan), AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” (Dave’s #2), Prince’s “When Doves Cry” (Adam’s #1), and The Outfield’s “Your Love” (Dave’s #1, including the connection to Adam’s own song character named Josie).
They also touch on music history and influence (e.g., Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana, Run-DMC bridging rap and rock, Lemmy’s documentary and WWII memorabilia, and Amy Mann’s Magnolia-era acclaim). Adam plugs his work (adamyas.com, album Gender of the Holy Spirit, and Leather Feather on Spotify, including “Evolve”). Before leaving, Adam lists honorable mentions: Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” The Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now?,” Def Leppard’s “Rock of Ages,” Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (noting Jim Steinman), and Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen.”
Email us at [email protected] Visit www.timemachinepod.com www.adamyas.com Leather Feather on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6S7jPIPY15GXpdyqAXSVpZ
Topics 00:00 Welcome to Past Tens + Adam Yas Fills In for Milt 02:03 Today’s Topic: Greatest First Lines of ’80s Songs (Rules & Criteria) 05:26 #10 Picks: Wall of Voodoo “Mexican Radio” vs De La Soul “Me, Myself and I” 12:04 #9 Picks: Madonna “Like a Virgin” vs ’Til Tuesday “Voices Carry” 20:44 #8 Picks: Motörhead “Ace of Spades” vs Dennis DeYoung “Desert Moon” 30:16 Ballads, Heartstrings & What Makes a Line Work 33:31 #7 Picks: Duran Duran “Rio” vs Elton John “Kiss the Bride” 44:29 #6 Pick: Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” and Changing Rock’s Direction 53:01 Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance” — forgotten hip-hop gem & iconic first line 56:33 Adam’s #5: Run-DMC “King of Rock” — rap vs rock, plus the lip-sync contest story 01:04:54 Dave’s #5: Poison “Fallen Angel” — hair metal story-song guilty pleasure 01:08:26 Adam’s #4: Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” — danger, artistry, and Perry Farrell’s impact 01:13:57 Dave’s #4: Foreigner “Jukebox Hero” — painting the picture of teenage rock dreams 01:16:27 Adam’s #3: Ramones “I Wanna Be Sedated” — punk history & what makes a great frontman 01:21:15 Dave’s #3: Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” —
More from PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s, 80s and More
Dave (coughing through the cold open) and chartmeister Michael “Milt” Wolfe take Past 10s back to the week ending Oct. 2, 1999, detouring through Adam Yas singing the national anthem at a Patriots game, listener mail about forgotten “best claps” songs, and why Polish jokes exist. They set the scene with Freaks and Geeks premiering, Double Jeopardy topping the box office, and ER ruling TV, then dive into a late-’90s Latin crossover-heavy countdown.
Dave and Milt record a special episode focused on ranking the best hand-clap songs, defining picks as songs where clapping is a crucial, compelling element that makes listeners want to clap along (not just a brief moment). You know, clapping. … Why are we overexplaining this? Sorry. … They discuss postponing recording due to Milt attending a Yankees playoff game, announce that Dave’s brother Adam Yas will sing the national anthem on the field before Sunday’s Patriots game (with related family coincidences), and note Milt’s AI-assisted birthday song for Dave (appended to the episode). Using combined rankings from over 50 candidates plus listener suggestions, they count down the top 10.
Dave and Milt revisit the rock chart for the week ending Oct. 6, 1984—after initially and repeatedly calling it 1983 and later admitting the error. After banter about ice cream habits, a contrived Willy Wonka competition show, and brief history/pop-culture notes (Richard Noble’s 633 mph “Thrust 2” land-speed record, Carl Yastrzemski’s final at-bat, Lech Wałęsa’s Nobel Prize, The Big Chill, and AfterMASH), they count down the rock Top 10: Krokus “Midnite Maniac,” Billy Idol “Flesh for Fantasy,” Survivor “I Can’t Hold Back,” Honeymoon Suite “New Girl Now,” U2 “Pride (In the Name of Love),” Lindsey Buckingham “Go Insane,” Bruce Springsteen “Cover Me,” David Bowie “Blue Jean,” The Fixx “Are We Ourselves,” and John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band “On the Dark Side.” They discuss trivia (Miami Vice placement, Bowie’s Jazzin’ for Blue Jean film, Bono lyric correction, Springsteen dance remix), play a “blue/blues” quiz, pick U2 as winner, and swap out Survivor and Buckingham for Twisted Sister “I Wanna Rock” and KISS “Heaven’s on Fire,” then plug social channels and a future “Freedom Rock” episode invite.
Dave and Milt revisit the famously corny-but-great Freedom Rock compilation, tackling side two track by track while rating each song’s “Freedom Rock” authenticity in a Cheech-and-Chong-style “vans” scale of 1-5 via ChatGPT. They banter about pet allergies, the ad’s cultural afterlife, and whether Freedom Rock could’ve become a movement like yacht rock. Also, Dave makes a simply miraculous run “guessing the vans.” Song SPOILERS below.
Dave and Milt slip into their glowing white socks and travel back to September 22, 1979—when albums mattered, packaging was an art form and apparently everybody owned a synthesizer. [EPISODE SPOILERS IN LIST OF TOPICS BELOW. In case you care. … You probably don’t. Sigh.] Before entering the time machine, the guys wade into the Macklemore–Robert Kraft controversy, debating free speech, private venues, “Free Palestine,” antisemitism and whether anybody emerges from the whole mess looking particularly good.Then it’s on to the week’s Top 10 albums: Robin Williams unleashes his manic mind, The Cars avoid the sophomore slump, Earth, Wind & Fire decline to release “September” in September, and The Commodores prove there was more to them than Lionel Richie. Michael Jackson steps Off the Wall, Chic battles the disco backlash, Supertramp serves breakfast, Bob Dylan finds Jesus, The Knack discovers that overnight success has an expiration date, and Led Zeppelin delivers one final studio album—with six covers, a paper bag and a surprising amount of synthesizer. Plus: the Winner of the Week, two substitutions and the continuing criminal exclusion of the B-52’s from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Topics 00:00 Cold open: Lunch in Libya, glowing socks and compulsory Knack listening01:00 Welcome—and Milt’s controversial decision to wear a tie04:00 Macklemore, Robert Kraft and the Ed Sheeran tour controversy08:00 Free speech, private venues and the right to say—or refuse to host—something12:00 Does shutting down speech help the cause or create a martyr?15:00 Why has “Free Palestine” captured so much attention from young Americans?19:00 The time machine lands on September 22, 197921:00 No. 10: Robin Williams — Reality… What a Concept33:00 No. 9: The Cars — Candy-O42:00 No. 8: Earth, Wind & Fire — I Am49:00 No. 7: The Commodores — Midnight Magic54:00 No. 6: Michael Jackson — Off the Wall1:10:00 No. 5: Chic — Risqué1:21:00 No. 4: Supertramp — Breakfast in America1:31:00 No. 3: Bob Dylan — Slow Train Coming1:39:00 No. 2: The Knack — Get the Knack1:46:00 No. 1: Led Zeppelin — In Through the Out Door1:58:00 The complete Top 10 recap2:00:00 Winner of the Week: Who else?2:01:00 Milt’s substitution: Talking Heads — Fear of Music2:04:00 Dave’s substitution: The B-52’s — The B-52’s2:08:00 Spotify frustrations, contact information and one final bowl of NyQuil