Reading & Listening

This seems to be my week for re-living my early teenage years. Today I found myself trying to mellow out by listening to some Loose Ends, a trio from London. Their hit, "Hanging On a String" came out in 1985. At that time with my thirteen year old midwest mentality, I was surprised to find that they weren't from Chicago or New York. I don't think I'd yet realized that black people lived in parts of the world other than the United States and Africa.

The song iteself is such smooth R&B that it got played on both the late night "Quiet Storm" on the radio and at my high school dances. It's about someone who's being strung along by someone else. "You never told me you waiting, contemplating...with my heart." Haven't we all been there at one time or another?

I had a big crush on the brotha on the right side of the picture. Oh, he was hot back in the day...but look at those shoulder pads! I'm glad the song is a timeless classic, but goodness, those can definitely stay in the '80s.