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Friday, September 02, 2005

Why Huey Lewis and the News Rock

You know that Huey Lewis plays a mean harmonica. And you also know that he's pretty cute. But did you know that his real name is Hugh Anthony Cregg III and that he called himself "Huey Louie" after Donald Duck's nephews and that evolved into Huey Lewis? And that the band's original name was "Huey Lewis and the American Express?"

Did you also know that he's brilliant? Yep, he scored a perfect 800 on his Math SATs. And that was before all this scoring inflation:

"I can't even spell SAT but I got a 1400!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, we get 1300 points for using a #2 pencil."

Huey went to Cornell and majored in Engineering. But in typical rock star fashion he dropped out and that's when he met the news. And that, my friends, is when Huey Lewis and the News began to rock.

In 1984 Huey Lewis and the News (or HLN as fans call them) were like the Monkees in the '60's, like the Backstreet Boys of the 90's. And I should know. I was there. Some of you younger blog readers (sis-in-law Julie and special needs friend Liz) were barely alive when we would turn our radio dials to a station playing "the Heart of Rock and Roll" and then turn it again and hear them playing "If this is it." Okay, I was only seven but I remember it very clearly. I even remember the video for "If this is it" with the lady in the white one piece. Or was that "Happy to be Stuck with you?" Maybe it's not so clear.

But what is clear is that HLN kept going in 1985 with the "Power of Love." This little diddy was featured in Back to the Future and got HLN an Oscar nomination, thank you very much. And they didn't stop in 1986, belting out everybody's favorite "Hip to be Square." And then in 1987...okay, they did kinda fade out by then but we've kept them alive in a couple of ways:

--Frank and his friend Dave have these matching lime green koozies that we always take when we go tubing. They say "Budweiser Huey Lewis and the News Hard at Play." What? That album is from 1991. I thought it was a collectable from 1984! There goes my meal ticket.

--Huey paired up with Gwyneth Paltrow in 2000 for the movie "Duets." Movie was kinda lame but I love the song "Cruisin'" that Gwen and Huey sing. I mean it doesn't rock obviously because it's slow and it's News-less but still...

HLN may be a bunch of old guys who would probably be willing to play at your wedding or bah mitzvah but all I know is when I hear "Heart of Rock and Roll," I totally turn it up and dance in my car. I think HLN really sums it up best: Now the old boy may be barely breathing,
but the heart of rock and roll, the heart of rock and roll is still beating.

______________________________________________________________

Let Huey Lewis and the News rock your next event (or maybe he could just help your kid with the SATs)
http://www.grabow.biz/Contemporary/HueyLewisTheNews.htm

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

First of all, I absolutely loved Duets and think the "Cruisin" was the main reason. That song rocked!

Secondly, your admiration of Huey Lewis is frightenly similiar to that of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, another movie I loved. I'll attach his thoughts here (edited for relevancy):

Patrick Bateman: Do you like Huey Lewis and the news?

Paul Allen: They're OK.

Patrick Bateman: Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83,I think they really came into their own, commercial and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consimante professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humour.

In '87, Huey released this, Fore, their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to be Square", a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself.

Anonymous said...

I remember getting the "Sports" casette for Christmas when I was like 11 or 12. I thought I was so cool! But my favorite HLN song to turn up and jam to in the car is "Do you believe in love?". Suggestion for article "Why Rick Springfield rocks!!!" I know that make me old.

Writinggal said...

Tay: Oh, no. I forgot about that AP dude. And everything he says is true. I even like Elvis Costello!

Kristin: Now why would you go and spoil my future "Why somebody Rocks" blogs? Especially one that I started to write today and then switched at the last minute to HLN! Huh? Why?

Liz said...

I think that Thea's response obviously indicates that she is your SPED friend and I would appreciate it if you would start referencing her as such.

Anonymous said...

Um...sorry, It's just that HLN reminded of RS, and I got all excited about "Jesse's Girl". You can still write it, I will try to contain myself next time.......