Fast Song was A DISASTER Until This 80s Band SLOWED IT DOWN…Became LEGENDARY! | Professor of Rock
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2024
- Three strikes and you’re out. Isn’t that usually how it goes? Well, not for today’s band… Alphaville who despite repeatedly failing to break into the Hot 100 with the same single…the 80s classic Forever Young, still turned the 1984 single into a massive pop culture phenomenon. Played on underground radio here in America, a lot of people here just didn’t catch on to it until long after its release… Maybe that had something to do with Alphaville refusing to tour in the US for more than a decade. Even so, time was on their side. Because radio hit or not, this Forever Young was destined to be an eternal track… Perfectly capturing the dramatic longing and angst that we all feel when we’re young, this song drips with nostalgia and they released it half a dozen times… Would it ever be a hit? Find out NEXT on the Professor of Rock.
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Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. if you ever built a masterpiece with Lincoln logs or tinker toys as a kid You’ll dig this channel of deep musical nostalgia Make sure to subscribe below right now and click the bell so you get our interviews and stories from the legends of music We also have a Patreon you'll want to check out. There you’ll find an additional catalog of exclusive content and you can even become an honorary producer to help us curate this music history.
So, it’s time for another edition of our show #1 in Our Hearts. This show honors songs that were so unbelievably great, they absolutely should've been #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. But for whatever reason, be it radio play, lack of marketing, label support, or just sheer stupidity, the song came up short. On previous episodes we have covered True by Spandau Ballet, Space Age Love Song by A Flock of Seagulls, and Hold Me Now by Thompson Twins. Today it’s once again back into the 80s and the New Wave scene. With a song that fits this show like a glove. A song everyone loves… It should been #1 but didn’t even make the charts… The song? Forever Young by Alphaville, from their 1984 debut album.
In 1982, lead singer Marian Gold and keyboardist Bernhard Lloyd formed the group Alphaville in Münster, Germany. The two shared a love for UK indie bands and New Wave standouts from the late 70s and early 80s. Gary Numan, OMD, and Depeche Mode were all influences, as well as Kraftwerk and David Bowie. With the addition of second keyboardist Frank Mertens, the trio originally called themselves Forever Young… but would later change their name to Alphaville, after Jean-Luc Godard’s 1965 neo-noir science fiction film.
During the early years of the band, no one could really play any instruments. According to Marian Gold, “The music was in our heads, but we were dependent on synthesizers and drum machines and things like that. ... The equipment we had at that time was basically toys - the cheapest monophonic synthesizers you could imagine.” Still, they practiced in their basement rehearsal studio there in Münster trying to figure it out. From these experimental sessions, they recorded enough demos to create a tape, which they began to shop around.
In fact, with their demo tape in hand, the band hitchhiked to Berlin in search of a record contract.
Poll: What is you pick for the MOST NOSTALGIC song of the 80s... The one that takes you right back to that time?
Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper. The whole She's So Unusual album. My favorite in 7th grade.
Let's Go Crazy - Prince
Oh, jeez, every song I know! I'll go with Steppin' Out, tho. That was my prom theme.
"The Best of Times" by Styx. "Paradise Theatre" was the first album I bought with money from my first job. It was a pretty big deal to me at the time.
Life in a Northern Town, hey ma ma ma heyy
Although I've never met any member of Alphaville in person, my story about Alphaville is quite a personal one. In 1983 (I was 11 years old back then) my family and I lived in a small village near Cologne, West Germany. In December of that year my mother wanted to visit a friend who lived in Berlin. She went there by train. As the train stopped in Münster a young man, looking tired and bleary-eyed, entered her compartment. He didn't say anything at all and fell asleep quite soon. In order to get to Berlin you had to travel through the former state of the German Democratic Republic. As soon as the train entered Eastern Germany the train crew turned off the heater and as it was December the temperature inside the train sank rapidly. The train crew did this, because they wanted to sell overpriced hot beverages. Well, the young man in my mother's compartment woke up and as he had no money my mom bought him a cup of hot coffee. They started to chat and he said that he was the singer of a then still unknown band called Alphaville and that they are about to release their first single. As my mom knew that I was very much into synth pop she took some notes so that she won't forget to tell me. After arriving in Berlin they both got off at Berlin Zoo and in returning the favor Marian Gold carried my mom's suitcase to a cab. After she returned home she immediately told me and I bought their single the day it was released and I was immediately hooked. My mom still fondly remembers the train ride with Marian Gold. Nice memories!
I hope the guy from this channel reads this. How cool!
Very cool story!
Nice! A great story and a lovely memory. 😊
What a great story. Thanks for sharing it. This song is one of those that just tugs at you in so many ways.
Adam. This episode is one of your top 5. The way this song plays with emotions is magical. I was young in 1984 and remember how the song made me feel. Hearing it 39 years later the song is exponentially more powerful and poignant. It really is a masterpiece. Great video.
My daughter passed away a month short of her 18th birthday a couple of years ago. I had “Forever Young” played at her memorial. She will always be forever young in my heart.
😢
Oh, I'm so sorry 😞!
I'm crying already for your pain.
I send you a big hug, she WILL be forever young...❤❤
Forever Young is one of those songs I loved back in the 80s, when I was a teenager; but now that I'm much older, and have lived the lyrics, I can barely bring myself to listen to it anymore or I'll start ugly crying. Those lyrics, man. They get me every time.
It's so true. I feel the same way. It's just beautiful beyond compare. What lyric hits you hardest?
@@ProfessorofRock "Some are like water, some are like the heat
Some are a melody and some are the beat
Sooner or later, they all will be gone
Why don't they stay young?"
Back then they were just beautiful lyrics. Now, they remind me of friends and loved ones I've lost along the way. 🤧
@@thebeardedseeker5633Same for me. Reminders of good days, and the ones we let slip away. Or they just left. ❤
@@ProfessorofRock, just before watching this video, I saw a video on paranormal phenomena such as remote viewing.
During the introduction of this video, I correctly guessed the song that this video was about.
Coincidence?
@@SpiritualPsychotherapyServices Every once in a while, if I'm listening to radio or someone is DJing an event, the next song that plays will pop into my head about 20 - 30 seconds before. People think this stuff isn't real, and they're very wrong.
Hey Adam, I’m I longtime fan and a 1985 HS graduate. Casey Kasem truly helped make the 80’s the greatest decade in music history. What you’re doing for keeping the 80’s celebrated alive and well today goes well beyond what he was able to do during AT40. You sir are a true 80’s music curator hero! I’m eternally grateful for what you do and so looking forward to watching you for years to come with multiple rewatches of your videos! Casey would be very proud!! Thank you ❤️🙂
They still play 1980s Casey in syndication, and I still listen.
So VERY well said!!
@@fmmaj9noname332 It used to play on one of the local radio stations up here in upstate NY, but then one week they randomly stopped. Would wake up every Sunday morning at 6 just to hear a classic countdown from the 80s. It's also how I found out "Take on Me" first hit #1 on 10/19/85.
IHeart radio plays American Top 40 ,just discovered it….couldnt stop listening
For top 40 and corporate tools.. But there was some to good it broke though.
This song was played at my brother in law's funeral. He died at 24 years old. Every year this song seems to creep into my life at significant times. Yesterday he would have turned 54 years old. He will indeed remain forever young to those of us who knew and loved him. 😥
I am so sorry for your loss.
I'm so sorry 😞!!
Y'know, I forgot to mention, that as an adult, every time I hear this song, I cry.
I cry for the soldiers who have died, especially the ones who went over to Afghanistan.
I'm a former U.S. Army Reserves Motor pool SGT.
"Sitting in a sand pit, life is a short trip(dying young) The music's for the sad man...", those lyrics remind me of how we always would say "they're being deployed over to the sandbox", when a troop was going to Afghanistan, for the war. Many guys, just out of high-school even, went over there, and died too young.
Forever Young, the ballad, by Alphaville, is a fantastic song.
Thank you for your service Sir. I wonder did y'all ever go train at Ft. Irwin, NTC in Cali? It was also called "the sandbox".
Thank you for your service. You, you brothers and sisters in arms, and especially those who died for our country are the _real_ superheroes.
You have our respect. ✊ Peace to you and your family.
Thank you for your service
Thank you for your service.
I just listened to “Wrong Side of Heaven” by Five Finger Death Punch tonight. Just settled down after ugly crying, and _this_ video shows up.
Both songs deserve a lot more exposure and recognition than they’ve gotten.
I have the same transforming back experience when I listen to that old song by the Dream Academy, Life in a Northern Town. It sure takes me back like you have no idea and I enjoy every minute of it.
I was in high school in 88-92 and this song even then was stirring up nostalgic feelings then, watching childhood slip away and watching adulthood barrel down on me! It became extra potent in 1991 when a high school friend I was close to, along with 4 other of his friends died in a head car wreck on a Saturday night. At 17, he has remained forever young in my mind, and sadly in reality. 32 years (November 23, 1991) later that loss still hauntts me, and marked a hard demarcation line for me, when my childhood ended and the reality of adulthood and mortality became all too real.
This is one of those songs that will bring a hard man to tears.
There are some songs I can't listen to very often because of the painful emotions they bring up. This is one.
Thank you Professor for keeping my teenage years alive
I'm a 67 year old man, and I loved your story about your High School Prom Dance. It brought back those bitter sweet memories of my High School days. I now know that I wasn't the only one who felt like that. Thank you for sharing. I'm old now, but in my heart I'll forever be, "Forever Young."
You compliment great lyrics such as Alphaville and other wonderful bands, however, you yourself also possess such a gift to poetically describe the essence of each of the wonderful songs that you share with us all! Thank you for being you!
Agreed. I ran across this channel maybe a year or two ago and wasn't sure about some dude calling himself "the professor of rock". I mean come on now...
As I watched these vids, though, it became obvious that he really does earn the title. He loves the music as much as any of us do and I enjoy his thoughts on it.
This is one of those songs that is many people's guilty pleasure but there's no such thing as guilty pleasures! Such a great song with beautiful vocals.
I don’t hide the fact that I love this song.
What a shame this wasn't a hit. It's one of the better songs from the 80s. Thanks for covering these guys.
Thanks for watching!
IT WASN'T A HIT FOR A REASON. IT'S REALLY NOT THAT GOOD.
I had never heard Forever Young until I saw Napoleon Dynamite. It just wasn't played on rock radio stations here. Perhaps no other song EMBODIES the trials and tribulations of adolescence better. In retrospect, it's surprising it wasn't used in almost every John Hughes movie. You are right, it transports your mind back to that time in our life!
Love it! Thanks for sharing.
Because it's not a Rock song, as easy as that.
Hughes would have thought this song was gold.
This song and the Jamiroqui song are such standouts in Napoleon Dynamite.
Same here, brother. It was a strong point of the film!
Aww, thanks so much for highlighting this song, and Alphaville. One of the great synth pop bands, Marion is a truly great singer, fantastic voice. All of their albums have some great tunes and their later work is as strong as the early days. Afternoons In Utopia is a masterpiece. Love the channel, my favourite music channel on UA-cam. Thanks Professor!!
My senior class theme was Forever Young. Now, 38 years later, I still wax nostalgic every time I hear this song and this amazing album. Thanks for the remembrances of the innocence of nearly 4 decades ago.
Alphaville was big in Germany, nearly every single they released was a hit here! Everyone here knows them, but not only for "Forever young", but also for their debut single "Big in Japan", which is even more well known here in Germany.
Was it popular also to those who live in Eastern Germany. I imagine that they probably smuggled a lot of Western music into it.
This one hit hard. I've been battling an incurable stage 4 cancer for 4 years now. It's mine and my husbands 19 year anniversary. He passed in February 2021 so he's no longer with me to be my #1 support with the cancer fight. Or to celebrate today. Or for anything...Forever Young indeed. The place where these things don't happen. Or if they do we somehow win over them anyhow. Regardless, the good memories that come up are worth a brief walk with the pain. Thanks for all you do, Professor.
It's a shame that Alphaville never caught on in the US. I've been obsessed with them since the 80s. Their body of work over the decades has been incredible. Quite a few songs I like even more than Forever Young. They had a style all their own, told incredible stories with their music. Amazing imagery. And out of everyone I know, I'm the only one who knows them. Have had to listen to them alone for so many years, but it was worth it. Inspiring music that got me out of dark times and brought me endless joy, even if I wasn't able to share it with anyone else.
Wow Adam, THANK YOU so very much for featuring this song. It was literally soundtrack to my junior year of high school! We all loved Forever Young so very much, it was the theme for our homecoming dance, held at the Capital Rotunda in Salt Lake City. I was a band geek who met the girl of my dreams (at the time) from another school, and the night was beyond perfect. As a self taught piano/keyboards player, the chords from Forever Young, the bass from Funky Town, and the one-finger piano solo from The Promise by When In Rome were the first things I learned to play!
This song reminds me of my little brother, he is the one who introduced me to this song, back when we thought we'd stay Forever Young. Sadly, neither of us is young any longer, but we still both send it to one another whenever we hear it on Pandora.....I guess in our hearts we will be Forever Young.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful memory! Bless you!
That is so sweet! I wish I was still close to my brother. He hasn't spoken to me in 8 years and I don't know why. Well, I think I know why but it's not a good reason. I still love him and miss him very much.
@@LazyIRanch Hope things change for you and you and your brother reunite. We lost our folks in our 30's and we've grown closer over the years.
The reality is we grow old every day.
The fact that this song came out in our youth, making us ask those VERY questions at such an early age... in such an optimistically angst driven catchy melody, is what gave us that early insight into appreciating the life experiences yet to come, enabling us to age into ourselves. It prompted us to accept aging gracefully and introspectively. No matter your age, when you hear it... it becomes an instant life anthem. I'm just happy I heard it when I was forever young - in 1984 !
Forever Young was the theme of my Pleasant Grove, Utah 9th grade dance in 1988. The cultural impact of this song and the story of its emergence as Alphaville’s defining hit us masterfully told by the Professor of Rock! How was this song never a #1 hit?!?
I've been on the radio in my car and heard about 20 or so current day hits from the biggest stars of today. I couldn't register any one of them throughout my journey.
Now Im watching this and singing along to Forever Young like a small kid again trying to remain forever young 😊! A classic that can never be replicated and will always remain in my playlist.
I told my wife that not only can i not name 1 song on the Top 40, I can't even name 1 artist on the Top 40 today. And don't care to.
I’m 17 and I feel the exact same way. Today’s music is missing that something - so many things, in fact, that made music like 80s new wave magical.
Adam, I love your channel! I grew up in the 70"s and 80"s and relate to many of your stories of how music captures a moment of time in your life .
Keep up the great work.
No other way to say it: this was a very emotional video. Your "Morp" story truly hit home, and brought a tear to my eye. It brought back so many feelings and memories on a personal level. We didn't have a "Morp" in my school, but still, the story you told struck a chord
Thanks for bringing so much joy to all our lives Adam. You're a legend!
Thank you for this! All of us New Wave "undergrounders" of the '80's wanted this as our Class of '90 song but the "popular" crowd couldn't understand the meaning behind it. It will always be the class song for us and as more of us fall victim to times never ending march it still rings true to this day...
Exactly!
This was our class song, but only bc the normies thought they were voting for the Rod Stewart song. Suckers.
I’m going to tell my principal that this song needs to be played at our Class of 2024 graduation.
Same. I wanted it as prom theme. I did get Rush’s “Time Stand Still” as we outsiders were shown in the Senior Slide Show at least!
Never went to prom; had too much other drama. But this song hits right in the feels. Thanks for covering it!
I have always assumed this was a huge hit on the charts. I just thought it had charted and i missed when. I can't even say when i first heard it, probably on one of the shows you mentioned, definitely a #1 in our hearts. Can't believe it never charted very high because it is a fantastic song. Great episode professor another song i knew so little about other than i knew i loved it
In a just world this would have easily been in the top 5 if not #1
What a great segment, Adam / Professor. I can't say this song was ever on my radar per se, but towards the end of your video, after you personalized it with your own breakup and then the prom with your best friend's gal, it struck home. I love the music you cover and always take something away from your observations and insights. Thank you, as always, for your great content, humor and context for the music that I, and your many followers, appreciate so much.
The whole album is great! One of my favorite albums. Criminally underappreciated compositions and production.
My favorite was Sounds Like a Melody
I played the hellbout of "Fallen Angel" and even made up a video for it in my mind. And "Jet Set" was my aspirational song!
@@james-russellgause4735 What a song eyy. Pure magic
This may be the only and greatest way I can compliment you Professor… and that is by confessing that whenever this song comes up on my Apple 80’s Radio station I skip it for some reason. After watching this video I will NEVER skip this song again. I will sing it as loud as I can in the drivers seat. Thank you for reminding me and opening my eyes up again to how great a song it is.
THIS is why you are my favorite channel.
Loved this song!!! Thanks for sharing the story behind it😊. Also, we called the dances where the girls invited the guys “Sadie Hawkins” dances (might not have the spelling correct🤷♀️).
Hi Adam, I’m 65 to, and never heard of this band Alphaville, but I remember hearing it but it didn’t click , you are right it is a phenomenal song , I am going to put on my playlist on Spotify! Thanks love your channel!!
"Forever Young" will be a Song that lives forever in anybody who grew up in the 1980's regardless of music genre. It was a "Anthem" to us at the time.
I knew that this was going to be on Alfaville because I recognized the lead singer. I had this album on cassette tape. I played it over and over on my Sony boom box in the 80's. Such great memories. Admittedly, I used to lip sync to the songs pretending to be the singer. I'm so glad you are finally covering Alfaville. They are definitely #1 in our hearts. Only Depeche Mode ranks higher. Thank you.
I loved this song when I was a kid in the early eighties. Strangely I never realized that there was so many different releases of it. Now, I get it. Because I’ve heard it occasionally, thinking that it sounded different. Now, i get it! Thanks for this. I really want to hear some of the different versions of this now.
A dorm-mate in college played this song on seemingly endless repeat during our sophomore year in college. That was almost 40 years ago in 1985. I loved the song back then and still do to this day. Thanks to streaming, I have it on heavy rotation. It’s an achingly beautiful song from the music to the lyrics to the vocals. Thank you Lauren for introducing me to Forever Young, which never gets old.
I never heard of Alphaville until today. That song sounds familiar so I must have heard it. Who doesn't want to be forever young? There is only one group who will be forever young. Not talking about the Beatles, Duran Duran or The Rolling Stones or Little Mix or any musical group at all. The answer might surprise you or maybe not. We obviously all get older in this life. But there are those who are sold out to God, the maker of all life. Those who are born again and pass from death unto life the moment they believe fully in Jesus Christ and are promised eternal life not thru good works but through faith and grace. In heaven everyone will look forever young. We can all still realise this dream. Finding out how to do this should be number one on your bucket list. Thank you Adam for your platform regarding great music which in the end should raise us all up to where we belong. Our prince is coming back soon. The Prince of Peace.
Like Bob Dylan said once, "You gotta serve somebody!"
Thanks!
I remember, I was listening to WHFS 99.1 here in the DC area and Forever Young came on the station and I just STOPPED whatever I was doing and just LISTENED! I think what caught my ear was the melody, Canon in D (by Pachelbel. It’s a VERY old classical baroque song)! I said to myself WTF! And then the song kicked in and I listened to the words… It’s been a life long favorite ever since. Yes, the song touched my SOUL!! The song, whenever I hear it, brings back SO MANY MEMORIES! This song IS a Time Machine song and it NEVER GETS OLD!! And for future info, WEA is pronounced “wee-ah”. Thank you for today’s episode. I never realized it WASN’T a hit song. I was listening to it all the time back in the day. And as for do I want to live forever? YES!! But I want to be 25 forever.
Hearing it's unmistable melody and lyrics it just floods you with such emotion and nostalgia. Ty. Professor!❤
I loved Forever Young/Alphaville as a teen in the 80s. I remember hearing a dance mix of this and loving it. I always wondered whatever happened to it. Thank you for hilighting them!
I'd never heard the song before today, and as someone who is trying to come to terms with aging, I could've help crying. How many of us haven't looked in the mirror from time to time and said those exact words?
Oh man, I can so relate to this!
I was a kid during the 80’s and grew up watching MTV, I didn’t know this song existed until it was used in Napoleon Dynamite.
Love this song then love this song still!!! Thank you Professor.
Amen! Good to hear from you my friend!
I had no idea the weren't big in the 80s; I was in college then and heard "Forever Young" all the time. LOVED it. Still takes me back to my senior year there.
Sounds Like A Melody so Dance With Me cause we're Forever Young. #POR Have a great Monday and week everyone, from Tampa Florida...
Rock on Michael 🤘
My parents hosted a French exchange student when I was in high school (1986). He introduced me to Alphaville. I must have worn out the tape. Believe it or not, I've never seen one second of video footage until now (2023). Thanks for bringing it full circle.
This song was awesome to us kids! My sisters and I were in love with it, and it was one of the first tracks on almost every mixed tape we made 😊
That first sounds made, during the opening lyrics, are fantastic 🎉
I just can NOT believe it was not a number 1, or even in the dang top 10! 😊
It’s just a magical journey.
American here. I have been listening to Alphaville since the 80's. One of my favorite bands. Lots of great music. I even have one of Marian Gold's solo albums call So Long Celeste which is also great. Marian Gold is very talented and underrated. We in the US missed out on a lot of great music in the 90's because of the grunge and rap music that dominated the airwaves. I eneded up becoming a Country music fan in the 90's. With the rise of the internet, I have been able to discover lots of music that I missed out from that era.
I really love this song, it's a wistful recollection of things gone by, and how time inevitably moves on, and we all eventually depart from this world. "Regular Show" memorably used it in a flashback to Skip's first love.
I believe we show that in the episode!
This song hits harder for me considering it’s less than a year before I graduate from high school
This is why love your channel. You are so well rounded in music and your introducing bands and tracks only remembered by their first fans. I grew up in a small southern town and heavy metal was the status quo. I loved the GoGos, Duran Duran, Culture Club, and a host of new wave bands who had mild success in the US, like Alphaville. You bring back wonderful memories and remind me of better times. Thank you Professor. You have the classes full attention.
Same with Alphawill as w Prince, it wasn't the obvious ballads that got me hooked.
Prince it was When Doves Cry, with alphaVille it was SOUNDS like a MELODY. .. I mean, come on this line...."The ringing of your laughter it sounds like a melody...."
I had a mixed tape, I've used my first salery on a SONY WALKMAN with reverse play and anti shake (so I could use it while jogging, dancing or walking fast)
So this mixed tape, c90 cassette was running on repeat, and I was glad I didn't smoke or drank, because of my massive spending on batteries to make the walkman playing every spare moment or walking back and forth to College or whenever ;)
Phil Collins in the Air tonight, Peter Gabriel- Shock the Monkey, Daid Bowie Ashes to Ashes, Mike Oldfield Five Miles Out, Get to France, Pictures in the Dark, Alphaville Sounds like a melody, AHa Take on Me, Cry Wolf, Hunting High and Low, Queen - Radio GaGa, Simple Minds, New Gold Dream, Catwalk, Michael Sembello - Maniac, Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams, Here comes the rain again, Fiction Factory - Feels like heaven, Sisters of Mercy - Temple of Love, MMEB - Lies, all through the 80'ies, Blinded by the light and last but deffo not least; ULTRAVOX - The Voice, Hymn, Dancing with tears in my eyes and Lament. I also had a full cassette w just Jean Michel Jarre, Equinoxe on 1 side and Oxygene on the other, for skiing or running through Arctic winter wonderland or just laying on the frozen lake, looking at the starry sky, the moon and Auroras dancing across the the heavens. 💗💗
Music made my life worth living no matter what the challenge was or had been up to that moment. Music gave me purpose and JOY! ;)
Maybe I should make that list again, and go out into the night and just be ....... F O R E V E R Y O U N G ....again....🤔🎶🎶🎵🎵🎶🎶🎵🎵
Professor of Rock, Adam, you are doing a tremendous job. I appreciate you and all the information and stories that you convey to all of us who watch your channel. Thank you very much for all you do. I had completely forgotten about this song and band by the way. Because of you, i am revisiting the past and remembering. Thank you again.
I absolutely LOVE that you covered Alphaville's "Forever Young" today. This is such a phenomenal song. I remember some back in the day as touting it to be the "Stairway To Heaven" of the post modern era. I find it ironic that they slowed it down, and then later released a re-mix of the song that was a dance hit as well. I remember hitting the dance clubs back then and the re-mix was always played. Great vid!
I like "Forever Young" by AOR/melodic rock band Icon better than I do Alphaville's.
@@davej.meister5421 - Axel Rudi Pell did a pretty good version of it too. :)
My favorite song from my favorite band. The song itself is timeless. Our group of outcasts petitioned hard and succeeded in getting it voted as our senior graduation theme (Class of 1990 in smalltown Texas). Been a lifelong fan of the band since those days.
It's always great to never give up on a song's potential. Just gotta keep trying to see what works and what doesn't. Cheers!
Amen! Thanks RC32!
@@ProfessorofRock Cheers!
Perseverance is a key trait! Cheers to you, RC32. 🍻
I'm an Idaho boy too...Burley, ID....love the way you tell a story, with feelings and meanings. Love your work
I like this far more than Rod Stewart’s Forever Young! A true classic!
Rod Stewart's Forever Young was a cover of Bob Dylan's 1974 classic. Personally, I like both Alphaville's song and the Dylan song, each for different reasons.
That one’s good as well!
Man, your story at the end really touched me. Those are the kinds of moments of youth that I yearn for - the glory and the pain. It was magical.
The entire Forever Young album is completely amazing. Still one of my favorite albums of all time!
Chills - it was our Prom theme in '89 - I guess the committee was thinking of the Rod Stewart song of the same name, but Alphaville's was what was in my head.
Hey PoR, Alphaville made an orchestrated version very recently with a bunch of social media interviews with Marion Gold and his daughter for that new release. You should do an interview with Marion in the future. What a legendary group!
I will try!
I need to see this!
Thank you Professor of Rock for the nostalgic trip. The dance version of Forever Young is just as good. Very up tempo. It is a big hit in Singapore and remains very popular.
I've been fascinated by the way our entertainment culture consistently referenced the Cold War and our fears of nuclear annihilation. We got so used to carrying that weight and dancing to it, that the war worries people have today feel old hat. I have this song in my Everybody's Got a Bomb playlist😆
I dont know if you've covered this song, Professor, but maybe do an episode on how the Cold War effected a whole generation's music. And 8m hoping you'll do an episode featuring Common Ground by Rhythm Corps.😊
Love the playlist title, Linda.
Working as a DJ in Vancouver at the time, this song STOPPED me in my tracks!!! A promotional DJ Remix melded the dance and slowed down version was the hook for me. Poignant, Atmospheric and Operatic it hit on many cylinders. To this day I still turn people on to this track. One word………..PHENOMENAL!!!
It's crazy that this song was never a big hit here, it's a masterpiece.
Why wasn’t the US bigger on 80s new wave?
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I thing it was 80's metal that overshadowed everything else, which is understandable because It was great and I'm still a fan of it today.
@@danielwolski873 Well, heavy metal did not do good on the charts either! I think it was actual pop rock music that the US was eating up.
Not crazy at all. Average at best
IT WAS NEVER A BIG HIT FOR A REASON ............. IT'S NOT A BIG HIT. NOT EVEN CLOSE.
Adam, I am amazed at your depth of research! Please keep supplying us with these nourishing tidbits.:)
Never heard of the band or the song! And music was my life in the 80s...
You ain't the only one. I lived for music in the 80s and also love music trivia but I don't remember any of this.
Same with me. Never heard of Alphaville. I only know Rod Stewart's "Forever Young."
You'll Love it!
I grew up in Logan, Utah in the 80s and 90s. In high-school Forever Young was THE slow dance along with With or Without You from U2, it’s where I first heard Alphaville, so grateful for awesome DJs back in 1993-1997! I actually remember dancing with my husband at a New Years Eve dance at USU’s old Golden Toaster building in 1997, which has since been turned into a parking lot for the University. That was the second time I randomly met him, though it would be 23 years later before we met again and married two years later. Side not: My second husband grew up in Preston and his older brother Mark was best friends with Jared Hess! Apparently, the moon boots he wears were inspired by my seconds husbands personal wardrobe choice during high school. That movie was a fun bit of nostalgia for a bunch of kids from Northern Utah and Southern Idaho! Thanks for covering another personal gem, one that still makes me tear up and get all the goose bumps! So many memories!! ❤️❤️❤️😂😂🥰🥰🥹
Youth Group did a version which went to number 1 here in 2006
I tried to get Forever Young to be our high school graduation song in 1990. Sadly when I made the recommendation everyone thought I meant Rod Stewart's song Forever Young and not Alphaville's. Since it was slightly more recent everyone jumped on board and agreed that Rod's song was it. As much as I like Rod and his music, especially Great American Songbook, I was bummed it wasn't Alphaville's Forever Young. Always a classic in my nostalgic vault of 80's music. Thanks for the reminder Adam.
They spawned the popularity of bands such as Slayer, Megadeath etc.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ha!
🙄🙄🙄😂😂😂😂😂🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
I'll try not to hold that against them.😂
You win🏆
Always loved Alphaville Brings me back to the 80s every time I play their vinyl. Such an underrated band here in the US.
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally
Sadly, I don't recognize this song. By the time it came out I was married and almost 30, living in the Caribbean. Hearing it now, I wish I had heard it back then. What a beautiful song.❤ It makes me wish I was a teenager again.
Angst over global thermonuclear war in the 1980s spawned some great music and movies! Who knew we’d still be around 40 years later, older and fatter?
Ha ha! Good point. What's your favorite cold war song?
LOL, had we known we'd live this long we'd have taken better care of ourselves!!! (my dad used to say..... it ain't the years, it's the miles! )
Everybody thought 1999 would be the end of the world!
@@ProfessorofRock 99 Red Balloons -- which is among my top-5 "Most 80s 80s songs of the 80s". Feel free to use that theme sometime🤣
As a speech and journalism major, I worked in radio at KXOR 106.1FM and KFVG (college radio station) and enjoyed both sides of the profession. Having to play what was commercial (KXOR) and what we wanted at the college station, Alphaville wasn't a band that was in hot rotation but had a huge female college following. I remember the girls calling KVFG and requesting it all the time. I even got a date from it. WOOHOO. Ah, the good ol days of playing 'Forever Young' followed by 'Class of 2000' by White Witch. My fours hours were all over the place.
***PROF. GOES TO 'ALPHAVILLE' TO REMAIN "FOREVER YOUNG" FROM 1984, 1988, AND #1...IN OUR HEARTS...*** ...y'know, I always liked this tune, but I only remembered Laura Branigan's version (from her 1985 "Hold Me" Album....but, me Best Bud LOVES that Alphaville tune! ...like, LUVS it! (cont.)
...I had to 'educate' me Niece once, because apparently Beyonce played it at one of her Concerts, and me Niece showed me footage, & went, "...is this Song 'Old!?' " ...OUCH! ((👴))..ha-HAAA!! ..unfortunately, I can't leave charts today, VERY tight schedule, but keep us remainin' FOREVER YOUNG, Prof.!!
No charts is the equivalent of the ravens leaving the Tower Of London- disastrous!
Very cool! No charts! Cuz it didn't chart!
Yep.
@@ProfessorofRockSame in Britain I think ( unless lower reaches of the top 75) but it did well in France as my wife remembers it from the time.
Beyoncé played a version? How and what did it sound like?
This was a song I played for a few different girlfriends who didn’t feel it the same way I did. But then with one of them, this song was the soundtrack to our few months together. Impossible to hear now and not jump back to those charged awkward awesome days (and nights).
I always thought that Forever Young would find its way to a major motion picture... it just had that anthemic feel to it
For sure. It's great it was a classic like Napoleon Dynamite! Thanks FLAVE!
@@ProfessorofRockIt really is perfect for that scene, as well as the movie as a whole. It fits the whole theme
It was in Listen to Me. Not a huge classic movie but....
It’s a good song for graduations and proms!
There's some songs that I feel like I have to sing along and when I do I can't help but cry.... this is one of those songs. ❤
The reason the song sounds so great is because it uses a classic chord progression not unlike Pachebel's Canon but in C, instead of D
Can you link to that song please?
ua-cam.com/video/UPiK2coUUGY/v-deo.html This is a very very common chord progression or take off of, it has inspired countless pop songs for a century and more @@ProfessorofRock
@@ProfessorofRockua-cam.com/video/NlprozGcs80/v-deo.htmlsi=gBHPfwVr6VrBFr85. You should recognize the song it's usually in weddings
BOOM! I remember hearing a Classical composition and hearing the melody to the chorus of "Forever Young" but I can't remember what the title was.
@professorofrock Pachabel’s Canon in D - ua-cam.com/video/JvNQLJ1_HQ0/v-deo.htmlsi=iVUwwunlpiFSASOI
I never realized this song never went higher on the Hot 100. Such a great song
Wow. How did I miss this band back in the day. Don't remember the band or the song. I think those neurons must have fought bravely against the hops
Go listen and then tell me if you think it is the perfect high school prom song.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 After playing the song, I remember it, but I did not remember the band. But yeah, it is taylor made for a prom I agree :)
I have followed Alphaville since 1985. To this day I still buy music! Ask me what is my favorite album?? Haaaaaaahahahaha....that is like asking a kid what their favorites candy is!!! Forever a fan. When Martin Lister passed away....10 years ago....i cried. His keyboard playing is and always was fantastic! He will always live in our souls.
Wait--Alphaville was from Germany? I always thought they were from the U.K. Once again, learn something new every day!
As an aside, I had my 35th high school reunion this past weekend. Music was quite eclectic in the 1980s. (For me the last great year in pop music was 1985. Tears for Fears was a large part of my high school soundtrack, as were The Cars.)
TFF! Have you seen any of them live?
@@ProfessorofRock No, I haven't.
I forgot they didn’t come from England!
What a special memory you have awakened. Not, in my case, the song, but instead the Morp dance! It was the time when I finally got up the courage to ask my classmate, on whom I had a severe crush for months, to let me take her to the dance--and what a shock it was when she said yes. I was a big, awkward doofus, and she was small, thin, and frankly nerdy-looking, but I thought the world of her. Well, we danced every dance, and I still sometimes think back to the love I felt during the slow ones. ❤
I'm happy to say that we're still friends today, some 42 years later, although she broke off our relationship to concentrate on school (she's now a veterinarian), and I'm happily married to someone else. Still, she and I at that Morp dance will always provide me with a very precious memory. Thank you, Professor! 😊
Napoleon Dynamite brought me here. 🤣
Ha ha!
This was our senior class theme song, and was played at all the senior events, Prom and Graduation. Class of 86. At the time I thought it was kinda depressing, thinking this is the best my life will be? Between “Forever Young” and “Glory Days” by Springsteen released 1984, I was starting to get weirded out thinking my life will never get better than being 17. Of course I was wrong thankfully, and became determined to make my life more interesting the older I got. Ironically, I saw an old video of my prom with a clear shot of my dancing with my future husband to “Forever Young” and cried my little eyes out because it was in fact in my youth that my life started taking shape. I showed my adult son the video and he got to see both his Mom and Dad in their youth, in high school, dancing to the theme song of our life. Classic!
Soft Cell was like no other and I can’t think of another band like them since. Just ❤ Marc Almond and David Bell; their music is timeless.
Edit: grammar
Torch is such a unique song!
Such a classic!@@danbartfield8252
I don't recall ever hearing this song until Napoleon dynamite, but it still felt so nostalgic. I lived in Germany in the 80s but I was very young, so maybe I heard it but didn't remember. Regardless, I just love it and I guess it gives everyone who hears it that feeling.
Soft Cell are so underrated.
I am so glad you have done a video of Alphaville. I love them!! I used to listen to them so much in the 80’s. Forever Young is often played at graduation proms.
Damn, I thought this was going to talk about the Rod Stewart hit….
You like that better?
Everyone who mentioned that this song brings you instantly to tears, I'm right there with you probably 90% of the time. So many emotions....
I actually prefer "Big In Japan" 🇯🇵
I was very lucky that my mom loved 80s music. She listened to her parents' 30s and 40s music, and grew up with the 50s and 60s music of her era.
My mother loved the New Wave style, the British Pop Invasion, the New Romantics, and synthesizer music along with hard rock. That eclectic taste in music made my mom unique in our experience.
Alphaville took her breathe away... she loved the band.
When Depeche Mode came to tour South Africa in the 1990s, mom was there at the concert with us.
That is one of the songs that carries me back down memory lane of growing up in the 80's.
I was 20 years old and in Germany when this song was released, and I swear to this day it was a sound direct to my soul.