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Christmas 2020 has come and gone and with it the release of Wonder Woman 1984 on HBOMax. Many of us wrapped ourselves in our weighted blankets, forced our cats and dogs to snuggle, and prepared ourselves for a wave of feel-good nostalgia of both the eighties and our undying love of Diana Prince. And despite how you might feel about the movie overall, it definitely gave us a hint of that candy colored, synth-tastic, hair sprayed world and it left us wanting more!
So if you want to keep 1984 alive in your hearts and ears, here is a list of some of 84’s greatest hits! Put on your tights, hike up your high-cut thong leotard, strap on your sweat band and lets pump the jams! And if your favorite 1984 hit isn’t on the list, please share it in the comments so we can create the most epic, specifically 1984 playlist of all time!
1. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” – Wham!
Obviously we have to start out with the obnoxiously upbeat and poppy hit from Wham! George Michael’s smooth yet perky crooning, the almost ominously low mutterings of “jitterbug” make it a toe-tapping treat. You can just imagine Max Lord listening to it obsessively as he pumps himself up to go con more investors into buying shares of Black Gold.
2. “When Doves Cry” – Prince
Prince’s iconic movie musical “Purple Rain” came out in July of 1984 and while I think every song from that film (and album!) is a solid gold hit, “When Doves Cry” feels like the perfect angsty bop for Diana Prince as she reminisces about her doomed romance with Steve Trevor. He did, after all, “leave her standing, alone in a world that’s so cold.”
3. “What’s Love Got To Do With It” – Tina Turner
“What’s Love Got To Do With It” is the perfect song for when you want to dig into the vibes of Barbara Minerva and Max Lord’s escalating flirtations. Opposites attract! It’s physical! It’s about a woman trying to project a tough exterior in order to protect her fragile heart! Plus Tina’s mane makes her a ferocious lioness!
4. “Jump” – Van Halen
It’s all in the name. “Jump” is dying to be used in an action sequence. And let’s be real, Diana does A LOT of jumping and slow, graceful landing in this movie. Especially after she learns to fly!
5. “I Just Called To Say I Love You” – Stevie Wonder
Craving a song to slow dance to as you imagine yourself in Diana and Steve’s shoes as they slow dance right after reuniting at the gala? Then Stevie Wonder has the sappy slow jam for you! Leave your irony at the door because this is the eighties, you can grab it again when the year is 1990.
6. “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” – Deniece Williams
Another jam for you WonderTrev stans! Deniece Williams has the perfect song for Steve’s makeover montage. When she sings “And maybe he don’t dress fine, but I really don’t mind” just picture Steve’s love of fanny packs and enjoy.
7. “Radio Ga Ga” – Queen
What song could capture the vibe of Max Lord, powered by the Dreamstone, taking over the top secret government satellite to broadcast his wish granting all across the globe more than Queen’s “Radio Ga Ga?” He has the time and he has the power! And Diana has yet to reach her finest hour ok?
8. “Eighties” – Killing Joke
You can’t talk about the eighties without mentioning the tense ever-present fear of nuclear annihilation brought on by the Cold War. This, spurred on by Max Lord, is the real threat at the heart of Wonder Woman 1984, as both the United States and the USSR wish for more nukes and prepare to launch them. Killing Joke taps into the darkness brewing under the neon-candy surface of the 1980s with this scathing song. Fun fact: They later sued Nirvana for ripping them off with “Smells Like Teen Spirit!”
9. “The Glamorous Life” – Sheila E.
If there was ever going to be a song from 1984 made for Barbara Minerva it is Sheila E’s “The Glamorous Life.” Minerva is desperate for power, confidence and fabulous clothing. All the things she thinks Diana has and that she herself lacks. She doesn’t think she needs love or human connection when she has her fur coat and the ability to kick a man to death for harassing her on the street!
10. “Do They Know It’s Christmas” – Band Aid
And finally, you can’t have a 1984 Christmas without the celebrity filled, condescending, and cringe-inducing collaboration of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas!” Or I suppose, you could watch Gal Gadot’s equally misguided 2020 edition in which she gathered various celebrities together to warble along to John Lennon’s “Imagine.” It’s no longer 1984 but some things never change!
(Photo: Warner Bros. )
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The post Craving More 1984? Here is a Playlist Worthy of Wonder Woman first appeared on The Mary Sue.
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Elections, voter suppression, a pandemic, continued acts of racism and injustice, extreme weather, fires across the country, and a growing recession are just some of the challenges we collectively faced this year. The actual struggle list is quite long and these challenges have hit low-income and people of color in disproportionate ways.
Finding ways to heal can be difficult while simultaneously managing social distancing and our individual, daily struggles. But many are finding new ways to cope and digging up forgotten tools to manage stress and support mentally themselves during this difficult season. My good friend shared with me years ago that when she’s feeling down, one strategy she uses to lift her spirit is to “throw on some heels and a bold lip.” It seems trivial, but doing so helps boost her mood and brings a sense of optimism to her day. It’s just one part of her larger healing regimen which includes journaling, creative expression, and other self-care practices.
Heels and a bold lip can’t bring our loved ones, our jobs, or other portions of our pre-COVID lives back. However, tapping into our creative sides can make a world of difference when it comes to coping with such losses. I recently spoke with a few folks on how they leveraged their passion for creativity to cope with their current reality. Here’s what I learned.
Finding Creative Expression In the Midst of Challenges
Actor Dyllón Burnside is well known for his work on FX’s Pose and he’s joined “Bravolebrity” Porsha Williiams, activist DeRay McKesson, and others to support Raheem.org, an organization dedicated to ending police violence in the Black community. Dyllón is no stranger to thinking about how to focus on healing during difficult challenges. His new song “Silence” speaks to the feelings of isolation many of us have felt during the pandemic and this creative expression continues to be a part of his efforts to remain hopeful in the face of challenges.
“So often we try to run from discomfort to avoid turbulence and pain, but it’s so critical for us to lean in during times of hardship to really allow ourselves to experience all ranges of emotions because challenges are often our greatest teachers,” he shared.
Similarly, dancer Dnay B is no stranger to using her art to thrive in the midst of challenges. Sis danced for Beyoncé while pregnant and then began working on reimagining systems for policing by getting involved with Raheem.org as well.
“I love my work with Raheem.org because it’s a way for me to use my art to create impact in my community,” she explained. “Movement and dance help me to get through some of the persistent challenges I encounter, but also for me to think about the future in new ways. We don’t have to accept what we’ve always known as part of life. A new beginning is always around the corner.”
Wisdom Through Faith and Spirituality
Yunersy Morel is a 20-year-old college student working with Pathways to Creative Industries* to learn more about her interests in fashion. Yunersy is a student leader playing an active role in her church and on her college campus. During the past two years, she’s participated in fashion shows, networking events, and training to prepare her for her career, but it’s not education that she relies on in times such as this.
“I worry about getting a job when I graduate, but I don’t have anxiety about it,” she said, explaining she leans on her faith in God and spirituality in such uncertain times. She’s also energized by finding new ways to enhance her gifts in modeling and design. “When you lean on God, you don’t get let down.”
Her heels and a bold lip is her community of faith. While fellowshipping in person may not be an option, many resources exist online for daily meditation, virtual prayer circles, and gratitude journaling. “My faith helps me to stay focused on a higher purpose during difficult times. I’m focused on what I have to do now.”
She encourages her community to think about ways to stay in the present moment and focus on their spiritual practices during times of difficulty. Her advice is “Focus on your faith and the things we do have. Be grateful for what we may take for granted.”
Use Your Voice
Not long ago, Tanya Taylor, a designer who has outfitted Beyoncé and Michelle Obama, to name a few dynamic women, shared her story with a group of young people in New York City as part of a workshop series led by AvancebyPCI.com. Most recently, her company led an effort to encourage Americans to vote in the November 2020 election and create colorful pieces of art under the hashtag #ArttoHeart as a way for people to share their love for color and creativity during this tough time.
While Taylor’s “heels and a bold lip” is an actual pair of heels and a bold lip, she he also shared, “I love to add color and flowers to my home or a colorful outfit.”
In addition to counseling, continued learning and practicing new habits, these folks have used the pandemic to think about who they are and who they want to be in the world. As we continue to grapple with publicized and covert acts of racism, the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing voter suppression and disenfranchisement, and a host of other challenges, we must seek out opportunities to take care of ourselves and one another. In the words of singer, songwriter evrYwhr, “we need love,” healing and ways to cultivate joy in our daily lives. The amazing thing is that can come in many forms.
Dr. Joiselle Cunningham is CEO of Pathways to Creative Industries and Vice President at CareerWise NY, under the NYC CEO Jobs Council. Cunningham previously served in the Obama Administration and received her doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. You can find her on Twitter @JoiCunn.
You know that feeling you get when you really want to like something, but when you try it, it doesn’t fire on all cylinders like you thought it would? Well, let’s talk about Soul, Pixar’s latest animated feature.
Pixar finally created its first Black male lead character, and unfortunately, the story falls flat. There is a lack of the emotional gravitas that we are used to seeing from them. It’s fun, but I expected more. There was so much potential. They did so many things right but failed to hold our hearts all the way through.
Soul followers Joe Gardner as the musician who loves everything there is to love about jazz. With a steady gig as a middle school music teacher, Joe dreams of playing with the legends in the New York jazz clubs. On the day that Joe gets his big break, playing with jazz singer Dorothea Williams, he has an accident that takes him to the waiting room for the great beyond. Refusing to leave Earth behind, Joe escapes to the great before where he meets Soul 22.
22 is no fan of Earth and does not want to be born. Joe and 22 team up to get Joe back to his body and show 22 why living is so worth it.
The film stars the voice talents of so many great actors. The lead character of Joe is brought to life by Jamie Foxx (Ray). Soul 22, the unborn who finds Earth unspecial, is voiced by Tina Fey (30 Rock). Soul also features the talent of Angela Bassett (Black Panther), Phylicia Rashad (Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey), Questlove (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), and Alice Braga (Queen of the South). The film is bursting with talented people from cast to animators. Soul is co-written and co-directed by Pete Docter (Monsters Inc.) and Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami) and features animators from some of our favorite Pixar films like Inside Out, Wall-E, Up, and Toy Story 4.
Kemp and a group of consultants did what they could to bring a realistic view of Black culture to the project. Iconic moments happened on-screen that feature a community barbershop, a minority heavy public middle school, and a hot jazz club. The film also boasts important themes that center around finding your spark and reveling in the excitement of doing what you dream of doing. The film begs you to remember that moment you fell in love with what inspires you to keep going. It also encourages everyone to experience the beauty of what the world has to offer.
The film is bright and colorful. It is fun. It is whimsical. But, for a movie highlighted as the first Black lead for a Pixar film, we don’t get to see enough of the body and soul as one. It’s not as bad as the Princess and the Frog situation that we all talk about, but it is not great. From the outside, Soul looks like it is all about Joe Gardner, but feels like it is about 22. As lovable, sarcastic, and cheeky as that character is, it is not the Black man we planned on rooting for in the entire film. Is it too much to ask for an animated movie from a major studio claiming credit for the first Black male lead to have him stay on screen and be himself for the entire time?
The animation is inventive and introduces the industry to new techniques. Pixar is known for its innovative animation process. On top of visuals, the film boasts a great soundtrack. The jazz elements speak to the film. The compositions and arrangements are done by the talented Jon Batiste (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert). The original score is by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who have performed and composed for some of our favorite movies and TV shows, like Watchmen, Bird Box, Gone Girl, and Grey’s Anatomy. There is a universal sound that also speaks to the ethereal and spiritual components of the film. The music fills you up and proves just how moving and important it is, not only to Joe Gardner but to the real world as well. It reminds us that we all have a little Joe Gardner inside of us that craves the sound of our favorite songs and melodies.
Soul is full of music, full of heart, and highlights the Black culture missing from our animated adventures. There is no doubt connections will be made by the audience with the themes and the characters, but it still leaves something to be desired. Soul doesn’t supply that emotional spark that most Pixar films do. The film does come at a time in life when a lot of people are at a turning point, identifying what is important, and pursuing new passions in quarantine.
Identifying that spark is what the film is all about. Find out where Joe’s spark takes him in Soul, streaming December 25, 2020, on Disney+.
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