Especially touching

I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen this video. But each and every time, the feels are the same. There’s a feeling of nostalgia and happiness, but it also leaves me a bit teary-eyed.

“Especially for you” was the song that cemented the popularity of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. They were a couple when they sang this hit. But they eventually split up and led separate lives, both professionally and personally.

Seeing them together like this just shows that there’s no love lost between them. After many decades, they still have the same love and respect for each other. You can see it in their chemistry, their dynamics, and their spoken and body language.

I’ve seen this dozens of times, and that touching feeling just goes on and on.

FMM: Never too late, once again

We're capping off the "Never too Leyte" and "Never too Late" series.

Or are we?

Today's Friday Magic Madness song is a 1989 hit from Kylie Minogue. It's another apt FMM song for today, especially since the title is exactly what we've been saying the past 2 weeks:

"Never Too Late," is one of Kylie's danceable ditties. It's fun and catchy more than 30 years ago, it's still fun and catchy until now.

It's never too late to feature this song.

Disco Queens

Awesome music knows no generation. That's a fact.

Here's even more proof to that.

Gloria Gaynor is a disco icon way back in the 70s. Heck, everyone danced to "I Will Survive" and "Never Can Say Goodbye."

Kylie Minogue is a disco icon from the late 80s until now. Heck, everyone danced to "I Should be so Lucky" and "Can't Get You Out of My Head."

And these 2 disco icons broke their generational barriers and dropped this collaboration.

Gosh! They both look and sound ageless. Which is what real music queens are like. Being a fan of both these artists, watching this song is 2 times the thrill!

Looks like there's going to be a new disco LSS in my mind starting today.

FMM: Going Loco

I’ve said this before, i’ll say it again: “Sometimes, the best plan is to have no plan at all.”

The past 2 years, there were plans to personally meet-up with some of the Melrose folks, but while most of them have been able to see each other, I'd always be busy or absent. Thus, I haven't seen them since January 2020!

Today, while doing a quick mall run at SM Megamall to buy a gift for Baby Kai, lo and behold, Fiesta and LG were also there!

And because the 3 of us were there already, we naturally went to eat at the place we were talking about last week during Patis' birthday.

El Pollo Loco!

In honour of this fun and unexpected meeting at El Pollo Loco, today's Friday Magic Madness is a 1987 classic - and the first major international hit of Kylie Minogue:

Yes, let's do the Loco-motion since we're in El Pollo Loco!

Here's the the next - and planned - meet up.

FMM: French leave

Since I'm on a Kylie Minogue roll, let me mark today's Friday Magic Madness with another classic Kylie from the 80s.



The first time I heard the word "Je ne sais quoi" was from Lola Dita. Later I found out that it loosely meant "something extra." But the phrase "Je ne sais quoi porquoui" means "I don't know why."

Amazing how one word in French can change the total meaning of a phrase. And while I don't know how one word could change the meaning so much, I do know that I enjoy listening to this song again and again and again.

Sunday Especial

Wait, there's more!



A reunion duet with Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, singing their iconic 80s hit! I'll admit, watching this video made me sentimental, almost to the point of being teary-eyed.

This is a good weekend for music.

You can't Hyde from this!

Stumbled upon this video of the recent Hyde Park concert featuring Kylie Minogue. And gosh, I was psyched when I saw it.

Here's why:



Kylie Minogue singing Rick Astley. Then, Rick Astley appearing on stage! Then there's the fact that they sang a mash up of "Lucky" and "Never Gonna Give you up."

I'm going to watch this over and over and over and over and over again tonight.

FMM: Take it for a Spin

On the ride to work, one radio station had their own version of Friday Magic Madness and played songs that, as the DJ described them, "best of the Oldies."

And what was the song they played after that description?



Yes, it was Kylie Minogue's "Spinning Around."

Incidentally, this was released around 13 years ago, and I remember how big a hit it was.

Gosh, songs from the year 2000 are now considered "best of the Oldies."

I'm getting old.

FMM: Extra cheese, please

Tomorrow's lesson is about editing and I'm looking for videos that use cuts, dissolves and wipes in telling the story.

The dissolve effect is often used by ballads, so I started scouring youtube for possible candidates. Lo and behold, I found the Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan classic, especially for you.



With all the slow dissolves, half dissolves, split screen and and superimposition, I must say this is one cheesy video. It can put Dutch towns to shame.

Thankfully, I like Kylie Minogue. And yes, I like cheese.

So, cheesy as it may seem, I actually like this video.

Top Three Songs

I've been listening to these 3 songs over and over and over and over and over and over and over again the past few weeks. In fact, I alternate them as my lullaby to help facilitate my transition to la-la land. I've grown so addicted to these songs that:

1. I have them in my ibook and it's the 3 top played songs in my playlist.
2. I drop by HMV at Causeway Bay THEN at Tsim Sha Tsui so I can listen to them before I go home.
3. I turn the CD player on when I get back to the room and play these songs.

They're quite an eclectic mix of songs, which makes me wonder why i'm obsessing about them. If it were all pop or all jazz, then I can easily say: "I'm just into a jazz thang..." But no! They're quite diverse: One is a pop/rock ditty, one is very seductively electronica, and the last one is boom-boom cheerleader stuff.

The end product of listening to them is that I now memorize the songs by heart. Want proof? Let me write the lyrics for you:



CHOCOLATE by Kylie Minogue

Fragile, seems I opened up to quick and all my dreams were woken up
I slowly lost my fight
with every single man a river cried

I had no sensation, completely numb I felt no satisfaction
I thought no one could ever get me high again
I swear I was not looking

I've waited so long, I thought the real thing was a fake, I thought it was a tool to break me down
you prove me wrong again

If love were liquid it would drown me in a placeless place refine me,
in a heart shape come around me and then melt me slowly down
if love were human it would know me in a lost space come and show me,
hold me and control me and then melt me slowly down, like chocolate

Tastes so good my hearts been mended, who'd have thought it would?
an empty bed and still I won the catch, a man who I love and who loves me back

I've waited so long for love to heal me, so I'd feel it, thought it wasn't real and then you came
you prove me wrong again

If love were liquid it would drown me in a placeless place refine me,
in a heart shape come around me and then melt me slowly down
if love were human it would know me in a lost space come and show me,
hold me and control me and then melt me slowly down, like chocolate

Come here, zoom in, catch the smile
there's no doubt it's for you and I'm addicted tonight

Just one look boy to mellow it out
just one heart here to save me now
your candy kisses are sweet I know
hold me tight baby, don't let go

*Images of strippers gyrating around silver poles come to mind each time I hear this song.



HOLLABACK GIRL by Gwen Stefani

Uh huh, this my shit
All the girls stomp your feet like this

A few times I've been around that track
So it's not just goin' to happen like that
Because I ain't no hollaback girl
I ain't no hollaback girl
[2x]

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [4x]

I heard that you were talking shit
And you didn't think that I would hear it
People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up
So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack
Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out
That's right, put your pom-poms down, getting everybody fired up

A few times I've been around that track
So it's not just goin' to happen like that
Because I ain't no hollaback girl
I ain't no hollaback girl
[2x]

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [4x]

So that's right dude, meet me at the bleachers
No principals, no student-teachers
All the boys want to be the winner, but there can only be one
So I'm gonna fight, gonna give it my all
Gonna make you fall, gonna sock it to you
That's right, I'm the last one standing, another one bites the dust

A few times I've been around that track
So it's not just goin' to happen like that
Because I ain't no hollaback girl
I ain't no hollaback girl
[2x]

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [4x]

Let me hear you say, this shit is bananas
B-A-N-A-N-A-S
[4x]

A few times I've been around that track
So it's not just goin' to happen like that
Because I ain't no hollaback girl
I ain't no hollaback girl
[2x]

Oooh, this my shit, this my shit [4x]

*I love the MTV version where they edit out the "shit" word. It's totally cute!



SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE by Kelly Clarkson

Here's the thing we started off friends
It was cool but it was all pretend
Yeah yeah
Since you've been gone

You dedicated you took the time
Wasn't long till I called you mine
Yeah Yeah
Since you've been gone

And all you'd ever hear me say
Is how I pictured me with you
That's all you'd ever hear me say

But since you've been gone
I can breathe for the first time
Im so movin on
Yeah yeah
Thanks to you
Now I get
What I want
Since you've been gone

How can I put it? you put me on
I even fell for that stupid love song
Yeah yeah
Since you've been gone

How come I never hear you say
I just wanna be with you
I guess you never felt that way

But since you've been gone
I can breathe for the first time
Im so movin on
Yeah yeah
Thanks to you
Now I get
I get what I want
Since you've been gone

You had your chance you blew it
Out of sight, out of mind
Shut your mouth I just can't take it
Again and again and again and again

Since you've been gone
I can breathe for the first time
Im so movin on
Yeah yeah
Thanks to you (thanks to you)
Now I get
I get what I want
I can breathe for the first time
Im so movin on
Yeah yeah
Thanks to you (thanks to you)
Now I get (I get)
You should know (you should know)
That I get
I get what I want
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone

*It's such a cool, bad-ass bitch break-up song.

Now excuse me while I sing these songs all over again...