Song of the Day - Dare Me - The Pointer Sisters

Baby make your move

Step across the line

Touch me one more time

C'mon dare me

Dare Me is one of the Pointer Sisters' last great hits, peaking at #11 on the pop charts back in 1985.  It's got a nice dance groove and a very catchy chorus.  Check it out...

Song of the Day - Fire - The Pointer Sisters

After discussing The Pointer Sisters in yesterday's Flashback Friday post, I decided to take a listen to their playlist on my iPod.  It was the first time I'd done that in years and I enjoyed every single moment of it.  I was a big Sisters' fan back in the early 80's, and I knew their whole catalog to that point.  Like I said yesterday, I never thought that they got the credit that they deserved.  I mean, everybody knew their songs, but they never became superstars even though they had more top twenty hits than, say, the mega popular Destiny's Child.

So, in homage to Anita, Ruth, and June (and even one time member Bonnie), I've decided to make this a Pointer Sisters Weekend.  All weekend long, I'll be posting some of the greatest and most-loved hits by these three very talented ladies.  We begin with a song that first put the trio into the stratosphere back in 1978.  It's a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song that is so beautifully written and so beautifully sung by the sisters that it climbed all the way to #2 on the pop charts, something Springsteen had never done himself to that point.  So take a look below, click play, and enjoy Fire, and stay tuned for more Pointer Sisters coming all weekend long...  

 

Fire

I'm ridin' in your car
You turn on the radio
You're pullin' me close
I just say no
I say I don't like it
But you know I'm a liar
'Cause when we kiss
Ooooh, fire

Late at night
You're takin' me home
You say you wanna stay
I say I wanna be alone
I say I don't love you
But you know I'm a liar
'Cause when we kiss
Ooooh, fire

You had a hold on me
Right from the start
A grip so tight
I couldn't tear it apart
My nerves all jumpin'
Actin' like a fool
Well, your kisses they burn
But my heart stays cool

Well, Romeo and Juliet
Samson and Delilah
Baby you can bet
A love they couldn't deny
My words say split
But my words they lie
'Cause when we kiss
Ooooh, fire

Ooooh, fire
Kisses like fire
Burn me up with fire
I like what you're doin' now
Fire
Touchin' me
Fire
Touchin' me
Burnin' me
Fire
Take me home

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - Neutron Dance - Pointer Sisters

There's no money falling from the sky
'Cause a man took my heart and robbed me blind
Someone stole my brand new Chevrolet
And the rent is due, I got no place to stay
Whoo oooh, whoo oooh

Here's a fun oldie from the Beverly Hills Cop Soundtrack way back in 1984.  The Pointer Sisters, to me, were always a much under-appreciated group even though they had a long string of 13 top twenty hits beginning in the 70's with such great tunes as Fire, He's So Shy, Automatic, Jump (For My Love) and all the way through to their last big one, Dare Me, in 1986. Sadly, June Pointer passed away without much fanfare back in 2006, and with her death, the three sisters faded into a happy yet distant memory.  Enjoy...

Song of the Day - Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Ray

Kiss me hard before you go

Summertime sadness

I just wanted you to know

That baby, you're the best

Summer vacation is all but over!  Today I return to work for a conference day to begin the new school year, which begins next Wednesday.  It's not terrible because I've got the next four days in between off, but still, I've now got that end of summertime sadness!  It was way too short!

A New Favorite Coaster: Bizarro, Six Flags New England

I think I found a new favorite roller coaster!  Yesterday, after literally years of wanting to visit the park, I finally went to Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts.  It's actually a little odd that I've never been there before considering it is not really too far from where I live.  It's only about a three-hour ride from where I live...not that much longer than Great Adventure.  Ah well, so anyway I finally took the trip with my pal Rich and my nephew Nick and we had a blast! Though not as big as its sister park in New Jersey, SFNE does have a nice collection of coasters, and one of them is surely one of the best I've ever ridden!

Bizarro is a hypercoaster that first opened in 2000 as Superman: Ride of Steel.  The name and theme changed to its current one back in 2009 and the ride has consistently been on many a coaster fan list as being one of the best, and it is.  Hypercoasters are my favorite type of coaster.  I love them for their big first drops and their speed and airtime, and Bizarro is two minutes of pure hypercoaster heaven, with plenty of twists, turns, special effects, tunnels and speeds of up to 77 mph.  This one is so wild that we saw not one, but two cell phones fly out of people's pockets on one ride.  Check it out...

  

Here are some other photos I took of Bizarro and some of the other sights to be had at Six Flags New England. If you're a roller coaster enthusiast like me and you ever find yourself in the vicinity of the park, definitely check it out...and take a ride on Bizarro.  You won't regret it!

Bizarro

Mind Eraser

The Dark Knight

Goliath, one sick, sick coaster!

Miscellany

Song of the Day - I Need Your Love - Calvin Harris, featuring Ellie Goulding

I was listening to a playlist of older dance/club songs and I came across this one I had forgotten about. Good tune!  Enjoy and Happy Hump Day!

A Sailing Adventure to Acadia, Part III: Welcome to Beautiful Maine

After mooring the sailboat in the cove, we decided to take the dinghy into the marina so that Xavier could check in and we could all get some food.  It was my first ride ever in a dinghy and I'll say I was more than a little nervous.  That thing goes pretty fast, and having to wear a life jacket, well... The ride was fun, though, and the views were spectacular!  There was a slight fog coming downside a small mountain above the water and there was also a very cool empty-decked schooner anchored out there...very cool! That was the first of many fun and out-of-the-ordinary things I did over the next two days.

After lunch we returned to the cove where I went kayaking for the first time ever with little Kevin as Xavi and Tati rested.  Again, I was so out of my element, but once I did it, it was actually fun.  We did a little exploring up on some rocks and along the beach before heading back to the boat.  By that time Xavier was awake and suggested a hike, which was more my speed.  

I like hiking (and I am making a mental note right now to do it more), and this hike was awesome!  Our walk took us to the summit of Flying Mountain, elevation 284 feet.  I know it doesn't sound like much, and the hike was relatively easy, but the views from the top were incredible!  By the time we reached the top, though, it was already dusk and we had to hurriedly backtrack our way downward without getting lost in the deep woods. Of course, nothing happens in my life without a little drama, and my imagination ran wild during that trek, bears and mountain lions dancing in my head, but in the end we made it down just fine. . 

Once we'd made it safely back to the beach, it was time to head back to the Maria Cristina in the dinghy. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying a nice dinner and playing some card games before heading off to a peaceful slumber.  To that point and throughout my visit, this was a vacation unlike what I'm used to.  Where I usually enjoy seeing sites and shopping and such, this type of holiday was more like a camping trip...and I liked it!  I was impressed with the beauty of Maine that first day and couldn't wait to check out some more of Acadia National Park on Monday.

...to be continued...

Check out my first two posts on my sailing adventure to Acadia...

Setting Sail

Arrival

  

Song of the Day - Delirious - Steve Aoki

Here's a dance jam that I discovered on Spotify that's become one of my favorites of late.  I've never heard of this dude, but this track is slamming!

Song of the Day - End of Time - Beyoncé

Last night was a big night for Beyoncé at the VMA's as she took home the coveted Video Vanguard Award for lifetime achievement in the music industry.  The biggest pop star of the day performed an almost 20-minute set of songs from her latest, self-titled album that daughter Blue Ivy seemed to enjoy immensely from daddy Jay Z's lap in the audience, practically stealing the show from mom.  Well, since I've posted a couple of songs in recent weeks from that same album, I figured I'd honor Bey by posting one of my favorite tunes of hers from her previous set, the should-have-been-a-big-hit End of Time...

Song of the Day - Unspeakable Joy - Kim English

When I wake up in the mornin' gets me outta bed
Keeps me runnin' skippin' jumpin' like a little kid
You know sometimes I can hardly keep it inside
It overtakes me, overwhelms me and I'm more alive

creativesoulartists

Joy, unspeakable joy
'Cause they did not give it, they cannot take it away
Joy, unspeakable joy
As they did not give it, they cannot take it away

Last night I went to Cherry Grove with a bunch of friends and had a blast.  As with any evening out in a club setting, the music sometimes makes the night, and last night the deejay was on fire!  She played all sorts of great stuff...a lot of 90's dance club hits, a lot of Madonna (unusual choices, too!), and nice choices from today's scene, too.  Here's one I hadn't heard in a long, long time.  It's from a singer named Kim English and it was THE dance floor anthem of 1999...