I had my iPod on shuffle this morning when the 1987 hit "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & The Beaters started playing. When anyone of a certain age (30-40ish) hears this song, they are almost certain to be reminded of the hit show "Family Ties." It got me to thinking about how this song was a part of the mid-80's revolution of shows and the use of music.
Now, music had been integral on TV pretty much since the beginning. But it was usually in its own setting- a variety show, a theme song, "American Bandstand," a Casey Kasem countdown. And there were shows about music (WKRP, for example) in which hearing 4 or 5 songs in an episode was not unusual. But as the '80's got rolling, dramas and comedies started using songs to move story lines and create moments. "Miami Vice" & "Moonlighting" were big with this new technique. Probably the most resonating was "At This Moment." "Family Ties" was one of the biggest shows on TV at the time, and the only music you would usually hear was the very catchy theme song ("What would we do, baby...sha-la-la-la.."). But in '87, they had decided to do an episode with central character Alex (Michael J Fox) breaking up with his first serious girlfriend. The episode ends with Alex putting a quarter in the jukebox and listening to their song- "At This Moment." The song became an immediate smash hit. For a good 6 months, you couldn't get away from the emotional love song.
It's hard to imagine now, as seemingly every show overdoes the music-TV connection. But there was a time when the right use of a song could create an unforgettable moment.
No comments:
Post a Comment