From chart-topping power ballads to that endlessly debated anthem, Starship defined a moment, and whether you loved them or rolled your eyes, you definitely heard them.
Starship was HUGE in the 80s! Hit after hit they were definitely all over the pop charts. Sure, they sounded nothing like what they did in the 1960s but they were catering to a different audience. Plenty of people enjoyed their 80s sound. The fact that it even gets mentioned as a "joke" suggests they were doing something right at the time! People still talk about "We Built This City"...
Totally agree! Starship was everywhere in the 80s and I thought they had a great sound, it was a different time with a different listener taste. So they had to evolve in my opinion. And clearly their music resonated. Love it or hate it, "We Built This City" is a fun and memorable track. My young kids love it and rock out to it on road trips!
I loved the article even though I hate Starship. I feels so weird seeing Grace Slick with this version of the group. Of the songs, Sara is my favorite.
The best/worst part of "We Built This City" is the traffic report in the middle of it. As a kid in the Bay Area, I thought anything involving the Bay Area was cool, and the traffic report mentioned the Golden Gate Bridge. Cool!
Then I got older. I think the traffic report added to the ridiculousness of the song. It's the easiest thing to mock. What can make this awful song worse? A traffic report!
And now? It's been deleted from a lot of radio versions. I always wait for it on radio, so I can make fun of it. But it's usually edited out. I just listened to the song on Spotify. The traffic report *was* there. Good. You gotta lean into the original version, whether it's great, or stupid, or stupidly great.
UPDATE! (I know you all were dying for an update.)
If you listen to the song on the "Knee Deep in the Hoopla" album, you hear the traffic report. It comes at the 3:22 mark. Total length of this version is 4:56
If you listen to the song on the "Greatest Hits" alum, you do *not* hear the traffic report. It would be at the 3:04 mark of the song -- and it's gone. Total length of this version is 4:37.
That's interesting, I would think it would be on the Greatest Hits album, but I guess it's all about who worked on the arrangement and who mastered it. I like to get Greatest Hits albums, I don't happen to own this one, but I recently picked up Foreigner Greatest Hits and it's fantastic!
Lol, you're right, the traffic report is definitely an often talked about gripe about the song, but I agree with you, we have to lean into the original. I think it gives the song an extra dimension. I never shy away from the original version!
Just try not singing along to "We Built this City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now."
Starship was HUGE in the 80s! Hit after hit they were definitely all over the pop charts. Sure, they sounded nothing like what they did in the 1960s but they were catering to a different audience. Plenty of people enjoyed their 80s sound. The fact that it even gets mentioned as a "joke" suggests they were doing something right at the time! People still talk about "We Built This City"...
Totally agree! Starship was everywhere in the 80s and I thought they had a great sound, it was a different time with a different listener taste. So they had to evolve in my opinion. And clearly their music resonated. Love it or hate it, "We Built This City" is a fun and memorable track. My young kids love it and rock out to it on road trips!
Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics. He enjoys the cheques
I loved the article even though I hate Starship. I feels so weird seeing Grace Slick with this version of the group. Of the songs, Sara is my favorite.
Sara is a great song for sure. I don't think you totally hate Starship if you like Sara though, lol ;)
It's actually not that bad a song. :)
The best/worst part of "We Built This City" is the traffic report in the middle of it. As a kid in the Bay Area, I thought anything involving the Bay Area was cool, and the traffic report mentioned the Golden Gate Bridge. Cool!
Then I got older. I think the traffic report added to the ridiculousness of the song. It's the easiest thing to mock. What can make this awful song worse? A traffic report!
And now? It's been deleted from a lot of radio versions. I always wait for it on radio, so I can make fun of it. But it's usually edited out. I just listened to the song on Spotify. The traffic report *was* there. Good. You gotta lean into the original version, whether it's great, or stupid, or stupidly great.
UPDATE! (I know you all were dying for an update.)
If you listen to the song on the "Knee Deep in the Hoopla" album, you hear the traffic report. It comes at the 3:22 mark. Total length of this version is 4:56
If you listen to the song on the "Greatest Hits" alum, you do *not* hear the traffic report. It would be at the 3:04 mark of the song -- and it's gone. Total length of this version is 4:37.
That's interesting, I would think it would be on the Greatest Hits album, but I guess it's all about who worked on the arrangement and who mastered it. I like to get Greatest Hits albums, I don't happen to own this one, but I recently picked up Foreigner Greatest Hits and it's fantastic!
Lol, you're right, the traffic report is definitely an often talked about gripe about the song, but I agree with you, we have to lean into the original. I think it gives the song an extra dimension. I never shy away from the original version!
I was stationed near the Bay Area when that song was going, and I have to admit, I really liked it. Sue me.