Audio: “Do You Believe in Love” by Huey Lewis and the News
Visual: Clips from Night Court

While so many tribute videos shine by virtue of their incongruities, this one succeeds because the audio/visual combination makes absolute sense. What better accompaniment to a goofy ’80s sitcom than the master of goofy ’80s pop hits? Maybe goofy isn’t the word I’m looking for.

I think this tribute video demonstrates an important principle: sometimes a particular media item can only be described and defined in terms of another, very specific piece of media. In this case, for instance, we see that the tone, pace, and general atmosphere of Night Court cannot be expressed in words, but rather only through the equally dated music of Huey Lewis and the News. That’s why you feel so complete when you watch this video; a noun and its unique modifier are united in a single multimedia experience that brings together Harry Anderson and a red-hot sax solo. What more could you possibly want?

Night Court – Do You Believe In Love? [YouTube]

Lakeshore Records [MySpace; HT The Playlist / Stereogum]
Huey Lewis & The News – I Want A New Drug [YouTube]

1. ’80s bar rock. Don’t mistake this for what ACTUALLY plays in bars these days, i.e. beer-bellied David Cooks wishing someday they could make it big like Default did. I mean that bastard child of blue-eyed soul that comes alive whenever Huey Lewis plays a corporate gig. The genre that inspired ’70s blowhards like Stevie Winwood to roll with it. Is Adam Levine the last rocker on earth who wants to make women (not teens, women) dance before he nails them backstage? Did Lenny Kravitz scare everyone out of the room? I’ve never willingly heard a song by Taylor Hicks, but I get the feeling he could be the 21st-century Robert Palmer if he’d just put this type of music in his system.

Turn the amp up to eleven, and the genre becomes 1a. Feel-good arena rock, which is also sorely lacking. There are so many bands trying to write “Dreams,” but no one is bothering to write “Panama.” This is why I sometimes think Kurt Cobain was the worst thing to happen to rock, as his PC “hey, check out the Vaselines” attitude came and went, leaving hard rockers only with the wisdom that there’s no need to sound like you’re having any fun at all.

2. Hip-hop based on funk drum loops. I know snap is cheaper. I know it’s all been used before, that you’d be referencing earlier rap hits rather than actual funky drummers. But have you thrown on a Digital Underground record lately? I miss the good foot. Plus, it would force guys like Rick Ross to wake up or get out of the way.

3. Songs that reference the movie they soundtrack. As videos go the way of the dinosaur, if music is going to successfully cross-promote itself with a more popular form of media, it’s going to have to do it lyrically. Few remember Rick Moranis smiling at Bobby Brown’s dancing ass in the “On Our Own” video, but everybody knows that if Vigo, the master of Evil, tries to battle his boys… that’s not legal! Side note: Seth Rogen’s getting Huey Lewis to tackle this and genre No. 1 for Pineapple Express, because Seth Rogen knows what time it is.

4. Unkempt riffy indie-rock. Even more than the sound of “Slack Motherfucker,” I miss how everybody used to dress down. I’m tired of looking my best at night. I want to leave my button-down plaid shirt open again, so you can see the charming t-shirt underneath. I’m tired of either/or! I don’t want you to see my belt! I was happy dressing baggy! Waahh!

5. Cornershop. Even in the pop-rock-soul casserole of the ’90s, this band was a genre of its own–who even made some bar-rock! You could argue that plenty of Pitchfork-popular psych-folk mixes beats, drones and grooves, but if Panda Bear has anything resembling “Brimful Of Asha,” I haven’t heard it. More people need to imitate Tjinder Singh’s detached, droll vocal style. Hell, Tjinder Singh should do it more often.

What forgotten genres do think have some untapped juice? Emo-free pop-punk? Trumpet-led instrumentals? Whatever the Spin Doctors were doing? Make your voices heard, and maybe Taylor Hicks will hear you.

Rummaging in the Musical Dustbin [The Guardian]

Yes. “The Power Of Love.” (Actually it’s more like the bridge of the song, when the band goes into the key change, but let’s not quibble.) Why? I have no idea. Maybe Back To The Future was on my TV as I fitfully slept in front of it last night. Maybe this is my brain reminding me to call my friend whose New Year’s resolution was to karaoke every song on Sports. (Hi Dan!) Maybe I’m actually having a premonition, and the Gym Class Heroes are going to use it as the hook for their next hits-of-my-youth-biting single. Maybe my seemingly mild hangover from last night’s drink tickets is actually manifesting itself in a really, really, really evil way. Whatever the reason, I am very unhappy right now, although I would like to note that Christopher Lloyd’s performance in the above clip totally foreshadowed his DirecTV shilling some 22 years later.

Huey Lewis and the News – The Power Of Love [YouTube]