Throwback Thursday - Rock Steady

Okay, so many of my New Jersey friends are hard core rock n roll lovers. They boast of their "Boss" and "Jovi" with ferocious pride, and rightly so. But when you grow up in a house with Glen and Vicki Whitaker minus cable television, you end up loving a different kind of rock. The soft kind.

Besides basically filling my head with ballads and love songs, besides training me to think of Journey, Elton John, and Hall & Oates as "rock," I also grew up in a very small town in the days before internet or Twitter. I caught on to trends after the kids at my school, (and I realize that by the time they'd reached Cynthiana, KY, they were already out in fashion meccas); but don't think that just because I was constantly behind the fads of my day, I didn't embrace them whole heartedly once they reached me. I'm nothing if not fervent.

This leads me to one of my all time favorite JAMS. I remember loving, loving, loving this song. I tried to hold the tape recorder up to the radio to get it on cassette so I could listen to it whenever I wanted, but it never seemed to come on when I was ready. It was this rare gem of a song. I'd hear it in the car and tell my mom to pump it up. I'd hear it at my Mamaw's and use a pencil as a microphone. I remember being at a friend's house watching The Mickey Mouse Club with her and staring in awe at these kids' sweet moves!

I wanted to Rock Steady.

Here's the thing: It wasn't until typing up this post that I discovered something pitiful. (Yes, more pathetic even than considering The Whispers' Rock Steady a jam.) Here we go...

It was Valentine's Day my freshman year of high school and an older boy liked me. Swoonfest! As usual, I went to my grandparents' house after school and did my homework, while sneaking MTV in the back room, and doodling hearts with our initials all over my notebook. Then, MAJOR SURPRISE, this boy brought me a dozen red roses! Unfortunately, I had changed from my school clothes into my papaw's teal oversized "World's Greatest Grandpa" t-shirt and had loosened my previously tight-rolled jeans. Clearly, I was mortified. But there I stood on the front porch in front of this ultra-cute boy, receiving my first flowers and hoping for my first kiss. The romantic vibe was short-lived cause my papaw had his face smooshed up against the glass pane in the front door watching our every move, so it didn't quite pan out. But still, I had flowers and a probable boyfriend.

When I rushed back inside, face flushed and heart racing, The Whispers' Rock Steady came on the radio. I fled to the back bedroom and danced like a woman drunk on love, sang along with this glorious "rock" group at the top of my lungs, and dreamed of my most certain future with this boy who'd brought me roses.

Now, didn't I mention there was a pathetic part?

Upon writing this post, I couldn't remember who'd sung this particular jam. So I looked up Rock Steady on the internet and discovered it was The Whispers. The memory I wanted to share was loving their jam and providing you with a sense of pop culture at the time; however, my little story about the soundtrack of one particular young romantic interlude occurred circa 1993, whereas Wikipedia just informed me that the song actually hit the Top 40 charts in 1987.

Alecia Whitaker - ignorantly embracing throwbacks since 1993.


Comment below! What's your favorite throwback jam? What should I write about next Thursday? And be honest: should side ponytails and tight rolled jeans make a comeback?