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Bananarama
While their fashion sense (somewhere between "Lucky Star" Madonna and thrift store Cyndi Lauper)
was undoubtedly eighties, the phenomenon of a female vocal trio had been almost unheard of since
the 1950s. The simplicity and frivolity of such songs as "Cruel Summer" and "Robert DeNiro's Waiting"
also echo the '50s, but the '50s comparisons are not a rare phenomenon in the '80s; recall that the
Stray Cats and the beehive-sporting B-52s were making music at the same time.
While the idea may have been fresh in the '80s, there is no shortage of male and female vocal outfits
(most of whom can't play a lick) in the '90s, which may explain Bananarama's gradual drift into pop
music obscurity.
After peaking with "Venus" in 1986, Bananarama has continued to record music, with their latest LP
coming out just last year. They've been changing their look and sound all along the way, but it would
seem this group - like many early '80s groups - just can't cut it in a market of punk-pop and
flannel-sporting grungies.
Bananarama song lyrics...
Cruel Summer
Venus
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