Lighting the Corners of My Mind

My very first date was to see the movie, Xanadu. All I remember was how romantic the movie seemed at the time...and a bit racey! I actually bought the album and knew all the songs. My favorites were the ballads and, of course that beautiful duet Olivia Newton-John sang with my first crush, Gene Kelly. I swoon just thinking about it!

Fast-forward 26....26?.....years. Ouch. I thought it would be sweet to introduce my 16-year-old who loves musicals to the only '80s musical I liked, Xanadu. We excitedly set up the DVD, made ourselves comfortable on the couch and pressed the 'play' button.

Oh, my.

The special effects that seemed state-of-the-art at the time were a bit outdated, to say the least. The dialogue was pretty simplistic. There weren't any challenging scenes. The parts I remembered as racey were more tame than a shampoo commercial. My husband, that sweet young man who took me on that first date, came into the room and asked what on earth we were watching. I told him and reminded him of the time he took me to see this little gem. At first, he tried to deny it, but I could tell he remembered I was right. He blushed, and sat down to watch the rest of the show with us.

My daughter laughed through the whole thing and insisted the only good part was that duet I mentioned before. My husband smiled and told me it was time to pack it up and take it back to the video store.

It is hard to believe, but 1980 was a much more innocent time. AIDS didn't even have a name until 1981. Albums were still the method of choice for purchasing music. Computers were the size of offices and cell phones were pure science-fiction! Our biggest threat was the Soviet Union, and they couldn't even keep their citizens supplied with toilet paper.

I know some of those things I grew up with seem silly, but I am so glad they are still around to enjoy. For a short time, I was able to visit those worry-free days of the '80s.

link: Xanadu: The Movie