I like watching documentaries on PBS. They aired one a couple of weeks ago its program American Experience entitled “1964.” This was a seminal year in American history as many events that shaped the future of America occurred. This included, among other things, the Beatles coming to the U.S, Cassius Clay becoming Muhammad Ali, three civil rights workers killed in Mississippi, and Lyndon Johnson v. Barry Goldwater for the presidential election (this was the precursor to Trump v. Hillary presidential matchup). If you’re a history geek like me, then you would love this program. But it got me to thinking: what is R&B’s version of 1964?
Well, it’s pretty easy to identify one year that stands out among the rest: 1984. That year is marked by only two people who pretty much owned the ‘80s: Michael Jackson and Prince.
On November 30, 1982, the album Thriller was released. Believe it or not, by the beginning of 1984, the album was still at #1! For the first 15 weeks of 1984, Thriller was #1 on the Billboard 200 albums. Now a big reason why Thriller was still at #1 at the start of 1984 was that of the title track. The video for the song “Thriller” premiered December 2, 1983, on MTV. That fueled its #1 status again in ’84. The album “Thriller” went on to sell, to date, over 32 million albums and is ranked by Billboard as the third greatest album of all time.
But the year ended with one of the greatest albums of all time reigning supreme at #1: Purple Rain.
Purple Rain hit #1 on August 4, 1984, and decided to stay there for rest of the year and the first two weeks of 1985. In total, Purple Rain reigned for 23 weeks. That’s damn near a half-a-year. Also, it sold over 30 million albums! Rolling Stone magazine rates it as #76 on its list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Other significant events occurred in 1984 as well. New Edition released “Cool It Now,” Whodini dropped the rap classic “5 Minutes of Funk.” And Luther Vandross charted with a remake of the Carpenters classic “Superstar.”
But the bellwether is that makes ’84 an iconic year in music is Thriller and Purple Rain.
So what’s your favorite song from either of these albums?Comments will be approved before showing up.
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The t-shirt we use to print the designs is from a company call Next Level Apparel. They make some of the best t-shirts in the apparel biz. Our base t-shirt is their premium tri-blend crew neck t-shirt. This t-shirt is a mashup of 50% polyester, 25% combed ring spun and 25% rayon. That mix makes for three things: an extremely soft t-shirt that drapes nicely with a vintage-type look. So you’re getting a cool looking shirt that feels great. The t-shirt weighs 4.3 ounces. So you’re not wearing a bulletproof vest but a mid-weight garment. And since the fabric is mostly polyester and rayon, there is little, if any, shrinkage. Now the t-shirt does run a little small so if you like a roomer fit, please select the next size above what you normally wear.
Also, we don’t believe in offering you a one-style-fits-all or “unisex” t-shirt (whatever that is). We give the fellas and ladies a t-shirt that’s specifically made for them and their unique features. If a particular style of t-shirt isn’t available for a gender then we’ll let you know and recommend a size in that shirt that may accommodate you.
In the future, we’ll rollout different styles of tees like a scoop neck (for that off-the-shoulder Flashdance look), long sleeve, hoody and ¾ sleeve raglan so you’ll have a variety of options to choose from year round.
We recommend turning your t-shirt inside out when washing. Please machine wash in cold water with like colors. It’s best to hang dry but it’s cool if you tumble dry on low setting. Please do not iron on the decoration.
Zachary Worthy
December 17, 2021
Love your site. Please add Marvin Gaye Album Cover I used to go out and party