One of my favorite songs from the 80's, and yet it gets all lot of flack, mostly from people who are all like "Starship? A band who changed their name more once, having lyrics, about corporations changing names, and like being a band from the 60's selling out, and going pop during the 80's? How dare they?"

I just really this song, since I was younger, and still do.

And the music video!  Cheesy, but a fun kind of cheesy!

;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsdj9NRzqC4

I like plenty of cheesy pop songs from the '80s, but not this one.

It sounds like it was written for aerobics class!
::)

It was the kind of song you liked for one week when it was released.  ;D

The video is okay, but I find that both the vocalists have highly annoying facial expressions.

It's horrible. Even long before that second rate Rolling Stone mag Blender ranked it as the worst song ever. Even for 1985 the video was bad. The rolling dice, Abraham Lincoln raising his fist...  :o :P 

I like some cheese, but prefer good ol' cheddar than Limburger.

Those people at that two bit magazine who ranked this as the worst song ever know as much about music as Charlie Sheen does about long lasting relationships.

I grew up with this song, still love it and I always will.  I have 'Knee Deep in the Hoopla' on Vinyl and cassette, as well as both 'We Built This City' and 'Sara' on 45 8)

Those people at that two bit magazine who ranked this as the worst song ever know as much about music as Charlie Sheen does about long lasting relationships.



RS had its time.  They should have quit 20 years ago.
::)

RS had its time.  They should have quit 20 years ago.
::)


Which Rolling Stones?

;D

Which Rolling Stones?

;D


Singular

Okay, so it's not a great song. I wouldn't put it on my '80s Top Twenty, but it's not bad. The lyrics do have some meaning unlike a lot of the mindless pop that was purely for entertainment value. And yes, the video is cheesy, but weren't most of them? How about White Wedding by Billy Idol or You Spin Me by Dead or Alive? Those were way worse!

Okay, so it's not a great song. I wouldn't put it on my '80s Top Twenty, but it's not bad. The lyrics do have some meaning unlike a lot of the mindless pop that was purely for entertainment value. And yes, the video is cheesy, but weren't most of them? How about White Wedding by Billy Idol or You Spin Me by Dead or Alive? Those were way worse!


Yes, those were worse, but how much could you expect from Billy Idol?  Grace Slick on the other hand...she was one of the greats!

I was a Dead Or Alive fan for a while.  Too decadent.  I always thought Billy Idol was a tool.
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/15/tool.gif

I also love this song !!!

Those people at that two bit magazine who ranked this as the worst song ever know as much about music as Charlie Sheen does about long lasting relationships.

I grew up with this song, still love it and I always will.  I have 'Knee Deep in the Hoopla' on Vinyl and cassette, as well as both 'We Built This City' and 'Sara' on 45 8)


I agree. I have a soft spot for this song. Typical 80s, cheesy video - love it.  :)

Lyrics were written by Bernie Taupin, well known for his long-term musical partnership with Elton John.

Penny Wise said a possible reason people didn't like this Starship song was because they 'sold out' from the 60s and they probably got a little flack for it. I call it adapting but there you go. Maybe if I was from the 1960s and had a deep connection with Jefferson Airplane/Starship I would probably have a different view on 'We built this city' but it's like with everything you love what you know at the time.

Blender magazine's reason for making 'We built this city' the worst song ever (to qualify it had to be popular at one point) was; "It purports to be anti-commercial but reeks of '80s corporate-rock commercialism. It's a real reflection of what practically killed rock music in the '80s". From what I gather here the reason was an idealogical one rather than a musical one. As for rock music being killed in the 80s, does anyone agree with that? I certainly don't.

I (Jamie), would have to agree, that rock music, off wasn't killed during the 80's.

If anything, is going to kill rock, it's Nickle Back!

;D

But one redeeming quality about this is that during the DJ segment, according to an AT40 show, the DJ's station ID would vary from city to city, not just the familiar San Francisco version back when the single was current. I wonder where I can get those other cities as well as I believe there could be promo 45s that only have a certain city and thus could be good collectibles. Definately a guilty pleasure song, however. For instance, compare Aretha Franklin to Jefferson Airplane, and their biggest hits respectively in 1967 were Respect and Somebody To Love. Classic soul and class psychedelic rock, completely different. But what really got me as a sellout was not this song (though it was just the appitizer), but their 1987 hit Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, which hit #1, and Aretha Franklin with George Michael succeeded them at #1 with I Know You're Waiting For Me, on Aretha's record label at the time. But those songs couldn't be that much more similar with the Yamaha DX7 glossy synthesizers, and Preston Glass playing the keyboards on BOTH artists' hits! There was a good reason the '90s had to happen, so rock got out of its mid-life crisis with new talent. Nowadays rock and roll is in its "nursing home" phase, just nostalgizing on the past with few new bands people care about.

"We Built This City" worst song of all time ?
No. But to be honest if it came on the radio in my car I'd change stations or turn the volume down. It's just not a favorite of mine.
Now if "Sara" came on I'd leave it on.
I guess I prefer Jefferson Starship (or Airplane) over just plain Starship.

Talkin' about bad songs, I remember when "We Built This City" was on the radio which was September of 1985.
A truly god-awful song was out about the same time -- Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time".  8-P

But one redeeming quality about this is that during the DJ segment, according to an AT40 show, the DJ's station ID would vary from city to city, not just the familiar San Francisco version back when the single was current. I wonder where I can get those other cities as well as I believe there could be promo 45s that only have a certain city and thus could be good collectibles. Definately a guilty pleasure song, however. For instance, compare Aretha Franklin to Jefferson Airplane, and their biggest hits respectively in 1967 were Respect and Somebody To Love. Classic soul and class psychedelic rock, completely different. But what really got me as a sellout was not this song (though it was just the appitizer), but their 1987 hit Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, which hit #1, and Aretha Franklin with George Michael succeeded them at #1 with I Know You're Waiting For Me, on Aretha's record label at the time. But those songs couldn't be that much more similar with the Yamaha DX7 glossy synthesizers, and Preston Glass playing the keyboards on BOTH artists' hits! There was a good reason the '90s had to happen, so rock got out of its mid-life crisis with new talent. Nowadays rock and roll is in its "nursing home" phase, just nostalgizing on the past with few new bands people care about.


Interesting comparison, yelimsexa.

I think the main difference between rock then and now is back then it was all about being an apha male - getting women, partying, cars etc etc. Now it seems to be the reverse, more self-conscious and full of teenage angst.  :-\\

Interesting comparison, yelimsexa.

I think the main difference between rock then and now is back then it was all about being an apha male - getting women, partying, cars etc etc. Now it seems to be the reverse, more self-conscious and full of teenage angst.  :-\\


You have The Ramones and Iggy Pop to blame for that...throw in a little Simon & Garfunkel too!
:)

You have The Ramones and Iggy Pop to blame for that...throw in a little Simon & Garfunkel too!
:)


Good call. Even as late as the early 80s, ZZTop and David Lee Roth's Van Halen, I could never imagine them singing about the time they were sad because a woman didn't call them, lying on their bed wondering what their place in life was. Of course, that kind of changed when Sammy Hagar got involved with Van Halen but still...great band, different direction.

Good call. Even as late as the early 80s, ZZTop and David Lee Roth's Van Halen, I could never imagine them singing about the time they were sad because a woman didn't call them, lying on their bed wondering what their place in life was. Of course, that kind of changed when Sammy Hagar got involved with Van Halen but still...great band, different direction.


Those groups were upbeat and macho.  I didn't relate well.  I liked The Smiths and New Order because they were the opposite!

To me "We Built This City" cried out:
"We can't let our parents come in here and wreck our decade like they wrecked everything else!"