Thursday, March 16, 2006

Oh Cousin Larry...

As I look out my apartment window this grey and snowy March afternoon, I find myself searching for a little inspiration to get me through the last few weeks of slush and slop that stand between now and spring. Next to Lionel Richie songs, one of the best places to find inspiration that I've found is 80s sitcom theme song lyrics. I think the most heart-lifting of them all is "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" (not to be confused with the equally praiseworthy 1987 Starship chart-topper "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"), the theme from everyone's favourite "assimilating to American ways is fun!" sitcom, Perfect Strangers. The next time you're feeling down, just think of that lovable Balki Bartokomous, emerging triumphant from the relentless spin of the revolving door that is a metaphor for the chaos of our lives. Forge ahead, brave souls! And may the story of your life also begin with a sweeping aerial shot of the Chicago skyline. You think it matters you don't live in Chicago? In the ambiguously-accented words of the eminent Balki: "Don't be ridiculous!"

(Lyrics by Jesse Frederocl and Bennett Salvay, courtesy of www.stlyrics.com)

Sometimes the world looks perfect,
Nothing to rearrange.
Sometimes you get a feeling
Like you need some kind of change.
No matter what the odds are this time,
Nothing's going to stand in my way.
This flame in my heart,
And a long lost friend
Gives every dark street a light at the end.

Standing tall, on the wings of my dream.
Rise and fall, on the wings of my dream.

The rain and thunder
The wind and haze
I'm bound for better days.
It's my life and my dream,
Nothing's going to stop me now.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I absolutely LOVED perfect strangers, and I often wish that I could see reruns of it somewhere. Now that we actually have 155 channels of crap, of course, its never on... how ridiculous!

Daphne Supergirl said...

The whole series really should be released on DVD. It's all about all-Balki, all the time! Not to mention the great female stars of the show, Jennifer and Mary Anne, the cousins' same-yet-different girlfriends. These gals were to the 1980s as Mary and Rhoda and Chrissy and Janet were to the 1970s.

so said...

Ahh Balki.... I loved his character so much as a kid. My favorite was when he came ouit of his bedroom in Spider-Man pajammas. His cousin asks him why he is wearing them, and he tells him that he is because his "He-Man" pj's are in the wash. Classic!