When the recent “and I’m a Mormon” ad campaign got some national media attention it reminded me of a phenomenal promotional campaign the Church produced in the mid-eighties. 1985 was a fantastic year in the music world. At the top of the charts Wham!’s “Careless Whisper” beat out Phil Collins’s confusingly awesome “Sussudio” and a-ha’s “Take On Me” (best music video ever). The Church PR folks must have realized that radical synthesized music was where it was at; “Axel F” was getting regular rotation on radio stations across the United States (and possibly Canada).
Enter “Bounce Back!” The twenty-minute cassette is a “collection of thoughts, ideas and music” to help people “deal with disappointment, overcome problems and bounce back from the hard times.” It’s pretty snappy and hip, and possibly on the verge of re-emerging as a premiere missionary tool. Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting each of the ten “Ideas” from the tape to put a little bounce back in the Bloggernacle.
Here’s the Intro:
And to show how well the tape fits into the musical milieu outlined above, I’m skipping ahead to Idea #4, “Give of Yourself.” Yes, my mom did use this track in her aerobics class:
I am 99% certain the music was written by Michael McLean. I am positive that at least the track for Idea 10 was. The rest of the tracks are on the way. Enjoy!
Wow. This didn’t look familiar, but as soon as I pressed play, I found I knew every. single. word. Just where was this stored in my brain? Memory is a curious thing. Perchance is “You’re Not Alone” on this cassette, too? I remember big fat tears listening to that song when my best friend “dumped” me in sixth grade. Oh the pathos!
Just shaking my head. Thanks, Blair.
Yes that song was written by Michael McLean. It’s on his “best of” album, for lack of better term. I owned that album in high school. Though I can’t remember why… but thanks for the delicious flashback.
And here I am in the library without earphones so can’t listen to this! You tease!
Oh, yeah. I do sort of remember this.
Wow, that was really terrible. It is times like these that I am grateful I was not a Mormon in 1985. I think if I had been I would have dumped them merely for this campaign. I was rocking out to Motley Crue at the time…that was much more my 80’s style.
Motley Crue might have been one of the few things worse than this. While this stuff did not destroy Mormonism. Lame metal almost killed heavy metal.
Ok…sorry…could not let that go. 🙂
BounceBack is part of my greenie missionary experience. It was what my companion (Orange County, 1989) listened to whenever he was depressed. He was very depressed. Since he didn’t have earphones, I listened to it too. Since our apartment was a room in the house of a single sister in her 40s, I spent too much time in that small room listening to BounceBack. I feel like cursing you for bringing this memory back.
Paul, thanks for the comment. In the next week or so I’ll be posting the rest of the tracks from the tape (all in one post). I recommend you pay close attention to “Idea No. 8: Accentuate the Positive.” It should help you overcome the cursing disposition and turn that frown upsidedown! Or as the tape says, “a little creative thinking and a conscious effort to see things in a positive way can turn things around.”
Wow, how did I never hear this? I can sing you every word of the “I’m a Mormon” tape…
just what we needed around here b-h, after all the depressing scandal and intrigue.
g.wes, we’re bouncing back here at FPR!
chanson yes! I can. B-a-b-y that spells fun! thanks for that
My husband has this tape…it hasn’t ever made it into our rotation. This makes me want to through it in when he has a long trip and see what happens.
Blair, thanks for the blast from the past. I had totally forgotten about this, but now rember listening to it a lot as a child. Not as timeless as “who broke my window,” but certainly catchy, catchy stuff. Already stuck in my head.
“….after all the depressing scandal and intrigue.”
Depressing? No way!
Hey, it doesn’t sound so bad after all. When I heard it it was on a battery powered mono cassette player. What was I complaining about?
What the . . . . .
don’t get me wrong, chris h. i enjoy a good scandal as much as anybody. it’s the after scandal reflection that gets me down.
b b, b b, b b, b b … bounceback. and i’m read for the next one. let’s have it.
don’t get me wrong chris h. i enjoy a good scandal as much as anybody. it’s the after scandal reflection that gets me down
bb bb bb bb bounceback. and i’m ready for the next one. let’s have it.
Blair, you just made my head explode. How will I fit this into FHE tonight?
Matt W.: If your head asplodes, don’t let it get u down. Hop right back up, dust yourself off, and you’ll feel better in no time. BOUNCE BACK!
@Chris H, c’mon dude, The Crew was so awesome! They were a driving force in my childhood.
Oh, my heck, where was I? I’ve never heard this before, ever. I’m so disappointed! But I’ll bounce back.
Wow. This is real? I’ve never heard these at all. Crazy.
You just took me back to my childhood. WOW. Thanks!
This is amazing. In 1999, my second companion had this tape as part of his evening cassette tape rotation (mixed in with devotionals from S. Dillworth Young, Matthew Cowely, Rex Pinegar, and LeGrand Richards). I listened to it at least once a week for three months. Awesome. I can’t wait to hear the rest of it, especially the girl who admits to saying “I love you” to herself out loud, just to hear it said to her.
I have “Idea 4” totally memorized and can still sing it word for word after nearly two decades!!! You guys, it’s a really good song.
I have never heard this stuff before but it is now being belted out by my wife. I hope she doesn’t wake our toddler.
The rest have been posted. May the Bloggernacle keep bouncing back.