Hit Me Baby, One More Time: Episode 3
More Retro Goodness
Recap By Mandy Smith
June 18, 2005
After the double play earlier this week of the first two episodes of "Hit Me Baby", I was ready for some comeback artist action. With the group of artists performing, I also knew I'd have a tough time choosing beforehand who I thought would win. So many of the artists were personal favorites of mine, unlike before where a winner was clear to me.
But it was time for the show and I was ready. We got to see clips from last week, with Vanilla Ice talking into a banana and pretending to call home to mom saying, "We won Mom, we won!!" This week's performers are ready to go though and it's just as an eclectic group as last week. We have Sophie B. Hawkins, Cameo, Wang Chung, Howard Jones, and Irene Cara on the stage. Who will be the third winner of the $20,000 charity prize?
Our host Vernon Kay is ready to come out and the crowd is pumped up. This is week 3 and they are already used to the idea of how this works. Vernon appears from below the stage, wearing a shirt bright enough to match his white teeth, and it's time to go. He explains the rules again; we have the artists performing their original hit then their version of a recent hit. Whichever artist receives the most popular audience vote receives the prize of $20,000 dollars to be donated to the charity of their choice. Vernon asks if the audience is ready to party? Of course, they are and it's time to bring out the first act.
The first artists invaded America carrying the universal message, "Everybody have fun." It's of course the group Wang Chung. Vernon continues on that few understood this mantra of, "Everybody Wang Chung tonight," yet people were "wang chung'ing" regardless. The number 2 hit was called "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" yet the lyric became a pop culture phenomenon. Vernon asks when is the last time everyone Wang Chung'ed as the band arises from below the stage and in front of a photo of themselves in their heyday. They are ready to rock; arms up in the air and guitars across their chests. The familiar beat starts and they sound good. They sound good but look different; as 20 years have been a bit hard on the rockers. They play well and the vocals are the best part of the set. Vernon appears on stage at the end to ask where Wang Chung came from. The lead explains they've managed to keep it a secret for 20 years now. So much for learning anything new there. What we do learn is they are going to perform Nelly's "Hot in Herrre". Ok, I am excited for this.
Next up was a favorite female artist of mine from 1992. Sophie B. Hawkins had one of the best hookup songs with "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover", which was a number 5 hit. It was a song that helped garner her a Grammy nomination and a few years later, she scored a top 10 hit with "As I Lay Me." It's time for her to hit the stage, looking younger than she did when "As I Lay Me" came out, to sing "Damn, I Wish." She's wearing ripped jeans and barefoot; which is a great look. She's got the audience in to what she's doing. Then she strips off her top denim shirt to get down to a tank top that says, "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" across it. The crowd is screaming for her. It's a hot performance and she worked everyone up. Come on, if I'm squinting to read what's across her chest; I know many men at home were too. Vernon asks Sophie out of curiosity what the B in her name means. She says baby then laughs it off, explaining the B means Ballentine. She's going to do "100 years" by Five for Fighting as her second song.
It's time for Cameo, with his codpieces and feathers. "Word Up" has been redone by everyone from rap to rock artists and in 1986; he was in the top 5. The group sold over 11 million records and they are back now to deliver the funk. It's time for Cameo to come out and boy, do they make an entrance no one will ever forget. They appear with funky outfits but the lead has on the best outfit of all; a red vinyl codpiece, red vinyl hat, and feather arm decorations besides being decked out from head to toe in black vinyl. He turns around and starts working the song; the voice is the same. The crowd is throwing their hands in the air. The group has the choreography down too and the crowd screams loudly for him. They have put on one of the best performances of the show. Vernon says he's not going to look down but he's got to get one of those, referring to the codpiece the lead singer is wearing. They are going to hook Vernon up backstage. The song they are singing later is by Bowling for Soup. He doesn't say what song but I'm getting my hopes up that it's "1985."
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