1983 Songs: Jeopardy
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (86765)
United States
June 9, 2023 10:56am CST
All right. I’m tired of these “never heard it” comments. 
This song was #2 behind a Michael Jackson song on the charts, so you heard it. And it’s 40 years old now! All aboard for 1983 with today’s song.
Jeopardy - Greg Kihn Band
Every now and then you’ll get a song that’s great AND has a great parody. Enter Mr. Yankovic (remember his name 
), who spoofed this as “I Lost on Jeopardy.” He even lampooned the video, to the point where he ends up in the back of the car Greg Kihn was driving at the end of his “Jeopardy” video.
Greg Kihn absolutely destroyed a record company. You see, he was on a small label called Berserkley, and their tongue-in-cheek motto was “Home of the Hits.” Yeah, they never had one. With bands like the Rubinoos (who got close to the top 40 with their cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now”) and Earth Quake, the label was sort of proud of not being “mainstream.” Then Kihn comes along and has not one but TWO hits (the other being “The Break-Up Song”).
Co-write Steve Wright passed away in 2017. Kihn still performs.
Jeopardy
Written by Greg Kihn and Steve Wright
Recorded by the Greg Kihn Band
From Kihnspiracy, 1983
Don’t let go while I’m hangin’ on:
This song was #2 behind a Michael Jackson song on the charts, so you heard it. And it’s 40 years old now! All aboard for 1983 with today’s song.
Jeopardy - Greg Kihn Band
Every now and then you’ll get a song that’s great AND has a great parody. Enter Mr. Yankovic (remember his name ), who spoofed this as “I Lost on Jeopardy.” He even lampooned the video, to the point where he ends up in the back of the car Greg Kihn was driving at the end of his “Jeopardy” video.
Greg Kihn absolutely destroyed a record company. You see, he was on a small label called Berserkley, and their tongue-in-cheek motto was “Home of the Hits.” Yeah, they never had one. With bands like the Rubinoos (who got close to the top 40 with their cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now”) and Earth Quake, the label was sort of proud of not being “mainstream.” Then Kihn comes along and has not one but TWO hits (the other being “The Break-Up Song”).
Co-write Steve Wright passed away in 2017. Kihn still performs.
Jeopardy
Written by Greg Kihn and Steve Wright
Recorded by the Greg Kihn Band
From Kihnspiracy, 1983
Don’t let go while I’m hangin’ on:
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13 people like this
11 responses
@kobesbuddy (78833)
• East Tawas, Michigan
9 Jun 23
I Think We're Alone Now, I liked that song! During the nineteen-eighties, I didn't have very much interest in modern music, but my son did. Ghost Busters, that was one song I DID enjoy, only because it caused my Boston-Bull dog to go crazy, run around the house like his seatend was on fire! lol Yes, "Teddy" liked that nutsy coo-coo music:)
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
9 Jun 23
I liked the Rubinoos’ version better than Debbie Gibson’s, or Tiffany, or whichever did it.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
10 Jun 23
@kobesbuddy — yep, Tommy James & the Shondells. Covered a boatload of times.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78833)
• East Tawas, Michigan
9 Jun 23
@FourWalls The original version of I Think We're Alone Now, was during the mid sixties.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
10 Jun 23
I think I’m discovering that the 40-year-old songs aren’t as “classic” as the 50-year-old songs are.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
10 Jun 23
@DWDavis — it’s still out there. The last “big name” concert I went to was U2, in 1987. Maybe R.E.M. in 1989, but they weren’t playing arenas then…and I went to their after-concert “party” (they are hardly “party animals,” but it was great to sit and talk music with Peter Buck for a long time). Since then, it’s been things like Marshall Crenshaw, Robbie Fulks, Richard Thompson, Peter Case, etc. Great songwriters who couldn’t fill a restaurant because of the stranglehold “corporate” radio and recording has on things.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
10 Jun 23
@FourWalls By the 1980s, a lot of the music had become overcommercialized, and finding songs that stood out became more difficult. The days of the independence among songwriters and performers that were hallmarks of the 60s and 70s were gone, and the YouTube sensation days were still far in the future.
1 person likes this
@much2say (57760)
• Los Angeles, California
11 Jun 23
@FourWalls 
I looked up what he looks like. I guess he's no young thang anymore . . . but he still has that happy/smiley look without trying 
.
I looked up what he looks like. I guess he's no young thang anymore . . . but he still has that happy/smiley look without trying .1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
10 Jun 23
He’s not as cute as he was in the 80s, but yes, he’s still performing.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
9 Jun 23
Need you to educate Lou, who doesn’t know it!! 
2 people like this
@kobesbuddy (78833)
• East Tawas, Michigan
9 Jun 23
@FourWalls Put me in the dumpster, I never heard of this group either!
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
9 Jun 23
@kobesbuddy — you probably weren’t glued to MTV back then.
@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
24 Jun 23
Never heard this one before, at least it's not on my radar (sorry Golden Earring) I do remember the much more popular and radio friendly "The Breakup Song" though. 
Maybe they just don't write them like "Jeopardy" anymore...
Maybe they just don't write them like "Jeopardy" anymore... 1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
24 Jun 23
Uh-uh-uh, uh-uh-uh-uh-uh! Loved the video of Weird Al’s “I Lost on Jeopardy” when Greg showed up at the end, helping to spoof his own song.
I love “The Break-Up Song,” too.
Loved the video of Weird Al’s “I Lost on Jeopardy” when Greg showed up at the end, helping to spoof his own song.
I love “The Break-Up Song,” too.1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (51831)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
10 Jun 23
Forty years ago, I was listening to CBC...
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
10 Jun 23
This didn’t qualify for Canadian content, so….
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (52946)
• Mojave, California
9 Jun 23
That is not the song I expected. I was expecting this. Come on miss lady that is funny.
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1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (98026)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
9 Jun 23
You mean to tell me there was not only a game show called Jeopardy but also a song I never knew this, I wonder why they did not think to use it as the theme song,
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
10 Jun 23
Art Fleming and Don Pardo were both in the Weird Al parody video, but this has nothing to do with the game show. Like Susan Raye’s song “Wheel of Fortune.”
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86765)
• United States
10 Jun 23
I’m that way with some Homer and Jethro songs. To this day I don’t know Jim Lowe’s “Green Door,” but I sure know H&J’s parody!
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222527)
• United States
10 Jun 23
Sorry. I don't recognize this one.
1 person likes this
