1986 Songs: Crazy Mixed-Up Kid

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Okay, you’ve had your reprieve from “who’s that, what’s that” music. We move on to 1986, and it’s back to songs and acts you don’t know. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I grew less and less interested by the day with the “top 40” music of 1986, because the “college rock” scene sounded so much better to me. Here’s today’s song from 40 years ago. Crazy Mixed-Up Kid - The Smithereens Dang, but what a fun band. I got to see them live in 1989, when they were touring with their album 11 (named after the 1960 “Rat Pack” movie Ocean’s 11). They were a blast. Why they never got past the college rock circuit is beyond me. Oh, they did have hits. “A Girl Like You” was a top 40 hit and top three album & modern rock hit. Other songs like “Blood and Roses,” “Only a Memory,” and “House We Used to Live In” got plenty of MTV and FM radio airplay. They just weren’t a hair band (which was what was popular at the time) or didn’t have Madonna or Phil Collins singing with them. This is a song from their debut album, which was on a small indie label (Enigma). It did remarkably well, generating positive reviews and eventually selling over a million copies. I love the mix of modern feel and 60s throwback guitar riffs in this song. If you remember, I was heartbroken when lead singer/songwriter Pat DiNizio died in 2017. They continue touring, with either John Cowsill (of the Cowsills) or Marshall Crenshaw doing lead vocal duties. I’m glad they’re keeping the legacy going, even though I’m thrilled that I got to see the original incarnation of a truly underrated band. Crazy Mixed-Up Kid Written by Pat DiNizio Recorded by The Smithereens From Especially For You, 1986 It hurts to love a girl when she don’t even want to know you: