However, when you're 11 and don't have any hip older brothers or sisters guiding your musical taste, you're screwed. This is why I tried to rescue my brother's bad taste by forcing The Smiths and Depeche Mode on him at an early age. Didn't work. He preferred Pantera, Metallica and Samhaim to my dark, depressing ballads from the UK.
As you know, I attended Catholic school between grades 3-8. I must confess, this video was shocking. It truly was. The level of filth, I'm serious. I loved the song, but there was something that made me feel nervous while watching this video. I would turn my head around like Linda Blair in The Exorcist to make sure my parents weren't around every time it aired. In my mind, it was a straight-up porno on regular TV.
We didn't have the Playboy Channel, but to a Catholic school kid in 1984, this was just as dirty. Even now, watching it as an adult, I am ashamed of myself for liking this song in 6th grade. Maybe that's why I was making out with Eddie in the church balcony a year later.
Cool Trivia Bits About The Video:
1. The voice of Waldo is actually that of the late SNL comedian Phil Hartman.
2. David Lee Roth directed the "Hot For Teacher" video.
3. Eddie Van Halen's solo was ranked by Guitar World as #46 of all-time.
4. Fans sometimes think the line "I don't feel tardy" is "I don't feel dirty" but it is indeed "tardy."
5. There is some crazy confusion as to which hot chick played the hot teacher. Some say it's Lillian Muller, while others say it's Wayne Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones. I bet our favorite dirty boy blogger, Copyboy, would know. Ha ha!
Funny...I had not even heard of this song!
ReplyDeleteI was never a huge Van Halen fan, although I do like much of their music. When I was a kid in West Covina, California, they used to hang out at the same music store that I did...good old Hanich Music. I never ran into them though. I put a post on the community bulletin board as a drummer available. If the stars had been aligned differently and they saw my ad, I might have been their drummer.
My boys loved this song!
ReplyDeleteMy sisters loved this one and it always made me feel guilty for being in the room while it was on.
ReplyDeleteFunny, cause I just came from reading another blog talking about a David Lee Roth song.
"when you're 11 and don't have any hip older brothers or sisters guiding your musical taste, you're screwed."
ReplyDeleteSo true! And although I also tried to guide my younger bro (who had been to about 40 concerts by age 17 and already had residual hearing loss from the shows), he also listened to Pantera. Sad, I know...
This song never really hit my radar and after listening to it I can see why - sorry Van Halen fans.
ReplyDeleteOh. I understand why you had to look around to make sure your parents weren't looking...:)
ReplyDeleteI have never heard this song though!
Never was a big fan of Van Halen and really can't remember the video. Early 80's I think I listened to Prince, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Hall and Oates, etc.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! IMO, Van Halen was never the same after David Lee Roth left. I love the little mini-versions of the band members.
ReplyDeleteLoved that blast from the past. I am with you on the musical taste, but there was something about Van Halen that was different than the rest of the bunch.
ReplyDeleteAnd how I miss Phil Hartman and his funny.
Thanks again. I love your memories.
Mmm. Depeche Mode.
ReplyDeleteOk sorry. Was having a dreamy moment.
So funny about the controversy of who played the teacher. I mean, is she still alive and does she remember doing it? Stand up and be counted, woman!
Also, this reminds me of seeing purple rain on cinemax by sneaking up in the middle of the night when a much "faster" friend was sleeping over. I was downright flabbergasted at that one "sex" scene which didn't even include any nudity. And my first graders today are way more advanced and less naive in their development than I was in fourth grade! Crazy world.
Have some people really never heard this song?
I think the video ruined the song for me.
ReplyDeleteThis was a classic video...
ReplyDeleteI am glad I had a cool cousin who introduced me to cool music like Sabbath and Zeppelin which lead to my obsession with Alice in Chains. But I got told too that that was "Boy" music. I was like "WTF?" But my friends liked New Kids on the Block...
I didn't like Depeche Mode and the Smiths back then...but now I do...what amazing musicianship! The Cure too!
Our first CD was Van Halen's 5150 and then my friend had free concert tickets and my mom wouldn't let me go!
ReplyDeleteHa! Those are cool inside tips about the video, who doesn't LOVE Phil Hartman? Wish he was still around. :)
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of this song until I played it on Guitar Hero.
ReplyDeleteSee? Video games are useful for teaching us about the great songs throughout the ages.
I totally understand why, as a Catholic school girl, you did the Exorcist head turn when watching this. As a Jewish adult, I almost did it too just now. But I remembered that I live alone, and I did lock the door. I wonder how little Waldo turned out. Do you know who he is?
ReplyDeleteThanks for another fun post, Ally.
xoRobyn
Great facts about this video! Thanks!
ReplyDeletehahahaha. Too bad Eddie Van Halen had to grow old...
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that was Phil Hartman.... He was such a genius.... Every teenage boy that I knew loved this song.... I had a friend in a lame band in junior high and they could play 'Hot For Teacher' and two other songs (poorly)....
ReplyDelete