Solid Gold Goodness

Not much has changed about me since I was a kid. Ok, that's a lie, I'm nearly unrecognizable, but that's not the point. Some of the core unchanged parts of my personality makeup came to fruition via 1980's media. There isn't a song I didn't love, and a show I didn't adore. Imagine my addiction to a show that had both. Solid Gold seeped into my membranes and manipulated my love of dance, music, and television (thus my unhealthy obsession with So You Think You Can Dance, but I digress).

From the lavender braided headbands down to the gold mary jane pumps, the Solid Gold Dancers had it all. They shimmied in shiny hose and made purple unitards cool. Heck even the boys in their gold lame shirts tightly tucked into their glimmering purple pants looked oddly hot (hey it was the 80's-our standards were lower then). There was a dance routine for every song, and every dancer danced it as if their lives depended on it. Looking like soft porn stars,the dancers would hypnotize their audience; live and those watching them on TV. Did anyone really care about Christopher Cross? Not really. But when the Solid Gold Dancers would paint the canvas floor with the smooth sounds of 'Sailing' it was as if Christopher Cross were the Sistine Chapel and the dancers were Michelangelo. Yea, it was that good.

At the top of the Mt. Olympus of diamond encrusted dance routines was the Aphrodite, Ms. Marilyn Mccoo. Ms. Mccoo is a singer and actress most well known for having been a member of the 5th Dimension, and hosted Solid Gold on and off for five years. Although there were many hosts namely Rex Smith, Andy Gibb, Rick Dees, Dionne Warwick, Arsenio Hall, and Nina Blackwood, Marilyn Mccoo stood out with her sweet smile and songbird voice. Maybe it's because I watched the show in my most formative years that Marilyn stood out most for me. Or maybe it's because she was the most memorable host that show had. No amount of glitz and glamour held a candle to the beautiful songstress. Not even the guest artists and bands they frequently had on the show. She hosted with style and grace as the Solid Gold gang twisted and plied around her.

A highlight of the show was the famed countdown. Ah, the countdown. Every song had it's dance routine, and those dancers took it seriously. Looking back, they seem comical, but at the time, it was serious business shaking a wedgied bootie to Rick Springfield. The male dancers gave their all to Juice Newton jumping and turning in uncomfortable nylon pants showing off their moose toe. I must admit, when they attempted breakdancing, their was no amount of magical dust in my eyes to stop my fits of laughter.

It makes me sad to know most people in todays generation don't know the glory of Solid Gold. The closest I can come is SYTYCD minus the big hair, long nails, and layers of makeup. There's no appreciation in french cut unitards with football player size shoulder pads any longer. Dance routines were about how hot the dancers looked in their slo mo style than how well they danced. There was a magic in their slightly out of sync routines that made them believable; made it possible for a podunk like me to keep up. Solid Gold made a show about dancing on TV captivating. SYTYCD may be faster and more choreographically advanced; flashier and more awe inspiring in their dance moves, but they have to give props to what made their show acceptable on TV. Say thank you So You Think You Can Dance, and every show that has come between them and Solid Gold. I stand before you (well, sit before the computer, but you know what I mean) and say in my gold heels, shimmering pantyhose, french cut lavender unitard, and braided gold headband holding my overpermed larger than life hair 'You're Welcome'.