EPISODE · Oct 3, 2025 · 1H 58M
Rock This Way: The Jams of 1986
from PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s, 80s and More
Break out the Jordache jeans and slap bracelets—we’re firing up the Past Tens DeLorean and crash-landing straight into October 4th, 1986. Hosts Dave and Adam are your snarky tour guides through the Billboard Top 10, a week where Lionel Richie was literally defying gravity, Tina Turner was calling out “Typical Males” (present company excluded… maybe), and Run-DMC teamed up with Aerosmith to smash a wall and music history all at once. Adam admits to surviving a Lionel Richie concert back in the day (dancing on the ceiling, not covered by health insurance), we deep-dive Janet Jackson’s pop domination, and we wonder aloud if Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring’s “Friends and Lovers” was written for a daytime soap opera—or by one. Plus, there’s a Juno Awards trivia smackdown, some righteous Canadian music history, and our patented “swap-a-song” gimmick. It’s nostalgia, pop-culture snark, and synthesizer-drenched storytelling—Past Tens style. Find Adam Yas music at www.adamyas.com Topics 00:00 — Cold Open: Welcome to Past Tens—seatbelts optional, sarcasm mandatory. 00:26 — Meet the Hosts: Dave and Adam: like Hall & Oates, but with more bad puns. 03:54 — Confession Time: Adam cops to seeing Lionel Richie live in ’86. Yes, he’s fine. 06:59 — Pop Culture Check-In: Shoulder pads, Top Gun, and too much Aqua Net. 17:06 — Countdown Kickoff: The Billboard Top 10 begins—cue drum machines. 36:55 — Walk This Way: How Run-DMC and Aerosmith blew up MTV (and a wall). 38:20 — The Collab Heard ‘Round the World: Rap + Rock = mind blown. 42:05 — Studio Secrets: Steven Tyler screaming into the void… for art. 44:55 — MTV Controversy: Rock, rap, and race colliding on your TV screen. 53:12 — Phil Collins at Live Aid: Because Phil had to be everywhere. 57:42 — Stacey Q Spotlight: Two of hearts… but one too many listens. 01:11:37 — Oh, Canada: Glass Tiger teaches us “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone).” 01:19:01 — Trivia Time: Dave vs. Adam in the Great Juno Awards Quiz. 01:19:45 — Sentimental Sidebar: A Nickelback tangent, with bonus dad stories. 01:26:32 — Janet Jackson Rules the World: Control, Rhythm Nation incoming. 01:34:31 — Friends and Lovers: A song that belongs on General Hospital. 01:39:24 — Huey Lewis & The News: “Stuck With You” and dad-rock glory. 01:44:29 — The Big Reveal: Top song of October 1986. Drumroll, please. 01:45:16 — Winner of the Week: Adam swaps out a Top 10 dud for a hidden gem. 01:56:57 — Closing Credits: The flux capacitor cools down—until next time.
What this episode covers
Break out the Jordache jeans and slap bracelets—we’re firing up the Past Tens DeLorean and crash-landing straight into October 4th, 1986. Hosts Dave and Adam are your snarky tour guides through the Billboard Top 10, a week where Lionel Richie was literally defying gravity, Tina Turner was calling out “Typical Males” (present company excluded… maybe), and Run-DMC teamed up with Aerosmith to smash a wall and music history all at once. Adam admits to surviving a Lionel Richie concert back in the day (dancing on the ceiling, not covered by health insurance), we deep-dive Janet Jackson’s pop domination, and we wonder aloud if Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring’s “Friends and Lovers” was written for a daytime soap opera—or by one. Plus, there’s a Juno Awards trivia smackdown, some righteous Canadian music history, and our patented “swap-a-song” gimmick. It’s nostalgia, pop-culture snark, and synthesizer-drenched storytelling—Past Tens style. Find Adam Yas music at www.adamyas.com Topics 00:00 — Cold Open: Welcome to Past Tens—seatbelts optional, sarcasm mandatory. 00:26 — Meet the Hosts: Dave and Adam: like Hall & Oates, but with more bad puns. 03:54 — Confession Time: Adam cops to seeing Lionel Richie live in ’86. Yes, he’s fine. 06:59 — Pop Culture Check-In: Shoulder pads, Top Gun, and too much Aqua Net. 17:06 — Countdown Kickoff: The Billboard Top 10 begins—cue drum machines. 36:55 — Walk This Way: How Run-DMC and Aerosmith blew up MTV (and a wall). 38:20 — The Collab Heard ‘Round the World: Rap + Rock = mind blown. 42:05 — Studio Secrets: Steven Tyler screaming into the void… for art. 44:55 — MTV Controversy: Rock, rap, and race colliding on your TV screen. 53:12 — Phil Collins at Live Aid: Because Phil had to be everywhere. 57:42 — Stacey Q Spotlight: Two of hearts… but one too many listens. 01:11:37 — Oh, Canada: Glass Tiger teaches us “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone).” 01:19:01 — Trivia Time: Dave vs. Adam in the Great Juno Awards Quiz. 01:19:45 — Sentimental Sidebar: A Nickelback tangent, with bonus dad stories. 01:26:32 — Janet Jackson Rules the World: Control, Rhythm Nation incoming. 01:34:31 — Friends and Lovers: A song that belongs on General Hospital. 01:39:24 — Huey Lewis & The News: “Stuck With You” and dad-rock glory. 01:44:29 — The Big Reveal: Top song of October 1986. Drumroll, please. 01:45:16 — Winner of the Week: Adam swaps out a Top 10 dud for a hidden gem. 01:56:57 — Closing Credits: The flux capacitor cools down—until next time.
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Rock This Way: The Jams of 1986
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