On that long ride to SoCal over Thanksgiving, SJ turned on a playlist called “’80s One-Hit Wonders.”

While watching the I-5 go by, we listened to lots of over-played eighties songs like, a-Ha’s “Take on Me,” Matthew Wilder’s “Break my Stride,” and Devo’s “Whip It.”

Then, Josie Cotton’s “Johnny, Are You Queer?” came on and SJ lost it.

She couldn’t believe such a song existed. She made me play it over and over again, laughing in delight. She now says it’s her new favorite song and that (“Of course!) she told all her friends about it.

I was trying to remember what songs I heard when I was young that shocked me. The top one that came to mind was Starland Vocal Band’s “Afternoon Delight.”

Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight
Gonna grab some afternoon delight
My motto’s always been ‘when it’s right, it’s right’
Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night?

How could something so racy be so melodic?

Anyway, when I picked SJ up from school the first day after getting home from our trip, that eighties playlist was still going in our car. It was now playing “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors. She got into the car and exclaimed in faux-horror, “Turn that down! Everyone is going to think we’re RACIST!”

I laughed and turned it up louder. Then I unrolled the window and we sang it at the top of lungs all the way home.