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| #25—just made the cut. |
Other notable tracks: Freeze Frame, Rage in the Cage, Angel in Blue"
Released: 1981
Chart peak: #1 (Feb. 1982 for four weeks)
You actually had to be alive in 1981 to understand just how awesome (and completely ubiquitous) their biggest single of the J. Geils Band's career, "Centerfold," really was. The single was in constant rotation on MTV and on Top 40 radio, where it was #1 for six weeks. It really was one of those songs that grabbed you from first hearing and never went away. It's a testament to how good the song is that I never tired of hearing it, and it's still just as good in 2013 as it was in 1981.
One thing that does bear noting—"Centerfold" was considered quite risqué in its time. The lyrics talked about a young man's high school sweetheart posing as a "centerfold" for, as the lyrics say, a "girlie magazine," leaving many a hyper-hormonal teenage boy to consider which of his female classmates he'd like to see in just such a way. The video was likewise revealing, with a bevy of pretty models dancing in black and pink teddies.
Now compare all that to 2013. "Playboy" magazine was a rare and difficult-to-acquire treasure for those aforementioned hormone-crazed boys in 1981. Today, the Internet and its nonstop stream of pornography makes "Playboy" look almost innocent by comparison. Likewise, what networks and cable get away with showing in prime time (not to mention what they say regarding sex) make the models in the video look almost virginal. For a song about lost innocence, it sure says a lot about how far we've come (or how far we've descended, depending on your point of view).
It's also interesting to note that the eponymous J. Geils was the guitarist for the band, not the lead singer, who's name was Peter Wolf. Go figure.
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