AMAZING!| FIRST TIME HEARING Midnight Star - Operator REACTION

[@azifukare]

Welp, y'all are now ready for FREAK-A-ZOID.. the reason I bought this awesome album!~ :-)

[@bigsteve9279]

I didn’t buy alotta records, but I got that!

[@RalphKeim]

It was Freak-A-Zoid that introduced me to Midnight Star 😊

[@DE-vs2xy]

I’m reporting to the dance floor….🤖

[@courtnayzeitler8564]

Please report to the dance floor!

[@lisajara2752]

Yasssss it's a must !!! My favorite!

[@danielmankowski922]

Love this group! Midas Touch, Wet My Whistle, No Parking on the Dance Floor, Freak a Zoid and Don’t Rock the Boat are great jams! But this song was what hooked me into them! 🤩

[@carolp5968]

Love the way the main operator was mimicking Ernestine, one of Lilly Tomlin's characters on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In", the iconic 70s show that launched the career of Goldie Hawn and others.

[@shirleyjones9460]

This song, "No Parking on the Dancefloor" and "Midas Touch" my favorites and the dancefloor would be packed with people trying to dance 🎉🎉🎉

[@maryd8417]

No parking on the dance floor!!!! Love it❤❤❤❤❤

[@shyman99]

This and "Call Me" by Skyy were my early 80s jams.

[@000_x9]

Party line was shared phone lines to save money but u could be talking, then the lady down the street would pick up and ask if she could use the line, so then u would end your conversation.

[@kimberlinibambini1968]

Yessssss!

[@flodee8561]

Don't forget "Start of a Romance" by Skyy.

[@michaelevans1193]

Origin story: the term “give me the 411” comes from these days. If you needed a phone number and didn’t have access to a phone book, you dialed 411 for “information” and they could give you the number. For an extra fee they would connect you.

[@peace-and-quiet]

Today's kids wouldn't even know what an "Emergency Breakthrough" is. 😁

[@toddyoshimura2043]

411 used to be free on every pay phone. Which no longer exists!!! I mean pay phones!!!

[@davidmacias741]

These were the best of times! I feel sorry for the youngsters now. We had the best old school music in the late 70s and early 80s

[@RobertoSantana61]

You guys need to check out another great 80s group, Atlantic Starr. I would start with "Secret Lovers"

[@stevensheegog3942]

I don’t think Amber will like the lyrics to that song. It’s a beautifully sang song but it makes a married person a certain way.

[@RobertoSantana61]

@@stevensheegog3942 - I think they'll like it. Remember "Torn Between Two Lovers"?

[@troypuls5424]

When I was growing up in the country we were on a party line which meant the phone bill was low but you shared the phone line with neighbors. You would pick up the phone and accidentally hear the conversation of the person next door. We only used the phone for important stuff never casual conversation.

[@stevenjwiles]

My grandparents had a party line. Grandma could pick up the phone and in a second tell you which neighbor was talking and to who.

[@ericoh123]

Each home on the line had their own ring pattern for incoming calls; these were mainly out on rural farm lines by 1967 in Missouri, the year we shared a party line with three other homes.

[@juliewhite7469]

There's a cute movie with Doris Day and Carey Grant where their characters share a party line.

[@1969madame]

That was Doris Day and Rock Hudson in "Pillow Talk."

[@juliewhite7469]

@@1969madame Yes ! I love both actors. Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger did a parody movie called "Down With Love" that I thought was really funny. She plays a Doris Day type character complete with all the outrageous outfits. 🥰❤

[@nettricegaskins1871]

The entire band went to college with my aunt (Kentucky State). :)

[@clutch236]

Midnight Star "Electricity", Midas Touch, & Slow Jam" my top 3 by them...

[@theodoreritola7641]

I remember 70s music like this.

[@cflournoy1529]

Yes!!! And don’t forget Wet My Whistle!!

[@paulpeacock1181]

Phone party line was the plot device for Doris Day’s famous Rom Com Pillow Talk(1959).

[@johnnyb8deuce]

They have several bangers “ Midas Touch” , “Tuff” , “freak a zoid” , “Curiosity” , “Slow Jam” , “Electricity” ….

[@crypticrayne14]

Midnight Star is awesome. Such great memories. We had a partyline when I was growing up in MS. we had several neighbors that shared the line. Your phone would have a special ring when it was your number dialed, but that didn't stop people from picking up and listening in on your conversations lol

[@mmille10]

Hmm. We had a party line for a bit when I was growing up. I don't remember the special ring, but you're probably right that we had one, because otherwise neighbors would've been picking up each other's calls all the time, not knowing who it was for!

[@ewrekzz7360]

"Party line" was a monthly billing plan that split costs between multiple households, but you shared time. It was kind of like having a sibling on the phone, if you picked up your handset and there's somebody talking - you apologize and hang backup. Or get their estimate of how long they will be, and then try again later. Most often occurred in rural locations where a phone was an expensive luxury.

[@hellokimmy68]

I can't find that you've done Herbie Hancock's "Rockit." You SHOULD. Not only is it a fantastic song that you will absolutely love and get down with, but the video was one of the most innovative in the early days of MTV.

[@formergoat9257]

Yes! I've requested it several times.

[@PenandInk2012]

You all got to play "Rockit"!

[@christineobrien7707]

The video was whacky, & fun to watch👍

[@michelesanville8822]

This song got everybody on the dance floor. Another great club song is Meeting In The Ladies Room by Klymaxx.

[@hellokimmy68]

Amber - a party line was a shared landline phone line. When I was little, my Mammaw and her neighbors all shared one phone line. If you needed to make a call and picked up the phone, it was very possible to hear your neighbor's conversation if they were already on. And if you really needed to make a call, you'd have to ask them to please get OFF the phone, which they might or might not. When I was a little girl in the early 70s, I used to say that I wanted to be a phone operator when I grew up, so I could make her neighbors get off the phone. In this musical vein, I requested Herbie Hancock's "Rockit", which was 1983. A few years later a band called M/A/R/R/S had a song called "Pump Up the Volume" that I think y'all would also really enjoy. Definitely getting into the electronic funky sounds of the 80s. That was such a fantastic and diverse decade and a great time to be a high school/college kid!

[@AnthonyWilliams-ot1yk]

Midnight Star should have been bigger than they were in the 80s. Soooo funky!!!

[@colibri1]

Yeah, a lot of the phone references in this 1985 song wouldn't be understandable to people today. By the time of this song, you could call people directly on your (landline) phone, but just a few decades earlier, you would have had to call an operator first and they would connect you with the line you wanted to reach. The images in this video of an operator manually connecting lines in a switchboard was a retro touch that was probably supposed to be humorous: 'Remember when operators used to do that?! That was so old school!," And by 1985, party lines mostly occurred in rural areas for some reason. I remember hearing rural relatives talking about trying to make a call to someone and they would hear other people's voices from the town already talking, so I think they had to wait until the other people finished to make their call. There may have been ways to have an operator connect you with multiple people in the same area code too for a deliberate party line, but I don't remember that.

[@RedBud315]

My sister worked midnight shifts at an answering service in 1980 that had the old switchboard with the patch cords.

[@raymondwoodard6779]

Been waiting forever for you or anyone else to react to this. One of the best dance hits of 1985.

[@debibailey2968]

We had a party line when I was young. We lived in the country and the other household on our line was our neighbor, my Aunt and Uncle. I was preteen and sometimes would spend a while on the phone, and definitely got into trouble for tying up the line when my Aunt wanted to make a call! Lol and sometimes you would sneak and listen to their conversations! Lol. Don't tell anyone though, ok? 😂

[@melaniebrown4660]

Yes!!! This song is the epitome of 80’s break dancing music!! My goodness, the memories ❤ Love it!! Thanks for this one ❤

[@alejandrobojorquez6181]

MIDNIGHT STAR - " Freak - A - Zoid (Official Music Video) this is another Excellent one great vocals and and great beat , dance classics 🎶

[@carolynmorrissey1630]

I Love this song i have this record a (45) along with Meeting In The Ladies Room by Klymaxx Great reaction ❤

[@bertisjordan1085]

Yes we used to break dance to this! Check out their "Freak-A-Zoid" and "Slow Jam"

[@R-L-I]

When Jay heard that synthesized 80’s techno sound I knew he had no choice but to go robot! 😂

[@michellecasey5752]

Total jam. Always good at the clubs, parties and roller rinks.

[@dvaderwasframed]

Midnight Star - Freak-A-Zoid. I remember the school talent show, 1983ish, and a couple of people popping\break dancing to this.

[@PeloJase]

I had to pause the tv when I saw this get posted! Love it!!! Takes me back to high school!!!

[@michaelmartin1714]

"Let Me Tickle Your Fancy" by Jermaine Jackson featuring Devo has that talk box 80's funk that y'all love so much.

[@minnesota93]

Hey big fan..you need to do Morris day and the time..them and prince play alot together in the 80's

[@bigsteve9279]

No you did-unt! ‘Jungle Love’ Gotta do the movie/official video! Morris Day & the Time!

[@terrellinc22]

Klymax "Men all Pause" "Meeting in the ladies room" - The Real Roxanne. Read for the World "oh Sheila"

[@BrenJen86]

Love Midnight Star! Fun Fact: the operator that says “can you speak up a little louder cuz I can barely hear ya” was a real operator call. The group hooked up a mic to the phone and dialed “0”, so that was an actual conversation. The poor lady never got a royalty for being on the record. 😂

[@dennisbarnes7933]

OMG...its been years since ive heard this song....the 80's were so awesome...i truly miss those times and memories...such a great decade to have lived through...

[@RalphKeim]

All kinds of Star groups happening in the 80's. Not only Midnight Star, but Atlantic Starr, Starpoint, Five Star, and Brenda K Starr 😊

[@tamcon72]

LOL!

[@shawn5928]

The very first album I ever owned was a Midnight Star album. I was 10 years old and my uncle gave me the cassette tape. My favorite song by them was Freak-A-Zoid!!

[@kimberlinibambini1968]

Another old school JAM! 😃💃💃💃💃💃💃

[@sparky6086]

This was a big hit, when I was in the Army. I often heard it & danced to it in the EM Club.

[@sysanfo]

Definitely an 80s dance song where everyone got off their rear and danced! lol

[@JohnnyUtah15]

“Freak-A-Zoid”, “Electricity”, “Feels So Good”

[@michellecasey5752]

Freakazoid is da bomb.

[@michaeljoy3731]

I'm glad you did a reaction to this song. Awesome. Great hit. Another one is freakazoid

[@theodoreritola7641]

reminds of 70s FUNK

[@BillGraper]

I just heard this song on an old Casey Kasem countdown YESTERDAY! No joke. I haven't heard this song since the 80's.

[@bigsteve9279]

American Top 40 & was the BEST! That was the best way get to your ‘music diet’ in a pre-tech era. …spent many many Sunday afternoons listen to Kasey. Good times 😁

[@BillGraper]

@@bigsteve9279 Same! I remember every song when it was popular from the time I was 4 years old. In 1976, I remember all of the hits! I was so into the music, even back then. It's so neat being able to hear those old countdowns anytime I want.

[@fhat6924]

LOL I was just watching some old clips today of Americas Top 10 they have quite a few episodes downloaded.

[@johnthompson7469]

When I was a kid, we had a party line. Cheaper than a private line. We shared with another household. When that call was for us, it would ring in repeating short pairs. If it was for the other house it would ring in long tones. If you answered the other ring immediately after it stops ringing you would be in the call with them and they wouldn't know it. If you waited too long, it would click on there line and they would know you were there.

[@donaldwhite1928]

Used to listen to to the girls conversation down the road lol

[@chaz5229]

Music today can't EVEN hold a candle to the bangers from back in the day!! We danced ALOT back then...walk in the club dressed to the nines...walk out soak and wet...LOL!!

[@RenR70]

“Freak-A-Zoid” was the song that set it off for them but “Midas Touch” was my favorite from them.

[@gwenstevens1963]

One of my favorites ❤❤❤❤yessss we were on the dance 💃🏽 floor 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@poppingjaz]

That early to Mid 80s funk Sound! This sound was predominant around then especially with bands like One Way, Zapp and Roger, etc

[@Sec998]

"Operator" was Midnight Star's only pop hit in 1984/85. So Rob you were right on the date. They had over a dozen R&B hits in the 80s. Their other bigger hits were "Freak A Zoid", "Wet My Whistle" and "Midas Touch",

[@sarahdixon1943]

OMG 😲 😱 😮 It's been FOREVER!!! This was the 80s definitely!!!

[@Marsha8of9]

Thanks for taking me back in time to my weekends with friends, clubbing, dancing and having all around good times. Love Midnight Star… Freak-a-Zoid should be the next you check out.

[@wickamo]

Fantastic song and one our staple groups that we would have on our party mix tapes for our teenage dance parties. Operator and No Parking On the Dance Floor were always played.

[@db-gb5xi]

Another one from them is Freak-A-Zoid. Some more in this vein, Slave - Just A Touch of Love, Watching You, Slide; Tom Browne - Funkin' For Jamaica; The S.O.S. Band - Just Be Good To Me, Take Your TIme (Do It Right); Skyy - Call Me

[@theodoreritola7641]

Wish music from the late 70s w m a c

[@bigsteve9279]

I definitely danced more during a Midnight Star than any ever! 🕺💃 Kool & the Gang was hot too 🔥

[@frederickgallegos2047]

Rick James, the gap band, the daz band, klymaxx, Shalamar, Kool and the gang, grand master flash, midnight star. All great 80's music!!

[@enriquetheprofessor]

Indeed! I love all those acts!

[@chevyblueangel]

Operator ~ was one of my favs back in the days on the dance floor! It's a 5-course muzik meal! So good!!

[@AlAndValOffGrid]

Rotary phones. Operators. Phone booths. Kids ain't gonna recognize NUN of this.

[@hervehightower2364]

this played at every party and event back in the 80's i would out at a restaurant and this was playing one of my favorite songs from midstar its party time with this one still play it now.

[@NoName-fx9zi]

Wowwww....😎 Haven't heard this since 4th grade ('84 or '85?) when my older brother brought the casette tape home and blasted it on our living room stereo.

[@anthonybohannon1605]

Midnight star "wet my whistle " live in L.A 1983. Whole concert is fantastic.

[@steviemccormick3762]

80's baby !!!!!

[@deepnthought.]

Absolutely a classic i'm glad this was recommended 😊❤

[@liquidationkingla5706]

This was a Party Hit back in the Day!!! I am sure it is still making it's tour in the USA and Oversea for the Funky Dance Songs.... Great Selection... LOVE IT!!!

[@Messaiiina]

You may like The Egyptian Lover "Egypt, Egypt".

[@elijahablaze]

Yes. Africa Bambata was great

[@GinaGeeILuvu]

This is a great group with many fun hits! One of the eighties finest!❤❤

[@bobdam4478]

their songs always got the dance floor full!

[@chab1rd155]

Love it! Old school jams! We always had fun with this music!❤

[@themominator4745]

I knew you'd go full 🤖, Jay! ✌️❤️

[@ShamrockParticle]

Glad you covered this, it's an all-time great! Party lines allowed multiple people to share one line in a neighborhood. That's all i remember of them, but they were not efficient! Definitely have been some positive changes since then. The phone operator lady is homage to Lily Tomlin's "Ernestine", if you're into 70s comedy. There's a great bit where Lily and Cher have a conversation... Forget autotune, we need more vocoder! ❤ seriously, this song was so creative and awesome and the time and is just as energetic today! Plus, the phone booth is a TARDIS, hehe!

[@stormy8207]

When you couldn't dial directly you could talk to an operator to get put through. It is an old thing. But I remember picking up a phone and instead of the dial tone I would be able to hear other people talking. It was more a fault than anything else by that time. In the late 1800s when phones started, you had to ring the operator to get put through to anyone. And you could arrange to talk to multiple people which was a party line. A switchboard operator was still common in major businesses during the 70s if you had to ring overseas etc. And they were available from public phone booths as well.

[@AbcDef-iq4no]

When I was growin up in the 60s my aunt had a party line. It was a phone line she shared with several of her neighbors. We used to get in trouble for picking up my aunt's receiver and listening to the neighbors' conversations instead of hanging up and waiting a while to see if the line was free. The party line phone service cost less than a regular private line, so that was the attraction if you were on a budget. BTW, I am loving the giant black phone receiver in this video; so comedic.

[@misterdoe]

You need to check out their slow jam, um, "Slow Jam." 😅 Also, "Headlines," which is similar to "Operator"; "Snake in the Grass"; "Curious"; "Wet My Whistle"; and others. I had an unintentional party line, a cheap cordless phone that every other cordless phone in the neighborhood seemed to interfere with. 😅😂

[@elijahablaze]

Saw a great concert with Midnight Star, Roger and Zapp and Nucleus ( Jam on it ) and it was a great show

[@kenneth1342]

FREAK-A-ZOID! Was THEE breakdancing jam!

[@josephadiaz8343]

Yup 80s music,a great song to dance to 👍♥️🙏✝️✌️😎

[@wilsonperez2668]

🎉 Welcome to old school greatness. Keep exploring their catalog, you won't be disappointed. Great to pop and lock to. If you love this then you should watch - Krush Groove Beat Street Breakin' and Breakin' 2 - (Electric Boogaloo) You'll love the music and enjoy the movie. 🎉

[@ken7531077]

Herbie Handcock - rockit Newcleus - jam on it Kris Kross- jump C & C Music Factory - everybody dance now

[@gmarky81]

A party line was where you could have 3 or 4 houses on the same line but the phone would have a different ring to let the people know who it was for . It cost more to have a private line which was just one person or house on it .

[@troc55]

Yes originally party lines were used in rural areas where several neighbors had the same line. It ringed a different tone for each person so they knew when it was for them. Also a lot of college dorms used them for years. Great tune!

[@chantal6076]

My first concert - it was them, Whodini, and Run-DMC. Midnight Star went on first and wow. I knew and liked most of their songs. No Parking on the Dance floor was a huge hit. They were jamming and dancing and had everyone in the audience on their feet and dancing too. All the acts were truly great and so much fun but Midnight Star definitely the party started.

[@fantasycamp4000]

Lol this song went out when we had rotary phones and tv channels signed off for the night

[@ronnix23]

Oooh Midnight Star has some jams: Freak-A-Zoid, Wet My Whistle, and Midas Touch. And slow jams: Slow Jam, and Feels So Good. Also this song reminds me that you haven't done any of the dance floor jams by Klymaxx yet, most notably Meeting In The Ladies Room, and Men All Pause.

[@danielabt9483]

OMG! One of my favorite groups of the 80s. So many hits to choose from. Like Electricity, Freak-A-Zoid , Headlines, Don't Rock The Boat, and if you want to mellow down, check out Slow Jam.

[@Bear-cr2kn]

My grandparents had a party line. It basically meant several houses shared a phone line, they didn't have their own private line. You'd pick up the phone to make a call and hear someone talking so you had to hang up and wait for them to finish before you could make your call. You could also, although it was a big no-no, eavesdrop on people's conversations! I think I got in trouble for that a few times! 😂

[@aliciazambri4237]

I thought she was talking about when you used to call in certain 1-900 numbers to talk to complete strangers in a conference call like atmosphere. You would pay per minute but get to have fun shooting the breeze with people you don't know. Kind of like social media over the phone! lol

[@JustTanya.]

I remember the party lines. You actually would call a number and there were different "rooms" you can connect to and talk to different people. It's like chat rooms but on the phone. "Freak-A-Zoid" is just a fun song too. It's the kind of song where you're not even trying to swag or be cool, just let your freak flag fly. 😎👍

[@tkremarkTK]

Hit the Dance floor many a time to this song.

[@Musicvegan01]

The instrument they're using is a vocoder, which is different from a talkbox. There's also a voice changer from the 1930s called a Sonovox.

[@garytom1935]

Awesome dance song, club days yeah MTV days 👌😎👏🎵🥁🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@kelliefish6259]

Great song. I am so glad I grew up in that time. The 80's were a Blast!

[@shawnkautzman4879]

Jay and Amber thank you for this i put this as a request also. You both make me laugh with your movements during the song your being yourselves which is how it should be. You are blessed.

[@mamatay7]

We had a party line in the dorms when I was in college-- several rooms were on the same line, so when you pick up the phone to make a call, there could be someone else already on the line, so you'd have to wait til they were done with their call before you could make yours. And anyone on your line could overhear your call (as you could overhear theirs.) It's wild to think that back then, there were several different rooms (or houses) on the same line, whereas nowadays, several people in the same house each have their own individual line!

[@jenniferfoster1692]

i loved this song in high school, so fun to hear it again. We had so much great music like this, so fun!

[@bigfrank294]

I saw this group in a park in 1980 in Maryland. I was in the Army stationed at Fort Meade. Just got there and accidentally ran into this treat while exploring new territory.

[@themeanhornet1070]

They are on this year’s 80s Cruise!!

[@thomasjustice1716]

Can't wait to see them on the 80s Cruise!!

[@mecoda21]

Yep. Had a party line in the 70s. You would dial popcorn (on the dial) and you could hear others on the line

[@user-dd3sv5fc3c]

A Party Line was when several homes shared the same phone wire for using the phone. This was a base fee and It was fun to pick up the phone and just listen in quietly. There was also an option for a Private Line which cost more each month.

[@michaellabarge7557]

Some of the members were from West Michigan, Muskegon. The area code, 616, used to cover all of West Michigan counties along Lake Michigan.

[@frederickgallegos2047]

This song always reminds me of dancing with my girlfriend at the senior prom in 1986! That was a jam back then.

[@cheesesteak59]

Funk! Back in the good ol' days when songs were funky without cussin', threats, nastiness, misogyny and insults.

[@citydweller99]

80s electro pop was A plus in my book :)

[@the_mooch]

So awesome you did Morris day and Midnight star on the same day. They were on tour together last year. Saw them in June and It was a party.