Music critic Rob Sheffield charted on the bestselling lists with his 2007 memoir, Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time. The poignant book was about the tragic loss of Sheffield’s wife and how he dealt with grief by sifting through box after box of mix tapes. Sheffield explained, “Every mix tape tells a story. Put them together, and they add up to the story of a life.” He also taps into the memories of so many men when we wrote, “I was totally clueless about social interaction, and completely scared of girls. All I knew was that music was going to make girls fall in love with me.”

Now, Sheffield is back with a new book that relates directly to the social arts. Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man’s Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut. This book features a series of essays on music, the nostalgic times in our life, and how we interact with our friends and lovers. More importantly, he points out that certain 80’s references will always be effective when meeting women, regardless of their chronological age.

“I never figured anybody would remember the 80’s foundly after they were over,” Sheffield writes. “But like everything else that happened in the 80’s, Duran Duran symbolize teenage yearnings. Girls still grow up memorizing Pretty in Pink and Dirty Dancing; during those constant weekend marathons. Any time Sixteen Candles; comes on, my sisters can recite every scene word for word… When Michael Jackson, John Hughes and Patrick Swayze died, these were national days of mourning. Every night in your town, you can find a bar somewhere hosting an Awesome 80’s Prom Night, where you can count on a steady loop of ‘Tainted Love’ and ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Just Like Heaven.’ Any wedding I attend degenerates into a room full of Tommys and Ginas screaming ‘Livin’ on a Prayer.’ If that doesn’t happen, the couple could probably get an annulment. If you were famous in the 80’s, you will never be not famous.”

The point is, there’s something about the 80’s era that endears itself to people, regardless of their age. We may scoff at the neon green leg warmers and we may smirk at the Flock of Seagulls’ haircuts. But the 80’s make people smile, even if they weren’t alive during the decade.

Which brings us back to using the era in the social arts… the 80’s Music Opener will always work, provided it’s delivered properly.

And you do know the 80’s Music Opener, don’t you?

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