The first song I remember ever being really into? "Kokomo," by the Beach Boys, for the Cocktail soundtrack. Seriously. I don't know why, exactly, but I loved that song to death. To give you some idea, we were one of the first homes in the neighborhood to have cable, and I never watched MTV. I just never wrapped my head around the music industry, and though I like plenty of stuff nowadays, I can't say that much has changed. I just kinda listen and "stay out of it," for the most part. But Kokomo? I don't want to say it touched me, because it's such a damned stupid song, but boy did I ever love it.
Despite never watching MTV, I firmly remember putting in two-hour VHS tapes at all times of day and hitting the record button, desperately hoping that I'd catch Uncle Jesse from Full House rocking the drums. I was a child at the time, remember. Seeing Uncle Jesse in the middle of the Kokomo music video for no apparent reason blew my mind. More so, it validated the Beach Boys and the song.
It was the first slice of music I'd ever purchased......almost. See, I had a few bucks, and with a vague recollection that all hit singles on cassette cost 3.49 (this may or may not have been true), I could buy Kokomo and listen to it whenever I wanted. No more clinging to the radio like it was a dying baby, begging it to breathe/play Kokomo. I tagged along on the neighbor boys' excursion to a department store (with their mother, of course), and my heart sank five minutes after stepping through the magic doors: The single was sold out. They only had the full Cocktail soundtrack, completely out of my price range. I had my friend ask his mother to buy it for me in one of the most pathetically desperate attempts to "get something" I've ever committed. She said no.
To this day, I still can't believe she said no. Don't get me wrong, I realize how shameful and ridiculous it was to even ask, let alone make my friend ask. But as uncomfortable as the request may have been, think about it. She should've said yes. Most people would -- just to avoid the awkwardness of having to say "no."
I later received the album for my birthday. The obsession had mostly passed by that point, but I still listened to Kokomo at least a hundred thousand times an hour. Yes, I managed to pull that off. God, I loved that song.
Haven't heard it in years. Last time was on some Muppets video, sung by Kermit. Not quite the same, but it felt good.
What stupid music were you into as a kid?
Also: Group 011 of The Cereal Prize Project has been posted.
PS, you know the line in the song, "To Martinique, that Monserrat mystique?"
I always thought they were saying, "I've got..to make..that motney hari steak."
Figured it was an island dish.
Posted by Matt on 07/07/2005. E-mail me!
Chestnuts roasted by 
You’re welcome, Kieran. I still remember the songs on the "Rose Petal" cassette we had. I don’t remember how we got the cassette. It might have come with one of the books, as I don’t think they came with the dolls. (We only had one, Dafodil.)
I actually did a little research on the "Rose Petal" place toys online and found out they were supposed to have released a second line of dolls and playsets, but the line’s early success flared out amid a glut of similar cute girls’ toys in the mid-80s. Kenner ended their production in 1985. The second wave of Rose Petal dolls were never released, and the prototypes are supposedly collectables now.
It’s a shame the line didn’t last longer. I bought some of the picture books for less than a dollar on Amazon.com and found myself enjoying them. Though sometimes too sweet for it’s own good, the characters were somewhat more sophisticated than those of the similar "Strawberry Shortcake," and the two specials made around the line were in the same exciting and slightly odd mode of the original "My Little Pony" hour-long extravaganzas.