The System, "Don't Disturb This Groove"

I apologize for the dearth of posts this week (not that anyone besides me cares; lags in productivity annoy me), so am digging deep into my useless catalog of obscure ‘80s tunes to give you 1987’s “Don’t Disturb This Groove” by The System.

Speaking of digging, a few weeks ago I dug out the Maxell, TDK, and Sony cassettes I used to record ‘80s hits off the radio. Back during my shameful ‘80s phase, I spent Sunday nights listening to BackTrax USA, a nationally syndicated radio show hosted by Kid Kelly. It aired locally on Mix 96 out of Davenport (not Mix 96.5, WMT’s FM station, out of Cedar Rapids). At the end of each song and commercial break, I kept a finger posed on my stereo’s record button in case the next song was something I liked. If not, I waited for the next song. Later on, as the rest of the music world caught the fever of ‘80s nostalgia, I used other programs to bolster my collection; KRUI aired The Reflex on Fridays after school, and KRNA did an ’80s version of the Nighttime Box o’ Rocks (hosted by Tommy Lang) on either Tuesday or Wednesday. As a result I have 20 or so 60- and 90-minute ‘80s mixed tapes chock full of everyone’s favorites and long forgotten one-hit wonders.

I started listening to the tapes while working, and “Don’t Disturb This Groove” was one of those nice surprises tucked between the likes of Devo and Loverboy. Of course I could not resist using today’s bottomless source of ‘80s tunes to track down the video, which is as equally priceless as the song.

A couple things about the video and then I’ll go away. First, it is perfectly 1987. From what I remember of the time (I turned five that year), a Googie and Go-Go nostalgia was invading pop culture. Reaganism apparently stirred a deep and fond sentimentality about the ‘50s and early-‘60s, which had probably lain dormant since American Graffiti and Grease, and 1987 marked the beginning of a long and boring trip down memory lane that will likely not end until all the Baby Boomers are six feet under. This was the age of Thirtysomething, The Wonder Years, and Stand By Me. A few years later, The B-52’s released “Love Shack,” and the retro influence in the video is obvious. Except for the classic car, there is not much blatant nostalgia in “Don’t Disturb This Groove,” but the lead singer’s penchant for black leather jackets makes me think of the late-‘80s.

Whether intentionally or not, it looks a little gay when two guys get a hotel room and sing about not disturbing the groove. “Place the sign upon the door, that says don’t disturb this (room/groove?).” Believe me, I won’t.

This video also piqued my interest because of the road and desert scenery snippets. I know those places. The divided highway in the beginning of the video is, I’m pretty sure, the mountainous section of the 60 between the Moreno Valley and Beaumont in Riverside County. I drove it when I visited my uncle in La Quinta. The wind farm was likely filmed from the 10 between Banning and Palm Springs. Both are dry, nasty, hot places I don’t miss, but it is cool to see landmarks I recognize.