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Expressing the songwriters' original concern about the decline of live-performance clubs in Los Angeles during the 1980s, "We Built This City" was transformed from a very dark kind of mid-tempo song about how club life in L.A. was being killed off into a pop anthem about preserving rock and roll culture against corporate takeover.
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STARSHIP
- Starship was the final incarnation of a band that began as Jefferson Airplane in the 1960s, evolved into Jefferson Starship in the 1970s, and became simply "Starship" in 1985 after Grace Slick and Mickey Thomas won a legal battle for the name rights against Paul Kantner, who had been one of the original founding members of Jefferson Airplane.
- The transition from Jefferson Starship to Starship marked one of rock music's most dramatic stylistic shifts, moving from the psychedelic rock and folk-influenced sound of the 1960s-70s to the heavily synthesized pop-rock of the 1980s, essentially becoming a completely different band that shared only a few members with its predecessor.
- Grace Slick, who had been the powerful voice behind Jefferson Airplane classics like "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love," was 46 years old when Starship achieved their biggest commercial success, making her one of the oldest female rock stars to top the charts during the MTV era.
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WE BUILT THIS CITY
- Aside from the mondegreen at top, another frequent misinterpretation in "We Built This City" occurs with the line "Marconi plays the mamba," where listeners often hear "my croney plays marimba", or the like, because the references to radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi and the latin dance are unfamiliar to many modern listeners.
- The song was written by Bernie Taupin (Elton John's longtime lyricist), Martin Page, Dennis Lambert, and Peter Wolf, and was originally intended to be more of a tribute to rock and roll history, but the final version became widely criticized for its overly commercial sound and is frequently cited on "worst songs ever" lists despite its commercial success.
- "We Built This City" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985 and became one of the defining songs of the MTV generation, but its lyrics criticizing corporate control of radio were seen as ironic given that the song itself was considered a product of the same commercial music industry it was supposedly critiquing.
- The song's distinctive keyboard sound was created using a Fairlight CMI synthesizer, one of the most expensive and advanced digital sampling instruments of the 1980s, which cost around $30,000 at the time and was used by artists like Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush to create the signature sounds of 1980s pop music.
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VEGETARIAN SAUSAGE ROLLS
Ingredients:
- 2 sheets puff pastry (thawed)
- ½ cup French lentils (or canned lentils, drained)
- 2 cups vegetable stock (if cooking dried lentils)
- 400g mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 carrot, grated or finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup red wine (optional, for depth)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs (1 for mixture, 1 for brushing)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- Salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions:
- Cook the Lentils: If using dried lentils, simmer them in the vegetable stock for about 25 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté the Veggies: In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot.
- Cook until softened. Add garlic and mushrooms, and cook until mushrooms release their moisture and reduce.
- Flavor Boost: Stir in mustard, red wine, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook until the liquid evaporates. Let cool slightly.
- Mix the Filling: In a large bowl, combine the lentils, mushroom mixture, breadcrumbs, and one beaten egg. Mix well.
- Assemble Rolls: Cut each puff pastry sheet in half to form rectangles. Spoon the filling along one long edge of each rectangle. Roll up tightly and seal the edge with a bit of egg wash.
- Finish & Bake: Cut each roll into smaller pieces. Place on a lined baking tray, seam side down.
- Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake: Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20–25 minutes or until golden and puffed.
- Serve warm with mustard, chutney, tomato sauce, or a tangy yogurt dip.
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