Totally Awesome Music Video of The Week #3

About two weeks ago Mike brought over this really poorly laid-out DVD game about 80's music, and if anything made it worth keeping it introduced me to the delightfully zany Peter Allen version of "I Go To Rio", the song made popular by Pablo Cruise but written by the late Australian songwriter Allen, who also penned "I Honestly Love You" for Olivia Newton-John, "Don't Cry Out Loud" for Melissa Manchester, and won the Oscar for writing "Arthur's Theme", sung by Christopher Cross (the theme to the 1980 movie Arthur which also starred Allen's ex-wife Liza Minnelli). They made a documentary about Allen called The Boy From Oz, which later became a musical play (recently starring Hugh Jackson in 2004). Anyway, dig this video, daddy-o's. I like where he starts fanning himself and gettin' a little nekkid near the end. Allen's long-time lover Gregory Connell sings back-up on this version too. Haha, Mike loves this song! He was quite excited when it came on during the game. I've only been subjected to Pablo Cruises's version over the spanse on my lifetime, but I find something so oddly endearing about Peter Allen's own take on the piece. And... well, how can you not smile and sort of shake your head in addlement watching him go-go-go like that. Love the maracas. Love the snappy leg-cross. Love everything. LOVE.

And check out Hugh Jackson playing the part of Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz! (Whoa Nellie... BOOT! There it IS!)