Look Out - '80s Entertainment Fuels a Pre-Valentine Moment of Cheesy Romantic Sentiment

If you were a post-pubescent student during late 1986-early 1987 and happened to know an appealing girl named Amanda, then chances are you enjoyed pleasant associations with Boston's sweet, chiming power ballad of the same name. If, like me, you did not have such good fortune, then you may have found yourself bending reality as needed to set up a nice fantasy nonetheless. My own personal Amanda was actually called Sarah, a discrepancy that scarcely bothered me given this girl's status as the quintessential blonde cheerleader fantasy. I know she liked the song, too, because I sat transfixed in gym class while she and pals serenaded us from the corner of the room as they practiced tumbling or something to the strains of a boom box. At that moment it didn't even matter that the degree of her indifference toward me could not be quantified by the most advanced of human technologies.

I also enjoyed a celebrity-crush Amanda the following summer, in the wake of a casual viewing of the thoroughly decent teen comedy Can't Buy Me Love. With Boston's Third Stage still a cherished, oft-played cassette in my room, I had little trouble connecting the song to fresh on-screen images of the lovely Amanda Peterson, who somehow made even crimped hair look stunning. Though perhaps this double-whammy example of romantic song associations says more about me than a typical teen of the time, I have to believe there are thousands of Amandas out there, occasionally appearing in high-definition flashes in the minds of countless '80s music fans. And hey, if you made it through this highly personal recounting of my "Amanda" ideals, feel free to share with me yours.

• Sample or download "Amanda" here.
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