Originally Posted by Becky

At the risk of being skewered, I think this is the 80's song that holds up worst with time (not counting stuff that was crap to start with like King of the Mountain). Now, don't get me wrong: at the time, I was wearing a big perm, holding a lighter, and crying my eyes out to the tune too. It very nearly was the theme of my prom and it had my vote. But I think I can safely blame that on the sentimentality that comes with overwrought teenage hormones. It was relevant then. But now, every time I hear it I cringe. If it were released today, I'd hold it in the same esteem as Live Before You Die and the like. The guitar is whiney and awful. The lyrics are dripping with Velveeta. It just astounds me that a song I LOVED so much 20 years ago makes me cringe today. I still remember the first and only time I heard it performed live--St. Louis, 2000. I thought I'd been treated to the Holy Grail of live songs. I'll always remember Jon came out by himself with an acoustic guitar and started it and then Richie joined him. It was a magical moment and will always be a great memory. I just have a weird love/hate relationship with this song. I was wondering if anyone else who used to love it finds it cringeworthy now.