# 1985 (SR-71 song)

"1985" is a song that was written and recorded by American pop-punk band SR-71 for their album Here We Go Again. Mitch Allan, SR-71's frontman, gave the song to pop-punk band Bowling for Soup, who recorded a cover version that reached number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was included on the band's album A Hangover You Don't Deserve.
The song is about a middle-aged woman who is longing for her past and dwelling on her current mundane lifestyle while reflecting on how things have changed since the 1980s, specifically in music and pop culture.

## Background

The song was originally written by SR-71 frontman Mitch Allan and drummer John Allen for the band's third album Here We Go Again. The album was initially only made available in Japan.

## Bowling for Soup version

There are conflicting stories on how Bowling for Soup came to record a cover version of the track. According to SR-71's website, Bowling for Soup's Jaret Reddick heard the song and asked for permission to record a cover. However, according to Bowling for Soup's website, it was Allan that called Reddick to suggest the possible cover. In a 2010 interview with Songfacts, Reddick said that the cover materialized through the two bands’ association with producer Butch Walker.
Bowling for Soup made some changes to the lyrics of the original song. In the second verse, the reference to the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High is replaced by St. Elmo's Fire. The line "Never knew George was gay/hoped they'd hook up one day" is changed to "Thought she'd get a hand/on a member of Duran Duran."
The ending lines "Where's her fairytale? Where's her dream? / Where's the quarterback from her high school football team? / How many times will she ask herself 'What happened to me?'" are changed to "Where's the mini-skirt made of snakeskin? / And who's the other guy that's singing in Van Halen? / When did reality become TV? / Whatever happened to sitcoms, game shows (on the radio)?". The line "(The rubber broke!)" after "'What happened?'" is omitted.
Bowling for Soup added the line "And when did Ozzy become an actor?" to the bridge, referencing rock singer Ozzy Osbourne's appearance in the reality TV show The Osbournes.

### Release

Released on July 26, 2004, the song climbed to number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot Digital Tracks chart, with 15,500 paid downloads.

### Music video

The music video is directed by Smith n' Borin (Ryan Smith and Frank Borin). It takes place on a neighborhood street where the character of Debbie (Joey House) tidies the lawn of her house but gets distracted by Bowling for Soup performing in their garage across the street. The band parodies the music videos for Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" and George Michael's "Faith", as well as the acts Run-DMC and Mötley Crüe. At the end of the video, Debbie walks across the street to the band, lets her hair down, and in a nod to Whitesnake's video for "Here I Go Again", writhes on top of a Jaguar. She continues to do this even after the song ends, until her husband calls out to ask her what she’s doing. Mitch Allan from SR-71 appears in the video as a passerby who gives the band a look of contempt.

### Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Gold | 15,000$^‡$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 400,000$^‡$ |
| United States (RIAA) | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000$^‡$ |
| $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||

### Release history

| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) |
| United States | July 26, 2004 | Contemporary hit radio | FFROEJiveZombaSilvertone |
| Australia | September 20, 2004 | Digital EP | Zomba |
| United Kingdom | September 20, 2004 | Digital EP | Zomba |
| Australia | September 27, 2004 | Digital download | Zomba |
| United Kingdom | September 27, 2004 | Digital download | Zomba |
| United Kingdom | October 4, 2004 | CD | Jive |
| Australia | October 18, 2004 | CD | Zomba |

## Cover versions and parodies

Christian parody band ApologetiX released a parody titled "None Too Ladylike" on the group's Wordplay album, about Jezebel from the Bible.
The Bowling for Soup version has been covered by Richard Thompson on the live album 1000 Years of Popular Music.
On July 9, 2022, Thomas Ian Nicholas released a parody cover of "1985" titled "1999".
In 2013, Jaret Reddick re-covered the song for Munch's Make Believe Band, the band featured in Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants. In the segment, one of the characters references the voice of Chuck E. Cheese being the same as Bowling for Soup's front man.
On January 27, 2023, Davvn released a parody cover entitled "2002". The song was initially a 35-second YouTube Short posted on September 25, 2021, but was re-uploaded to TikTok the following year where it gained traction after Jaret Reddick saw it and subsequently collaborated with Davvn. The song was officially released featuring Bowling for Soup.
In 2024, Kelly Clarkson covered "1985" on the 'Kellyoke' section of The Kelly Clarkson Show.