Who doesn’t love a theme? If it weren’t for high concepts, I never would have attended a “1987 prom” in 1998, thereby having one of the best times ever. The official name of the prom was “1987: Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” (my idea). We had a balloon arch (my friend Marisa’s idea). It was amazing.

And now I’ve decided that Thursdays on The Critical Condition will be dedicated to flashbacks. That means we’ll take another look at an older pop culture gem, because despite what the news cycle might have us believe, things are still interesting after they’ve aged a few years. And sometimes, you just can’t appreciate something until it’s been kicking around a while, you know? Right now, I’m reading J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey for the first time, and I’m glad I waited until I was in my late twenties. When I zipped through The Catcher in the Rye in high school, I was too young to understand what Salinger was doing. Now, I’m getting swallowed up by his writing… staying up at least 40 minutes past my bedtime to keep reading.

So in that spirit, let’s have our first Flashback! This week, it’s time to consider the unceasing awesomeness of the song “Voices Carry,” a top ten hit for ‘Til Tuesday in 1985.

Here are the quick facts that most people know about the song:

It was sung and co-written by ‘Til Tuesday frontwoman Aimee Mann.

It generated that music video where Mann stands up in a crowded theater, rips off her hat, reveals her insane 80s hair, and sets to hollerin’. (Sony/BMG has obnoxiously forbidden all embedding of the video, but here’s a link.)

But rat tails aside, this song still has much to offer. For one thing, the chorus’ melody is beautiful. Mann’s voice lilts upward on the words “hush, hush,” but the guitar and bass stay in a lower range of notes. Kind of haunting.

Then there’s the fact that the song tells such a compelling story, both musically and lyrically.

Take the final few bars, when Mann’s singing about how her boyfriend told her to shut up. They don’t sound anything like the beginning of the song. Her vocals are louder, the drums are much more prominent, and there’s a chorus of voices that weren’t there before. It’s the sound of a woman finally erupting with wounded anger over a man who won’t let her express herself.

From the rest of the song, we’ve learned he’s afraid people will stare at them if she says in public that she loves him. It’s like he’s ashamed of her and the attention she might draw just for being herself.

And it hurts to hear that, you know? You can’t carry around that kind of information–that the person who supposedly cares about you wants to belittle you–without eventually collapsing or exploding.

“Voices Carry” is sophisticated in the way it structurally reflects its subject matter. Both narrator and song move from low-voiced shame to a roar of release.

And the biggest irony? Because of that late-breaking group of background singers, there are far more voices in the end of the song than in the beginning. Voices have carried. But since they’re all singing what Mann is singing, it’s like they’ve carried her message. It’s like she’s found people who agree with her. Take that, boyfriend! Yes, you’re hurting me, but the second I stopped shutting up, I found out how many people in the world will support me.

Unlike you.

Jerk.

So while the song is about something sad, it ends with a spirit of rebellion and resistance. That makes it really fun to sing along with it at the top of your lungs.

Damn! This song is really great! I mean, I knew I liked it, but now that I’ve written about it, I’m sort of crazy about it. I’ve listened to “Voices Carry” six times while writing this post, and I want to keep listening. Thanks, Flashback! Already, you’ve improved my life.