Everyone has their favorite of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind songs. We appreciate Imagineering’s painstaking work in choosing six acclaimed songs that match the gliding and rotating movements on this thrilling dark ride located in World Discovery at Disney World’s EPCOT. However, it is fun to shake things up a bit now and then to showcase other songs coinciding with special events. This has been done before when Earth, Wind & Fire’s song September played all day on September 21, 2024 (well received), and a special Holiday Remix subbed in during the month of December in 2022 (not very popular). This ride deserves, and frankly demands, the soaring sounds of iconic pop and rock songs to live up to its full potential. I would love to see a new six-song set featuring female artists from the late-1970s to mid-1980s every March in honor of Women’s History Month.
Tina Turner
Known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, Tina Turner was the first black artist and first woman to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. She dominated the 1980s with her solo career and release of the multi-platinum album, Private Dancer. Tina’s 1984 song Better Be Good to Me showcases her soaring vocals and independent spirit, a perfect song for the Guardians coaster. Tina was quoted as saying, “It was just right – the words and the delivery, the performance of it.” I wholeheartedly agree and would love to celebrate her over five-decade career with a tribute each March.
Stevie Nicks
The incomparable Stevie Nicks burst onto the music scene as a solo artist in 1981 with the release of her debut album, Bella Donna. The single Edge of Seventeen from that album recounted the raw emotion and grief over the passing of a relative and John Lennon during the same week in December of 1980. She is quoted in saying “It was a period of time that I just didn’t know what to do, so I just sat down and wrote about it.” In addition to her solo career, Stevie’s musical career has so far spanned 59 years with bands including Fleetwood Mac, as well as singing duets with and providing backup vocals for other famous artists.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is widely known to be the “Queen of Country.” Her debut album launched in 1967 and she has been performing ever since for over 60 years. Dolly is not only a singer, but also one of the most prolific songwriters in history with over 3,000 credits to her name. Her iconic workplace song 9 to 5 was released in 1980 and rose through the charts to reach number one on the country, pop and adult contemporary charts. In this catchy tune, listeners think they hear a typewriter in the background. Surprisingly, this sound was made by Dolly clicking her acrylic nails together to simulate the sound of tapping keys. Her nails even got a credit in the album notes as “Nails by Dolly.”
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt was the most successful female singer of the 1970s. She was a champion of incorporating her entire history of musical styles heard in her own home as a child (rock and roll, rhythm and blues, opera, gospel, country, mariachi and show tunes) into her career as a prominent artist. A genre ultimately classified as “country rock” was known as her specialty. The release of her album Mad Love in 1980 produced the hit single How Do I Make You, a quick-tempo song featuring commanding vocals. Her talent knew no bounds as she earned countless awards from the Grammys, Academy of Country Music, ALMA (American Latino Media Arts), and an Emmy, as well as a nomination for a Tony and Golden Globe.
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar was one of the most iconic singers of the 1980s. She burst onto the music scene with her 1979 debut album, In the Heat of the Night. She quickly established herself as an arena rocker with powerful vocals, especially captivating during live performances. Few knew at the time that she was actually a classically trained mezzo-soprano. Pat helped to define the MTV era, a song of hers being the second video ever played during the launch on August 1, 1981. Pat released Love Is a Battlefield in 1983 and the song about love and emotional turmoil became an instant megahit. This particular song combined her signature rock style with newer elements of atmospheric pop, making her ever more popular than ever.
Madonna
Madonna took the musical world by storm in the early 1980s with the debut of her self-titled album, Madonna. With a string of hits, it was known to be one of the best albums of the decade and among the greatest debut albums of all time. Holiday was one of the chart-topping singles from her very first album. This joyful and upbeat song always puts listeners in a good mood with its infectious dance-pop style and encouragement to take a break from everyday life. With 18 multi-platinum albums and 44 number-one singles to her credit, it’s no wonder that Madonna is known as the “Queen of Pop.”
Exit the Ride
The exit of Guardians provides another opportunity to hear great songs, those that didn’t make it into the final six. Imagineers reportedly tested out over 100 songs for the ride. However, many of those not quite right in tempo or style to withstand the final cut are currently playing in the hallway exit. The same could be done for this special overlay, as there are a tremendous number of songs by female singers of the late 70s to mid-80s that need to be heard.
More Solo Artists
This time period featured an abundance of musical genres, including rock, pop, disco, punk, funk, R&B, country pop, new wave, jazz fusion, and so much more. The list of other female solo artists to include is endless. Still, musts in my book are Carly Simon, Diana Ross, Olivia Newton-John, Aretha Franklin, Sheena Easton, Cyndi Lauper, and Melissa Manchester. Do I want to exit the ride and hear Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer’s pop-disco fusion hit of 1979 titled No More Tears (Enough is Enough)? Yes, for sure. Do I need to hear Bonnie Tyler belt out her power ballad Total Eclipse of the Heart while walking down the hallway toward the gift shop? Yes, most definitely.
Female-Fronted Bands and All-Female Groups
This musical era also hosted a number of incredibly talented and popular female-fronted bands and all-female groups. There are far too many to mention, but legendary ones that come to mind are Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders and Chaka Khan as the lead singer of the funk band Rufus. Among the most celebrated groups were The Pointer Sisters, The Bangles, Bananarama, and The Go-Go’s. A non-negotiable song for the exit would be the effervescent and upbeat 1979 song We Are Family by the all-female (and all sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim and Kathy) band Sister Sledge. What a way to leave this ride on a high note, with everyone joyfully singing along at the top of their lungs.
