PopCrush
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TONI BASIL?
January 25, 2012
Although ”˜Mickey’ is probably Toni Basil’s most well-known career move, this song is just grazing the surface.
While the Philly native kept busy directing videos for the Talking Heads, choreographing tours for David Bowie and bringing street dance to the public back in the day, she still finds time to bust out some dance routines for acts like Tina Turner and Bette Midler. Basil directed and choreographed Turner’s 50th anniversary tour, which ran from 2008-2009, and also Midler’s Vegas show ”˜The Showgirl Must Go On,’ which also ran from 2008-2009.
Basil’s dancing feats don’t stop there. Basil choreographed scenes in major motion pictures like ”˜Legally Blonde,’ ”˜That Thing You Do’ and ”˜My Best Friend’s Wedding.’ She has also directed critically-acclaimed commercials (she even won an Emmy for one!) and was also a guest judge on the hit competition series ”˜So You Think You Can Dance’ in 2009. She has won several awards for her work as a choreographer, including a Living Legend of Hip Hop award at the 2009 World Hip Hop Dance Championship.
Regardless of her dance achievements, ”˜Mickey’ is really Basil’s claim to mainstream fame. In 2003 Basil’s ”˜Mickey’ ranked at No. 6 on VH1”²s ’100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the ’80s,’ and the tune came in at No. 7 on VH1”²s ’100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s.’ Since she released the bubbly pop song in 1982, artists like Avril Lavigne and ’90s girl group B*Witched covered the song, with their version appearing in everybody’s favorite cheerleading flick, ”˜Bring It On’. Katy Perry also sampled the track in her 2010 song ”˜Peacock”˜ and Flo Rida also borrowed bits of the tune for 2011”²s ”˜Boom Shaka Laka.’
To sum it all up, Basil is still very active in the entertainment industry, and her hit song ”˜Mickey’ is bound to stay spinning (whether it be on its own or as a sample in one of your new party jams) for years and years to come.
