Song#: 1567
Date: 08/13/1983
Debut: 65
Peak: 27
Weeks: 11
Genre: Pop
Pop Bits: Newton's blend of pop and country served her well over two hit albums. With two Country Top 10's and four Pop Top 10's, she was ready to continue the streak with her next album Dirty Looks. Her success at Pop most likely prompted her to move more in that direction as the album had far less crossover appeal. This first single signaled the change and indeed her rockier sound left the country crowd out in the cold and the song failed to chart. The tune was ready-made for Pop contention, but listeners didn't seem all that thrilled either with the single peaking just inside of the Top 30. AC seemed a bit interested, but after six consecutive Top 10's in that format, this one missed the mark and stalled at #14. What seemed like a logical progression to pop may have been the wrong move.
ReduxReview: Although Newton was no stranger to remakes, this one was an odd choice (see below). Making it even more strange was turning the classic tune into a synthpop jam complete with a marimba break (!). It runs a bit on the weird side, but I can't say I dislike it. However, I don't think it was the smartest choice for a single. It ran just a bit too far off the beaten path. The song killed her country career (for the time being) and it confused pop fans. I admit that it threw me for a loop as well and I began to lose interest in Newton. It was fine if she wanted to turn into a pop diva, but this wasn't the way to do it.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: This song is a remake of a 1964 hit by The Zombies. Featured on the British band's debut album, the single was their second US Top 10 peaking at #6. Although Newton kept the title as-is with "her" in it, other gender references were changed in the song. The update gave a new spin to the song's original meaning. Hopefully, you like the word "no" as it is sung over 60+ times in the song.
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Seems like a lot of bands and artists have a productive period of about four years. Then either they run low on ideas, or the audience just moves on.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think it is spurred on by the labels - "well this worked and made money, so more of it!" But shelf life is limited for many artists who hit the chart. Another reason is that some artists spend years perfecting songs for their debut album. If it hits big, then they have the task of quickly trying to churn out songs for their follow-up and many times it doesn't work well.
DeleteSadly by the Summer of 1983 people were getting more into New Wave and uptempo 80's pop which was one of the reasons why you weren't seeing as many pop/country tunes in the Top 40 like you did from late 1980 to early 1983.
ReplyDelete