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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

"Devil in a Fast Car" by Sheena Easton

Song#:  1865
Date:  04/14/1984
Debut:  83
Peak:  79
Weeks:  3
Genre:  Synthpop



Pop Bits:  Easton's LP Best Kept Secret supplied her with a Top 10 hit when "Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)" got to #9. After the follow-up ballad "Almost Over You" hit #4 at AC (#29 Pop), Easton returned to more synthpop fare with this third single. It was pretty much ignored and the song disappeared after a quick three weeks on the Pop chart. Although the album would just miss the gold mark, it sold well enough to get to #33 on the chart, which was an improvement over her previous LP.

ReduxReview:  This one really reaches towards the Europop territory that was being covered by Laura Branigan at the time. For the most part it works, but it gets a bit screamy in the chorus. Actually, I think Branigan's more sultry voice would have sold this song a lot better. The tune is fine, but I don't think it was hit material. It was just slightly too slow for dance and Easton's sometimes shrill voice didn't match the darker material. It probably didn't help that there was no MTV video to promote it (at least none that I could find). It just wasn't the right song or single for Easton.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Songs from this album helped supply other artists with hits in different countries. French-Canadian singer Véronique Béliveau covered the album track "She's in Love (With Her Radio)." Retitled "Je suis fidèle," the song would be a #1 hit in Quebec. In 1997, country singer Lila McCann covered "Almost Over You" for her self-titled debut album. The track was released as a single the next year and it got to #42 on the Country chart. Although it wasn't released as a single, in 1985 country star Louise Mandrell (of the famous Mandrell sisters) did a country-ish version of "Devil in a Fast Car" for her last charting country LP Maybe My Baby.

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