Song#: 2373
Date: 06/29/1985
Debut: 84
Peak: 70
Weeks: 5
Genre: Synthpop, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: Simon's fortunes in the 80s took a big hit after she was able to reach #11 with the 1980 single "Jesse." From that point on, nothing clicked for her. After three albums with Warner Bros., it was time for a change, so Simon took off and signed on with Epic. With a bevy of writers, producers, and musicians, she recorded her twelfth studio album, Spoiled Girl. This first single was issued to promote the album, but like her previous singles, it pretty much tanked. Even AC radio didn't take to the song and it stopped at a low #34. In turn, the album became the lowest peaking of her career barely mustering a #88 peak. A second single couldn't chart anywhere and that brought an end to her time at Epic. It would be two years before she would resurface again on another label (Arista) and experience a career resurgence.
ReduxReview: This was certainly an attempt to keep Simon viable in the synthpop 80s (a la Melissa Manchester), but it just didn't work. The single sounds good for an 80s track - and it should with all the names involved, including four (!) producers. The problem is that the song it not all that good. It sounds like a tune Simon might have recorded in the 70s, but amped up for the 80s. It's a bit loud and rock-leaning, which was never Simon's strength. She's never been a forceful vocalist, so she kind of gets blown out by the production here. In other words, it all sounds forced and not at all like Simon. Luckily, she'd gain her mojo back with her next album.
ReduxRating: 4/10
Trivia: This song was written by a gentlemen with a colorful name - Larry Raspberry. Raspberry was a musician and songwriter who was able to get some of his songs recorded by a few major artists like Simon, Jimmy Buffett, and Carl Perkins. Raspberry's own claim to chart fame was when he was with the late 60s band The Gentrys. That band was able to grab one major hit with 1965's #4 "Keep on Dancing." Another person in the band would go on to greater fame with a different career. Pro wrestling manager Jimmy Hart, aka "The Mouth of the South," was a member of The Gentrys and would later become quite famous during the WWF's 80s heydays.
_________________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment