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Thursday, January 30, 2020

"All I Know Is the Way I Feel" by The Pointer Sisters

Song#:  3028
Date:  02/21/1987
Debut:  93
Peak:  93
Weeks:  2
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  The trio's twelfth studio album and eighth with producer Richard Perry, Hot Together, got off to a rough start. Its first single, "Goldmine," stalled early on the charts getting to #33 Pop, #17 R&B, and #27 AC. It did better on the Dance chart getting to #7 in combination with another album track "Sexual Power." Still, it didn't set the album up for success and a bigger hit was needed in order to boost sales. This ballad was then selected as the second single. The Sisters had become more known for their catchy dance-pop, so this change of pace track was a bit of a risk. It was one that ultimately didn't pay off. The song stopped at #69 at R&B and #36 AC while only getting on the Pop chart for two short weeks. It was their worst performing single of the decade. A third single, "Mercury Rising," halted at #49 R&B and failed to make the Pop chart. The results left the album as a tepid seller only reaching #39 R&B and #48 Pop. It failed to go gold, which was highly disappointing following two platinum sellers.

ReduxReview:  By this point in the 80s, pop music had changed and the trio's quirky dance-pop with producer Perry (and many of the same writers) was getting tired and dated. They should have switched producers after their previous album Contact and updated their sound to something more modern, but they stuck with the tried and true and it failed them. While it wasn't a bad idea to change things up and push out a ballad, this one wasn't the right choice. Written by Jerry Ragavoy ("Piece of My Heart") and Estelle Levitt, the tune made for an okay album track, but it wasn't even close to being single-worthy. There wasn't much to make it memorable or appeal to a mainstream radio audience. It was just flat and a bit boring.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  The title track to the Hot Together album would get picked up for use in a couple of films released in 1987. The song was included in the Mel Brooks spoof flick Spaceballs. The movie was a send-up of the Star Wars franchise and a soundtrack album was released. In addition to the Pointer Sisters track, the LP included songs from Kim Carnes, Jeffrey Osborne, The Spinners, and Van Halen. The Spinners recorded an original theme song titled "Spaceballs" and it was issued out as a single, but it did not chart and the soundtrack quickly disappeared. At the time, Spaceballs received mixed reviews and was able to recoup its budget at the box office. It later turned into a bit of a cult flick and has been referenced many times in pop culture. The auto company Tesla has even used the movie's spaceship speeds to name the various accelerations points in their cars. The other film that "Hot Together" was featured in was the Richard Dreyfuss/Emilio Estevez action comedy Stakeout. That film would be a critical and box office success. An official soundtrack with songs from the film was not released.

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