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Thursday, May 26, 2022

"Everlasting Love" by Howard Jones

Song#:  3839
Date:  03/18/1989
Debut:  77
Peak:  12
Weeks:  19
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary


Pop Bits:  Jones' third album, 1986's One to One, didn't perform nearly as well as his #10 platinum second LP Dream Into Action. It would stall at #59 with only its lead single, "You Know I Love You...Don't You?," making any impression getting to #17 Pop. He then took a bit more time recording his follow up album Cross That Line. This first single was released and it ended up doing well nearly cracking the Pop Top 10 while hitting #1 AC and #19 Modern Rock. Still, the hit wasn't quite enough to spark interest in the album, which peaked slightly lower than his previous album at #65.

ReduxReview:  I was a pretty big HoJo fan and by this point had even seen him twice in concert. So when it came time for Cross That Line to come out, I was pretty stoked. Then I heard this single. I have to admit, I didn't really like it. I wasn't into its syncopated rhythm or its more AC-leaning tone. It just wasn't the HoJo that I liked. I remember thinking that it was not going to be a hit. Well, I was certainly wrong. Folks connected with it and the tune took off. Despite me not caring that much for it, I was certainly rooting for it to crack the Top 10. It stopped shy, but did get to #1 at AC. After buying the album, I got more hooked into the song and began to appreciate it more. The chorus was hooky and memorable and the theme of finding that lasting love was universal. It still wouldn't rank high on my list of favorite HoJo tunes, but I dig it much more now than when it first came out.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:   Jones was the eldest of four brothers all of whom had musical inclinations. The three other Jones brothers, Roy, Martin, and Paul, would form their own post-punk band in the late 70s called Red Beat. They recorded a few singles and even recorded a session for famous radio DJ John Peel's show. They would also be an opening act for bands like Killing Joke, U2, and Big Country. However, the band never fully got a break. By 1982, they were done. However, they gave it another shot under a couple more names (Wheels of Change, Red White and Phoenix), but were unable to secure a deal to record an album. They finally called it a day in 1985. Roy would join up with Howard's touring band for a few years. He would continue to record music in various genres such as Celtic and Latin jazz. Later in the 2010s, Roy would start to record electronic/dance tunes under the name dRedzella.

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