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Monday, December 19, 2022

"When I Looked at Him" by Exposé

Top 10 Alert!
Song#:  4005
Date:  08/19/1989
Debut:  71
Peak:  10
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Pop


Pop Bits:  This trio's second album What You Don't Know got kicked off with the gold selling title track single, which got to #8 Pop/#2 Dance. For a follow-up, this mid-tempo ballad was selected for release. It would just barely make the Pop Top 10 making it their sixth single in a row to cross that mark. It would do better at AC getting to #3. Earlier in August, the album reached its peak of #33. Just a few days prior to this single debuting on the chart, the album would be certified gold.

ReduxReview:  Here's another one where I didn't remember the tune until I heard the chorus. I find parts of this song odd. At the end of the opening there is a really strange transition chord that doesn't make sense. Then there are like two bridges before the chorus that include a key change, I think. It was just a strange composition. Once the chorus comes along, things settle in. Luckly, the chorus is strong enough to overcome the unmemorable verses. The final key change adds dramatic urgency near the end and Jurado does a nice job with the vocal. The song was like a nearly baked cake. It may have tested done, but it wasn't fully cooked all the way through.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Like the trio's #1 hit ballad "Seasons Change," this song featured lead vocals by Jeanette Jurado. Later in 1995, Jurado would get the opportunity to appear in a film. She would portray singer Rosie Hamlin, lead singer of the early 60s band Rosie and the Originals in the indie drama My Family, which starred Jimmy Smits and Esai Morales. In the film, Jurado would get to sing the band's lone hit, 1960's #5 "Angel Baby." Her version of the song would also appear on the film's soundtrack. My Family did modestly well at the box office. The story concerned three generations of a Mexican-American family. The film also featured Jennifer Lopez in a small role. It was the third film she appeared in prior to her breakout performance in '97's Selena and her '99 hit debut album On the 6. Rosie Hamlin was a young singer that found her way to California after being raised in Alaska. Barely a teenager, she started performing with a band. While in school, she would write a poem about her first boyfriend that then became the lyrics to the song "Angel Baby." When she was 15, she and the band were able to record a rough two-track version of the song that they shopped around. No one bit, but after they convinced a department store to play it in their listening booth to good feedback, Highland Records picked up the song. However, in order for the single to get released, the band had to sign a contract that gave the record company possession of the master tape and the composer credit going to another band member, who was the eldest. The song would go on to be a #5 hit, but then Hamlin realized she was getting zero royalties due to someone else being listed as composer. Issues ensued that would lead to the end of the band. Hamlin would regain copyright control in '61, but then she'd spend years in court over royalty disputes. Hamlin tried for a solo career with an album in '62, which resulted in the minor #66 single "Lonely Blue Nights." After that, Hamlin dropped out of music for a while but would later record a few more singles and perform. "Angel Baby" would be covered by many artists including Jurado, Tiffany, and Linda Ronstadt. However, only one other artist has been able to reach the Pop chart with a version. Latin pop singer Angelica would cover and release the song in 1991. It would get to #29 on the Pop chart.

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