"Let's Go Crazy" by Prince & the Revolution

#1 Alert!

Gold Record Alert!

Song#:  2005
Date:  08/04/1984
Debut:  45
Peak:  1 (2 weeks)
Weeks:  19
Genre:  Rock, R&B, Soundtrack



Pop Bits:  As Prince's "When Doves Cry" was enjoying its fifth and final week in the #1 spot, this second single from the Purple Rain soundtrack blasted onto the chart. Just like "Doves," this song would find itself topping the Pop, R&B, and Dance charts. It would be the first single released from Prince that was fully credited to Prince & the Revolution. Also happening this same week this song debuted, Purple Rain ascended to the #1 spot on the album chart. It would be the first week of a 24-week consecutive reign atop the chart.

ReduxReview:  Prince wrote a standout song here but ended up making it even better and more memorable with that spoken word eulogy beginning. All it takes is one little organ chord and a "dearly beloved" and you know you are in for a good time. Add to that the unusual concert-like ending and a classic was born.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  The flip side of this single provided a bit of controversy. The song "Erotic City" was notable for featuring the vocals of Sheila E and for its potentially offensive language. During portions of the song, Sheila E sings the line "we can fuck until the dawn." This line along with some other sexual references made the song a bit notorious. However, at the time Sheila E and a few others claimed that the line was "we can funk until the dawn." This clarifying statement helped the song get some radio airplay, despite being the b-side. Regardless which word was actually used, the FCC later deemed the song indecent due to the language and would even fine stations for playing the unedited version.

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"Drive" by The Cars

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2004
Date:  08/04/1984
Debut:  51
Peak:  3
Weeks:  19
Genre:  Pop, Rock



Pop Bits:  This band's fifth album, Heartbeat City, was already doing quite well thanks to its two hit singles "You Might Think" (#7) and "Magic" (#12). But the album would kick into high gear with this third single. The band wasn't known for their ballads, but this tune caught on big time and ended up spending three weeks at #3 at Pop. In doing so, it became the biggest Pop chart hit of their career. The song became their first to reach the AC chart and it ended up topping out at #1. It also was their fourth Top 10 at Rock getting to #7. The hit pushed the album to #3 and over time it would sell over four million copies to become their best-selling studio LP.

ReduxReview:  I remember sitting in my basement bedroom of a shared house during my college years and playing this on my little Casio keyboard. It's not a complicated song, but Ocasek wrote a great melody over a nice chord structure. The results ended up being their biggest hit. The Cars were a hit-n-miss band for me, so after a couple of songs that I didn't really care for, this one won me over. It was a pretty ballad and something that was a bit out of the ordinary for them.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Although Ric Ocasek wrote this song, the lead vocals were handed by Benjamin Orr.  Ocasek's voice had come to represent the group since he sang on the majority of their hits. However, Orr took the lead on a few singles including "Just What I Needed" (#27), "Let's Go" (#14), and this big hit.  2) The video for this song was directed by Oscar-winning actor Timothy Hutton. Apparently, Hutton lived next to the band's manager Elliot Roberts and one day Hutton mentioned how much he liked "Drive" and his ideas on what a video might look like. Roberts passed Hutton's ideas on to the band and they liked Hutton's vision so much that they asked him to go ahead a direct it. The video featured model Paulina Porizkova. Five years later, she and Ocasek would tie the knot.

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"Hard Habit to Break" by Chicago

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2003
Date:  08/04/1984
Debut:  61
Peak:  3
Weeks:  25
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  For the first single from their Chicago 17 album, the band went in a more rock direction with "Stay the Night." It didn't really pay off with the song only able to reach #16 at Pop. With the success of the LP in jeopardy, they decided to push out this tune, which was more in-line with their previous big ballad #1 hit "Hard to Say I'm Sorry." The move seemed to please listeners and the single made it's way to #3 at both Pop and AC. The hit helped sales of the album and it cracked the Top 10. This would be the peak moment of their 80s revival.

ReduxReview:  Although "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" was a bigger hit, I think this was the song that really solidified their comeback and mapped out their sound for the balance of the decade. This song was all over the place. From Pop and AC radio to MTV, it was inescapable. It was also making front man Peter Cetera's star rise. He and David Foster were mainly in control here and it was paying off in spades for the band. I loved this song and still think it is one of the top big ballads of the decade.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  The hit song grabbed the attention of the Grammy folks. It nabbed two nominations. One for Record of the Year and one for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals. It lost Record of the Year to Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It," but it did win in the other category. That award was given to producer David Foster and Jeremy Lubbock for their work on the song.

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"The Lucky One" by Laura Branigan

Song#:  2002
Date:  08/04/1984
Debut: 62
Peak:  20
Weeks:  15
Genre:  Dance-Pop



Pop Bits:  Branigan secured her third (and what would be her last) Pop Top 10 with "Self Control," the first single from her album of the same name. The hit helped make the album her most successful hitting #23 and going platinum. This next single wouldn't do as well, but it did become her fifth consecutive Top 20 hit at Pop. It also reached #10 at Dance and #13 AC.

ReduxReview:  After its "Flashdance"-ish beginning, the song turns into a solid Europop jam. It's not quite as memorable as "Self Control," but the chorus is good and Branigan sings it well. It's not Top 10 material, so the #20 placement seems about right. After this single, her luck would kind of run out. She would only grab one more Top 40 entry later in the decade.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) The Tokyo Music Festival was an international song contest that ran from 1972 through to 1991. The contest would take song submissions from several countries and finalists would compete for the top prize at the main festival event. Several artists from the US won over the years including Al Green, Dionne Warwick, Natalie Cole, Lionel Richie, and Laura Branigan. Branigan won in 1984 with this song.  2) This song was used in the 1983 TV movie An Uncommon Love. Starring Barry Bostwick and Kathryn Harrold, the story is about a divorced man who falls for an older college student who happens to also be making a living as a prostitute at a massage parlor.

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"What the Big Girls Do" by Van Stephenson

Song#:  2001
Date:  08/04/1984
Debut:  83
Peak:  45
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Stephenson got his second, and best, Pop chart entry with the #22 "Modern Day Delilah," the lead single from his second album Righteous Anger. This follow-up nearly got into the Top 40, but it stalled just short of that mark. It would end up being Stephenson's last solo song to get on the Pop chart. He would issue a third album in 1986 titled Suspicious Heart, but the singles from the LP failed to do anything and the album sunk quickly - along with his record deal. However, all was not lost. Stephenson continued to write songs for other artists and later co-founded the country band BlackHawk (see below). Sadly, Stephenson died from melanoma cancer in 2001.

ReduxReview:  I loved "Modern Day Delilah" and this song does a good job getting close to the quality of that tune. It's well-written and has a crunchy rock sound that fits right alongside other rock hits of the day. I think if it had a bit more promotion, the song could have made it into the Top 40. It really should have. I wouldn't peg it as a major hit, but it was a solid rock tune that should have sold a few more copies.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  In 1992, Stephenson, Henry Paul and Dave Robbins formed the country-rock group BlackHawk. The following year they were signed to Arista Nashville and their debut single "Goodbye Says It All" made it to #11 on the Country chart. That started a string of hits that included seven Country Top 10's. One of their songs, 1998's "There You Have It," nearly made the Pop Top 40 (#41). The trio made four albums before Stephenson had to leave the group due to his illness. After his death, the remaining two members carried on with new band members, but they would never reach the chart heights of the original trio.

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