Song#: 2012
Date: 08/11/1984
Debut: 83
Peak: 81
Weeks: 4
Genre: R&B
Pop Bits: Williams got her second and biggest #1 hit with "Let's Hear It for the Boy" from the Footloose soundtrack. In addition to that song being on the soundtrack, she was also able to use it on her next studio album, which was named after the song. Thanks to the hit, the LP sold well and got to #10 at R&B and #26 Pop. It would eventually become her best-selling solo album going platinum. Unfortunately, the follow-up singles from the LP couldn't capture the same magic as the title track. This second single could only manage a #22 showing at R&B while peaking at #17 at Dance and barely getting on the Pop chart. A third single titled "Black Butterfly" also got to #22 at R&B, but missed the Pop chart completely. Despite the lack of other hit singles, Let's Hear It would be Williams' commercial peak.
ReduxReview: I think the main problem here is that "Let's Hear It" was such a great pop song that folks wanted more of the ilk from Williams. However, she was really an R&B artist at heart and the material she both culled and co-wrote for the album didn't include anything like "Let's Hear It." This song, co-written by Williams and George Duke, is a good track, but it's not all that catchy and lacks crossover appeal. It sounds a bit like a Luther Vandross tune co-written with Madonna. It was going to take a fantastic song to get her near the top of the charts and this one just wasn't it.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Also included on the album was the traditional song "Whiter Than Snow." That album-closing track got the attention of the Grammys and they gave Williams a nomination for Best Inspirational Performance.
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Saturday, April 15, 2017
Friday, April 14, 2017
"Can't Wait All Night" by Juice Newton
Song#: 2011
Date: 08/11/1984
Debut: 84
Peak: 66
Weeks: 6
Genre: Pop, Rock
Pop Bits: Newton's sixth album, Can't Wait All Night, had a rough time out of the gate when its first single, "A Little Love," faltered before hitting the Pop Top 40 (#44). Hoping to turn things around, this second single with good songwriting pedigree (see below) was issued. The more rock-oriented tune fared even worse and fell off the chart after a short few weeks. It would be Newton's last single to reach the Pop chart.
ReduxReview: When Newton's last album of crossover material tanked, I'm not sure why she and her label would up the ante even more with the next one. This track is really rockin' and just seems out of Newton's comfort zone. She does okay with it, but she doesn't have a voice for rock and she kind of gets lost in all the guitars and production. It was the completely wrong move and that proved out when the album did even worse than the one before. That said, I do like this song. It's got a crunchy rock production that features a solid hook. Had it been done by the songwriter (see below), it might have done a lot better. Instead, Newton got the song and tried it on for size. It didn't fit.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) This song was co-written by an artist who was just beginning to become a solo star. Bryan Adams co-wrote this tune with his writing partner Jim Vallance. Although a demo of the song most likely exists somewhere, Adams never recorded and released the song himself. Newton would be the first artist to record it. 2) Although this song and album closed out Newton's time in the Pop spotlight, her brightest days were yet to come at Country. After Can't Wait All Night failed in its crossover appeal, Newton decided to revamp her image and return to a more traditional country sound. Her next album, Old Flame, would be marketed to a country audience and the new approach worked very well. The LP would generate six Top 10 Country hits including three #1's. The album's lead single "You Make Me Want to Make You Mine" would reach #1 and earn Newton a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The album was a big hit, but the success wouldn't last long. Her next album could only manage one Country Top 10. After one more album, she was dropped from RCA. Newton continued to perform, but her charting days were over.
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Date: 08/11/1984
Debut: 84
Peak: 66
Weeks: 6
Genre: Pop, Rock
Pop Bits: Newton's sixth album, Can't Wait All Night, had a rough time out of the gate when its first single, "A Little Love," faltered before hitting the Pop Top 40 (#44). Hoping to turn things around, this second single with good songwriting pedigree (see below) was issued. The more rock-oriented tune fared even worse and fell off the chart after a short few weeks. It would be Newton's last single to reach the Pop chart.
ReduxReview: When Newton's last album of crossover material tanked, I'm not sure why she and her label would up the ante even more with the next one. This track is really rockin' and just seems out of Newton's comfort zone. She does okay with it, but she doesn't have a voice for rock and she kind of gets lost in all the guitars and production. It was the completely wrong move and that proved out when the album did even worse than the one before. That said, I do like this song. It's got a crunchy rock production that features a solid hook. Had it been done by the songwriter (see below), it might have done a lot better. Instead, Newton got the song and tried it on for size. It didn't fit.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) This song was co-written by an artist who was just beginning to become a solo star. Bryan Adams co-wrote this tune with his writing partner Jim Vallance. Although a demo of the song most likely exists somewhere, Adams never recorded and released the song himself. Newton would be the first artist to record it. 2) Although this song and album closed out Newton's time in the Pop spotlight, her brightest days were yet to come at Country. After Can't Wait All Night failed in its crossover appeal, Newton decided to revamp her image and return to a more traditional country sound. Her next album, Old Flame, would be marketed to a country audience and the new approach worked very well. The LP would generate six Top 10 Country hits including three #1's. The album's lead single "You Make Me Want to Make You Mine" would reach #1 and earn Newton a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The album was a big hit, but the success wouldn't last long. Her next album could only manage one Country Top 10. After one more album, she was dropped from RCA. Newton continued to perform, but her charting days were over.
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
"Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" by Billy Ocean
#1 Alert!
Gold Record Alert!
Grammy Alert!
Song#: 2010 Date: 08/11/1984
Debut: 85
Peak: 1 (2 weeks)
Weeks: 26
Genre: R&B, Dance
Pop Bits: Born in Trinidad and later raised in England, Ocean began singing on his own and with various bands when he was a teenager. A few singles were recorded along the way, but none of them attracted much attention. By 1975, he had signed with GTO Records and the following year issued a self-titled debut album. It featured the single "Love Really Hurts Without You," which became his first UK hit reaching #2. The song also became his first to chart in the US, but it was a minor hit at #22. Two follow-up singles hit the UK Top 20 and a non-album single titled "Red Light Spells Danger" would become his second #2. After that, things kind of crumbled. Over the course of three more albums, the only significant single would 1981's "Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)," which got to #7 on the US R&B chart. His fortunes would change when he moved over to the Arista imprint label Jive and recorded his fifth LP, Suddenly. This first single took its time revving up, but it would eventually reach #1 at both Pop, R&B, and Dance. It also got to #7 at AC. In his UK homeland, the song would get to #6. It would end up being a gold seller that would earn Ocean a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. In doing so, Ocean would become the first artist from the UK to win in that category. He would go on to have several more hits, but this one would remain his biggest chart song.
ReduxReview: I didn't dig this song when it came out. The little sound effects at the beginning to go with the lyrics were annoying, I didn't much care for Ocean's little vocal additions in the chorus, and it kind of sounded like a Michael Jackson ripoff. I didn't understand the attraction to the song, but it ended up all over the place. I don't mind it so much now. The groove is solid as is the hook of the chorus. It's an 80s standard that is always a good addition to an 80s playlist mix.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: This song had two other versions that made it specific to certain world regions. "European Queen" got issued in Europe and it had some success in Germany (#2) and Switzerland (#3). The UK opted for the original version over this one, which could only manage a #82 showing. There was also "African Queen," which got to #7 in South Africa.
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Wednesday, April 12, 2017
"Just the Way You Like It" by The S.O.S. Band
Song#: 2009
Date: 08/11/1984
Debut: 87
Peak: 64
Weeks: 10
Genre: R&B
Pop Bits: After their second and third albums failed to generate any significant singles, this band got a new lease on life thanks to the newbie production team of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Their fourth album, On the Rise, hit #7 at R&B and went gold thanks to two R&B Top 10 hits courtesy of Jam & Lewis. The production team assisted the band once again for their next album Just the Way You Like It. This title-track first single was another success at R&B getting to #6. Like their previous two R&B hits, the song made it to the Pop chart, but couldn't bust into the upper reaches. Although the album would hit #6 at R&B, sales were not as strong as On the Rise and the LP missed out on a gold certification.
ReduxReview: This song is very similar to their #2 R&B hit "Just Be Good to Me," which was also done by Jam & Lewis. I'm sure that is not a coincidence. It seems like another case of "hey, that one worked - can we have another one that is similar?" That is fine, but unfortunately this one is not as good. It nearly sounds like a weak attempt at a "part 2." And once again, Jam & Lewis take the song out to an unnecessary 8+ minutes on the album. The single version plays so much better. It's still good quality Jam & Lewis, but it doesn't rank among their top hits.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Jam & Lewis had a good chunk of this song done, but it still lacked lyrics and a vocal. The duo ended up taking a break to get something to eat. They decided to hit up one of their favorite establishments - The Waffle House. While there, they happened to notice the company slogan that was printed on the door. It said "Just the way you like it." With that stuck in their minds, the duo returned to the studio and finished this song.
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Date: 08/11/1984
Debut: 87
Peak: 64
Weeks: 10
Genre: R&B
Pop Bits: After their second and third albums failed to generate any significant singles, this band got a new lease on life thanks to the newbie production team of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Their fourth album, On the Rise, hit #7 at R&B and went gold thanks to two R&B Top 10 hits courtesy of Jam & Lewis. The production team assisted the band once again for their next album Just the Way You Like It. This title-track first single was another success at R&B getting to #6. Like their previous two R&B hits, the song made it to the Pop chart, but couldn't bust into the upper reaches. Although the album would hit #6 at R&B, sales were not as strong as On the Rise and the LP missed out on a gold certification.
ReduxReview: This song is very similar to their #2 R&B hit "Just Be Good to Me," which was also done by Jam & Lewis. I'm sure that is not a coincidence. It seems like another case of "hey, that one worked - can we have another one that is similar?" That is fine, but unfortunately this one is not as good. It nearly sounds like a weak attempt at a "part 2." And once again, Jam & Lewis take the song out to an unnecessary 8+ minutes on the album. The single version plays so much better. It's still good quality Jam & Lewis, but it doesn't rank among their top hits.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Jam & Lewis had a good chunk of this song done, but it still lacked lyrics and a vocal. The duo ended up taking a break to get something to eat. They decided to hit up one of their favorite establishments - The Waffle House. While there, they happened to notice the company slogan that was printed on the door. It said "Just the way you like it." With that stuck in their minds, the duo returned to the studio and finished this song.
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Tuesday, April 11, 2017
"Here She Comes" by Bonnie Tyler
Song#: 2008
Date: 08/11/1984
Debut: 88
Peak: 76
Weeks: 5
Genre: Synthpop, Soundtrack
Pop Bits: In 1984, superstar music producer Giorgio Moroder turned into a film producer when he restored the classic 1927 Fritz Lang silent film Metropolis. In addition to adding color shading and using subtitles instead of the old dialogue cards, Moroder also added a new score that was made up of contemporary pop songs, which he wrote (or co-wrote) and produced. Many of the songs were performed by popular artists like Freddie Mercury, Adam Ant, Pat Benatar, Loverboy, and Bonnie Tyler. A soundtrack album would be created and this Tyler song became the introductory single. The tune didn't catch on and it fell off the chart after a few weeks. Without a significant hit, the album sold poorly and couldn't even crack the Top 100.
ReduxReview: I think I was one of the few at the time that really enjoyed this soundtrack. While the decision to use pop music in the film is debatable, I thought the tracks stood up on their own. It was highly overlooked at the time due to its use in the film, but I think later years have been kind to it. I've run across several folks who later discovered the LP and now love it. This Bonnie Tyler tune has a rock/blues feel smashed into robotic synthpop and it's pretty delicious. Tyler sells it well and I think it is one of her best performances. I'm not sure why it did not catch on at the time. Was it too dark? Maybe a bit too mid-tempo? I have no clue. Whatever it was, folks certainly missed out.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: Lang's Metropolis suffered the fate of a lot of early films. It's original premier form was lost to time, decay, and other factors. But sometimes whole films or parts of films once thought lost are suddenly discovered in vaults, old movies houses, or even someone's basement. That was what happened with Metropolis. Moroder worked with several film archival organizations to assemble the existing portions of the film with newly discovered sections. The goal was to replicate Lang's original vision as best as possible. Such things as coloring the film was part of Lang's goal, but it could not happen at the time. Other items like the new score were done to help enhance the film and introduce it to a new generation. Critics were divided over the new edition, but many agreed that it was the most complete version of the film that had existed up to that point. Decades later, more footage was discovered and there were new versions of the film done in 2002 and 2010. The 2010 version is now considered the most complete with only a small fraction of the film still missing or unusable from any of the prints found.
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Date: 08/11/1984
Debut: 88
Peak: 76
Weeks: 5
Genre: Synthpop, Soundtrack
Pop Bits: In 1984, superstar music producer Giorgio Moroder turned into a film producer when he restored the classic 1927 Fritz Lang silent film Metropolis. In addition to adding color shading and using subtitles instead of the old dialogue cards, Moroder also added a new score that was made up of contemporary pop songs, which he wrote (or co-wrote) and produced. Many of the songs were performed by popular artists like Freddie Mercury, Adam Ant, Pat Benatar, Loverboy, and Bonnie Tyler. A soundtrack album would be created and this Tyler song became the introductory single. The tune didn't catch on and it fell off the chart after a few weeks. Without a significant hit, the album sold poorly and couldn't even crack the Top 100.
ReduxReview: I think I was one of the few at the time that really enjoyed this soundtrack. While the decision to use pop music in the film is debatable, I thought the tracks stood up on their own. It was highly overlooked at the time due to its use in the film, but I think later years have been kind to it. I've run across several folks who later discovered the LP and now love it. This Bonnie Tyler tune has a rock/blues feel smashed into robotic synthpop and it's pretty delicious. Tyler sells it well and I think it is one of her best performances. I'm not sure why it did not catch on at the time. Was it too dark? Maybe a bit too mid-tempo? I have no clue. Whatever it was, folks certainly missed out.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: Lang's Metropolis suffered the fate of a lot of early films. It's original premier form was lost to time, decay, and other factors. But sometimes whole films or parts of films once thought lost are suddenly discovered in vaults, old movies houses, or even someone's basement. That was what happened with Metropolis. Moroder worked with several film archival organizations to assemble the existing portions of the film with newly discovered sections. The goal was to replicate Lang's original vision as best as possible. Such things as coloring the film was part of Lang's goal, but it could not happen at the time. Other items like the new score were done to help enhance the film and introduce it to a new generation. Critics were divided over the new edition, but many agreed that it was the most complete version of the film that had existed up to that point. Decades later, more footage was discovered and there were new versions of the film done in 2002 and 2010. The 2010 version is now considered the most complete with only a small fraction of the film still missing or unusable from any of the prints found.
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