Song#: 1360
Date: 02/26/1983
Debut: 54
Peak: 21
Weeks: 11
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: Petty & Co.'s first single from his "Long After Dark" LP was the #20 "You Got Lucky." This follow-up did just about as well but ended up peaking one notch shy of becoming their fifth Top 20 single. However, it was another Top 10 at Mainstream Rock where the song reached #10. The two singles helped the album hit #9, but it signaled a dip in the band's popularity with the album only reaching gold status.
ReduxReview: Although this song approached the Top 20, it has pretty much been ignored since then. I can understand why. It is not among Petty's best work and truly pales in comparison to his classic tracks. I'm actually surprised this song did so well. It's a good song, but it doesn't have that extra oomph of Petty-ness that just grabs your ears. Plus, Petty sounds a bit extra whiny here, which can be a little grating. The band rocks, as usual.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: During the sessions for the "Long After Dark" album, the band recorded the song "Keeping Me Alive." Petty thought it would be a good addition to the album, but producer Jimmy Iovine disagreed. He wasn't a fan of the song and eventually it got cut from the album. The song did finally see the light of day on the 1995 compilation set "Playback."
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Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Monday, August 10, 2015
"Take the Short Way Home" by Dionne Warwick
Song#: 1359
Date: 02/26/1983
Debut: 65
Peak: 41
Weeks: 13
Genre: R&B, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: Warwick grabbed her final solo Top 10 pop hit with "Heartbreaker," the title track to her Barry Gibb-produced album. Gibb co-wrote almost all of the tracks on the album including this second single. While it didn't catch on at pop (peaking at the dreaded #41) or R&B (#43), it was another Top 10 AC hit for her reaching #5.
ReduxReview: If for some reason you couldn't hear the Bee Gees connection on "Heartbreaker," you have to hear it in this song. The staccato delivery, the groove, the harmonies, and the syncopated verse are all hallmarks of the Gibb brothers' sound. With the Bee Gees basically being ostracized around this time, that close connection may have caused this single to get overlooked despite the success of "Heartbreaker." It's a terrific song and there is no other reason I can come up with for this single not doing better. It may not be a Top 10 contender, but it deserved a better fate than its #41 showing.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: Warwick's debut single was custom written for her by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Initially, the pair wrote "Make It Easy on Yourself" and one of the singers they had in mind to record it was Warwick, who had just signed with Scepter Records. However, the label thought the song was not good for Warwick's style and gave the song to Jerry Butler, who took the song to #20 pop, #18 R&B. Bacharach and David went to let Warwick know she wasn't getting the song and to let her know they would write one just as good for her. Warwick got pissed at the news and was not convinced the writing team could get her a better song. She then screamed out to them "Don't make me over, man! You have to accept me as I am!" That rant immediately sparked the imagination of the songwriters and they turned around and wrote "Don't Make Me Over" specifically for Warwick. She recorded it, but initially the label put it as a b-side. However, radio stations quickly picked up on the song and soon it was hitting the charts. It became Warwick's first hit reaching #21 at pop and #5 R&B. Bacharach and David certainly did not make her over and the three formed a hit making team that lasted for many years.
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Date: 02/26/1983
Debut: 65
Peak: 41
Weeks: 13
Genre: R&B, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: Warwick grabbed her final solo Top 10 pop hit with "Heartbreaker," the title track to her Barry Gibb-produced album. Gibb co-wrote almost all of the tracks on the album including this second single. While it didn't catch on at pop (peaking at the dreaded #41) or R&B (#43), it was another Top 10 AC hit for her reaching #5.
ReduxReview: If for some reason you couldn't hear the Bee Gees connection on "Heartbreaker," you have to hear it in this song. The staccato delivery, the groove, the harmonies, and the syncopated verse are all hallmarks of the Gibb brothers' sound. With the Bee Gees basically being ostracized around this time, that close connection may have caused this single to get overlooked despite the success of "Heartbreaker." It's a terrific song and there is no other reason I can come up with for this single not doing better. It may not be a Top 10 contender, but it deserved a better fate than its #41 showing.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: Warwick's debut single was custom written for her by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Initially, the pair wrote "Make It Easy on Yourself" and one of the singers they had in mind to record it was Warwick, who had just signed with Scepter Records. However, the label thought the song was not good for Warwick's style and gave the song to Jerry Butler, who took the song to #20 pop, #18 R&B. Bacharach and David went to let Warwick know she wasn't getting the song and to let her know they would write one just as good for her. Warwick got pissed at the news and was not convinced the writing team could get her a better song. She then screamed out to them "Don't make me over, man! You have to accept me as I am!" That rant immediately sparked the imagination of the songwriters and they turned around and wrote "Don't Make Me Over" specifically for Warwick. She recorded it, but initially the label put it as a b-side. However, radio stations quickly picked up on the song and soon it was hitting the charts. It became Warwick's first hit reaching #21 at pop and #5 R&B. Bacharach and David certainly did not make her over and the three formed a hit making team that lasted for many years.
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"Little Red Corvette" by Prince
Top 10 Alert!
Rated 10 Alert!
Song#: 1358 Date: 02/26/1983
Debut: 66
Peak: 6
Weeks: 22
Genre: R&B
Pop Bits: Prince's album "1999" got off to a good, but slow start with its first single, the title-track, making it to #4 at R&B and (initially) #44 at pop. The album would then really take off thanks to this more rock-oriented second single. Both the song and the video, which made it into heavy rotation on MTV, gained Prince a lot of new fans who in turn gave him his first pop Top 10. The hit also sent the album into the Top 10 (#9) becoming his first to do so as well. This single also marked the first time that a Prince song did better at pop than R&B. While the song hit #6 at pop, at R&B the song only managed to reach #15.
ReduxReview: Oh yeah! Prince revved into high gear with this sexy tune. The release of this song was timed perfectly. It came at a time when both he and Michael Jackson were finally breaking down the color/R&B barriers at MTV and hitting the mainstream. Prince should have been a bigger star by this point, but the mainstream wasn't accepting him yet. They had to after this. The song was just undeniable. Not only is this an 80s classic, but a rock era classic as well.
ReduxRating: 10/10
Trivia: It was around the time of "1999" that Prince formed his band The Revolution. Although the album is just credited to Prince, The Revolution name does appear on the cover of the album. The phrase "and the Revolution" is written backwards inside the "1" of the 1999. For this album, The Revolution included guitarist Dez Dickerson. He supplied the guitar solo for this song. Famed magazine "Guitar World" lists Dickerson's solo at #64 of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.
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Sunday, August 9, 2015
"Land of a Thousand Dances" by J. Geils Band
Song#: 1357
Date: 02/26/1983
Debut: 77
Peak: 60
Weeks: 6
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: "Showtime!" was the band's live album follow-up to their multi-platinum smash "Freeze Frame." The LP's first single, a remake of the 1966 R&B hit "I Do," did moderately well reaching #24 on the pop chart. For a second single, the band chose another remake and issued this classic Wilson Pickett tune (see below). It didn't get people dancing and the song disappeared after a few weeks. This would be the last charting single to featured the band's frontman, Peter Wolf.
ReduxReview: Once again, I'll mention that I'm not a fan of live recordings. I'd just rather be there than to listen to it like an outsider. The experience doesn't always translate well to a recorded medium. Plus these recordings are often tinkered with to make them sound better, which is wrong in my opinion. Although this song seems to be well-recorded and captures a bit of the excitement, it loses steam with an audience participation section. It was probably fun in concert, but on record it doesn't work.
ReduxRating: 4/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) This is a remake of a song famously done by R&B star Wilson Pickett in 1966. Written and originally recorded by Chris Kenner in 1963, his version initially got zero attention. Kenner then entered into a deal with Fats Domino who would record the song in exchange for a writing credit and 50% of the publishing/writing royalties. Kenner agreed and Domino recorded the song. Unfortunately, Domino's version was also ignored. However, Kenner's original got a second wind and suddenly found it's way to #77 on the pop chart. The song then got picked up two years later by Cannibal and the Headhunters who took the tune to #30. They added the now-famous "na na" part to the song thanks to lead singer Frankie Garcia forgetting the words. Thee Midniters then reached #67 the same year, but it was Wilson Pickett's 1966 version that really broke the song reaching #6 pop and #1 R&B. In 1965, the studio group Electric Indian scrapped the chart at #95 with their version. That was the last chart appearance of the song until J. Geils' made it to #60. 2) The title of the song appears nowhere in the lyrics. However, it was originally supposed to be. When Chris Kenner first recorded the tune, he included a 10-second intro where Kenner says "I'm gonna take you, baby, I'm gonna take you to a place. The name of the place is the land of a thousand dances!" But when the single was released, the intro was edited out. Most likely it was done to make the record shorter for radio airplay.
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Date: 02/26/1983
Debut: 77
Peak: 60
Weeks: 6
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: "Showtime!" was the band's live album follow-up to their multi-platinum smash "Freeze Frame." The LP's first single, a remake of the 1966 R&B hit "I Do," did moderately well reaching #24 on the pop chart. For a second single, the band chose another remake and issued this classic Wilson Pickett tune (see below). It didn't get people dancing and the song disappeared after a few weeks. This would be the last charting single to featured the band's frontman, Peter Wolf.
ReduxReview: Once again, I'll mention that I'm not a fan of live recordings. I'd just rather be there than to listen to it like an outsider. The experience doesn't always translate well to a recorded medium. Plus these recordings are often tinkered with to make them sound better, which is wrong in my opinion. Although this song seems to be well-recorded and captures a bit of the excitement, it loses steam with an audience participation section. It was probably fun in concert, but on record it doesn't work.
ReduxRating: 4/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) This is a remake of a song famously done by R&B star Wilson Pickett in 1966. Written and originally recorded by Chris Kenner in 1963, his version initially got zero attention. Kenner then entered into a deal with Fats Domino who would record the song in exchange for a writing credit and 50% of the publishing/writing royalties. Kenner agreed and Domino recorded the song. Unfortunately, Domino's version was also ignored. However, Kenner's original got a second wind and suddenly found it's way to #77 on the pop chart. The song then got picked up two years later by Cannibal and the Headhunters who took the tune to #30. They added the now-famous "na na" part to the song thanks to lead singer Frankie Garcia forgetting the words. Thee Midniters then reached #67 the same year, but it was Wilson Pickett's 1966 version that really broke the song reaching #6 pop and #1 R&B. In 1965, the studio group Electric Indian scrapped the chart at #95 with their version. That was the last chart appearance of the song until J. Geils' made it to #60. 2) The title of the song appears nowhere in the lyrics. However, it was originally supposed to be. When Chris Kenner first recorded the tune, he included a 10-second intro where Kenner says "I'm gonna take you, baby, I'm gonna take you to a place. The name of the place is the land of a thousand dances!" But when the single was released, the intro was edited out. Most likely it was done to make the record shorter for radio airplay.
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Saturday, August 8, 2015
"Beat It" by Michael Jackson
#1 Alert!
Platinum Record Alert!
Rated 10 Alert!
Grammy Alert!
Song#: 1356 Date: 02/26/1983
Debut: 78
Peak: 1 (3 weeks)
Weeks: 25
Genre: Rock, R&B
Pop Bits: If "Billie Jean" was the song that kicked off "Thriller"-mania, then it was this song that cemented the album's (and Jackson's) iconic status. Knowing that "Billie Jean" was headed to #1, the label wanted to capitalize on Jackson's soaring popularity and rush released this third single in hopes that both songs would simultaneously reside in the Top 10. This feat would be more than accomplished with the two songs almost becoming back-to-back #1's (interrupted for one week by "Come on Eileen"). The single would also reach #1 on the R&B chart. The song's cinematic video would be hugely popular and highly influential and would help to boost the single's popularity. As part of his record-setting Grammy sweep, Jackson would receive two awards for this song - Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
ReduxReview: For me, this was the best track on "Thriller" and it quite possibly may be my favorite Michael Jackson song. Jackson takes a stab at writing a rock song and comes out a convincing winner. It didn't hurt that he got a stamp of approval from Eddie Van Halen (see below) as well. Everything about this song worked. The synth/guitar hooks, the dark tone, the solid chorus, and the hot guitar solo all added up to a perfect 4-minute explosion of genius. The video was must-see MTV back then. I remember we all wanted his J. Parks red leather jacket. A couple of folks ended up with pleather imitations. Thankfully I didn't get one. Yeesh. Glad that trend ended quickly. But we still had to contend with the Members Only fad.
ReduxRating: 10/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) The guitar solo was famously done by Eddie Van Halen. When producer Quincy Jones first contacted Van Halen to do the solo, Van Halen thought the call was a prank. After realizing it was not a joke, Van Halen jumped on board. He considered the work a favor and did it for free. He was often chided by his fellow band mates for doing this, but Van Halen said he just really wanted to do it. His contribution has often been included on lists of the best guitar solos in rock history. Van Halen should have been in the song's video, but he was prevented from doing so by his label. 2) Jackson's plan for the song's expensive concept video did not excite his label, Epic. They refused to pay for it. Jackson decided to flip the $150,000 bill himself. The video was shot around L.A.'s famous Skid Row district and it featured a large cast of dancers and extras, some of whom were actual L.A. gang members. It is often included on lists of the best music videos ever made.
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