"California Girls" by David Lee Roth

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2189
Date:  01/19/1985
Debut:  43
Peak:  3
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  As Van Halen's smash hit LP 1984 and its associated tour was winding down, lead singer Roth was itching to do something on his own. He decided to record a few cover tunes and issue them in EP form. These would represent his first solo works apart from Van Halen. Along with the EP, Roth would create a couple of videos for play on MTV. The EP, titled Crazy from the Heat, was assembled in short-order and this first single would be released. Thanks to its popular video, the song made a splash on the Pop chart and ran up to the #3 spot becoming Roth's first solo Top 10. It would also reach #3 at Rock while helping the EP get to #15 and selling a million copies. Unfortunately, while this single was riding high on the chart, tensions between Roth and Eddie Van Halen reached a breaking point and Roth officially left the band. So this dabble into a side solo career quickly turned into the full-fledged real deal for Roth as he was now on his own.

ReduxReview:  Anyone looking for the Van Halen sound in Roth's first solo outing was gonna be very disappointed. While Roth's vivid video for the song was silly and fun, the song on record was fairly tame. Besides being dressing up in day-glo sounds of the 80s, the tune is a fairly straight-forward cover with Roth adding a little of his VH yelps and personality. There's nothing bad about it, but also nothing really interesting or progressive. It's just Roth having a little fun.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This is a remake of a song originally done by The Beach Boys. Their classic 1965 version would reach #3 on the Pop chart. In a nod to the original band, Roth had Beach Boy Carl Wilson join in on background vocals. Christopher Cross also provides some vocals as well. Oddly, Roth's version also reached #3.  2) In the associated video for this song, Roth amps up his hammy personality to play a tour guide. One of the tourists in the video was played by Jane Leeves. Leeves would later become known for her role as Daphne on the classic TV show Frasier. She then became a part of the ensemble cast for the hit series Hot in Cleveland.

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"Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon

#1 Alert!

Gold Record Alert!

Song#:  2188
Date:  01/19/1985
Debut:  46
Peak:  1 (3 weeks)
Weeks:  18
Genre:  Soft Rock



Pop Bits:  REO's eleventh album Wheels Are Turnin' seemed to be on the brink of being a dud when its first single, "I Do' Wanna Know", stalled at a minor #29 on the Pop chart. Although it was able to get to #5 at Rock, the results at Pop caused album sales to be quite slow. After five straight gold or platinum albums, question arose as to whether this one could even reach gold level. That all changed when this second single was issued. The power ballad had already been getting attention following the release of the album, so when the single came along it splashed onto the chart just outside the Top 40. It made a beeline to #1 and stayed there for three weeks. The song helped turn around the album and it would eventually turn into a double-platinum seller that peaked at #7.

ReduxReview:  This is a near-perfect piece of pop that has nearly everything you'd want in a power ballad. If there existed a checklist of elements needed to create a classic soft rock hit, this tune would check off all the boxes. I am usually a sucker for these types of songs, yet even though it meets all the hitmaking criteria, I found myself disliking the track. Part of it could be that I didn't care that much for REO and their previous album, Good Trouble, and it distanced me further from the band. It could also be that Kevin Cronin's voice can be a bit grating or that the song got played to death. Maybe it just seemed like a big stab at commercial pop from a band who gave us some pretty sweet rock tunes. Maybe it was just everything. All I know is that I avoided the song back then and I still haven't warmed up to it. However, I do recognize that it's a well-crafted pop song that still gets airtime today. It also helped revive a band whose fortunes were beginning to fade.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  The controversy over licensing songs for commercial use had been around for decades. Some artists and fans consider it "selling out" while others consider it a shrewd business tactic that keeps interest in the artist alive. It can also help sell records (i.e., interest in Nick Drake's catalog soared after his "Pink Moon" was used in a 1999 Volkswagon commercial). While there are certain song/product combinations that work well, such as Chevy's campaign using Bob Seger's "Like a Rock," there are others that don't work or are simply strange. This song may fall into the latter category. In 2016, REO (or more likely songwriter Kevin Cronin and his publishing company) made a deal with Mars, Inc., to use this song in...a cat food commercial. Promoting their new line of Sheba Perfect Portions, a comical ad was made that uses this song. The funny premise of the ad most likely helped Mars secure a deal and it seems the commercial was received well. Still, serving cat food with this as the soundtrack was certainly an unlikely and odd pairing.

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"Private Dancer" by Tina Turner

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2187
Date:  01/19/1985
Debut:  58
Peak:  7
Weeks:  18
Genre:  Pop, R&B



Pop Bits:  Turner's Private Dancer album brought her career back in a huge way. It featured two major hits including the Grammy-winning #1 smash "What's Love Got to Do with It." With folks still wanting more, this title-track was issued as the LP's fourth single. The sultry accompanying video was a hit on MTV and it helped to drive this song into the Pop Top 10. It did even better at R&B getting to #3 while reaching #30 at AC.

ReduxReview:  Sometimes lengthy albums tracks are edited down into a concise single and it works out to the benefit of the song. However, this track is the opposite. While the single is still solid and edited well, I think the full album version is better. The additional passages work to enhance the mood and meaning of the tune. It's an excellent song and Turner reads it beautifully. She embraces the character and sounds like she lived the lyrics. It's a stunning performance.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  The composer of this song, Mark Knopfler, originally wrote it for his band Dire Straits. It was considered for a spot on their 1982 album Love Over Gold. However, after getting the backing track to the song all completed, Knopfler had second thoughts about the tune. He felt that the song should be sung by a woman, not a man. Therefore, the track was shelved. Through a manager connection, it was suggested that Turner should give the song a try for her upcoming album. Turner heard the tune and loved it. At first, since the track was completed and had not been released, Turner was just going to perform her own vocal over the Dire Straits track. Unfortunately, pesky legal issues arose (most likely label tangles) and she was unable to use the completed recording. To achieve a similar sound, it was decided to have Knopfler produce the tune for Turner and bring in some of his Dire Straits bandmates to play on the song. The newly finished version would anchor the album and serve as the LP's title.

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"Ooh Ooh Song" by Pat Benatar

Song#:  2186
Date:  01/19/1985
Debut:  59
Peak:  36
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Benatar changed her sound and ended up with a major hit. "We Belong," the first single from her album Tropico, was a #5 smash that showed she had more to offer than just her hard rockin' tunes. She continued the trend with this next single, which was co-written by Benatar and her husband Neil Giraldo. The retro-rock sounding tune wasn't quite as enticing as the previous big ballad and the singled stalled once it reached the Pop Top 40. It also managed a #22 showing at Rock. Despite not doing all that well, the strength of "We Belong" pushed the album to platinum sales - her sixth album in a row to do so.

ReduxReview:  This organ shuffle with its "At the Hop" feel, wordless chorus and a cappella breakdown was certainly an oddity in Benatar's catalog. It's a fun little tune, but it definitely wasn't hit material. It was a little surprising that it made it into the Top 40. However, besides the can't-miss "We Belong," there really wasn't another single on Tropico, which I consider the weakest LP of her 80s output. Giraldo kind of took over the writing (co-writing 8 of the 10 tracks - "We Belong" was not among them, obviously) and the songs were just not hitting the mark. Several were meandering affairs that weren't very memorable. This one was the only one that had any single prospects, so it got released. Results were meh and the song has gotten buried by her other hits and far better album tracks.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  It's kind of a mystery as to why the album is called Tropico. None of the lyrics mention the word and nothing thematic seems to relate to the word. However, the word was picked up and used in other entertainment projects. Later in the 80s, it was the title of a telenovela that was filmed in the Dominican Republic and lasted for 100 episodes. In 2001, Tropico was a video game developed for Xbox along with other Windows and Mac platforms. The strategic game centered on the player (who is the El Presidente) trying to retain control of a small Caribbean island during the Cold War. There were new versions released over the years with the last one (as of this posting), Tropico 6, issued in 2017. Bentar may have possibly named Tropico after a former small town in California. Tropico, California, was situated just outside of Glendale and Los Angeles. Developed around 1887, the town was a stop on the railroad and was known for its strawberry farms. In the new decade, both Glendale and L.A. were expanding and annexing bordering towns. Tropico was a prime target and in the end it became a part of Glendale in 1918. The Tropico name was then abandoned for good (although the neighborhood kind of retains that name). Benetar's album may have been recorded in or around the old Tropico town or she might have had a connection to that neighborhood during this time. Whether or not this was the case is unknown, but it seems to make some sense (and is an interesting story to boot).

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"Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Top 10 Alert!

Gold Record Alert!

Song#:  2185
Date:  01/19/1985
Debut:  70
Peak:  10
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Dance-Pop, Synthpop



Pop Bits:  Wasn't this song already covered here? Yup. It's first time around, the song didn't quite catch the ears of US folks and it quickly disappeared after peaking at a low #67. However, the band got some good exposure thanks to their second single, "Two Tribes" (#43), and the increasing publicity surrounding the banning of this song in the UK. The label decided to take advantage of the situation and reissue "Relax" in the US. It was a good idea as the second time around the song caught on and proceeded to head towards the Top 10. Nearly a year and a half after it was first issued in the UK, the song was finally a hit in the US. The combined sales of the first release and reissue allowed the single to go gold.

ReduxReview:  There's not much to add here that wasn't in my original posting. It's perverse fun that sounds fantastic when cranked to eleven.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  Several videos for this song were issued along the way. Its first video was an S&M themed affair that took place in a gay nightclub. It went over about as well with TV stations as the song did at radio and it apparently got banned. Then the team of Godley & Creme filmed a more palatable video that showed the band performing the song amid various laser effects and lighting. Next, famed music video director David Mallett filmed a live performance version of the song with the band. Finally, a video that cross promoted the song with the 1984 Brian De Palma thriller film Body Double was put together. In that movie, the band makes an appearance performing this song. It was kind of a film-within-a-film scene that had the band performing the song during the filming of a porn movie.

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