"Parents Just Don't Understand" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

Gold Record Alert!

Grammy Alert!

Song#:  3525

Date:  05/21/1988

Debut:  75

Peak:  12

Weeks:  19

Genre:  Rap

Pop Bits:  This DJ/rapper duo from Philadelphia first got together in 1985. They would record a track called "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" that got released on the local Philly hip-hop label Word Records (not to be confused with the Christian-based Word label). The song did well enough to crack the R&B chart at #81 and a debut album, Rock the House, would follow. It got the attention of Jive Records who signed the duo, reissued the LP on the new label and got them promoted in a larger way. Two more singles from the album would be middling entries on the R&B chart, which helped the album get to #24 R&B. The pair then went back into the studio to record a follow-up and came out with He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. A first single, "Brand New Funk," was simply issued as a promo, but a bit of airplay got it to #76 at R&B. Then this second single was officially released. It started to catch on at R&B first where it finally got to #10. As it neared that peak, the song crossed over to Pop. Aided by a video that got a lot of attention on MTV, the track nearly cracked the Pop Top 10. The crossover hit would sell well enough to become a gold record. It would also go on to win the inaugural Grammy for Best Rap Performance. The album would become a hit as well getting to #4 Pop/#5 R&B. Eventually, it would go triple-platinum.

ReduxReview:  The duo's brand of inoffensive, sometimes humorous rap was perfect for mainstream audiences. I'd venture to guess that parents who were either terrified of or didn't get rap/hip-hop and tried to keep their kids away from it most likely approved of Jeff and Fresh Prince. How bad could these two cute guys whining about their parents in an "aw shucks" kind of way be? I guess if there existed a genre called "wholesome rap," these guys would have been the epitome. Obviously they were skilled and genuine entertainers, but even my straitlaced, Wonder Bread at the time self thought they were a bit on the milquetoast side of things. It worked for them and I think they did help in breaking down some barriers at pop radio, but I just never really got into their brand of rap.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  In the rap/hip-hop world, during live performance some artists would have an emcee or "hype man," a rapper/singer would would work in the background and do various vocal interjections and other things to enhance the main performer and to get the audience going. In 1985, DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jeff Townes) had a scheduled performance at a Philly house party, but his hype man had yet to show up. A teenager in the neighborhood, Will Smith (aka The Fresh Prince), who had been performing with another DJ by the name of Lord Supreme (Mark Forrest) happened to show up and offered to fill in. The pair hit it off immediately and not long after the chance meeting, they formed a partnership that would yield two Grammys and five platinum/gold certified albums (one multi-platinum, one platinum, three gold).

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"Make Me Lose Control" by Eric Carmen

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3524

Date:  05/21/1988

Debut:  78

Peak:  3

Weeks:  20

Genre:  Pop

Pop Bits:  Twelve years after his last Pop Top 10 hit, Carmen finally got back into the upper reaches of the chart with "Hungry Eyes," a song he did for the soundtrack to the hit film Dirty Dancing. The single would get to #4 Pop/#2 AC. With Carmen back on the charts, his label Arista decided to capitalize on the moment and quickly put together the compilation The Best of Eric Carmen. It was rushed out, but they probably should have waited because Carmen had returned to the studio following the success of "Hungry Eyes" to record a new song. "Make Me Lose Control" was written with Dean Pitchford (the pair had written "Almost Paradise" for Footloose) and it was decided that perhaps the song would make a good follow-up to his Dirty Dancing hit. It was issued out and it ended up performing better than "Hungry Eyes" peaking at #3 Pop and #1 AC. With the song exploding all over pop radio during the summer, Arista quickly did a reissue of The Best of Eric Carmen that included the track. With that boost, the LP was able to reach #59. It might have done better had Arista waited and included the track to begin with and then promote the single and album together. Still, the single went on to become Carmen's second biggest hit after his 1975 #2 "All By Myself."

ReduxReview:  This nostalgic track with its big sing-a-long chorus was a perfect follow-up for "Hungry Eyes" and even for the whole Dirty Dancing phenomenon. Oddly, I find that the verse part has teeny shades of Bruce Springsteen, which I kinda dig. The Beach Boys-inspired background vocals and vocal break were a highlight as well (note - although a few folks attribute the vocals to the actual Beach Boys, they did not appear on the song, it was studio vocalists including singer/songwriter/producer Mark Hudson). Overall, it was just a terrific pop song and one of Carmen's best. I liked it far more than "Hungry Eyes." It's a shame he didn't pursue a full album at the time. Carmen was on a roll and it might have been a terrific LP. This song would end up being Carmen's last major hit, but what a way to go out.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Since this was a one-off single, Carmen needed a b-side. Instead of trying to get a new song together, he reached into his back catalog and grabbed another nolstalgic tune, "That's Rock 'n' Roll," a track from his 1975 self-titled debut album. That #21 gold LP included "All By Myself" and Carmen's #11 hit "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again." While not issued out in the US, in some countries "That's Rock 'n' Roll" would be the LP's third single (#7 Denmark). Two years later, the song would end up being a #3 hit for Shaun Cassidy. It appeared on his 1976 self-titled debut album and was Cassidy's second Top 10 hit following his #1 remake of "Da Doo Ron Ron." For Cassidy's second album, the Carmen-penned track "Hey Deanie" would be recorded. It would be the LP's first single and it would get to #7. Carmen's own version of the tune would make it on his 1978 album Change of Heart.

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"My Love" by Julio Iglesias with Stevie Wonder

Song#:  3523

Date:  05/21/1988

Debut:  94

Peak:  80

Weeks:  5

Genre:  Adult Contemporary

Pop Bits:  This Latin music superstar broke through to the mainstream with his first English-language album 1100 Bel Air Place. It featured his first major hit, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before," a duet with Willie Nelson that reached #5 Pop/#3 AC/#1 Country and went platinum. A second single, "All of You," another duet song this time with Diana Ross, also did well getting to #19 Pop/#2 AC. The album would be his biggest crossover success getting to #5 Pop and eventually selling over four million copies. After that big success, Iglesias could have chosen to do another English album, but instead returned to Latin music for 1985's Libra, which thanks to the success of his previous LP made it to #92 on the US Pop chart. Next up was 1987's Un hombre solo, an album that finally earned Iglesias his first Grammy award (Best Latin Pop Album). Not wanting to neglect his mainstream audience, Iglesias then recorded his second English-language album, Non Stop. For the LP, he'd go the duet route again this time with Stevie Wonder, who would write, produce, and sing on the first single "My Love." The tune would do well at AC getting to #14, but it didn't fully click at Pop where it stalled low on the chart. It also scratched the R&B chart at #88. Still, the album would sell well and get to #52. It would take about three years, but the LP would eventually go gold. The single would be Iglesias' last one to reach the US Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  I want to call this tune awful, but I can't because it isn't really all that bad. It is just not my thing. It is, however, a vat of cheez whiz. It sounds like one of those songs that is sung at the end of a telethon. The song probably played well on AC, which really was Iglesias' main audience, but this bit o' treacle wasn't gonna get anywhere at Pop. I'm even surprised it got on the chart. Stevie Wonder can be a master of sap when he wants to be and he certainly was here. His presence, complete with the obligatory harmonica solo, probably helped the song along (and let it squeak on R&B chart), but it was definitely not one of Wonder's best efforts. While matching up Iglesias with Wonder was a good idea, this just wasn't the right song. Also, Iglesias was a huge star at the time and on CBS, so he could have worked with most any songwriter/producer. Why he didn't get paired with someone like Burt Bacharach is beyond me. Luther Vandross would have been really interesting as well. Anything/anyone would have been better than this gooey schmaltz.

ReduxRating:  2/10

Trivia:  While Iglesias would mainly continue to record Latin albums, once in a while he would push out an English-language effort. In 1990, he released the pop standards album Starry Night. It would be a #37 gold seller. Then in 1994, he recorded a covers album titled Crazy, which featured duets with Dolly Parton, Dave Koz, and Art Garfunkel. It would get to #30 and also go gold. His last album to make the Pop chart was the 1996 Spanish-language concept LP Tango. It got to #81 and would go gold. While Iglesias would be recognized as the best selling Latin artist worldwide in history, his son would certainly surpass his achievements on the US charts. Enrique Iglesias would become a major crossover star that to-date has scored five Pop Top 10 hits, including two #1's, along with three Top 10 albums.

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"Fat" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Song#:  3522

Date:  05/21/1988

Debut:  99

Peak:  99

Weeks:  2

Genre:  Comedy, Parody

Pop Bits:  By this point in time, Yankovic's comedic parodies of hit songs and offbeat originals had resulted in two gold albums (later both would be platinum and his debut LP would go gold). He seemed to be on a roll, but then his fourth album, 1986's Polka Party!, slowed his momentum. Critics were not impressed, none of its singles charted, and even the associated music videos seemed to fall flat at MTV. The lack of support left the LP peaking at a very minor #177; his worst showing to-date. It had Yankovic thinking his time in the sun was over, but he decided to rally and give it another go. He recorded some original tunes for a new album, but knew he needed a solid parody to grab attention and as soon as he heard Michael Jackson's "Bad," a concept for a parody came right to him. Although he didn't necessarily want to parody another Jackson song since he had already done the gold-selling "Eat It," his concept was too strong to ignore and he sought permission from Jackson to use "Bad." Like before, Jackson agreed and Yankovic turned "Bad" into "Fat." It would be issued out as the first single from his fourth LP Even Worse, which itself sported a cover that was a take on Jackson's Bad album. While the single didn't necessarily get anywhere on the Pop chart, the song's associated music video was a sensation on MTV and it helped the album get to #27 and quickly go gold (later platinum). The album get a Grammy nod for Best Comedy Album while the video would win a Grammy for Best Concept Music Video. It was a solid comeback for Yankovic.

ReduxReview:  "Bad" was the perfect song to parody in order to rejuvenate Yankovic's career. The timing of it was perfect with the Bad album still pushing out singles and Jackson just as hot as ever. That was truly the key to Yankovic's success; finding the right song to parody and get it out at the right time. I think that's why Polka Party! failed as he just didn't tap into the right songs/artists at the time. What also helped this song was, obviously, the video. His take on Jackson's video was inspired and hilarious. I also think that may be why the single didn't do well because everyone just wanted to see the video over and over again. While Yankovic does a great job with the parody, the song itself is nothing I'd clamor to hear. Once is fine. It's hard to judge tunes like this so I think the criteria would have to be if the parody did its job in being clever versus a random comedy bit someone tossed together. I think Weird Al did well by the song. However, I do have to wonder if in today's more sensitive culture if this song would be as welcomed as it was back in the day.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Over the years, Yankovic would place a few minor singles on the Pop chart, but in 2006, he finally grabbed his first and only Top 10 hit. "White & Nerdy," the second single from his album Straight Outta Lynwood, would make it to #5. The tune was a parody of the 2005 #1 Pop/#7 R&B hit "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone. Yankovic's single would be a platinum seller and would help the album become his first Top 10 as well (#10). In 2014, Yankovic would finally get his first #1 album with Mandatory Fun. It would also earn Yankovic his fourth overall Grammy and his third in the Best Comedy Album category.

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"Only a Memory" by The Smithereens

Song#:  3521

Date:  05/21/1988

Debut:  100

Peak:  92

Weeks:  4

Genre:  Rock, Power Pop

Pop Bits:  This New Jersey band started to come together in 1980 when singer/guitarist Pat DiNizio put an ad in the local paper looking for a drummer for demo work. A guy answered who happened to be in a band with two of his high school friends. All four got together and The Smithereens were born. Not long after their formation, the band issued out an indie EP titled Girls About Town. Over the next few years, they honed their skills and gained a solid following. In 1983, they put out their second EP, Beauty and Sadness. It sold well and the guys returned to the studio and recorded five songs that they hoped would help get them a major record deal. Enigma Records would be the one to sign the band and a full-length debut album, 1986's Especially for You, would be recorded with Don Dixon (R.E.M.) producing. Its first single, "Blood and Roses," got to #14 at Rock. A second single made it to #23. The singles plus a good critical response pushed the album to #51. With that success, a second LP was warranted and the band came up with Green Thoughts. This first single was released and it became a hit at Rock reaching #1. The attention there helped the song cross over to the Pop chart, but it would only stay on the bottom rungs for a month. Good reviews and another Rock Top 20 entry helped the album get to #60.

ReduxReview:  I would discover The Smithereens on their next LP, so I didn't hear this song until much later when after becoming a fan I went back to hear their first releases. I loved their concise, hooky, melodic, 60s mod-based power pop sound along with Pat DiNizio's voice. Had I heard this track when it first came out, I probably would have bought the album. Alas, it would take another year or so before I finally became aware of them. No one else around this time was pushing out retro-ish power pop, so they had the market pretty much to themselves and were able to gain a big following. However, their style of rock wasn't necessarily something pop radio was into at the time so they were a bit of a hard sell. Still, with support from rock radio and MTV, they were able to crack the Pop chart, if just briefly. The song should have done a lot better, but at least the album sold pretty well.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  The band's first Rock chart hit, "Blood and Roses," would end up being featured on three movie soundtrack albums. It first was used in the 1986 film Dangerously Close that starred John Stockwell and Carey Lowell (of Law & Order fame). The film about teenage vigilantes was panned by critics, but was able to make enough money at the box office to cover costs. Next, the song was used in the 1989 teen romance/drama Under the Boardwalk. That starless flick went nowhere except perhaps straight to video. The track was then finally used in a film that did fairly well at the box office. It was put on the soundtrack to the 1997 comedy Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, which starred Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow. The film got middling reviews, but was able to make a little money at the box office. The soundtrack album, which featured several classic hits from the 80s, sold well and got to #64.

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