"Keeping the Faith" by Billy Joel

Song#:  2199
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut:  57
Peak:  18
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  Joel's album An Innocent Man had already spawned five singles. With the fifth one, "Leave a Tender Moment Alone," not performing as well as the previous singles (it peaked at #27), it seemed like that would be it for the album. However, the song was the LPs fourth #1 at AC, so with support still happening at that format, the label thought a sixth single might still generate some interest. It did just that with AC taking the song to #3. Those results may not have been all that surprising, but the response at Pop was. It ended up surpassing the previous single and grabbed a spot just inside the Top 20. With that final success, Joel's Innocent Man era came to a close.

ReduxReview:  This nostalgic tune probably should have been issued before "Leave a Tender Moment Alone." It just seemed to be a better fit for pop radio and the associated courtroom video, which featured cameos by Richard Prior and Joe Piscopo, was a fun one for MTV and the just-launched VH1 channel. It's a good tune with a bit of a rock edge and a nice horn/sax section. Besides the reflective lyrics, the song isn't necessarily as retro sounding as others on the album. I guess it's supposed to pay homage to pre-British Invasion rock, but I'm not really hearing that here. Regardless, it was a nice album closer and a good single.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  This song is about a guy who is nostalgically looking back on his years as a young man in the 50s. The lyrics contain references to certain styles and products that were popular during the era. One item mentioned was not all that familiar to a younger generation. A line in the song says "I took a fresh pack of Luckies and a mint called Sen-Sen." While folks were still familiar with Lucky Strike cigarettes, many didn't know about Sen-Sen candy.  Developed in the 1890's, the licorice flavored candy was first marketed as "breath perfume" and was meant to mask odors caused by things like smoking (hence, the candy being mentioned in the same lyric line as a cigarette). It was considered the first breath mint and was quite popular from the 30s through the 50s. Although it got pushed back on the shelves as other new candies and mints came along, it remained popular and was later marketed as a nostalgia item until the candy stopped being made sometime around 2004.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"High on You" by Survivor

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2198
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut:  63

Peak:  8

Weeks:  17
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Ever since Survivor hit #1 with "Eye of the Tiger" in 1982, they had been struggling to follow-up that major success. They finally regained some of their audience when the first single from their album Vital Signs, "I Can't Hold Back," reached #1 at Rock and #13 at Pop. It was their biggest hit since "Eye," at least until this second single came along. With a little momentum behind them now, this song took off and became their second Pop Top 10 hit. It also reached the same peak at Rock. With a pair of hits, it seemed that Survivor finally hit on the right formula for success.

ReduxReview:  Songwriting duties for the band fell to members Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan. When the duo was on point, they cranked out delicious pop/rock tunes like this one. Nearly every section of the song contained a hook and it was loaded with memorable melodies that all fit well together. Had they written gems like this earlier, they most likely wouldn't have had to call this hit a "comeback."

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  New lead singer Jimi Jamison would later do some solo work along with song contributions to various projects. One song he did was heard by millions on a weekly basis. Jamison co-wrote and performed the song "I'm Always Here," which served as the theme song to the popular TV show Baywatch during its syndicated run. It was also included on the original soundtrack album for the show that was released in 1994. Baywatch had an even bigger audience in other parts of the world and the song was issued as a single in several countries.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Nightshift" by The Commodores

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2197
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut:  71
Peak:  3
Weeks:  22
Genre:  R&B, Adult Contemporary, Pop



Pop Bits:  After Lionel Richie's departure, The Commodores initial attempt to regroup and forge on didn't work out well. Their album Commodores 13 would be a dud that became their worst charting effort since their 1974 debut. For their next LP, they made some changes and brought on producer Dennis Lambert. In addition to producing, Lambert also co-wrote a couple of songs for the album including this title track that he wrote with Franne Golde and Commodores member Walter Orange. After work on the album was completed, it was decided that this song would serve as the lead off single. It was a solid choice as the song became a multi-format hit reaching #1 R&B, #2 AC, #3 Pop, and #6 Dance. It would be the band's most successful single of the post-Richie era. The song helped the album reach #1 at R&B and #12 Pop, and returned them to gold-level sales.

ReduxReview:  Nostalgia sells and when matched properly to a song, it can result in a hit like this one. I think this is a strong song to being with and might have done well with different lyrics, but pair it with nice references to Gaye and Wilson and it turned into a real winner. Unfortunately, the band was never able to secure any material as good as this and they faded quickly. At least they got this one out and it is one that has continued to get airplay over the years. I'm sure when Lionel Richie heard this he was probably like, "dang - I should have come up with that one!"

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) In 1984, two icons of soul music died - Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye. This song pays tribute to both artists. Although most folks were familiar with Gaye, especially the younger generation thanks to Gaye's last hit, 1982's "Sexual Healing," many were not familiar with Wilson. As one of the biggest soul stars of the 50s and 60s, Wilson's music and performance style influenced generations of musicians. After being part of Billy Ward and His Dominoes, Wilson went solo in 1957. He scored sixteen R&B Top 10's (including five #1's) and six Pop Top 10's including his final big hit 1967's "(You're Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (#1 R&B, #6 Pop), which became a #2 Pop hit in 1977 for singer Rita Cooledge. Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.  2) Over the years, The Commodores racked up nine Grammy nominations. Their only win was for this song. They received the award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Duo or Group. This was without Lionel Richie, but he received his own Grammy when he won Album of the Year for Can't Slow Down.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Beat of a Heart" by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth

Song#:  2196
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut:  74
Peak:  41
Weeks:  14
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Scandal's second single from their Warrior album, "Hands Tied," just barely missed the Top 40 peaking at the dreaded #41 spot. For a third single, this track, which was co-written by Smyth and two of her bandmates, got issued. It became their third song to reach the Rock Top 10 (at #10), but as luck would have it, the song got blocked from entering the Top 40 and peaked at #41, making their second single in a row to do so. It was a bit of a bummer, but on the good side the singles helped the album reach platinum level. The song would also serve as the band's final charting single before they parted ways.

ReduxReview:  If "Hands Tied" didn't make it at Pop, then this one certainly wasn't going to either. It's just not a very memorable or hooky single. The song did well at Rock and I think that was appropriate. However, when compared to other hits on the Pop chart, this one just didn't stand out. It's a good album track and one of the better ones on a surprisingly weak album, but it didn't have the oomph needed to make it a real hit.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Around the same time that Scandal was breaking up, an iconic band who was at a career peak was losing their lead singer. David Lee Roth split from Van Halen and that left a vacant spot in the band. The first person Eddie Van Halen asked to fill Roth's position was Scandal singer Patty Smyth. The choice seemed a bit unconventional at the time and it certainly would have changed the dynamics of the band, but ultimately Smyth turned down the offer. In addition to being pregnant at the time and not wanting to relocate to California, Smyth also thought that the band's partying and inner fighting would be too much for her to take on, so she passed. Van Halen then went with their second choice, Sammy Hagar.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Why Can't I Have You" by The Cars

Song#:  2195
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut:  79
Peak:  33
Weeks:  17
Genre:  Synthpop, New Wave



Pop Bits:  This Boston band's LP Heartbeat City would sell over four million copies thanks to four Top 20 hits including their #3 ballad "Drive." After the quartet of hit singles, the album was beginning to wane, but in order to extend its popularity it was decided that this fifth single would be issued. While the song got some attention at Rock radio and reached #11 on that chart, it seemed that the Pop audience was losing interest and the single stalled just inside the Top 40. It would close a highly successful chapter in the band's career.

ReduxReview:  This mysterious track works well for the band, but it doesn't really click as a single. I think they should have called it at four singles and left this to just Rock radio airplay. It sold a few singles, but it probably wasn't enough to really have made any difference to their bottom line, especially considering the promotional costs, which included a video made for the song. It's definitely a quality track that works well on the album, but there was no need to push it out as a single. I think record companies started to get greedy after Michael Jackson's seven single run from "Thriller" and just tried to eke out every dollar they could from any album that hit big, like Heartbeat City.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  The Cars were one of those successful American bands that never fully caught on in the UK. Prior to Heartbeat City, only four of their singles reached the UK chart with "My Best Friend's Girl" being their only Top 10 entry at #3. They finally got a second UK Top 10 when "Drive" reached #4. Two other singles were issued in the UK with minimal results. "You Might Think" reached #88 while the track "Heartbeat City," which was not issued as a single in the US, got to #78. None of their albums would get higher than #25. Despite the lack of results on the charts, the band's tours in the UK and Europe were highly successful.

_________________________________________________________________________________