"Red Light" by Linda Clifford

Song#:  0286
Date:  08/09/1980
Debut:  89
Peak:  41
Weeks:  11
Genre:  Pop, Dance, R&B



Pop Bits:  Although she fronted a jazz trio early in her music career, by the time she went solo she had moved on to R&B and issued some singles and a debut album. But she moved towards disco for her second album and captured a #1 dance hit with her updating of "If My Friends Could See Me Now." She continued in the disco/R&B vein for her next albums and when 1980's "I'm Yours" came out, this first single became her second to top the dance chart. Her pop chart fortunes were not quite as good with this song and her 1979 dance version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" being her best effort with both peaking at #41. Although this song would be her last pop chart entry, she would go on to have two more #1 dance hits in the early 80s.

ReduxReview:  Oddly, I don't remember this in the movie or on the soundtrack (see below). Since it was a #1 dance song and disco was still kind of going on, I expected some kind of full-on disco tune. But it really is just a pop/R&B jam and I wouldn't necessarily call this a dance song. Regardless, it's a solid track that is an enjoyable listen.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) "Red Light" was written for the film "Fame" and the song appears on the soundtrack.  2) Clifford originally recorded the song "All the Man That I Need" in 1982. The song was then covered by Sister Sledge and they reached #45 on the R&B chart. But it was Whitney Houston's cover that is the most recognizable version, reaching #1 in 1990.

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