"Sweetheart" by Franke & the Knockouts

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  0523
Date:  03/07/1981
Debut:  77
Peak:  10
Weeks:  19
Genre:  Pop, Rock



Pop Bits:  Headed by lead singer/songwriter Franke Previte, this Jersey group got a break when they were signed to Millennium Records in 1981. This first single just squeaked into the Top 10 setting up solid sales for their self-titled LP, which peaked at #31.

ReduxReview:  At first this kind of starts out like a lost McDonald-era Doobie Brothers tune, but then it develops into a song far better than anything the Doobies were releasing at the time - and more towards Hall & Oates territory. With it's big, memorable chorus, this song is really hard to resist. And Previte sings the crap out of it too. Although I could do without the dated keyboard solo, this is a terrific debut song.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Previte and John DeNicola were co-writers of two big late-80s songs. Originally recorded by Franke & the Knockouts but not released, both "Hungry Eyes" (#4, by Eric Carmen) and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (#1, by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes) ended up on the massive 1987 soundtrack to the film "Dirty Dancing," with the latter song winning an Oscar for Previte and DeNicola for Best Song. The original Knockouts versions of the songs eventually appeared on a compilation album by the group.

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