Song#: 0653
Date: 06/27/1981
Debut: 80
Peak: 32
Weeks: 13
Genre: Pop
Pop Bits: Smith became a major teen idol in the 70s with his Tiger Beat photos and posters all over bedroom walls. Primarily a musician, Smith also got involved in acting and had several roles on stage and in TV and film. In the music world, he is mainly known for his gold #10 record "You Take My Breath Away" (1979) that was featured in a TV movie he was in called "Sooner or Later." Although he ended up recording six albums for Columbia Records, only "You Take" and this single reached the chart. Sweet had recorded two rock LPs with Stiff Records and then moved over to Columbia for her next LP where she was paired with Smith for this duet. She would release only one follow-up album before quitting the music biz in 1982, later focusing on writing and producing for TV including shows like "Hot in Cleveland."
ReduxReview: You can't really improve on the Carl Carlton disco version of this song (see below) and trying to turn it into a rock-oriented tune doesn't quite work. The vocals are actually quite good, but the arrangement can't make up its mind what to do. There are crunchy guitars, bells, strings, and other sounds that combined make the whole thing all muddled, which is sad because this is really a great tune. The singers try to rise above it, but overall it falls flat.
ReduxRating: 4/10
Trivia: This song is a remake of the #13 hit by Robert Knight (1967). It has since hit the Top 40 four other times with Carl Carlton (#6, 1974), the Smith/Sweet duet, and Gloria Estefan (#27, 1995). It is only one of two songs that has been remade and been a Top 40 hit in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. The only other song to accomplish this is "The Way You Do the Things You Do," originally a hit by The Temptations in 1964.
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