Top 10 Alert!
Grammy Alert!
Song#: 1038 Date: 05/22/1982
Debut: 76
Peak: 5
Weeks: 25
Genre: Pop, Dance
Pop Bits: The early 80s were not the best time for Manchester. Her 1980 LP "For the Working Girl" was a disappointment and she was on the losing end of a lawsuit she filed against her label, Arista (an attempt to get out of her contract). With LPs owed to Arista, she got back in the studio and recorded the song "Race to the End." The song was a vocal version of the recent #1 film theme "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis. It was issued as a single, but failed to chart. The tune got included on her next album "Hey Ricky" as was this next single. Forced into full dance-diva mode, balladeer Manchester reluctantly recorded this song. Despite her misgivings, the tune ended up a major success becoming her third Top 10 and her biggest hit on the pop chart. It also nabbed her a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
ReduxReview: Oh girrl, I loved this song! I think I may have come close to wearing out my 45. It's an insanely catchy pop/dance tune that was perfect for the early 80s. And with Manchester giving it her all (regardless of her initial dislike of the song), it was as close to epic as you could get. It may seem a bit dated now, but the song still soars and it is still hard to resist.
ReduxRating: 9/10
Trivia: This song is actually a remake. Singer Charlie Dore, who hit #13 in 1980 with "Pilot of the Airwaves," first recorded this song for her 1981 album "Listen!" Done as a straight pop tune, it was not issued as a single.
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