"She's a Beauty" by The Tubes

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  1406
Date:  04/09/1983
Debut:  82
Peak:  10
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  The Tubes moved away from their punk roots towards a more mainstream sound with their 1981 album "The Completion Backward Principle." The album became their highest charting to-date (#36) thanks to their first Top 40 single "Don't Want to Wait Anymore" (#35 pop, #22 Mainstream Rock). Despite some members of the band wanting to go back to their art-rock days, the decision was made to continue down the more commercial path that they had started. Once again, producer David Foster came in and assisted them with their next LP "Outside Inside." It was a successful venture for them as this initial single became their first Top 10 pop hit (#1 Mainstream Rock). The song helped propel the album to #18. Both the single and album would be the band's peak moment.

ReduxReview:  It's hard to rectify that this is the same band who did "White Punks on Dope," but the move to mainstream pop/rock certainly provided us with some great tunes like this one. I skipped buying this single and went right for the album. It's arguably their most commercial effort and I liked it. The LP was full of solid pop/rock tunes including this Beauty. They also maintained some of their silliness with the oddball track "Wild Women of Wongo." But like a lot of bands, once they reached their peak, things would fall apart afterward and sadly, that was the case with The Tubes. Luckily, they left behind a pretty great body of work.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  The song was certainly helped along by its video. Directed by Kenny Ortega, it was considered a high quality video for the time. Lead singer Fee Waybill plays a carnival barker who is luring men to a ride where they can view beautiful women. A young boy steps up and takes the ride. That boy was 12- year-old Robert Arquette, brother of actors Rosanna, Patricia, Richmond, and David. Years later, Robert became Alexis and began to live life as a trans woman. She continued to act in many films and TV shows. Many folks may remember her in 1998's "The Wedding Singer" where she played a Boy George-alike and sang "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" at a wedding reception.

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