Song#: 1446
Date: 05/07/1983
Debut: 56
Peak: 12
Weeks: 16
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: John's album "Jump Up!" returned him to gold-level sales after a disappointing period for him. John and his old pal/lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote half of the album including the #13 hit "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)." The success prompted them to continue collaborating and John's next LP, "Too Low for Zero," would be their first full album together since 1976's "Blue Moves." The album got a kickstart thanks to this song, which had a popular video shown on MTV. It also did a little business at AC and Rock peaking at #28 and #34, respectively.
ReduxReview: John's career was experiencing a bit of a resurgence around this time and I think it had a lot to do with Taupin being back on the scene, which provided a bit more focus. Their best work was most likely behind them at this point, but with songs like this one, they proved that they could still pen a solid hit. I liked this song well enough to buy the album. In a decade where John didn't put out a lot of great albums, this one easily floats near the top of the pile.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: Fans of the TV competition show "Dancing with the Stars" may recognize one of the dancers in the video for this song that was filmed in Cannes and Nice, France. Bruno Tonioli, now famous as one of the judges on "Dancing with the Stars," can be seen front and center on several shots in this video. Tonioli would dance and do choreography for several major music artists including Tina Turner and The Rolling Stones. He also directed a few music videos including ones by Bananarama and Arcadia.
_________________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment