"Should I Love You" by Cee Farrow

Song#:  1621
Date:  09/24/1983
Debut:  93
Peak:  82
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Synthpop, New Wave



Pop Bits:  Born in Germany, Christian Kruzinski's striking looks got him work as a model. Wanting to break into the music business, he moved to the US in the early 80s, adopted the stage name of Cee Farrow, and began writing and performing. He got the attention of Rocshire Records and they signed Farrow. He recorded his debut album, Red and Blue, and this first single was issued. It lingered around the bottom of the Pop chart for a few weeks before disappearing. It also spent a short time on the R&B chart reaching #91. Farrow might have had another shot at stardom, but unfortunately Rocshire encountered major legal problems and was forced to shut down completely in January of 1984 (see below). He attempted a comeback in 1991 and issued a new single, but it failed to do any business. Farrow died in 1993 from an AIDS-related brain disease.

ReduxReview:  Farrow came up with an interesting sound here. It's like Bananarama-meets-ABC fronted by Falco. It even includes a little pseudo-rap! The song is kind of all over the place, but it congeals into an interesting flavor of pop jello. The song might have done better if it had been promoted more. It has a fun noir-style video that seemed to be perfect for MTV, but somehow got ignored. Perhaps pop radio wasn't quite ready for this style of Euro-synthpop. I wouldn't peg it for a major hit, but I think it should have done better on the chart.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Rocshire Records was making a name for itself and spending a lot of money on their artists (Tony Carey was an early signing). Where was that money coming from? It seems the label owner's wife maintained her job as an accountant at Hughes Aircraft. While there, she embezzled millions of dollars to help finance the label. Someone caught on and the Feds moved in and closed the record company. In doing so, they seized all master tapes from the label, including Cee Farrow's. Apparently, all these master tapes are still locked in a vault somewhere and this action has made them unavailable for reissue all these years. It's the main reason this song hasn't shown up on any 80s compilation. The label closure killed the careers of several artists, including Farrow's.  2) In 1984, Farrow got married. Although a marriage of convenience (Farrow was gay and seeking his citizenship), the pair would end up running a few hot spot night clubs in the L.A. area throughout the 80s.

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