"If Ever You're in My Arms Again" by Peabo Bryson

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  1896
Date:  05/12/1984
Debut:  90
Peak:  10
Weeks:  25
Genre:  Adult Contemporary, R&B



Pop Bits:  Bryson had been doing quite well since his debut LP in 1976. He collected four gold albums (two in duet form with Natalie Cole and Roberta Flack), five R&B Top 10 singles, and two AC Top 10's. What was missing in all this was a significant solo hit at Pop. Nearly a decade after his very first charting single, Bryson finally broke through on the Pop chart with this lead single from his eighth solo album Straight from the Heart. Although it took a little time for the ballad to catch on, it eventually did well enough to just make the Top 10. The song also did well at R&B reaching #6, however it was at AC where the song found its stride. It would end up spending four weeks at #1 on that chart. Surprisingly, the crossover hit didn't translate to big sales for the album. It missed the R&B Top 10 at #12 and only managed a #44 showing at Pop. It also failed to reach gold-level sales.

ReduxReview:  There is very little you can fault with this is a terrific Pop/AC tune. Co-written by one of the kings of big AC 80s ballads, Michael Masser, each section of this song stands on its own with Bryson delivering another solid performance. He may not have had quite the pipes as someone like James Ingram, but Bryson could easily sell a good song and he certainly did here. The decade would be full of schmaltzy, AC power ballads, but this one stands out from the pack as being one of the best.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  This song got a boost during its chart run thanks to its appearance on a TV show. In June of '84, NBC debuted its brand new daytime drama Santa Barbara. On that first episode, the power couple of of Eden Capwell and Cruz Castillo (Marcy Walker and A Martinez) were introduced. This song was used on that show and it became the couple's love theme. The soap initially opened to negative reviews and low ratings, but it picked up speed and by the end of the decade it reached its peak popularity winning three Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series. Walker and Martinez also won Emmys for their roles. Unfortunately, the drama quickly lost its footing in the early 90s and slid in the ratings. It ended up getting cancelled in 1993.

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"Stay the Night" by Chicago

Song#:  1895
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  49
Peak:  16
Weeks:  17
Genre:  Soft Rock



Pop Bits:  With the band fading and on the verge of becoming outdated, Peter Cetera brought in producer David Foster to help make the band relevant again. The ploy worked with their Chicago 16 album spawning the #1 hit "Hard to Say I'm Sorry." To follow-up that double-platinum LP, the band retained the services of Foster for Chicago 17. That album would be the band's biggest selling of their career going 6x platinum. It didn't seem like that would be the case when this first single was issued. While the song did well at Rock getting to #7, it stalled inside the Top 20 at Pop. Usually the first single will set the tone on how well the album performs and the middling results of this tune signaled that the LP may be in trouble. However, this song would get way overshadowed by two big ballads that in turn would make the LP a huge seller.

ReduxReview:  I kind of understand why this rock-leaning tune was released as the first single. After two hit ballads from Chicago 16, they needed a change of pace. Unfortunately, it just wasn't that good of a song. The staccato keyboards of the verse made it very robotic and clunky while the chorus almost sounded like something Styx left on the cutting room floor after the Kilroy Was Here sessions. Foster was a bit overzealous here with the production, but it is probably the best thing about the song. I didn't like it at all and promptly ignored it. I don't mind is too much now, but I still don't think it was a very good single.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  With Chicago back on the map and Foster at the helm, it opened the door for some guest appearances on the album. On this song, drums were done by Toto's Jeff Porcaro. On another track, background vocals were done by Donny Osmond and a pre-stardom Richard Marx. Ambrosia leader David Pack supplied the duet vocals for one song. Perhaps the most high-profile credit was one for Lionel Richie who was riding high at the time with his Can't Slow Down album. Richie co-wrote the song "Please Hold On" with Foster and Chicago member Bill Champlin.

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"Who's That Girl?" by Eurythmics

Song#:  1894
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  61
Peak:  21
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Synthpop, New Wave



Pop Bits:  Eurythmics scored their second US Pop Top 10 with "Here Comes the Rain Again," the first single from their third album Touch. This follow-up song was actually the first single issued from the LP in the UK and it reached #3 there. However, the US didn't respond as well and it stopped just short of the Top 20. Unlike "Here Comes the Rain Again," which got into the Top 10 of four US charts, this song failed to gain any crossover support. The accompanying MTV video was a popular hit, but it didn't translate to additional airplay or sales for the single.

ReduxReview:  I wasn't all that surprised that this song didn't do better at Pop. Although the UK sent it to #3, it may have been just a bit too quirky for the US. The chorus is quite good, but I think the half-time verse may have confused listeners. Is it a ballad? Is it uptempo? How do I (or should I) dance to this? Basically, it wasn't a standard pop song. Of course, I loved it and was hoping it would catch on, but it never really got a good foothold.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  The video for this song features Annie Lennox in a dual role. She plays a nightclub singer and a male audience member who resembles Elvis Presley. In a bit of camera trickery, the two characters end up kissing at the end. Lennox's male character is a ladies man and is seen with many other women. These roles were portrayed by several UK female music artists including all four members of Bananarama, Kiki Dee, and others that were popular in the UK, but virtually unknown in the US such as Hazel O'Connor and the two female members of the vocal quartet Bucks Fizz. Also among the arm candy was another gender-bending artist. Marilyn (real name Peter Robinson) had a cross-dressing persona that was similar to Boy George, which was not surprising since they were friends and even lived together for a bit. They were both trying to get their careers going with Boy George later hitting it big with Culture Club. Boy George's look and success later caused a riff between him and Marilyn, but they would end up friends again in later years. Marilyn was looking for a break and found one with the video for this song. The exposure ended up being the tipping point in getting a record deal. Marilyn signed up with Phonogram and his debut single "Calling Your Name" went to #4 on the UK chart. Follow-ups failed to do as well and Marilyn's recording career came to an end. Marilyn was at the center of attention again when Boy George wrote in is 1995 memoir that Marilyn and Gavin Rossdale (of the UK band Bush) had a relationship. Both of them initially denied it, but later on they each acknowledged the relationship, which apparently lasted for five years. It was in 1995 that Rossdale began dating No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani, whom he would later marry in 2002. They divorced in 2015.

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"Eyes Without a Face" by Billy Idol

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  1893
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  63
Peak:  4
Weeks:  22
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  The title track to Idol's second full-length album, Rebel Yell, did fine at Rock where it got to #9, but it stalled at #62 on the Pop chart. Although it was an MTV favorite, Pop radio just didn't warm up to Idol's brand of rock. At least until this second single was released. The uncharacteristic ballad got him some crossover action and it finally gave Idol his first Pop Top 10. Rock responded well and placed the song at #5. The hit would help propel the album to #6 and over time it would be Idol's best-selling LP going double-platinum.

ReduxReview: Although I wasn't really into Idol, this song was something totally different from his punk-ass, sneering brand of rock and personality. I thought it was terrific and it was the first Billy Idol record I purchased. It was just so surprising coming from him. I remember checking the songwriting credits because I was sure that he couldn't have written it. Alas, he did and it gave me a newfound respect for his music. I still wasn't a big fan, but I did come to like his hits and it was all basically due to this excellent ballad.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Idol wrote this song with his guitarist Steve Stevens. Idol mentioned in a VH1 Storytellers episode that this song was inspired by the 1960 French horror film Les yeux sans visage, which had the English title of Eyes Without a Face. The basic plot is about a scientist who is trying to replace his daughter's disfigured face with grafts (well, full faces) from other women that are kidnapped and brought to his house. The problem is that the new faces don't take, so he has to keep trying. (Weirdly, I just watched this film a few months ago without knowing the Idol song connection. It's a pretty good early horror flick.) If you notice the woman's voice in the background of the chorus (the vocals are by Perri Lister), she is repeating the French title of the film.

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"Music Time" by Styx

Song#:  1892
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  68
Peak:  40
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Once Styx was done with the tour to support their theatrical-leaning hit album Kilroy Was Here, the band was kaput. Tommy Shaw left for solo career as did Dennis DeYoung. However, their label wasn't quite done with the band yet. The stops on the tour were recorded and songs from those shows were culled together for the live double-album Caught in the Act. In addition to the concert recordings, there was this one last studio track from the band that was included on the album. It would end up getting released as a single to help promote the LP. It wasn't a major hit, but it did just barely scrape the Pop Top 40. There would be little promotion for the album because by the time it came out, the band members had already parted ways. The band would reunited over the years in various forms (and even score one last Top 10 single), but this song and the album would be the final ones to featured the full classic hit-making lineup.

ReduxReview:  Ugh. This was not the way to go out. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love Styx. They were one of my favorite bands. However, this was just an awful song with a video that was equally ridiculous (if not worse). It falls in the category of "what were they thinking?!" This was Dennis DeYoung just being completely over the top. I think he had finally lost his marbles by this point after the Kilroy tour debacle. The live album was not very good either. I think I listened to the whole thing once and then shelved it. This was definitely the sound of a band that had reached its limit. As much as I hated to see the band break up, it was time. Do yourself a favor though - skip this song and album and pretend it didn't happen.

ReduxRating:  1/10

Trivia:  The riff between band members Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw was particularly apparent with the video for this song. By the time of the video shoot, Shaw had already left the band and took off for NYC to work on his first solo album. The remaining four band members soldiered on and worked on the video. In order to include Shaw, a film crew was sent to New York to do some separate scenes with Shaw that would be incorporated into the video. Shaw, who hated the song to begin with, refused to do much of what they wanted, but did shoot a few things. In the end, the video mainly features the remaining four members of Styx with a small one-second insert of Shaw at one point who appears to be waving to the band. (If you ask me, Shaw was lucky to escape this awful mess.)

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"King of Suede" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Song#:  1891
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  77
Peak:  62
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Comedy



Pop Bits:  Yankovic's second album, "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D, became a platinum seller mainly due to the #12 hit parody "Eat It" and its accompanying video. This follow-up single was Yankovic's take on The Police's #3 hit "King of Pain." Revamping the lyrics to a song about a guy who runs a clothing/tailor shop, the tune didn't quite have the zing of the previous single and it stalled about a third of the way up the chart. It probably didn't help that there was no video made, which was one of the reasons "Eat It" was so popular. Regardless, for a parody song it did pretty well and helped to sell a few more albums.

ReduxReview:  I'm not liking this one as much as his previous efforts. I think where I'm having an issue is with the source material. "King of Pain" is a dark, serious song. It's not one that you are gonna dance to at the bar or toss on for some background music for a dinner party. It has a little weight to it. So turning it into a comedic parody doesn't quite make sense to my ears. In the back of my mind I'm thinking "a skeleton choking on a crust of bread" while hearing "but don't step on my blue suede shoes." As usual, Yankovic's lyrics are spot-on, but using the music from such a dire song drags them down. It just wasn't the right hit to parody.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Yankovic's album contains the song "Mr. Popeil." It's an original tune written by Yankovic about the inventor/salesman Samual Popeil. Popeil was the inventor of gadgets such as the Chop-O-Matic and the Pocket Fisherman. His son Ron brought the products to TV and later ran his own company Ronco, which sold his father's inventions along with his own. Ronco was famous for its infomercials and products like the Dial-O-Matic and Mr. Microphone. While Yankovic was coming up with his homage to the inventor, he found out that Ron's sister, Lisa, was a singer. She had recently supplied the vocals for the Frank Zappa tune "Teen-Age Prostitute," which appeared on Zappa's 1982 album Ship Arriving too Late to Save a Drowning Witch (the album that produced Zappa's only Pop Top 40 entry, "Valley Girl"). Yankovic asked Lisa to do the background vocals on "Mr. Popeil," which she did. After an unsuccessful attempt to launch a solo career, Lisa move on to becoming an award-winning vocal coach. Yankovic had Lisa back in the studio later in 2014 to do the background vocals for his song "Tacky," a parody of the Pharrell Williams hit "Happy."

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"Obscene Phone Caller" by Rockwell

Song#:  1890
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  79
Peak:  35
Weeks:  14
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  Rockwell's paranoia themed debut single "Somebody's Watching Me" was a surprise hit that got to #2 at Pop and #1 at R&B. As that record was turning gold, this second single from his debut album was issued. It wasn't nearly as successful getting just inside the Pop Top 40. It did better at R&B where it made the Top 10 at #9. The album would be a gold-seller and set him up for further success, but his second album, Captured, only managed a very minor charting single at R&B ("He's a Cobra" featuring vocals by Stevie Wonder) and it disappeared shortly after. A third LP was a complete miss and that was when Rockwell called it a day. He walked away from the music business stating that it just wasn't fun anymore and never looked back.

ReduxReview:  I did not like "Somebody's Watching Me" at all and this same-styled follow-up is not any better. It is just basically rehashing "Somebody." It might as well have been titled "Part 2." Even the video for the tune picks up after the one for "Somebody." What's even worse with this one is that faux British-like accent Rockwell is doing. I mean, what is that? It is utterly ridiculous as is the song. Without his friend Michael Jackson there to help, there was not much reason for folks to tune in. Therefore, it tanked. What's sad is that Rockwell got caught in this rap/talk/sung/paranoia shtick and wasn't able to escape it. I reluctantly listened to songs from his second album and was surprised that some were pretty good. I was extremely hesitant in calling up the tune "Peeping Tom," as it sounded like another continuation of "Somebody." However, it's actually not a bad synthpop tune that Rockwell actually sings! If folks had given him a chance and heard something like this, he might have had a better career. Unfortunately, he was defined by "Somebody" and it ended up overshadowing anything else he did. 

ReduxRating:  2/10

Trivia:  As mentioned in a previous post, Rockwell's real name is Kennedy William Gordy. He is the son of Motown head Berry Gordy. He has a half-brother named Stefan Kendal Gordy who became Redfoo from the group LMFAO. Rockwell also has a half-sister, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, from Berry Gordy's relationship with superstar Diana Ross. Kendrick became an actress and spent two years on the daytime soap Another World. She picked up a Daytime Emmy nomination for her work. Kendrick's half-sister is Tracey Ellis Ross. Ellis Ross has had a successful acting career on TV in shows like Girlfriends and Black-ish, for which she received an Emmy nomination.

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"Heart Don't Lie" by La Toya Jackson

Song#:  1889
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  80
Peak:  56
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Reggae, R&B



Pop Bits:  The fifth-born child of the Jackson clan did not have entertainment aspirations like her siblings. Initially, she wanted to become an attorney and began to pursue that career in college, but then her father stepped in and basically forced her to stop college and join her siblings on the CBS variety show The Jacksons. After that, there was no looking back and Jackson moved on to a solo career and recorded a debut album in 1980. It spawned the #17 Dance hit "If You Feel the Funk" and another minor R&B entry. Her second album faded quickly, but her third one, Heart Don't Lie, got Jackson her first (and only) single on the Pop chart with this title track. It stalled short of the top half of the chart, but did better at R&B getting to #30. After this, Jackson's music career began to slide away. Her father brought in a new manager for her, which ended up being a life changing event for Jackson. Soon the manager had complete control over her and she ended up spending years being abused, being estranged from her family, and the butt of many jokes thanks to the public perception that she was just plain crazy. She finally escaped her manager later in the 90s and began to regain control of her life. She returned to music in 2004 and scored a #13 Dance hit with "Just Wanna Dance." She has also appeared on a few reality shows including Celebrity Apprentice and her own show Life with La Toya.

ReduxReview:  Pretty much all of the Jackson family were ridin' the crazy train, but sadly La Toya ended up getting transferred to a hell train soon after this album. It's too bad because there was potential for her to have a good career in music. But she got caught in a twisted situation with her manager that lasted far too long and made her look like a loon to the general public. It was all kind of sad. Before all of that happened, Jackson was beginning to enjoy some success with her early 80s recordings. The Heart Don't Lie album had some good electro-funk tracks like the #25 R&B "Bet'cha Gonna Need My Lovin'," but this reggae-tinged track wasn't a highlight for me. It reminds me of Donna Summer's toe-dip into reggae, "Unconditional Love," which I didn't care for either. It's too bad "Bet'cha" didn't catch on. It's a far better song and single.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) In addition to singing, Jackson is also a songwriter. She has written or co-written several tracks for her albums. One of the songs she co-wrote for Heart Don't Lie, "Reggae Nights," ended up not making the final cut and was left off the LP. However, reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff picked up the tune and recorded it for his album The Power and the Glory. The song was released as a single and it became a Top 10 hit in many countries. In the US where reggae wasn't as popular, the song could only manage a #89 showing at R&B. The song would end up grabbing a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Recording. Cliff asked Jackson for more songs and she co-wrote two for his next LP Cliff Hanger. That album would win the Grammy for Best Reggae Album.  2) The male vocal on this song was supplied by Shalamar's Howard Hewitt. In addition to his appearance, both Musical Youth and Janet Jackson help out on background vocals.

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"I Can Dream About You" by Dan Hartman

Top 10 Alert!
Rated 10 Alert!

Song#:  1888
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  84
Peak:  6
Weeks:  25
Genre:  Pop, Dance, Soundtrack



Pop Bits:  Hartman always seemed like he was on the brink of stardom. He wrote and produced for other artists and even joined up with the Edgar Winter Band at one point where played bass on their 1972 #1 hit "Frankenstein," and wrote and sang the #14 follow-up "Free Ride." Later, he had two solo #1 Dance hits with 1978's gold-selling "Instant Replay" (#29 Pop) and 1980's "Relight My Fire," but he couldn't parlay that into further hits. He finally broke through with this song that was featured on the soundtrack to the film Streets of Fire. While the film was a bomb at the box office, the single slowly caught on. It finally reached the Pop Top 10 thanks in part to an MTV video that hit heavy rotation. It would also get to #7 AC, #8 Dance, and #60 R&B.

ReduxReview: This is near-perfect pop with excellent production that has, for me, gotten better with age. Nearly every part of this song is memorable, which is certainly not easy to do. I think this would have been a perfect song for Hall & Oates (see below), but Hartman and co-producer Iovine created something special here. It outlived both the movie and the decade. Hartman was never able to recapture this magic, but it didn't really matter as this song secured him a place in pop history.

ReduxRating:  10/10

Trivia:  Hartman originally wrote this song for Daryl Hall & John Oates. While the duo liked the song, they had just finished recording their album and had to turn it down. Later on, producer Jimmy Iovine needed a song for an upcoming film and tapped Hartman's shoulder. Iovine needed a tune that would be good for an R&B vocal group and Hartman reached back and grabbed his demo of this song. Sensing this could be a potential breakthrough if the film was a hit, Hartman did a little legal wrangling for his benefit. The song was recorded for the film with singer Winston Ford. That version would be used in the film with four actors miming the tune in the finale. However, Hartman contracted that he would sing the soundtrack album version, get the credit, have his version used for any music video, and if there was a single to be released, this would be the one. Hartman's feeling about this song was spot-on and it got him his first and only Pop Top 10. Hall & Oates would later record this song for their 2004 covers LP Our Kind of Soul.

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"Hurt" by Re-Flex

Song#:  1887
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  88
Peak:  82
Weeks:  4
Genre:  Synthpop, New Wave



Pop Bits:  This band's debut album, The Politics of Dancing, spawned their first US chart entry with the #24 title track. That song would be a hit at Dance getting to #8. This next single was still able to light up the dance floors and it got to #15. But it didn't do as well at Pop and was only able to stick around for a short month. It would be the band's final charting single in the US. After recording a couple of songs for the 1987 soundtrack to the film Superman IV, the band just kind of fizzled and never really got back together again.

ReduxReview:  "The Politics of Dancing" was a terrific new wave/synthpop tune that should have done better. It was going to be difficult to follow that hooky single up, but the band did a nice job with this second single. It sounds a bit like a mash-up of Duran Duran, a-ha, and ABC (in all the good ways). I don't think the song was necessarily hit-bound, but the more I hear it, the catchier it is. If you like these two singles, chances are you'll like the album. It runs along the same lines.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Following their debut album, the band went on to record their second album, Humanication. To start it off, the environmental protest song "How Much Longer" was released as the first single. Even though it featured an appearance by Sting of The Police, the only chart the song could get on was in Germany where it got to #59. Other than that, the song came and went to very little notice. That result along with the label disliking some of political-leaning songs they had recorded got the album shelved. Therefore, Re-Flex never had an official second album. Humanication would eventually see the light of day - 25 years later. In 2010, all the collected recordings of the band were compiled into a 5-CD box set title Re-Fuse. The set included their debut album and the full, previously unreleased Humanication LP.

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"Darlin'" by Frank Stallone

Song#:  1886
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  89
Peak:  81
Weeks:  4
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  Stallone got his second and best Pop chart entry with "Far from Over," a song from his brother Sylvester's film Staying Alive. The single reached #10 and it got Stallone a deal with Polygram for a solo LP. His self-titled debut album was issued and it included "Far from Over" plus this song, which served as the LP's introductory single. Unfortunately, the attention he got via his first hit did not bleed over into this one and the single faltered and fell off the chart after a short month. A follow-up single was issued, but it missed the Pop chart completely. This would be the end of Stallone's charting days. He would return to recording music in 1991 and over the years would issue several indie albums.

ReduxReview:  After the exciting movie rock of "Far from Over," Stallone decided to push out this retro-ish street corner tune that seemed to be mimicking what Billy Joel was doing with his An Innocent Man album. I think it was a misstep. Not only was it a lesser Joel knock-off, it just wasn't the right style. Stallone established a sound with "Far from Over" and he really needed something more in line with that song to keep up the momentum. It could have been a rock tune or even a big ballad, however going retro was not going to do it. 

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  For the balance of the 80s, Stallone turned to acting. He appeared in several films and TV shows like Miami Vice. Although he mainly acted in independent b-style movies, he did get roles in more mainstream films like Barfly, Tombstone, Hudson Hawk, and Fred Claus. He has also continued to write songs for films including one for his brother's 2012 sequel The Expendables 2. Stallone wrote the song "You Don't Want to Fight with Me" for the movie.

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"Love Will Show Us How" by Christine McVie

Song#:  1885
Date:  04/28/1984
Debut:  54
Peak:  30
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Soft Rock



Pop Bits:  After a fourteen year gap, McVie was finally able to issue her second solo album while on hiatus from Fleetwood Mac. The self-titled album featured her first and only Pop Top 10 hit, "Got a Hold on Me" (#10 Pop, #1 Rock, #1 AC). This album opening track was chosen to be the follow-up single, but didn't do nearly as well. It stalled right at the Top 30 mark at Pop while only getting to #24 Rock and #32 AC. The song would also be her last solo effort to reach the Pop chart. In 1987, she would be back with Fleetwood Mac and two of her songs from their album Tango in the Night would become hits.

ReduxReview:  Again, McVie is not straying very far at all from the fare that she normally penned for Fleetwood Mac. I can easily hear this being done by the Mac. I actually think it would have been better if they did. A little Lindsey Buckingham production/guitar along with some Mac backing vocals and this song might have done better on the chart. As-is, it's another good effort from McVie, if not quite up to the standards she set with "Got a Hold on Me." I guess it shows one thing - whereas Buckingham and Stevie Nicks branched out and experimented with their songs and sound, McVie stayed comfortable within her Mac bubble. That's not a bad thing, but in the end these songs sound more like Mac rejected tunes rather than something new and unique from McVie.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  It took McVie fourteen years to follow-up her 1970 debut solo disc Christine Perfect. After her self-titled second album, it would then take twenty years for her to follow that one up. In 2004, McVie issued her third solo album titled In the Meantime. She co-produced the album with her nephew Dan Perfect and the pair also co-wrote several songs for the LP. The only single from the album was the lead-off track "Friends." It couldn't get on the Pop chart, but did make a minor showing at AC getting to #29. Without a significant hit, the LP failed to reach the Pop Album chart. It did, however, reach #32 on the US Independent Albums chart.

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"Jump (For My Love)" by The Pointer Sisters

Top 10 Alert! 

Grammy Alert!
Rated 10 Alert!

Song#:  1884
Date:  04/28/1984
Debut:  62
Peak:  3
Weeks:  24
Genre:  R&B, Dance-Pop, Synthpop



Pop Bits:  This opening track from the Sisters' album Break Out was supposed to be the lead single, but producer Richard Perry wanted to go with the more R&B-leaning "I Need You" (#13 R&B, #48 Pop). Then, it was going to be the second single until DJ's started spinning "Automatic" (#5 Pop, #2 R&B, #2 Dance) and that song got issued. Finally, on the third attempt this song made it out of the gate. It had to wait a while, but it ended up being worth it. The song was a major hit at Pop spending two weeks at #3 while also getting to #3 R&B and #2 Dance. It would be the most successful single from the album. It would also net the Sisters a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group. An instrumental mix of the song would also win a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

ReduxReview:  If you don't like this song, then I don't want to know you as you obviously have no idea how to have fun. This is just pure, perfect pop coated in delicious 80s production. How can you not be happy hearing this? Whenever I hear it, I really want to jump whenever they say it. There is so much good going on in four minutes that it makes other songs seem lazy and jealous. That sleek bridge that builds to another "Jump!" chorus is so brilliant and then it goes crazy with a big key change! The Sisters had a lot of hits, but this one is easily at the top of the pile. An 80s classic that never gets old.

ReduxRating:  10/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Original pressings of the Break Out album had this song simply titled "Jump." However, in the time since the album was released, Van Halen hit #1 with their song that was also titled "Jump." To avoid any confusion that may have resulted due to the songs having the same title, the Sisters' song got re-titled as "Jump (For My Love)."  2) The British all-female vocal group Girls Aloud covered this song in 2003. It was issued as a single and reached #2 on the UK chart. Between 2002 and 2009, the girl group would score twenty consecutive Top 10 hits in the UK with four of them hitting #1. Unfortunately, for whatever reason the group never released any singles or albums in the US, so they never were able to get on the US charts. Although many folks in the US are not familiar with Girls Aloud, some may know one of its members. Cheryl Cole, who had also established a hit solo career in the UK, served as a judge on the competition show there called The X-Factor. When producer Simon Cowell brought the show to the States, he brought Cole with him as one of the judges. However, after three weeks of the show, she left. It was a bit of a brouhaha that led to her being shunned from rejoining the British version. A lawsuit ensued and settlements followed. She ended up returning to the UK's X-Factor in 2014 and has remained a judge on the show since. Following her departure from the US show, another successful girl group singer, The Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger, took over as a judge.

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"Believe in Me" by Dan Fogelberg

Song#:  1883
Date:  04/28/1984
Debut:  70
Peak:  48
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  Fogelberg's album Windows and Walls included the #13 Pop/#14 AC hit "The Language of Love." For its follow-up, this ballad was chosen. It was a big hit at AC getting to #1. It would be Fogelberg's fourth and last AC chart topper. Although well-received at AC, the song didn't catch fire at Pop and it flamed out before it could get into the Top 40. The lack of another major Pop hit hindered album sales and after six consecutive platinum or double-platinum solo studio albums, Windows and Walls could only manage gold-level sales.

ReduxReview:  This song was pretty much perfect for AC radio. It was a bit reminiscent of Fogelberg's biggest hit, 1979's "Longer" (#2 Pop, #1 AC). The soft ballad was not a good fit for Pop. Things had changed at pop radio in the few years since Fogelberg had his last Top 10 hit and a sensitive, adult-leaning tune like this was not going to fit in with the sounds of the day. I have to say that even though I'm a fan of Fogelberg's, this was a song that I didn't much care for. It has a lovely sound and sentiment, but frankly it practically puts me to sleep. It is just too low-key and languid. Definitely not one of my favorite Fogelberg tracks.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  As a follow-up to his fourth album, 1977's Nether Lands, Fogelberg decided to stretch his soft rock music into a more jazz-leaning territory. He collaborated with jazz flautist Tim Weisberg, who had played on Nether Lands, and the pair worked up songs that blended aspects of jazz, rock, and pop. Due to a perceived resemblance between the two artists, the album was titled Twin Sons of Different Mothers. Although its lone single, "The Power of Gold," would only get to #24 at Pop, the album gained a following and ended up reaching #8 on the chart. It would later be certified platinum. They would revisit their pairing later in 1995 for a second LP titled No Resemblance Whatsoever. The cover of that album had them in the exact same pose as they did for their first LP. This time around, the magic didn't strike twice and the album failed to chart. Sadly, after the album's release, artists' partnership came to an end when Weisberg filed a lawsuit against Fogelberg for breach of contract and fraud.

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"I Want to Break Free" by Queen

Song#:  1882
Date:  04/28/1984
Debut:  73
Peak:  45
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Queen's eleventh album, The Works, started off with the moderate hit "Radio Ga-Ga" (#16 Pop, #22 Rock). Like their previous album, Hot Space, the lack of a significant Top 10 hit affected album sales and both LPs missed out on the Top 20 and could only manage gold-level sales. They probably hoped this second single would help turn things around, but it did not. The song fell just shy of a Top 40 showing and didn't even chart at Rock. It did appear on the Dance chart, but that was at a lowly #51. It seemed that the US was one of the few countries that just wasn't dialing into Queen at the time. In many other countries, including their UK homeland, their albums and singles (this one hit #3 in the UK) were still finding their way into the Top 10 or even #1.

ReduxReview:  This is a pleasant enough tune from the band and a lot of the time these warm little ditties play well on the chart (i.e., like Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You"). There is typically a mass audience for songs like this, but for some reason they didn't show up for this one. For me, the tune is fine, but it is nothing I'd place on a list of favorite Queen songs. Meh.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Many folks cite the song's video as the main reason it did not chart better in the US. The concept for the video was to do a parody of the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. All four members of Queen donned dresses in order to portray some of the female characters on the show during portions of the video. While Europe and most of the rest of the world knew what the band was doing, folks in the US were puzzled by it as the show it parodies was unfamiliar. Therefore, the video got interpreted in other ways that didn't sit well with MTV and they ended up banning it. Without that extra promotional boost from MTV (along with the fact that "Radio Ga-Ga" was not a major hit), the song couldn't get a foothold on the charts and fell away.  2) In many cases, the album version of a song is edited down into a shorter version for single release. However, this song is the rare exception. For the single version, they actually added passages to the song that made it about 30 seconds longer than the album version. The single version includes an extended opening and a longer keyboard solo.

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"Don't Look Any Further" by Dennis Edwards featuring Siedah Garrett

Song#:  1881
Date:  04/28/1984
Debut:  81
Peak:  72
Weeks:  6
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  In 1967, Edwards became the lead singer of The Temptations after original member David Ruffin departed. Edwards would front the group for some of their biggest hits including 1972's #1 "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." He would spend about fifteen years with the Temps, but it was not always smooth sailing. On three different occasions, Edwards was fired from the group. The first time was in 1977. Edwards then attempted a solo career, but a recorded album ended up shelved and he was back with the Temps by 1980. The second firing came a few years later, which again prompted Edwards to try for a solo career. This time around he was able to get it kicked off the ground with this first single, the title track to his debut album. Featuring a guest vocal by Siedah Garrett (see below), the song became a hit at R&B reaching #2. It did well enough to get some crossover play at Pop, but it mainly stayed in the lower reaches of the chart. A second single hit #15 at R&B and it made Edwards ripe for solo stardom. Unfortunately, his second album couldn't produce a hit and it disappeared rather quickly. By 1987, he was back with the Temps once again. His final firing from the group came two years later. Edwards then spent time touring and eventually developed a Temptations Review act that has continued performing even as of this posting date.

ReduxReview:  I've seen it mentioned in several places that this is considered a soul classic. I don't think I'd go that far. It's a good song and I like its slinky groove, but a classic? Not in my book. The tune does improve upon repeated listens and I can easily hear how this single grooved it's way to #2 at R&B. Pop didn't catch on and I'm not surprised. It was definitely more soul-leaning, which was still being ignored at Pop at the time. I don't mind the tune, but it's nothing that I'd classify as a classic.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Siedah Garrett had been getting established in music circles via her songwriting and background vocal work for several artists. Along the way she did demo work for other songwriters and performed that task for this song. Initially, the song was to feature Chaka Khan with Edwards, but that ended up not happening and Garrett's demo work got her the job instead. It became her first single and her first hit. She would later score a major #1 hit in 1987 with "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," her duet with the King of Pop Michael Jackson.

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"Eyes That See in the Dark" by Kenny Rogers

Song#:  1880
Date:  04/28/1984
Debut:  86
Peak:  79
Weeks:  5
Genre:  Country Crossover



Pop Bits:  Rogers collaborated with songwriter/producer Barry Gibb for the LP Eyes That See in the Dark. It would be Rogers' last album to hit the Pop Top 10 (#6). It reached that position thanks mainly to the #1 duet with Dolly Parton "Islands in the Stream." After a solo outing with "This Woman" came up a bit short at Pop (#23), this third title-track single was issued. While it would be another Top 10 at AC (#4), it couldn't make much of a dent at Pop. It fared slightly better at Country where it got to #30.

ReduxReview:  This tune is definitely a better fit vocal-wise for Rogers. "This Woman" was a bit too Bee Gee-ish and he sounded uncomfortable singing it. On this one he is more relaxed and it works well. It's a nice song with obligatory background vocals by the Gibbs (Barry and Maurice), but it is not a very strong single. I would have never picked it for release. It worked fine for AC, but it lacked the extra oomph needed to make an impression at Pop.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  In the UK, this song served as the album's lead single. Apparently the record label, RCA, thought that Dolly Parton's more country-leaning vocals would not play well in the UK. She was also not as well-received in the UK pop world with only three charting singles to her credit. So instead of issuing "Island in the Stream" as the first single, they went with this title-track. It basically tanked only getting to #61. However, once "Island" started catching fire in the US, the label then issued it as the second single. It became a hit reaching #7 on the UK chart.

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"Original Sin" by INXS

Song#:  1879
Date:  04/28/1984
Debut:  87
Peak:  58
Weeks:  7
Genre:  New Wave, Rock



Pop Bits:  INXS' third album, Shabooh Shoobah, featured the band's first US hit. "The One Thing" would reach #2 at Rock while just making the Pop Top 30. After a lengthy tour, the band found themselves in New York City recording a new song with producer Nile Rodgers. Once that song was in the can, they headed back to Australia to record the rest of their new album. After it was completed, it was decided that this Rodgers-produced song would serve as the first single from their fourth album, The Swing. It was an immediate hit in Australia where it became the band's first #1 single. The album would also reach the top of the chart. The song would also do well in several other countries, but in the US it struggled to get near the top half of the Pop chart. The news was about the same at Rock where it topped out at #43. However, the album ended up selling well and got to #52. Eventually it would go platinum once the band broke through in a much bigger way with their next LP.

ReduxReview:  While the Nile Rodgers production was solid and added a good bit of funkiness, I can definitely hear why this song didn't make it in the US. While it has an effective new wave verse, the chorus is very weak. For me, it really lets the song down. I think the band was still trying to refine their songwriting and they were on the right path; however, this tune was only halfway there and the US responded in that manner sending it about halfway up the chart. The band would start to hit their stride with their next LP.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) While in the studio recording this song, Rodgers brought in a singer he had worked with recently to supply background vocals for the chorus. Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates came in to help out with the recording. Although he was happy to do it, in later interviews he mentioned that he didn't know why he was asked to do the vocals as the band already had capable singers.  2) In 2010, INXS would rerecord this song in a dance version with Matchbox Twenty leader Rob Thomas and rapper DJ Yalediys. It would reach #1 on the US Dance chart the following year.

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"Days Gone By" by Poco

Song#:  1878
Date:  04/28/1984
Debut:  90
Peak:  80
Weeks:  5
Genre:  Soft Rock, Country Rock



Pop Bits:  Following their self-titled debut album in 1970, Poco released a stream of good selling LPs that culminated in their 1978 gold-selling LP Legend, which featured a pair of Top 20 hits that crossed over to AC and Country. After that, the band's fortunes began to slide and navigating the new decade proved difficult. It all kind of came to a head with 1984's Inamorata. This first single couldn't make it out of the basement at Pop and failed to reach any other chart. It disappeared quickly as did the album. The results led their label, Atlantic, to drop the band. Afterward, the band experienced personnel changes while continuing to do a few tour dates. That might have been the end of the line for the band, but with the help of another pop star, they would rebound in 1989 with a hit single and album.

ReduxReview:  This song is just on the verge of being really good. As-is, I like it. The opening is solid and I like how it leads to the kick-in before the bridge/chorus. However, I think the chorus needed to be stronger in order for it to be more memorable. The title finally gets repeated in the outro, but by then it's a little too late. Still, it's a good song and one of their better latter career singles.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Half of the songs on Inamorata were written by band member Paul Cotton. Cotton joined Poco in 1970 when Jim Messina departed. Prior to that, Cotton was in the Chicago-based country/blues rock band Illinois Speed Press. That band got a chance at the big time when Columbia signed them in 1969. Their self-titled debut album was issued at the same time as three other Chicago-based bands that were on Columbia. The label had decided to do combination promos with the bands saying that they represented the Chicago sound. The albums had varying success with Illinois Speed Press' album getting to #144 on the chart. However, the debut album of one of the bands became a major hit. Chicago Transit Authority would be a multi-platinum album that spawned two Top 10 hits. Of course the band would shorten their name to just Chicago with their next LP.

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"Superstar/Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" by Luther Vandross

Song#:  1877
Date:  04/28/1984
Debut:  95
Peak:  87
Weeks:  4
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  Vandross' duet with Dionne Warwick, "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye" (#4 AC, #7 R&B, #27 Pop), served a dual purpose. It was the first single and title track to Warwick's Vandross-produced LP and it also served as the first single from Vandross' third album Busy Body. For his follow-up, Vandross released this lengthy medley. At 9-plus minutes, the song was way too long radio and for getting issued on a 45 single. At first the song was edited down to a 5-plus minute version and issued on a 12" single. Then later it was whittled down to eliminate the second song and released on a 45 as just "Superstar (Don't You Remember...)." The medley version ended up being a hit at R&B reaching #5 and its strength there allowed it to cross over to Pop for a few weeks.

ReduxReview:  It's funny, the other day I was listening to this song. I was in a Vandross mood and pulled out his The Best of Love collection on which this song appears. This is a beautiful rendition of "Superstar" and I think it has influenced a lot of singers including American Idol second season winner Ruben Studdard, who sang this on the show. Although it is slightly drawn out and the "Until" opening makes it sound a little old-fashioned, it is still a wonderfully arranged song with a great vocal turn from Vandross.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  This medley is made up of two cover songs. The first tune, "Superstar," was written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell. Originally known as "Groupie (Superstar)," the song was first recorded by Delaney & Bonnie and Friends (featuring Eric Clapton) in 1969. (Note - for those that don't know Bonnie Bramlett as a music artist may remember her from the TV show Roseanne on which she played Bonnie, Roseanne's friend and restaurant co-worker.) Other artists like Joe Cocker and Bette Midler caught on to the song, but it wasn't until it got recorded by the Carpenters in 1971 that the song became a hit. It reached #2 on the Pop chart and #1 AC. Vandross began performing the song in his shows earlier in the 80s and finally recorded it for his third album. His recorded rendition included a second song, "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)," which begins the medley. That song was originally co-written and recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967. It was not released as a single and actually did not see the light of day until it appeared on Wonder's 1977 compilation album Looking Back. However, the tune became a big hit when Aretha Franklin sang it in 1973. Her single reached #1 at R&B and #3 Pop.

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"The Reflex" by Duran Duran

#1 Alert!

Gold Record Alert!

Song#:  1876
Date:  04/21/1984
Debut:  46
Peak:  1 (2 weeks)
Weeks:  21
Genre:  New Wave



Pop Bits:  Duran Duran continued their hot streak when the first two singles from their album Seven and the Ragged Tiger reached the Top 10 - the #3 "Union of the Snake" and the #10 "New Moon on Monday." At best, the band was most likely hoping for a Top 10 finish for this single, however it exceeded expectations and ended up topping the Pop chart. At the time it was a bit rare to have an album's third single hit #1, especially after the previous ones did not, but this song did that for the band. Boosted by an MTV video, the song took off and ended up topping the Pop chart while getting to #15 Dance and #35 Rock. It would be their first US #1 and their second UK #1.

ReduxReview:  This song is both terrific and terrifically annoying. I was a bit on the fence about their previous two singles and wondered if I'd ever really like Duran Duran again. Then this song came along and it hit my ears just right. The single version (see below) sounded awesome and the chorus was hard to deny. I went out and immediately got the single which was housed in this cool sleeve that turned into a poster (I still have it). However, the annoying part is the lyrics. Duran Duran were never great at conveying ideas in their lyrics but this one was just nonsensical. Sometimes when artists write songs and they don't have lyrics yet, they just make up stuff so they can sing the song and hear the melody. Usually these riffs are eventually replaced with real lyrics. This song sounds like the band just kept their scratch lyrics. The words are utterly meaningless. In fact, in an interview lead singer Simon Le Bon said he had no idea what the song was about. Although it's annoying that the words mean nothing, what they did scribble down ended up being kind of charming and very catchy. So it seemed to all work out. I guess everyone can apply their own meaning to the song. It is easily one of their best singles.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  This single version is a bit different from the one that appeared on the album. In order to boost the single potential of the tune, producer Nile Rodgers was brought in to do a remix. The new glossy sheen applied to the song by Rodgers turned the album track into something a bit more appealing to radio listeners. The remix worked very well and it got the band their first #1 hit.

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"The Heart of Rock & Roll" by Huey Lewis & the News

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  1875
Date:  04/21/1984
Debut:  51
Peak:  6
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  The band's third album Sports was shaping up to be a major hit. I already spawned two Top 10 hits, "Heart and Soul" and "I Want a New Drug" (#6), and this next single became the third one to reach those heights. It would also get to #5 at Rock. It was during the run of this song that the album finally captured the top spot on the Album chart. Although it would remain there for only a week, the LP's longevity on the chart and time in the Top 10 helped it get ranked as the #2 chart album of the year.

ReduxReview:  This was the song that finally prompted me to buy the album. I liked the three hits and thought that the album had to be just as good. However, besides the hits, I really didn't like the album all that much. I kind of shrugged it off and tossed it to the back of the listening pile. Then I ended up getting Huey fatigue because the singles seemed to be constantly playing on the radio. I was over them quickly. This song was a good one and I enjoyed it at the time, but I don't think it has aged as well as some of the band's other hits. It's a corny crowd pleaser that I don't mind hearing, but I don't seek it out. As an oboist, I was never fond of the line "now the oboe may be barely breathing..."

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  There are a lot of sixes going on here. This song, plus two others from from Sports, peaked at #6. The band had 6 members. I rated this song a 6. Finally, in 2004 Blender magazine placed this song at #6 on their list of the 50 Worst Songs Ever. While that last one may not seem good, the list drew attention to the songs, which translated into some additional airplay and sales. That's not necessarily a bad thing if you wrote, published, and/or licensed the song as it's only gonna pad your pockets. The heart of commerce is still beatin'...

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"You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)" by Joe Jackson

Song#:  1874
Date:  04/21/1984
Debut:  60
Peak:  15
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Jazz-Pop



Pop Bits:  After a stopover with the soundtrack to the movie Mike's Murder, Jackson returned to the studio to record the follow-up to his #4 1982 LP Night and Day. Instead of repeating the synthpop new wave sounds of that album, Jackson decided to toss together elements of pop, jazz, and R&B and came up with Body and Soul. This horn-driven first single got things started and it ended up doing quite well hitting the Top 20. It would also do about the same at Rock (#12), AC (#13), and Dance (#14).

ReduxReview:  Hearing this song now, I actually can't believe it did so well on the charts. I could imagine a good showing at AC, but #15 Pop? It was a sophisticated song that didn't necessarily fall in line with what the kids were listening to. I'm pretty certain that adults were the ones that drove the popularity of the song and I'm really glad that happened. I thought it was a terrific song that sounded great on radio. I was already a fan of Jackson's and got the album, which is probably my second favorite of his following Night and Day.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Jackson's given name is David Ian Jackson. When he first started playing in bands he went by David Jackson. While in one of those early bands, people began calling him Joe instead of David. This was because some folks thought that Jackson looked like the Peanuts cartoon character Snoopy when he donned his Joe Cool guise and played piano. After a while, the name Joe stuck and by 1978 it became Jackson's official stage name when he formed the Joe Jackson Band and released the debut album Look Sharp!

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"Modern Day Delilah" by Van Stephenson

Song#:  1873
Date:  04/21/1984
Debut:  71
Peak:  22
Weeks:  17
Genre:  Pop, Rock



Pop Bits:  As a songwriter, Stephenson was selling tunes to country artists and doing quite well. He then jumped into being a solo artist and his first more pop-leaning effort, 1981's China Girl, produced the minor Pop chart single "You've Got a Good Love Coming" (#79). The results were not great, but Stephenson pushed forward and got a new record deal with MCA. His first album for them, Righteous Anger, included this first single, which became his first and only one to reach the Pop Top 40. It would also be a hit at Rock going to #9.

ReduxReview:  Here is a song that despite getting near the Top 20 was really overlooked. The tune was well-written, had a great chorus, and had a top-notch production. I thought for sure it was destined for the Top 10, but it stopped way short. Then it kind of disappeared. Some medium charting songs end up having extra life due to inclusion on compilations or being picked up on radio or streaming or being used in TV shows or movies. For some reason, this has remained a lost gem. It truly deserved a better fate. The album was pretty good too. I believe I still have my copy somewhere. I think my favorite part of the song is the intro and outro with the mysterious guitar lick and scissor snip sound effect. This song needs to be resurrected stat!

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  While Stephenson was enjoying his solo success, he continued to write songs for other artists. He ended up co-writing several songs that found their way to the 1985 self-titled debut album by the country group Restless Heart. Over the course of four albums, Restless Heart recorded several songs co-written by Stephenson. Some of those songs ended up being released as singles. Four of those songs went Top 10 at Country with one of them topping the chart, 1988's "The Bluest Eyes in Texas."

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"I Cry Just a Little Bit" by Shakin' Stevens

Song#:  1872
Date:  04/21/1984
Debut:  83
Peak:  67
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Rockabilly, Pop



Pop Bits:  Here is another case of an artist who was extremely popular in the UK, but their status there did not translate to the US. Working in bands since the mid-60s, the Wales-born Michael Barratt first started to gain a following when he change his name to Shakin' Stevens and fronted his 50's inspired band called The Sunsets. The group opened for big names like The Rolling Stones and recorded five albums beginning in 1970. Although they were a popular attraction, the band just wasn't breaking through on a wider scale. Then an offer came in for Stevens to co-star in the stage show Elvis! where he would portray Elvis during the star's prime years. It was initially to be a six-month gig, but it turned into a two-year hit that left The Sunsets waiting in the wings. Once the show wrapped, Stevens' new management advised him to dump the band and go solo, which he did. After a few medium chart singles in the UK, Stevens then broke through with his first #1 single, 1981's "This Ole House." As part of the UK's rockabilly revival, Stevens continued to score hits throughout the decade. By 1987, he obtained fifteen Top 10 hits with four of them hitting #1. This streak made Stevens the top selling male singles artist of the 80s in the UK. However, Stevens couldn't replicate his success in the US. The only thing he was able to do was get this lone single on the Pop chart for a few weeks and to #13 at AC. Other than that, Stevens remained virtually unknown in the US. Stevens' UK career began to slide in the 90s and for the most part he stopped recording. He did make a couple of returns with new albums in 2007 and 2016.

ReduxReview:  I know that I've heard his name over the years, but I had never heard any of his music. The lone exception would have been Barry Manilow's 1982 remake of Stevens' #1 UK hit "Oh, Julie," but at the time I had no idea Stevens wrote and recorded the song. Even after knowing who he was, I still didn't listen to any of his music. That's most likely due to the fact that I really wasn't into retro rockabilly, so I had zero interest. After catching up on some of his hits, I'm not exactly sad about my decision. It's just not my thing. Stevens is a solid vocalist and his recordings are well produced, but it really does amaze me that he was so huge in the UK. The rockabilly revival didn't last all that long, but somehow he was able to score big hits over a seven-year period. Eh. Guess you had to be there. I was already familiar with this song via Sylvia (see below). Stevens' original is more pop/rock than rockabilly with a beat that sounds like Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll (Part 1)." It's not too bad and I find it better than some of his other hits. However, I would never peg this for a hit in the US and with the exception of AC, it wasn't.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Stevens had a bit of a career revival in 2005. A new hits compilation was being issued right around the same time that he was to appear on the British TV competition program Hit Me, Baby, One More Time. Each week on the show, a set of five former hitmakers would perform one of their big hits followed by their version of a newer hit. A winner would be chosen at the end of each show. Following seven weeks of competition, the seven winners would compete in the finale. Stevens won his week and then went on to win the finale. Stevens sang his biggest hit, "This Ole House," and paired it with a cover of P!nk's "Trouble." The two songs ended up getting released as a single, which reached #20 on the UK chart. The show would also make it Stateside the same year, but the format was slightly different. Each week's winner got $20k to donate to their favorite charity and there was no finale show. Since Stevens was a UK star he did not compete in the US. But a few artists did compete on both the UK and US versions of the show including Tiffany, Howard Jones, and Haddaway.  2) Country star Sylvia covered this song in 1985 for her album One Step Closer. It was released as the LP's third single and got to #9 on the Country chart.

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"What Is Love?" by Howard Jones

Song#:  1871
Date:  04/21/1984
Debut:  84
Peak:  33
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Synthpop



Pop Bits:  Jones' debut album Human's Lib hit #1 in his UK homeland thanks to the #3 hit "New Song" and this second single, which peaked at #2. While the two songs wouldn't reach those heights in the US, they did get him established on the charts. "New Song" would get to #27 (#58 Rock) while this second single would do just about as well at #33 (#20 Rock).

ReduxReview:  I liked "New Song," but this was the song that got me interested in Howard Jones. I thought it had a nice, dark groove and a real solid sing-along chorus. Rupert Hines' production gave the tune a robust sound that elevated it above the typical thin and tinny sounding synthpop. I went out and got the album and it has been a favorite of mine since then.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) In the UK, Jones ended up with four hit singles from Human's Lib. Along with the two mentioned above, "Hide and Seek" got to #12 and "Pearl in the Shell" made it to #7. Neither song saw any action in the US, although "Pearl" did "bubble under" the US Pop chart at #108.  2) Several of the songs on Human's Lib including "What Is Love" were co-written by Bill Bryant. Bryant was a speaker on spirituality and would hold group talks to share his experiences and philosophies. Bryant had befriended Jones' two brothers and the three began dabbling in music and lyrics while Bryant began holding group talks. Bryant then met Howard and the two hit it off. Jones soon became a close friend and follower of Bryant. Apparently, Jones asked if he could rework some of the tunes his brothers and Bryant had worked up and began to perform them. Guided by Bryant and others, Jones' music career began. However, as Jones' career started to take off things changed. A major label record deal, new management, and new pressures seemed to cause a rift in the Bryant/Jones relationship. It wasn't long before the pair decided to part ways.

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"Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" by Icicle Works

Rated 10 Alert!

Song#:  1870
Date:  04/21/1984
Debut:  85
Peak:  37
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Alternative Rock



Pop Bits:  This UK trio got together in 1980 and soon after issued an indie EP that spawned a minor hit on the UK Indie song chart. A follow-up single titled "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)" did even better getting to #2. It would also scrape the basement of the UK Pop chart. This got the attention of Beggars Banquet Records who ended up signing the band. A full-length self-titled LP was recorded and its first single "Love Is a Wonderful Colour" became a hit reaching #15 on the UK chart. It would end up being their biggest hit at home. With a little good fortune under their belt, it was decided that the band would try their luck in the States. A deal with Arista ensued and an altered version of their debut LP was issued. This song served as the first single. It did well getting to #13 at Dance and #18 at Rock while making an appearance just inside the Pop Top 40. Unfortunately, it would be the band's only single to get on those charts. In the UK, the song would be reissued as a follow-up to their first hit, but the single would only get to #53. The band would go on to secure a few more lower charting singles in the UK, but would eventually breakup in 1991.

ReduxReview:  Back when this song came out, I remember many folks commenting about the lyrics. It seemed that no one could figure out what the damn song was about! I freely admit that I had (and still have) no idea as to what they were trying to say. And frankly, I didn't care because I absolutely loved the music and production of this song. It's one of those soaring college rock anthems that could easily be a key track in some hit coming-of-age flick. The driving drums are spectacular and it has a chorus that anyone can sing along with - even if you have no idea what it means. It is absolutely one of my favorite tracks from the 80s and one that I still continue to play on a regular basis. I just wish it had done better on the chart. What's funny is that I don't like anything else from the band. I bought the album based on this song and was highly disappointed. But that's okay. Sometimes one blast of brilliance is all that is needed.

ReduxRating:  10/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) In order to get this song released in the US, Arista demanded a few changes. First was the band's name. In the UK they were known as The Icicle Works, however, the label wanted to drop the leading article and have them simply go by Icicle Works. Next, the song's title. You may have noticed above that I first call the song "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)." That is the original title. Arista wanted to reverse the two title sections because "Whisper to a Scream" is prominent in the chorus and it would help consumers identify the single in stores. Lastly, they wanted a slight remix of the song. In the original UK single, a woman's voice does a small spoken word part over the opening. The label wanted that gone. The band agreed to everything and it seemed to work out for them - well, at least for one song.  2) The band's unusual name came via a work by American sci-fi writer Frederik Pohl. Best known for his award-winning 1977 novel Gateway and its sequels, Pohl also was a magazine and book editor. He wrote many short stories and several were collected into books. It was his 1960 collection, The Man Who Ate the World that contained the story "The Day the Icicle Works Closed." It was that short that inspired the band's name.

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"Dance Hall Days" by Wang Chung

Song#:  1869
Date:  04/21/1984
Debut:  88
Peak:  16
Weeks:  22
Genre:  New Wave, Synthpop



Pop Bits:  Wang Chung grabbed their first US Top 40 entry near the beginning of '84 with the #38 "Don't Let Go." This follow-up single would do even better getting into the Top 20. It would be a #1 hit at Dance when paired with "Don't Let Go." The tune also got to #24 at Rock. In their UK homeland, this would be their biggest single reaching #21

ReduxReview:  While I kind of initially missed out on "Don't Let Go," this song did not escape me. I really liked that staccato bridge/chorus led by Jack Hues' oddly interesting voice. The sleek production chugged along with some nice sax work to boot. It wasn't your typical pop single, which made it stand out on radio. I was hoping for a Top 10 showing, but I think getting to #16 was a solid showing for the tune.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Around this time, Wang Chung's Jack Hues and Nick Feldman submitted a song they wrote to the management of UK singer David Van Day. Van Day had some success in the UK with two different groups, Guys 'n' Dolls and Dollar, a duo with his girlfriend Thereza Bazar (they were both members of Guys 'n' Dolls). Following Dollar's breakup, Van Day decided to go solo. His first single was a very modest hit, but it got some attention and Wang Chung were hoping their song, "Ringing the Bell," would be his follow-up single. Van Day did record the tune with Hues and Feldman producing, but it ended up getting set aside. The song did finally see the light of day in 1985, but was weirdly credited to the fake band name of Music Academy instead of Van Day. The song did not chart. Van Day was never successful in the US. His only encounter with the US charts was when Dollar's 1978 debut single "Shooting Star" reached #74 on the Pop chart (#14 UK). Since around 2003, Van Day has become a bit of a b-list celebrity in the UK appearing on various reality/competition shows as both a contestant and host.

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"I'll Wait" by Van Halen

Song#:  1868
Date:  04/14/1984
Debut:  44
Peak:  13
Weeks:  14
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  For a few songs on Van Halen's 1984 album, the synth took on a significant role. It paid off quite well when the the LP's first single, "Jump," became their biggest hit spending five weeks at #1. This next single expanded the role of the keyboard even further and it pretty much drove the song. While it went to #2 at Rock, the tune ended up stopping short of the Pop Top 10.

ReduxReview:  Although this song is not as brilliant or exciting as "Jump," it's still a great tune and once again I think the added keyboard worked. The band still retained their signature sound while adding in the synth element. The keyboard riff is excellent as is the chorus. Solos are typically a highlight of their songs, but the one included here was slightly lackluster for me and it drags the song down a bit, but they rally back to finish out the tune.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Up until the 1984 album, all of Van Halen's songs (with the exception of cover tunes) were listed as being written by the band. That was to continue for this album, but as this song was being developed, the band was having a difficult time with it - specifically with the lyrics. David Lee Roth typically handled a lot of the lyric writing for the band and for some reason it just wasn't clicking with this tune. Producer Ted Templeman thought a little outside inspiration might help and he called on another artist he had been working with for a while - The Doobie Brothers' Michael McDonald. Templeman sent McDonald a tape of the music and McDonald began forming some ideas. He eventually met up with Roth and the pair hammered out the lyrics. It marked the first (and last) time that Van Halen had collaborated with a non band member for one of their songs.

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"Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper

#1 Alert!

Gold Record Alert!

Song#:  1867
Date:  04/14/1984
Debut:  53
Peak:  1 (2 weeks)
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  Lauper burst onto the Pop chart with her debut single, the power anthem "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." It would end up being a platinum #2 hit. However, with her quirky personality, thrift shop look, and near-novelty video for the song, it left folks thinking that she could easily be a one-hit wonder. Those thoughts were put to rest when this second single was issued. The tender ballad, co-written by Lauper and Rob Hyman (of The Hooters - he sings backup on this song), was the perfect follow-up and it climbed the chart to the #1 spot. It did the same at AC while getting to #10 at Rock. Once again, the song's MTV video became a popular favorite and helped the single reach gold level sales. It would eventually grab a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year.

ReduxReview:  There were some really good single choices from Lauper's She's So Unusual LP, however this was the perfect one to follow up "Girls." It showed a completely different side of Lauper and introduced her as a songwriter. I saw an interview with her one time where she was saying that a songwriter is extremely lucky if just one of their songs is not only a hit, but one that has legs and lasts over time. She felt that "Time After Time" was that song for her. I'd have to agree. No other song that she's written has even come close to having the long life span of this one. It's Lauper's second classic in a row.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Lauper's record company loved this song and wanted it to be her debut single. However, Lauper was against that idea. She thought that if the song was a hit, it would set the tone for her career and she would be tagged as a ballad singer. The label relented and sent out "Girls" for the first single. It ended up being a good decision.  2) This was the final song written for the album. Initially, both Lauper and Hyman (who served as a musician and arranger on the album) thought they had all the songs done and the LP was ready. However, producer Rick Chertoff thought there needed to be one more track and sent the two off to come up with something. It was Lauper and Hyman's first time writing together and they quickly formed ideas for the song. A title for the song was needed and it came about via a movie. While thinking about a song title, Lauper happened to be looking at a TV Guide magazine and saw a listing for the 1979 film Time After Time, a sci-fi time travel flick that starred Malcolm McDowell. The movie's title seemed to fit what they were working on and Lauper began to use the phrase. Eventually it stuck and became the song's final title.

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"Self Control" by Laura Branigan

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  1866
Date:  04/14/1984
Debut:  63
Peak:  4
Weeks:  25
Genre:  Europop, Dance



Pop Bits:  For her third album, Branigan dipped into the Europop well once again and brought up this song. It would serve as both the title track and the first single from the LP. It would become her third (and final) Pop Top 10 while going to #2 Dance and #5 AC. The song would also be Branigan's biggest international hit going to #1 in at least nine countries. The success of the song made the album her best US effort reaching #23 and going platinum.

ReduxReview:  I was immediately hooked on this song when that little synth opening broke open into that huge guitar lick. It just kicked ass and was so different from Branigan's other more bubbly Eurodance hits. It fit her perfectly and it helped that she had that creepy, erotic video to go with it. "Gloria" will always be her signature tune, but this is the one that came along at the peak of her career and made her an even bigger star.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This is actually a cover version of a song originally done by the Italian artist Raf. Co-written by Raf with Giancarlo Bigazzi (who also co-wrote "Gloria") and Steve Piccolo, the song would be a #1 hit for Raf in Italy. Both Branigan and Raf would record the song around the same time and their singles would actually compete against each other in several countries, particularly in Switzerland where both versions topped the chart, but Branigan's held the spot longer and ended up being the #1 song there for 1984. Of course in Italy, Branigan's version paled in comparison's to Raf's and stalled at #29. The song was Raf's debut single. He would become a major star in Italy grabbing thirteen Top 10 singles there.  2) The video for this song got some additional attention thanks to its director William Friedkin. Friedkin was best known for two huge film hits - The French Connection, which won him an Oscar, and The Exorcist. This song was Friedkin's first music video. The erotic video was initially deemed to sexy for MTV and it was only played in the evenings. MTV wanted cuts so they could play it whenever, but Branigan didn't want it edited. Eventually, she relented, but by the time it was ready to air the song was past its prime.

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"Devil in a Fast Car" by Sheena Easton

Song#:  1865
Date:  04/14/1984
Debut:  83
Peak:  79
Weeks:  3
Genre:  Synthpop



Pop Bits:  Easton's LP Best Kept Secret supplied her with a Top 10 hit when "Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)" got to #9. After the follow-up ballad "Almost Over You" hit #4 at AC (#29 Pop), Easton returned to more synthpop fare with this third single. It was pretty much ignored and the song disappeared after a quick three weeks on the Pop chart. Although the album would just miss the gold mark, it sold well enough to get to #33 on the chart, which was an improvement over her previous LP.

ReduxReview:  This one really reaches towards the Europop territory that was being covered by Laura Branigan at the time. For the most part it works, but it gets a bit screamy in the chorus. Actually, I think Branigan's more sultry voice would have sold this song a lot better. The tune is fine, but I don't think it was hit material. It was just slightly too slow for dance and Easton's sometimes shrill voice didn't match the darker material. It probably didn't help that there was no MTV video to promote it (at least none that I could find). It just wasn't the right song or single for Easton.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Songs from this album helped supply other artists with hits in different countries. French-Canadian singer Véronique Béliveau covered the album track "She's in Love (With Her Radio)." Retitled "Je suis fidèle," the song would be a #1 hit in Quebec. In 1997, country singer Lila McCann covered "Almost Over You" for her self-titled debut album. The track was released as a single the next year and it got to #42 on the Country chart. Although it wasn't released as a single, in 1985 country star Louise Mandrell (of the famous Mandrell sisters) did a country-ish version of "Devil in a Fast Car" for her last charting country LP Maybe My Baby.

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"Downtown" by Dolly Parton

Song#:  1864
Date:  07/14/1984
Debut:  89
Peak:  80
Weeks:  4
Genre:  Country Crossover, Pop



Pop Bits:  Parton's synthpop covers LP The Great Pretender was able to score a #3 Country hit with her version of The Drifters' "Save the Last Dance for Me," but Pop audiences were not biting and it faltered before getting inside the Top 40. This second single had even more pop flare and yet it did even worse only spending a month on the Pop chart. Country wasn't all that thrilled either (#36) and even AC balked (#20). The LP made a good showing at Country (#7), but the lack of a real hit kept it at a low #73 on the Pop chart. Overall, it was a disappointing showing for the superstar.

ReduxReview:  This is one of my favorite pop songs from the 60s (see below), so I was thrilled when Parton decided to do a cover - especially with my favorite producer at the time, Val Garay. It ended up on Parton's bizarre Great Pretender album and for me, it was the highlight of the record. Dressed up in synths and Simmons drums, it was a bit bombastic with an outro that was nothing like the original. I dug it and played it quite a bit. These days, it definitely sounds like a product of its time. I still like it, but I waffle on whether it is actually kind of good and fun, or a bit overdone and cringe-worthy. Sometimes I'm like "Yes! This is awesome! Crank it!" while other times I'm like "Oooo....yikes. What were they thinking?" I'll split the diff.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  This is a cover of a song originally done by Petula Clark. Clark's version was a big worldwide hit in 1964 hitting #1 in several countries including the US. Many artists have covered the classic pop tune over the years, but only Clark and Parton have been able to chart with the song in a straight version. Two other comedy-leaning artists put their own spin on the tune and wound up on the chart. Comedian Alan Sherman's parody "Crazy Downtown" reached #40 in 1965 while the virtually tone-deaf "singer" Mrs. Miller made it to #82 with her rendition. In 2011, the Irish rock band The Saw Doctors decided to cover the song and invited Petula Clark to sing with them. She did and the single reached #2 on the Irish chart.

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"Terms of Endearment" by Michael Gore

Song#:  1863
Date:  04/14/1984
Debut:  90
Peak:  84
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Adult Contemporary, Soundtrack, Instrumental



Pop Bits:  Composer Gore got a major break when he was asked to provide music for the 1980 film Fame. In addition to working on the score, Gore also teamed up with songwriter Dean Pitchford to come up with tunes for the movie's musical numbers. The movie was a hit as was its title track song sung by Irene Cara. Gore would end up winning two Oscars for his work - one for Best Original Song for "Fame" (with Pitchford) and one for Best Original Score. Next came a job to write the score for an upcoming film titled Terms of Endearment that was to star Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson. Released late in '83, the movie would be a big hit and would go on to win five Oscars including Best Picture. Gore's score was nominated, but he lost out to Bill Conti's music to The Right Stuff. With Terms being a major hit, there was focus placed on Gore's score and it was decided that a single of the movie's main theme would be released. It ended up being a surprise hit at AC reaching #5 on that chart. It did well enough there that it leaked over to Pop for a few weeks. It would be Gore's only single to reach any chart.

ReduxReview:  Here is an obscure single that I actually own. I absolutely loved the film and I think I just happened to see this single at the record store and bought it as I remember the music in the film being good. It's a bit of an oddity in that it's not from a music-oriented film and it's not one of those gratuitous pop songs that plays over the end credits that's looking to be a hit or grab an Oscar nod. It's just a lovely instrumental theme that worked well as a stand-alone single. I remember I used this song in a college music class called Ear Training. Everyone had to bring in a song that had a non-vocal melody somewhere in it. We were given the first note of the specific passage and then we had to notate the rest of the passage just by listening to the melody. It was a fun challenge. I used the main melody of this song for the class. It has been mega years since I heard this song and I forgot how nice it is.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Triple Shot!  1) Gore is the younger brother of pop star Lesley Gore. She had two big hits at the beginning of her singing career - 1963's #1 "It's My Party" and 1964's #4 "You Don't Own Me." The siblings would often write together and several of their songs ended up on Lesley's albums. The pair also wrote one for Fame, the #19 Oscar-nominated song "Out Here on My Own," which was sung by Irene Cara.  2) Gore would go on to do music for the TV show Fame along with other scores, but his venture into the Broadway arena ended up being an infamous one. Gore, along with Dean Pitchford, wrote the music and lyrics to the notorious 1988 Broadway flop Carrie: The Musical. The show closed after five performances and was one of the most expensive failures in Broadway history. The show would later see a few non-Broadway revivals that were received quite well.  3) Gore's biggest hit as a songwriter came in 1990 when Whitney Houston took "All the Man That I Need" to #1 at Pop, AC, and R&B. She would later receive a Grammy nod for her performance. The song was originally written for singer Linda Clifford (who sang a song on the Fame soundtrack) who recorded it in 1981. It was issued as a single but did not chart. In 1982, Sister Sledge covered the tune and released it as a single. It could only reach #45 at R&B. The song got to Houston and it finally became a hit.

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