"10-9-8" by Face to Face

Song#:  1928
Date:  06/02/1984
Debut:  80
Peak:  38
Weeks:  15
Genre:  Rock, New Wave



Pop Bits:  Formed in New Hampshire, this band made a move to Boston in 1980 and secured a recording contract with Epic two years later. It would take another two years before their self-titled debut finally hit the shelves. The LPs first single, "Under the Gun," failed to connect at Pop and Rock, but a 12" remix did get to #14 at Dance. They had more success with this second single, which found its way into the Pop Top 40. Again, a remix of the song did well and got to #7 at Dance. Another track from the album, "Out of My Hands," made a minor showing at Rock at #55, but that would be it for the band. They would release two more album to little notice and then call it a day. (Note: This band should not be confused with the successful punk band of the same name. That Face to Face was formed in 1991.)

ReduxReview:  I was living in Boston around this time and I remember both Face to Face and 'Til Tuesday getting a lot of buzz. Face to Face got to the charts first and this particular song was a big hit around town. I never got to see either band perform, but I definitely hooked into this song. It's a terrific tune with a catchy chorus that was perfect for audience participation. This single should have been a bigger hit. I'm not sure why it stalled just inside the Top 40. It deserved a better fate. Unfortunately, none of their other songs were as pop radio friendly as this one and it became their lone hit. At least it was a solid, memorable one.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Lead singer Laurie Sargent was part of the studio group that made up the band Fire Inc. Producer/songwriter Jim Steinman assembled the group to perform songs for the movie Streets of Fire. Sargent did the lead vocals on the opening track "Nowhere Fast" and did supporting vocals for the single credited to Fire Inc. "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young." In addition, producer Jimmy Iovine tapped Sargent to do the lead vocals for two other songs that were used in the film, "Never Be You" and "Sorcerer." However, for the actual soundtrack album, other artists performed the songs. "Never Be You" was done by Maria McKee and "Sorcerer" was done by Marilyn Martin. In addition to Sargent, members of Face to Face also made up the backing band The Attackers that appeared in the film supporting actress Diane Lane.  2) Face to Face member Angelo Petraglia later focused on songwriting and production work. He grabbed a Grammy nomination in 1997 for being the co-writer of Trisha Yearwood's #1 Country hit "Believe Me Baby (I Lied)," which was nominated for Best Country Song. He later won a Grammy for producing the Kings of Leon's 2010 Record of the Year winner "Use Somebody." He has also co-written songs for artist like Emmylou Harris, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, and Martina McBride. With singer/songwriter Kim Richey he co-wrote "Why Can't I Say Goodnight," which was used in the second season opener of the hit TV show Nashville.

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