Rated 10 Alert!
Spotlight Alert!
Date: 10/13/1984
Debut: 85
Peak: 48
Weeks: 15
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: Even if you are not familiar with his name, you will most likely recognize Hodgson's voice and songs. As a member of the band Supertramp, Hodgson wrote and sang the lead on some of their most memorable hits including "The Logical Song" (#6), "Give a Little Bit" (#15), "Take the Long Way Home" (#10), "Goodbye Stranger" (#15), and 1982's "It's Raining Again" (#11). However, during the making of Supertramp's album ...Famous Last Words..., Hodgson felt like he needed to branch out on his own. After Famous was finished, Hodgson decided to record a solo album. He intended to release it after the Supertramp LP, but in the end he wasn't happy with the results and scrapped it. Hodgson then officially left Supertramp after the band was done touring for the album and set out to re-record his solo album. Once completed to his satisfaction, his debut album In the Eye of the Storm, was released and this first single was issued. The song did very well at Rock getting to #5. At Pop it didn't do as well and the single stalled before it could reach the Top 40. It would end up being Hodgson's only solo Pop entry. The album also featured the song "In Jeopardy," which was able to get to #30 at Rock.
ReduxReview: I can't remember what drew me to this album. I wasn't a big fan of Supertramp and I don't remember seeing a video for the song. I can only imagine that I must have heard it on the radio at some point. Or, I might have been intrigued by the song title or album cover. Whatever it was, I'm so glad I found it. This opening track quickly became a huge favorite of mine. I played it constantly for a long time and I loved to crank it up in the car on a summer day with the windows down. My love for the song hasn't diminished over time. I still play the song and other tracks on the album several times a year. Weirdly enough, I just listened to the album a couple of days ago without knowing the song was coming up on the chart! The dramatic opening, the quiet midsection, the vocal harmonies, the arrangement, and the guitar solos are all just bangin'. It is still one of my favorite songs of all time. I can understand why it wasn't such a big pop hit, but at least Rock embraced it at the time and gave it life. To me, the song is just brilliant. Because of that and the fact that I think it is an overlooked gem from the time period, I'm gonna put a Spotlight on the song and hope others discover it.
ReduxRating: 10/10
Trivia: For those younger folks who are unfamiliar with Supertramp, chances are they know a recent song that was based on one of the band's most famous album tracks. The title track to their multi-platinum 1979 album Breakfast in America was transformed into the song "Cupid's Chokehold" by the hip-hop/alt rock band Gym Class Heroes, which featured vocals by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump. That song reached #4 on the Pop chart in 2006. Roger Hodgson wrote the original song for Supertramp's album and performed the lead vocals. It was issued as a single, but in the US it failed to chart at Pop. However, a live version of the song hit the chart in 1980 and got to #62.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I liked Supertramp well enough, but their songs were a bit "dainty", for lack of a better word. This song has a drive and intensity I like, and it's one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteYeah, some Supertramp songs were great while others just didn't click. Hodgson wrote most of the good ones. He just really hit the mark with this one though.
Delete