"Edge of a Dream" by Joe Cocker

Song#:  2091
Date:  10/20/1984
Debut:  83
Peak:  69
Weeks:  7
Genre:  Pop, Soundtrack



Pop Bits:  Nearly two years after Cocker scored his first (and only) #1 hit with the Grammy-winning soundtrack duet "Up Where We Belong" (with Jennifer Warnes), he got back to work and recorded his ninth studio album. Titled Civilized Man, it would be his first effort for his new label, Capitol. Unfortunately, none of the LP's singles caught on and the album came and went rather quickly. But his success with "Up Where We Belong" led to other soundtrack appearances and after the singles were exhausted from Civilized Man, this song that he did for the Teachers soundtrack got pushed out. Although it got him back on the Pop chart, it didn't do all that well stalling at #69. It did a little better at AC reaching #31.

ReduxReview:  While this is not a bad song, it's not a great one either. Adams and Vallance (see below) were spittin' out songs left and right during this period and the ones done by other artists were not among their finest work (which is probably why they sold them off). I think the problem with this one is that it needed to be a rock anthem. Instead, it got arranged in an AC/"Up Where We Belong"/inspirational fashion and it didn't work. This needed a more epic arrangement with Cocker blowin' it out. Even then, the song itself was not stellar so it may not have made much of a difference anyway.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Like the main theme song to the movie, "Teacher, Teacher" performed by 38 Special, this song was also written by the team of Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. Adams' original demo version of "Teacher, Teacher" would see the light of day later on a reissue of his hit album Reckless, but to this date, a version of "Edge of a Dream" has yet to be released. However, Adams did appear as a background vocalist on a version done by UK singer Helen Hoffner. He also co-produced the recording. It was issued as a single in 1993 in a few European countries before getting added as an extra track to her self-titled debut LP, which had previously been released in 1992. That album went to #2 in Finland and a single from the album, "Summer of Love," made it to #1 in Norway. (I checked out "Summer of Love" and it is a very tasty single - highly recommended.)

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