"Beat of a Heart" by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth

Song#:  2196
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut:  74
Peak:  41
Weeks:  14
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Scandal's second single from their Warrior album, "Hands Tied," just barely missed the Top 40 peaking at the dreaded #41 spot. For a third single, this track, which was co-written by Smyth and two of her bandmates, got issued. It became their third song to reach the Rock Top 10 (at #10), but as luck would have it, the song got blocked from entering the Top 40 and peaked at #41, making their second single in a row to do so. It was a bit of a bummer, but on the good side the singles helped the album reach platinum level. The song would also serve as the band's final charting single before they parted ways.

ReduxReview:  If "Hands Tied" didn't make it at Pop, then this one certainly wasn't going to either. It's just not a very memorable or hooky single. The song did well at Rock and I think that was appropriate. However, when compared to other hits on the Pop chart, this one just didn't stand out. It's a good album track and one of the better ones on a surprisingly weak album, but it didn't have the oomph needed to make it a real hit.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Around the same time that Scandal was breaking up, an iconic band who was at a career peak was losing their lead singer. David Lee Roth split from Van Halen and that left a vacant spot in the band. The first person Eddie Van Halen asked to fill Roth's position was Scandal singer Patty Smyth. The choice seemed a bit unconventional at the time and it certainly would have changed the dynamics of the band, but ultimately Smyth turned down the offer. In addition to being pregnant at the time and not wanting to relocate to California, Smyth also thought that the band's partying and inner fighting would be too much for her to take on, so she passed. Van Halen then went with their second choice, Sammy Hagar.

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