"Swear" by Sheena Easton

Song#:  2256
Date:  03/23/1985
Debut:  90
Peak:  80
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Pop, Rock, New Wave



Pop Bits:  Easton's career revved up when her sixth studio album, A Private Heaven, spawned two Top 10 singles including the controversial Prince-penned song "Sugar Walls" (#9 Pop/#1 Dance/#3 R&B). The hits would send the album to #15 and it would eventually go platinum. It would be Easton's most successful LP in the US. To extend the album's life span, this third single was issued. Unfortunately, it did not catch on and the song floundered at the bottom of the Pop chart for a few weeks before disappearing.

ReduxReview:  This third single stuck with the upbeat flavor of the previous two songs, but this time it just didn't work out. The new wave track didn't connect as well and I can hear why. This rave-up wasn't all that pop radio friendly. The groove is great and production solid, but it just wasn't as memorable and hooky as something like "Strut." However, I like the bluesy, R&B slant to the song and thought it was a quality track on the album. It just didn't make a good single.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  This is a remake of an original song written and recorded by Tim Scott (aka Tim Scott McConnell). Earlier in the 80s, Scott had written a set of songs that he put down on tape with the help of a little Casio keyboard. The demo ended up in the hands of Sire Records and they offered him a contract. Working with producer Richard Gottehrer (Blondie, The Go-Go's), the pair recorded Scott's self-titled mini-album. Among the five songs recorded was "Swear," which also served as Scott's debut single. The new wave-leaning song and EP didn't get anywhere, but then the song got picked up by Easton for her album. Scott would later dismiss his debut EP as a mistake because it really wasn't the type of music he wanted to do. He would then switch to a more rock/blues sound and release a couple of major label albums. Another song of his, "High Hopes," would get picked up and recorded by Bruce Springsteen in 1996 for his EP Blood Brothers. Springsteen would later re-record the song for his 2013 album High Hopes. The song would be the LP's first single. It was able to get to #15 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart. Scott then later recorded under the name Ledfoot and began recording albums in a genre he created called "Gothic blues."

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