Song#: 2332
Date: 05/25/1985
Debut: 81
Peak: 40
Weeks: 22
Genre: Pop, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: Loggins' first post-Footloose solo album, Vox Humana, was not doing all that well. Reaction to the title-track first single was tepid and that caused the song to falter just inside the Top 30 (#29). A bigger hit was needed to keep sales of the album going and this big ballad track was selected to do the job. The song did well at AC getting to #5, yet despite significant airplay that kept it alive on the chart for an unusual 22 weeks, it couldn't get a real foothold at Pop and the single finally tripped up once it hit the Top 40. However, that longevity coupled with its Top 10 AC showing helped the album reach gold-level sales.
ReduxReview: Loggins wasn't necessarily known for his ballads. His big hits up to this point were either rockin' jams or mid-tempo soft rock affairs, so this seemed like a nice change of pace. With David Foster involved as a co-writer, this nearly sounded like something he would have come up with for Chicago. It's not a bad song. The big chorus sticks out, yet the verse is a bit boring and unremarkable. Loggins sounds good and tries to sell it, but in the end the only thing that I ever remember about this tune is "Forever! blah-blah-blah...Forever! blah-blah-blah." The rest of it just doesn't stay in my mind...well....forever.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: Loggins originally wrote this song for use in the dramatic short film Access All Areas. The film starred Bruce Davison, Cliff De Young, and Helen Shaver and was directed by Jenny Sullivan. Sullivan had an "in" with Loggins at the time because she was married to Loggins' former music partner Jim Messina. The tune also got some soap opera time when it was heard in episodes of The Young and the Restless.
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Usually we're close in our views on the songs, but we're polar opposites (well, not really...you didn't give it a 0) on this one. I can distinctly remember hearing this song only one time, on AT40. I thought it was fantastic. Usually not a fan of bombastic ballads, but something about this one just got to me. The fact that it was on the Hot 100 22 weeks clearly suggests it was a hit in lots of markets...just not at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of other folks would and did agree with you. That 22 weeks says a lot. It's strange because I usually do go for big ass ballads, but I just didn't connect with this one. However, it probably should have done a lot better on the Pop chart.
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