"Do It for Love" by Sheena Easton

Song#:  2513
Date:  10/26/1985
Debut:  68
Peak:  29
Weeks:  14
Genre:  Pop, Dance



Pop Bits:  Easton's career reached at all-time high with her album A Private Heaven. Bolstered by two sexy Top 10 hits including the Prince-penned "Sugar Walls" (#9), the album would be her only studio album to reach platinum status. When it came time for her follow-up LP, Easton got paired with producer Nile Rodgers, who was hot property following his work on Madonna's Like a Virgin album. It seemed like an ideal pairing, but instead of staying with the catchy pop of her previous two hits, Rodgers took Easton into dance/club territory and came up with Do You. This first single was issued out, but unfortunately the new direction wasn't so popular. The song barely made the Pop Top 30 while getting to #21 Dance and #39 AC. Despite the results of the single, enough fans showed up to buy the album and it was able to go gold, which was still a disappointment after the success of A Private Heaven.

ReduxReview:  Although fans liked this album and reviews were somewhat favorable, even Easton later said that it was a misstep. Easton wasn't Madonna and yet Rodgers (and probably her label) led her down that path. I've always though this song sounded just like something Madonna would have done around this time. I can even hear her singing it. Madonna might have been able to take this higher on the chart due to her massive popularity, but it just wasn't the right fit for Easton especially coming on the heels of her juicy pop confections from A Private Heaven. The song wasn't all that strong either. I remember being disappointed the first time I heard it. It would be two years before she'd have another big hit, thanks to Prince.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:   This song was written by Adele Bertei and Mary Kesler. Bertei had played in bands since the late 70s including the all-female punk/funk band The Bloods. She later got into dance music and was signed to Geffen for a short bit. Her lone single for them, "Build Me a Bridge," was a #5 Dance hit produced by Thomas Dolby. Although an album failed to materialize, she continued to work with Dolby and appeared on his album The Flat Earth specifically supplying the backing vocals for his single "Hyperactive." A second attempt at a solo career happened in 1988 when Bertei was signed to Chrysalis. This time she was able to get an album out titled Little Lives. The track "Little Lives, Big Loves" would get to #40 on the AC chart. She would have one more Dance chart entry in 1994 when she did the vocals for (and co-wrote) the Arthur Baker track "Kiss the Ground (You Walk On)." It got to #34. In addition to this Sheena Easton tune, Bertei also had songs recorded by The Pointer Sisters, Matthew Sweet, and Jellybean.

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