"Somebody's Out There" by Triumph

Song#:  2844
Date:  08/30/1986
Debut:  91
Peak:  27
Weeks:  15
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  This Canadian band may not have racked up any major hits in the US, but they sold plenty of albums with three going gold and one platinum. US Rock radio was supportive and they had gathered three Top 10's by this point in time. For their eighth album, The Sport of Kings, the band amped up the commercial aspects of their music, but it still wasn't quite enough for their label, MCA, who were looking for a hit to sell the LP. The band then came up with this track and it seemed to please their label enough and it was issued out as the album's first single. The track would become their fourth Top 10 at Rock getting to #9. It also caught on a bit at Pop and the single would be their best charting effort getting into the Top 30. With their track record, that should have secured them another gold album, but with follow-up song not charting at Pop and only one other track hitting the Rock chart (the #23 "Tears in the Rain"), the album stopped at #33 and missed out on going gold. This song would be the band's last one to reach the Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  Here is one that I totally forgot about. The band really did what they could to create a radio-ready arena rock hit and they were successful. I'm sure some of their original fans were not all that keen on this hooky Journey-ish track, but under pressure they came up with a solid piece of commercial rock. It was produced well and Rik Emmett's lead vocals are killer, even ending on a big high note. The tune also sounds like it could have been used in an 80s teen flick. Everything was in place here and it probably should have done better than Top 30, but it still ended up being their best effort at Pop. If you like some catchy corporate rock (I do), this one is a forgotten winner.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Even by The Sport of Kings, there were tensions within the band on direction and issues with their label. After one more album, the less-commercial 1987's Surveillance, one of the band's leading members, Rik Emmett, decided to depart. The band found a replacement and moved on for one more album in 1993. It was not a success and after more label problems, the band finally dissolved. After many years apart, the original members got back together in 2008. Although they would be a popular concert draw, the band has yet to record a reunion studio album.

_________________________________________________________________________________