"Shot in the Dark" by Ozzy Osbourne

Song#:  2660
Date:  03/22/1986
Debut:  95
Peak:  68
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Hard Rock



Pop Bits:  Osbourne first came into prominence as the lead vocalist of the influential British heavy metal band Black Sabbath. The band would make a series of critically hailed albums in the 70s that were also big sellers. Works such as 1970's Paranoid would later be included on many lists citing the best rock albums ever made. After seven albums with the band, Osbourne suddenly found himself ousted by the other members in 1979, mainly due to frictions within the band and Osbourne's substance abuse. Now out on his own, it was suggested that Osbourne start his own band and he proceeded to develop one called Blizzard of Ozz. An album was recorded and was to be credited to Blizzard of Ozz with Osbourne's name in smaller print underneath. Yet the record company decided to change that and listed Osbourne first in larger letters, thus making appear like an Ozzy Osbourne solo disc titled Blizzard of Ozz. With that alteration, Osbourne's solo career was launched. The LP was highly successful as were two studio follow-ups and a live album, all without any singles reaching the Pop chart. For his fourth album, The Ultimate Sin, a new producer, Ron Nevison (Heart), was brought in to help polish up Osbourne's tracks with the commercial sheen that other rock acts were having success with at the time. This first single showed off the new side of Ozzy and it was a solid fit for Rock radio where the track made it to #10. That action along with a popular MTV video helped the song become Ozzy's first to reach the Pop chart. While it wouldn't be a major hit, it did bring new fans on board which helped the album become Ozzy's first Top 10 solo LP (#6). Over time it would be a double-platinum seller.

ReduxReview:  If you believe what's written about this album online, then it seems that Ozzy was not a big fan of this song or of the album in general. He deemed it too pop-oriented and not in line with the style of music he normally did. Yet the album was highly successful as was the song, which he continued to play in his concerts for years after. Let's face it - either he, Sharon, and/or his label wanted a hit and this was the result. While it's a solid track, I do have to agree with Ozzy in that it didn't fit him well. He doesn't even sound very engaged in his performance. The guitar solo makes the song rock a bit more, but in general most any arena rock band could have done this song - and perhaps even done it a bit better. It was a stab at commercial rock that worked out well in regards to sales and airplay, but it wasn't really Ozzy's shining moment.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  This song's writing credits have been cause for contention over the years. Ozzy's bassist at the time, Phil Soussan, brought the song in to Osbourne. Soussan had written it a few years earlier for a previous band he was in called Wildlife. Apparently, Soussan wrote the music and then two of his Wildlife bandmates, Steve and Chris Overland, finished off the lyrics and arrangement. The tune was recorded, but it was never issued out. Soussan then introduced Osbourne to the song and the pair of them fashioned a new version of the tune and it was recorded for Ozzy's album. However, the only writing credits cited were for Soussan and Osbourne. The Overland's received no credit. The Overland's most likely could have brought a suit for royalties, but since their main contribution was lyrics which mostly got replaced, it probably wouldn't have gone far (and I don't see any online evidence that they filed a suit). However, Soussan did file a suit against Ozzy concerning royalties on the song. Although the story goes that Osbourne helped Soussan refashion the song, there is also a different story where in exchange for recording the song, Osbourne wanted new lyrics written, which Soussan did, and also wanted 50% of credit and royalties. It seems a deal was struck, but apparently Soussan didn't get what was due to him and he later filed suit. Oddly, years later in 2012, Steve Overland recorded the Wildlife version of the song with his rock band FM for their EP Only Foolin'. Guess there were no hard feelings there.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Harlem Shuffle" by The Rolling Stones

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2659
Date:  03/15/1986
Debut:  47
Peak:  5
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  In the three years since the Stones issued out their 1983 album Undercover, tensions between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were at an all-time high. At the center of their turmoil was Jagger's decision to go off and do a solo album, which irked Richards. Also causing stress on the band was Charlie Watts' drug and alcohol addiction. At one point the Stones seemed on the brink of breaking up, but they had signed a contract with a new label, CBS, so they had obligations to meet. Jagger and Richards set aside their spat in order to convene and record a new album titled Dirty Work. Co-producing with Jagger and Richards was Steve Lillywhite, who had the task of keeping everyone together and the project going. Once the album was ready, this first single was pushed out. It would be a hit at Rock getting to #2 and it also did well on the Dance chart reaching #4. At Pop it would become the band's 22nd Top 10 hit. The song's success would help the album reach #4 and go platinum. A tour to support the album was planned, but Jagger backed out of it apparently due to concerns about Charlie Watts' health.

ReduxReview:  While this song fits the Stones well and was a hit, it wasn't one of their greatest hits. I think this tune was helped along by its video and from Jagger's popularity coming off of his solo album and his #7 duet with David Bowie "Dancing in the Street." For me it's a moderately interesting old school soul jam performed well by the band. A tune like this is just a walk in the park for these guys and I guess that's kind of what it feels like to me. It lacks the excitement and electricity of previous lead-off singles like "Start Me Up." The original (see below) has a lot more swagger and a horn arrangement, which is sorely missing from the Stones' more pop-oriented take. It's a good song, but it's one that would never come close to making a list of the band's best singles. (Note - if you were wondering who the other male vocalist is on the track riffing a few lines, it is soul singer/songwriter Bobby Womack.)

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This is a remake of a song originally recorded by the R&B duo Bob & Earl. Written by the pair, the song was issued out as a single in late December of 1963. It was a minor chart entry getting to #44 at both R&B and Pop. In the UK, the single was a flop when released there, but then in 1969 the song got some attention and a reissue ended up reaching #7 on the chart. Keith Richards was a fan of the song and had wanted to record it with the Stones for many years thinking it was perfect for Jagger to perform. Apparently, Richards put the Bob & Earl song on a bunch of cassettes and would then place them around with other demos and such for Jagger to find, yet Jagger didn't bite. While in the studio one evening, Richards and the band started toying with the song as they were warming up. Jagger walked in and started singing the tune and they all realized it was exactly the right song for them. They recorded it in a couple of takes and a hit single was born.  2) The video for this song was an elaborate mix of animation and live action. The live action portion was directed by Ralph Bakshi, the writer/director of the infamous X-rated animated film Fritz the Cat (1972). The animated portion was directed by John Kricfalusi. Kricfalusi would later become famous for developing the characters and creating the 1991 Nickelodeon TV show Ren & Stimpy.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Why Can't This Be Love?" by Van Halen

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2658
Date:  03/15/1986
Debut:  52
Peak:  3
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Hard Rock



Pop Bits:  For Van Halen, 1985 was a rough year. After they experienced the biggest album of their career, 1984, tensions within the band eventually led to the departure of lead singer David Lee Roth. The remaining three members were left trying to figure out the best way to proceed. They thought about having a series of temporary lead singers front the band and even extended an invitation to Patty Smyth of Scandal to join the band (she declined). Their record company wanted them to scrap most everything and start fresh with a new name. Nothing was working or making sense. Then the guy who worked on Eddie Van Halen's Ferrari suggested that they might was to take a look at one of his other clients, Sammy Hagar. Eddie thought it was a good idea and reached out to Hagar. Everything seemed to click with Hagar so the band hired him on and the quartet set out to begin the next chapter in the Van Halen saga. They recorded a new album titled 5150 and kicked off the Hagar era of the band with this first single. It was heartily greeted by Rock radio and the song instantly shot to #1. Pop support wasn't far behind and soon it became the band's second Top 10 hit. It certainly sparked interest in the album and once released it went to #1 - a first for Van Halen. While it wouldn't get close to the 10x platinum status of 1984, it would end up doing quite well selling over 6 million copies.

ReduxReview:  I remember all the hubbub about this song and Hagar joining Van Halen. Of course immediately people began referring to the band as Van Hagar (and apparently their record company though the band should take on that name). Many derided the choice and chose to live in the Roth glory days, but others were curious and wanted to see how this all would play out. The new era of the band started out with a bang thanks to this first single. There were elements of the old VH at play while expanded keyboards and Hagar's voice added something new. The sound was a bit thicker with Donn Landee taking over production duties from Ted Templeman, who had produced all of VH's previous albums. I liked the song and thought it was a good transitional piece. Yeah, Hagar was not the showman that Roth was and the sound was a bit different, but I wasn't mad about the selection or changes. For the most part it ended up working out quite well.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  The name of the album, 5150, came from the name of Eddie Van Halen's studio. The numbers don't refer to an address, but to a California welfare code. Section 5150 basically refers to the involuntary psychiatric hold of a person who because of a mental illness poses a threat to themselves or others. Police and/or health officials can detain a person for at least 72 hours at a facility if the need arises. The numbers then became associated with (or a slang term for) someone who is mentally ill and on the loose.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"American Storm" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

Song#:  2657
Date:  03/15/1986
Debut:  56
Peak:  13
Weeks:  14
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  After years of putting out an album nearly every year since 1969, Seger took a bit of a break after 1982's The Distance. He remained active on the singles charts thanks to a couple of soundtrack songs including the #17 "Understanding" in 1984, but it took another couple of years before he unleashed a new studio album titled Like a Rock. This pumped up first single was issued out ahead of the album and it bolted to #2 at Rock. It also did well at Pop getting close to the Top 10. The hit would help send the album to #3 and it would become another platinum seller for Seger and his band.

ReduxReview:  It had been a while since Seger had an epic rock track on the airwaves and this anti-drug song was welcomed with open arms. The airplay at Rock along with the video certainly helped it along, but hearing a blast of Seger on the speakers was a nice change from the synthpop of the day. The band is hot and Seger wails his way through the thing with gusto. Since Bruce Springsteen's run of singles from Born in the U.S.A. was done, it was perfect timing for Seger to come along and pick up the rock 'n' roll torch. I liked the song well enough, but it has never been among my favorite Seger tracks. Apparently, it may not be among Seger's either as the hit was left off of both volumes of his Greatest Hits discs.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  With MTV growing exponentially since his last album, Seger decided to keep up with the times and film a conceptual video to help promote this song. It was his first true effort to make a video for the channel. The video consisted of Seger and his band performing the song on a stage set while scenes of what appeared to possibly be a movie were interspersed. The scenes were not taken from a real film, but it seemed like they were from a movie about drug dealers, drug users, and federal agents. To help make it seem more like an actual film, four actors whose real careers were revving up were hired for the main roles: Lesley Ann Warren, James Woods, Scott Glenn, and Randy Quaid. Warren had been nominated for an Oscar in 1982 for Best Supporting Actress in Victor/Victoria. Woods would win an Emmy and get an Oscar nod in 1987. Glenn had hits under his belt with The Right Stuff and Silverado, and Quaid had both Oscar and Emmy nominations (with a second Emmy nod coming in '87) and had established his role as Cousin Eddie in '83's National Lampoon's Vacation.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Take Me Home" by Phil Collins

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2656
Date:  03/15/1986
Debut:  73
Peak:  7
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  Collins' album No Jacket Required scored three Top 10 hits in a row with two of them hitting #1. He then hit the top spot again in late November of '85 with "Separate Lives," a duet with Marilyn Martin that was featured on the soundtrack to the film White Nights. Then in February of '86, No Jacket Required would win the Grammy for Album of the Year with Collins winning for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, along with Producer of the Year (with Hugh Padgham). As a follow-up to the soundtrack hit and the multiple Grammy wins, Collins issued out this fourth single from his album. It would easily become his eighth Top 10 solo hit at Pop while also getting to #2 AC and #12 Rock. Helping the song along in the background are Collins' old Genesis bandmate Peter Gabriel, Sting, and Helen Terry. It would be the final single released from the album.

ReduxReview:  This rolling track became my favorite from the album. I just loved the feel of the song, the drums, the production, the melody, and Collins' performance. There's really not a lot to the song - a couple of easy chord progressions that are repeated - yet the melodies Collins wrote along with the arrangement made the song soar. I also love hearing Helen Terry's voice rise above the rest of the background singers at the end. No matter what the lyrics are meant to convey, I always get such a reflective yet hopeful feeling when I hear the song; almost like something difficult has ended and something wonderful is on the horizon. It is still one of my favorite tracks from Collins.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Although only four singles were officially released from No Jacket Required, another track found its way on the Rock chart. The track "Inside Out" garnered enough airplay to reach #9 at Rock.  2) Although many folks just considered this song an ode to someone trying to find their way home, the meaning behind it was actually a bit darker. The lyrics apparently reference a person who is living in a mental institution. Collins mentioned this when he appeared on an episode of VH1's Storytellers program. The idea for the lyrics stemmed from the 1962 Ken Kesey novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. That book was adapted into a play in 1963 and later was adapted into a film in 1975. The film, which starred Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher, would go on to win five Oscars including Best Picture. Its Oscar wins were all in the top 5 categories (Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, Screenplay) and it is one of only three films to win the top 5 (as of this posting date).  The other two were 1934's It Happened One Night and 1991's The Silence of the Lambs.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Whisper in the Dark" by Dionne Warwick

Song#:  2655
Date:  03/15/1986
Debut:  89
Peak:  72
Weeks:  9
Genre:  R&B, Pop, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  Warwick experienced the biggest hit of her career when she headed up the charity song "That's What Friends Are For." The song would spend four weeks at #1, go gold, and win a Grammy. The song also appeared on Warwick's appropriately titled Friends album that would be a #12 gold seller. Warwick would follow up her Dionne & Friends hit with this solo track from the LP. While the track would do well at AC getting to #7, Pop and R&B audiences just didn't take to the song and it stopped early on each chart (#72 Pop/#49 R&B). There would be no further singles released from the album, which would be her final one to reach gold level sales.

ReduxReview:  I've always loved this song. I thought it was well-written, sexy, and sophisticated. It was just perfect for Warwick and the production was top-notch. I knew AC would jump on board with the song but I was really hoping that Pop would make a hit out if it. Alas, it just wouldn't catch on. Maybe it was just too mature for pop radio. It's still one of my favorite tracks from Warwick.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  This song was co-written by Bruce Roberts and Edgar Bronfman, Jr. Roberts was a prominent songwriter with many hits under his belt including ones by Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand. Bronfman isn't necessarily known for his songwriting. Most folks know Bronfman as a business man who had successes and tumultuous times heading up companies like Seagrams, Vivendi, and Warner Music Group. He was also famously found guilty of insider trading in a French court in 2011. He paid a hefty fine, but received a suspended sentence and did no jail time. Bronfman spent time in and out of the film and music industry throughout his career. In the 70s he began writing songs, some in collaboration with Roberts. Nothing much came from them until this composition was given to Warwick. Apparently, Bronfman had a connection with Warwick as he met his first wife Sherry via the star in the late 70s. Nearly a decade later, Bronfman would score another hit with a song he co-wrote with David Foster. Celine Dion recorded "To Love You More" in 1995 and it became a big #1 hit in Japan. Although the single would not be officially released in the US, radio stations picked it up for airplay and it would get to #1 at AC. (Due to it not being issued formally as a product, it was then not eligible for the Pop chart.) For that song, Bronfman used the alias of Junior Miles. He also used that name for "If I Didn't Love You," a song Bronfman wrote with Roberts that was recorded by Barbra Streisand for her 1999 album A Love Like Ours.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"A Good Heart" by Feargal Sharkey

Song#:  2654
Date:  03/15/1986
Debut:  94
Peak:  74
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Pop, Synthpop



Pop Bits:  Sharkey first came to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish pop punk band The Undertones. The group had solid success in the UK from 1979 to 1983 issuing four albums that generated several charting singles. In the US, the band had trouble finding an audience and was unable to rise above cult status. Facing label pressures and internal struggles, the band broke up in 1983. Sharkey decided to step out on his own and pursue a solo career. He released two singles that made the UK Top 30 before working in collaboration with Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics fame) for a formal debut album. The LP saw Sharkey setting aside some of his punk roots for a more commercial friendly pop/rock sound and this first single announced the change. It was greeted with open arms in the UK where the song bolted to the #1 spot. With little name recognition in the US, the challenge to break through was more difficult and indeed the song couldn't get a leg up and stalled near the bottom quarter of the Pop chart. It would end up being Sharkey's only single to reach a US chart. Back home, his follow-up single, "You Little Thief," would be a #5 hit. Sharkey would release two more albums with varying results before leaving the spotlight for work on the business side of music.

ReduxReview:  Sharkey's debut LP was one that I bought on a whim. He had an odd name, the cover was interesting, he was produced by Dave Stewart, and although I hadn't heard it, I knew this song had topped the UK chart. To get ahead of the curve, I went ahead and purchased the album. At the time I didn't care for it all that much. I thought there were a couple of good songs including this one, but that was about it. I then set it aside and didn't think much about it until many years later when I happened to hear Maria McKee (see below) perform the song on a live album. In her dialog before playing the song she mentioned it was her biggest hit. I recognized the song immediately and then it all came together in my mind. I hadn't hooked into McKee yet when I bought Sharkey's album so I never realized she wrote this song. I became a big fan of McKee's later and that led me to this rediscovery. I then went back and listened to Sharkey's album again. To my surprise, I really enjoyed it. Of course, this song is a highlight. Sadly, it was one of those that just didn't connect with US listeners. It was a major hit in many countries (even Canada took it to #4), yet folks in the US ignored it. Perhaps listeners didn't care for Sharkey's vibrato-laced warble or just didn't like the tune. Whatever it was, it's a shame it didn't get further up the chart.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  This song was written by American singer/songwriter Maria McKee, who was having some success at the time with her band Lone Justice. Around the time the band recorded their debut album, McKee began a brief affair with Benmont Tench (keyboardist for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers). Tench was lending his skills to the album and even co-wrote a couple of tunes for it with McKee. Their short-lived relationship came to an end and McKee then decided to channel her feelings into music and wrote "A Good Heart." Eurythmics' Dave Stewart knew Tench because Stewart had produced a few tracks for Petty's Southern Accents album and that connection most likely led to "A Good Heart" getting to Feargal Sharkey. However, along with McKee's song Tench sent Sharkey a song he had written called "You Little Thief." The story goes that Tench wrote the tune about McKee in response to "A Good Heart." Smartly, Sharkey recorded both songs, put them back-to-back on his album, and then released them as consecutive singles. Both songs hit the UK Top 10 and the song/response battle between two ex's became a juicy music legend. However, many years later in the days of social media, someone brought this story back up and Tench chimed in via Twitter to debunk the story. He said that they story was a myth and that his song was never about McKee. Perhaps that is the truth, but it is certainly late in coming (and it's much more fun to believe the legend).

_________________________________________________________________________________