"Rain in the Summertime" by The Alarm

Song#:  3363
Date:  12/19/1987
Debut:  96
Peak:  71
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  This Welsh band reached the US Pop chart with their 1985 single "Strength." It was taken from their second album of the same name and reached #61 Pop/#12 Rock. With more folks aware of the band in the US, they tried to keep up the momentum with their third effort, Eye of the Hurricane. This first single was released and it became their first to crack the Rock Top 10 at #6. On the Pop chart it wasn't able to break through and could only manage a couple of months near the bottom of the chart. The album would end up peaking at #77, which wasn't as good as their previous LP (#39).

ReduxReview:  The Alarm was often compared to U2, a band with which they had opened for on earlier 80s tours. They wore the U2 influences on their sleeves while trying to establish their own voice and it was starting to work out well with their LP Strength starting to break them through in a bigger way. Eye of the Hurricane probably should have taken them further into their own individuality, but it seems they just couldn't shake the ghost of U2 and didn't do much to advance their sound. This first single certainly had a U2 feel and lead singer Mike Peters even seemed to be channeling Bono. Yet despite the continued U2 veil of influence, the band did have a knack for penning some good tunes and this was one of them.  I love the joyous feeling of the chorus mixed with the near-military marching arrangement. It sounds defiant and jubilant, which was kind of different for the band who were more known for their darker, more political tunes. What comes to mind in the chorus is the moment in The Shawshank Redemption where Tim Robbins after having escaped the prison thankfully falls to his knees and raises his arms to the sky in the pouring rain while the camera looks down on him. That one moment sums up the chorus of the song.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  The follow-up single selected from the album was "Rescue Me." While it didn't make the Pop chart, it did reach #35 at Rock. It was probably thought that the song might have done better due to it being included on a soundtrack album from a popular US TV show. The track was used in the hit Fox drama 21 Jump Street. The show was about a team of undercover cops who looked young enough to meld in with high school and college students. The program debuted in April of 1987 and ran for five seasons. It was among the first major successes put out by the fledgling Fox network. The show's popularity with a younger demographic helped it become the first Fox program to beat one of the Big 3 network's (CBS, ABC, and NBC) programs in its time slot. 21 Jump Street was also famous for being the launching pad for three-time Oscar nominated actor Johnny Depp, who stayed with the show for four seasons. In 2012, the show was adapted into a buddy comedy film that starred Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Reviews for the flick were mostly positive and it became a box office hit.

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"Twilight World" by Swing Out Sister

Song#:  3362
Date:  12/19/1987
Debut:  97
Peak:  31
Weeks:  15
Genre:  Sophisti-Pop, Smooth Jazz



Pop Bits:  This UK trio made their mark with the single "Breakout." The tune would get to #6 Pop and #1 AC. The hit would earn the band two Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist, and send their debut LP, It's Better to Travel, to #40. For a follow-up, this next track was selected. The tune would do well at AC reaching #7. Over on the Pop chart, the song stalled just shy of the Top 30 mark. A third single, "Surrender," would get to #37 AC, but fail to make the Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  This smooth, string-laden piece of jazz-pop sounded quite dramatic and classy. While it may not have been as catchy or as pop radio-oriented as "Breakout," it was an equally good song. I think it should have done a bit better than its #31 peak. The trio definitely defined their sound with these singles, which was both good and not great. They secured the hits their first go at it, but if they rinse and repeat with their next LP, would anyone be interested?

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  So how did the band come up with their name? It seems the moniker came from a old b-movie titled Swing Out, Sister. Released in 1945, the film starred Frances Raeburn, Billie Burke (Glinda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz), and Arthur Treacher (yes, of the famous fish 'n' chips place). The musical comedy's plot centered on two former sweethearts who are involved in the classical music world, but secretly and separately they perform in jazz clubs under different names so not to upset their prominent families. Hi-jinx ensue as they discover each other's secret and begin to rekindle their romance. The small b-movie was made by Universal and was pretty much forgotten after its release. However, it somehow came to the attention of Andy Connell, Martin Jackson, and Corinne Drewery when they were seeking a name for their new band. Apparently, the trio couldn't fully agree on a name, but there was one that they all agreed on disliking - Swing Out Sister. Although they didn't like the name, since they couldn't fully agree on anything else, they decided to go with the one they all felt the same about.

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"Burning Like a Flame" by Dokken

Song#:  3361
Date:  12/19/1987
Debut:  98
Peak:  72
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Hard Rock



Pop Bits:  Dokken's third album, Under Lock and Key, was their most successful to-date reaching #32 and going platinum. It got a boost thanks to the single "In My Dreams," which got to #24 Rock/#77 Pop. Building on that momentum, the band recorded their fourth studio album Back for the Attack. While a track from the album had already been released earlier in February ("Dream Warriors," the title song to the horror flick A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, which got to #22 Rock), this follow-up single was the first released to truly promote the album. It became their second Top 20 hit at Rock getting to #20. The tune then crossed over to Pop where it hung around the bottom quarter of the chart for a couple of months. Despite the lackluster performance of the single, the band's reputation and fans helped the album get to #13 and become a platinum seller. It would be the best charting effort of their career.

ReduxReview:  Dokken were definitely good at writing solid arena rock track that pleased fans of the genre, but they never were able to come up with that one hooky song that could secure them a mainstream hit. At this point in the 80s with other hard rock/glam bands grabbing hits, it was the perfect time for them to unleash something that would take them to the next level. Unfortunately, this tune didn't do the trick. It was probably the closest thing to a radio-ready track they ever did, but it still didn't have that extra commercial-leaning edge that brought fame to the likes of Bon Jovi or Def Leppard. The chorus was hooky and memorable, but the rest of the tune didn't come up to that level, so parts of it fell a bit flat. Overall it just wasn't enough to really grab radio listeners.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  After Back for the Attack was released, the band went out on tour. Performances from those shows were collected to form the band's first live album, 1988's Beast from the East. To help promote the album, a new studio track was tacked on the end of the LP and released as a single. "Walk Away" would get to #48 at Rock. The album sold well getting to #33 and going gold. The live disc would earn Dokken their first and only Grammy nomination (for Best Metal Performance). In 1989, Dokken would formally split due to issues between members along with ongoing creative differences. Members would start their own projects and perhaps the most successful was guitarist George Lynch's band Lynch Mob. Their first two albums in '90 and '92 sold well thanks to a pair of Rock Top 20 hits including the #13 "Tangled in the Web." Don Dokken's 1990 solo album Up from the Ashes also did fairly well reaching #50. Like a lot of band, Dokken would get back together in 1993. They would record several albums, but none would perform nearly as well as their earlier platinum and gold efforts.

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"What Have I Done to Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield

Top 10 Alert!

Rated 10 Alert!

Song#:  3360
Date:  12/12/1987
Debut:  60
Peak:  2
Weeks:  18
Genre:  Synthpop



Pop Bits:  The UK duo escaped the sophomore curse with their second studio album Actually going gold thanks to the #9 "It's a Sin" along with this even bigger follow-up. The duet with 60s UK blue-eyed soul star Dusty Springfield hit all the right notes and nearly topped the Pop chart. It was the duo's fourth Top 10 in the US. The song also got to #1 at Dance, their second to top that chart, and #14 AC.

ReduxReview:  In an article by Nick Levine in the UK music magazine NME, he stated of this song that "before it's even finished, you already want to play it again." I can't agree enough. The oddly structured song was loaded with hooks and it ended up being very influential on me. Mainly because it was the way I discovered Dusty Springfield. I was slightly familiar with her because I was familiar with her first hit, 1963's "Wishin' and Hopin'" (#6 US Pop). Other than that, I knew nothing. But her voice on the song fascinated me and so I dove deeper and the first stop was her beyond classic 1968 recording Dusty in Memphis. After I heard that, I was utterly hooked. I've been a huge Dusty fan since then. Selecting her for this track was an inspired choice. Her husky, soulful voice softened and gave life to Pet Shop Boys' more rigid and mechanical synthpop style. It was a match made in pop heaven. While I loved "West End Girls," for me this was, and still is, the duo's best moment on record.

ReduxRating:  10/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This song was written by Pet Shop Boys (Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe) along with Allee Willis. The structure of the song was a bit unusual. There was a spoken word part along with two sections that were quite different. Each part had its own distinctive hook, which is not like a typical pop song that has a verse and a catchy chorus. The song ended up this way because each composer wrote a part of the song and those three chunks were then stitched together. It was an unusual approach, but it worked out and made the song stand out from the normal pop chart fare.  2) The song had been written three years prior to it getting recorded and from the get-go, Neil Tennant had only one person in mind for the duet, Dusty Springfield. Springfield was a 60s music icon who earned nine Top 10 hits in the UK between '63 and '68. She was so popular that she even had her own TV variety series for four years. She was less popular in the US earning only three Top 10s in the same time period with her 1968 #10 hit "Son of a Preacher Man" arguably being her most iconic song in the States. That song was featured on her classic LP Dusty in Memphis, which continually appears on lists of the best albums of all time (#83 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest). Initially, the duo's label wasn't thrilled with the Springfield choice because she hadn't had a significant chart entry since 1970. They suggested Tina Turner or Barbra Streisand, but Tennant was adamant and after some coaxing, Springfield came on board. The hit helped revive her career and in 1989 Pet Shop Boys wrote and produced five tracks for Springfield's comeback album Reputation. Two of those tracks became Top 20 hits in the UK. Unfortunately, none of the singles made the US Pop chart, but the track "In Private" did get to #14 at Dance. Springfield would pass away in 1999 from breast cancer.

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"Hot in the City" by Billy Idol

Song#:  3359
Date:  12/12/1987
Debut:  81
Peak:  48
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Idol earned his first and only US #1 hit with a live version of "Mony Mony." With that success, Idol's label thought a follow-up was necessary. Instead of choosing one of the remixes on his Vital Idol collection that was on the chart around this time (and did not include the live "Mony Mony"), a decision was made to just reissue out Idol's 1982 single "Hot in the City," which had originally peaked at #23. Since the tune wasn't a big hit when originally released and Idol was arguably at his peak in the US with "Mony Mony," it was perhaps thought the song might become a bigger hit the second time around. The ploy didn't really work out. While it did pick up some sales and airplay, it wasn't enough to even get the song in the Top 40. It would be Idol's last single to reach the US Pop chart in the 80s.

ReduxReview:  I thought it was a silly idea to just reissue this song. It wasn't a dud on initial release so folks were already familiar with it. If they had taken a moment and developed a good, modern remix on the tune to amp it up for the late 80s, perhaps even make it more of a dance track, then it might have worked better. Instead, they got lazy and just pushed it out and the results were justified. As I said in my earlier post, it was a good song that fit in well with his other hits, but it's not one I clamor to hear.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  The 90s started out rough for Idol. In Feburary of 1990, Idol had a motorcycle accident that wrecked up his leg so bad that he almost lost it. But after operations and steel rod, the leg was saved. However, Idol's lengthy recuperation took a bit of a toll on his career. He was to have a good role in Oliver Stone's bio pic The Doors, but due to Idol's condition, his role was cut down. Perhaps worse was that director James Cameron had wanted Idol to be the T-1000 android in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Because of Idol's accident and recovery, he couldn't do the film. Robert Patrick got the role instead and the film was a major success. Still, Idol went on to record his next album, 1990's Charmed Life, which featured the #2 hit "Cradle of Love." The album would get to #11 and go platinum. After that, Idol's career quickly cooled. His 1993 LP Cyberpunk failed to generate a Pop chart entry and was unable to even go gold. It would be eleven years before he would record another album.

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"Never Thought (That I Could Love)" by Dan Hill

Song#:  3358
Date:  12/12/1987
Debut:  88
Peak:  43
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  After being absent from the US Pop chart for nearly a decade, Canadian singer/songwriter Dan Hill returned in a big way with the #6 "Can't We Try," a duet with Vonda Shepard. It would do even better at AC reaching #2. The song was taken from Hill's second self-titled effort (his first was his 1975 debut LP) as was this follow-up single. The track would be another winner at AC reaching #2. Over on the Pop chart, it didn't perform as well stopping short of the Top 40. A third single from the album, "Carmelia," would reach #8 at AC, but fail to make the Pop chart. The album sold a few copies and was able to hit #90. Hill's 1989 follow-up album, Real Love, would be less successful only generating the #3 AC track "Unborn Heart." Hill would continue to record and would get three more songs on the AC chart including the 1991 #7 "I Fall All Over Again."

ReduxReview:  This was a good follow up to "Can't We Try." I thought it would have at least made the Top 40, but it stopped short. While it was quite a nice ballad, I think it just leaned a little too much towards the AC crowd in a Manilow/Air Supply kind of way, which wasn't necessarily gonna work for the pop crowd. "Can't We Try" was a grander song that appealed to a wider audience. Still, this was a lovely tune that continued Hill's streak of romantic ballads.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Hill's biggest Pop chart hit was 1977's "Sometimes When We Touch." The ballad was co-written by Hill with Barry Mann. The single got to #3 Pop/#10 AC. While many artists have recorded the song including Barry Manilow, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, and Bonnie Tyler, none have been able to get the song on the Pop chart. However, in 1985 the song became a Country hit. Mark Gray and country superstar Tammy Wynette turned the tune into a duet and took it to #6 on the Country chart. It wouldn't be Hill's only song to make the Country chart. In the 90s, Hill hooked up with country singer/songwriter Keith Stegall and the pair wrote songs for several country artists. Five of their songs reached the Country chart with three of them making the Top 10 including a pair of #2 hits, "Love of My Life" by Sammy Kershaw (1997) and "I Do (Cherish You)" by Mark Wills (1998). The latter song was later covered by the boy band 98 Degrees. Their version was released as a single in 1999 and got to #4 AC/#13 Pop.

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"Hot Hot Hot" by Buster Poindexter

Song#:  3357
Date:  12/12/1987
Debut:  95
Peak:  45
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Soca, Calypso, Pop



Pop Bits:  In the 70s, David Johansen was the lead singer/songwriter of the hard rock band New York Dolls. With their androgynous look and glam/punk sound, which predated the existence of those two genres, the band proved to be highly influential. They were able to record two albums in '73 and '74 that were critically acclaimed, but sold very little. Inner struggles led to the band breaking up 1976. Johansen then set out for a solo career and issued out a well-reviewed self-titled debut in 1978, but like the LPs from the Dolls, it hardly sold. Still, he'd continue to record and perform with his band over the next several years. At some point following his 1984 album Sweet Revenge, Johansen started listening to early rock 'n' roll and jump blues records. He also frequented a New York club called Tramps where many blues artists performed. It wasn't long before Johansen got the itch to perform some of the old tunes he had been hearing. However, he didn't want to perform them in his own shows because it wasn't what people would want to hear if they bought a ticket to see David Johansen. Therefore, he developed a show around a new persona named Buster Poindexter, a pompadour sporting, joke telling, martini swilling bandleader. Johansan's regular band would join in as the Banshees of Blues. Johansen booked a few nights at Tramps and debuted his new creation. The show was a success and it eventually led to a contract with RCA. A self-titled debut album was recorded and this first single released. Thanks in part to promo appearances and a popular MTV video, the song started to catch on. It got to #11 on the Dance chart and nearly cracked the Pop Top 40. The album would sell well and reach #40. The song and album would end up being Johansen's biggest chart successes. Johansen would record three more albums under the Buster Poindexter name and has continued to perform shows as the character. In 2004, the New York Dolls reformed and recorded a new album that was well received. Two more LPs would follow.

ReduxReview:  I just didn't get the whole Buster Poindexter thing back in the day. I found the character annoying, the video goofy, and the song a bit ridiculous. Yet the tune attracted people to the dance floor and soon it was being played at about every wedding reception. A friend of mine bought the album and I had to endure listing to the whole thing for a period of time as they loved it. These days I have a better appreciation for what Johnasen was trying to do. Spurred on by his love of these songs, he developed a way to perform them and yet keep it separate from his day job, so to speak. He actually did do a nice job with the songs and I kind of dig the records now. This tune still kind of remains a party classic and I don't mind joining a conga line if the song come on.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  This is a remake of a song originally written and recorded by soca/calypso artist Arrow (aka Alphonsus Cassell). Born on the island of Montserrat, Arrow became a major soca music star following his 1972 debut album. His profile was raised in 1983 when he recorded "Hot Hot Hot." The single did well enough to reach #59 on the UK chart. He would then score a #30 UK hit the following year with "Long Time." While Arrow wouldn't be able to reach the US Pop chart, after the success of Buster Poindexter's "Hot Hot Hot," Arrow placed a couple of song on the US Dance chart including the 1988 #23 "Groove Master." Arrow would pass away in 2010 from cerebral cancer.

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"Tunnel of Love" by Bruce Springsteen

Top 10 Alert!

Rated 10 Alert!

Song#:  3356
Date:  12/05/1987
Debut:  57
Peak:  9
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Springsteen's Tunnel of Love album, his follow-up to 1984's massively successful Born in the U.S.A., was highly anticipated, but unlike his 1986 box set Live/1975-1985, it didn't make a major splash by debuting in the #1 spot. It started off at #16 and two weeks later landed at the top, but remained there for one lone week. Although the more personal LP's first single, "Brilliant Disguise," would make it to #5, it didn't draw people to the album in the way that "Dancing in the Dark" did for Born in the U.S.A. Springsteen's label probably realized quickly that the new album wasn't going to get close to the sales mark set by Born, but that didn't mean it still couldn't do well and it was hoped this title track single would help album sales. The song would be another bit hit at Rock reaching #1. Over on the Pop chart the tune managed to make the Top 10, which ended up being good for the album. By April of '88, the LP would go triple-platinum.

ReduxReview:  This song gets near the top of my list of favorite Springsteen songs. I just think everything about it is perfect. The lyrics, the arrangement, the production, the background vocals, and even the crowd noises (see below) were just spot on. There was some strange, other worldly feel about the song and at the time it was quite a different sound for Springsteen. I've heard it countless times and I still adore the track. I nearly get chills whenever I hear the song start. If it happens to come up on one of my playlists, I'll usually hit the repeat button because just one time through isn't enough for me. Classic and brilliant.

ReduxRating:  10/10

Trivia:  Some effects that contain noises and screams can be heard slightly at the beginning of the song, but more prominently at the end. The sounds heard were captured by engineer Toby Scott. He recorded actual amusement park noises to go with the song's metaphorical tunnel of love/fun house theme. Scott recorded the sounds at Herman's Amusements on Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, which in 1987 became part of Jenkinson's Boardwalk. The clanking roar and screams Scott recorded apparently came from a roller coaster at the park, which at the time was owned by the Schiffer family. According to a newspaper article written by a former employee at the park, the coaster was called the Dragon. The history of the ride isn't well documented, but it seems that at some point in time after it was taken over by Jenkinson's, the coaster was closed and perhaps even moved. A refurbished version of the ride then became the Tornado, which is still in operation as of this posting date. The Tornado is an example of a railed powered roller coaster. This means that the single car that traverses the track is powered throughout the ride. This is different from most coasters that rely on large hills to propel the coaster around the track. The advantage of a powered coaster is that it can be designed for small areas where large hills couldn't be constructed. In the liner notes for Tunnel of Love, the Schiffer family is given credit for the park noises.

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"Say You Will" by Foreigner

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3355
Date:  12/05/1987
Debut:  59
Peak:  6
Weeks:  19
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  After the band's #4 triple-platinum LP Agent Provocateur, lead singer Lou Gramm decided it was time to do a solo album and pushed out Ready or Not early in '87, which resulted in the #5 hit "Midnight Blue." After the success of the album, it seemed Gramm's tenure in the band was in question as commitments to his solo work interrupted progress of Foreigner's next effort. Luckily, everything got worked out and a full compliment of Foreigner finally finished off their sixth album Inside Information. This first single was released and it shot to the top of the Rock chart where it stayed for four weeks. It also ended up doing well on the Pop chart becoming their eighth Top 10 hit. The tune was also able to scratch the AC chart at #41. It seemed the hit would easily push the album into the Top 10, but in late February of '88, it stalled at #15. It would be Foreigner's first album to miss the Top 10.

ReduxReview:  While this kind of sounded like a Foreigner track thanks mainly to Lou Gramm's voice, it certain was one of their most pop-oriented singles. It seemed like they were following Journey's journey towards attracting a more adult soft rock audience. Foreigner was never really cutting edge rock, but they did well in balancing their guitar-driven rock with radio friendly hooks. It just seemed that by this time they had really toned down the guitars in favor of 80s keyboards, perhaps in an attempt to secure a pop hit. It certainly wasn't the Foreigner of "Hot Blooded" or even "Urgent." Still, this wasn't a bad song at all. It was a credible pop tune that played well on the radio and got the band back into the Top 10.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Prior to forming Foreigner, guitarist and co-songwriter Mick Jones had been a member of a couple of other bands that had some limited success. As an 18-year-old, Jones spent about a year playing in the British rock 'n' roll instrumental band Nero and the Gladiators, who lived up to their name by sporting togas and gladiator costumes. The band had scored a couple of minor UK single entries in 1961, which brought them attention. They even opened some shows for The Beatles in their early Cavern Club days. While the band wouldn't chart again, they continued to tour and in 1963 Jones joined them when the band's guitarist left. He'd stay on for a while, but would eventually leave. The band called it quits in 1964. Jones would then mainly be a session musician until he began working with Gary Wright, leader of the British rock band Spooky Tooth. The pair became the duo Wonderwall in 1971, but then in 1972, Wright decided to reform Spooky Tooth and took Jones with him. The band recorded three albums before disbanding again in 1974. Two years later, Jones started to form Foreigner.

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"In God's Country" by U2

Song#:  3354
Date:  12/05/1987
Debut:  84
Peak:  44
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  By this point in time, U2's The Joshua Tree had already spent 9 weeks at #1 and had sold over 4 million copies. Two of its singles hit #1 while a third, "Where the Streets Have No Name," just missed the Top 10 peaking at #13. For most markets, the three singles would be it. However, for the US and Canada, the band's label decided to take a chance on a fourth single and released this track. The song would do well at Rock reaching #6, but it couldn't fully catch on at Pop and missed making the Top 40. The results didn't really matter as the album had already sold millions and in March of '88 it would win the Grammy for Album of the Year, which boosted sales. By the fall of '88 it would go 5x platinum. The LP would continue to sell over the years and in 1995 it would reach the diamond mark (10+million). Worldwide sales stand at 25 million making one of the best-selling albums of all-time.

ReduxReview:  This jangly upbeat track was probably the best choice for a fourth single, but it didn't have the same mainstream/pop appeal as the band's previous singles. With the band's popularity sky high at the time, it wasn't a bad choice to push this out as a single. Odds were 50/50 that it would do anything. The fact it nearly made the Top 40 wasn't too bad. Apparently, a video for the song was made but it wasn't serviced to MTV. An assist there might have helped get the single a bit further up the chart, but it still wasn't destined to be a hit. The song still works best as an album track.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  In addition to the four singles released from the album, two other tracks from The Joshua Tree album and sessions would reach the Rock chart. The caustic LP track "Bullet the Blue Sky" received enough airplay to reach #14 at Rock. Another song from the recording sessions, "Spanish Eyes," also made the Rock chart at #11. "Spanish Eyes" was initially developed during The Joshua Tree sessions and a cassette tape of the idea/song was created. Somehow the tape got set aside and lost, so the song was not revisited. As the recording of the album was coming to a close, the cassette was found. The band thought the tune had potential, but by that point it was too late to get it done in time to be a possible candidate for the LP and had to set it aside. Later, they picked back up on the song and got it recorded with a couple of other leftover tracks. These would be used for b-sides to upcoming singles. "Spanish Eyes" was used for the b-side to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Not long after that song peaked at #1, "Spanish Eyes" began to pickup some airplay on rock radio stations. By the first week in August of '87, it would nearly make the Rock Top 10 stopping at #11.

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"Lover's Lane" by Georgio

Song#:  3353
Date:  12/05/1987
Debut:  86
Peak:  59
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Dance, R&B



Pop Bits:  Georgio's debut LP for Motown, Sex Appeal, sold a few copies and ended up reaching #27 R&B and #117 Pop thanks to a pair of singles that included the #1 Dance/#5 R&B hit "Tina Cherry" (#96 Pop). Hoping to keep up some momentum, this third single from the LP was released. Like his previous two singles, it would make the Dance Top 10 reaching #2. It did less well at R&B getting to #26 while missing the top half of the Pop chart. A fourth single, "Bedrock," would make it to #5 Dance and #37 R&B. It would fail to make the Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  Just like his other singles, this one leaned heavy on the Prince/Minneapolis sound. It wasn't quite as Prince-ly as "Tina Cherry," where it sounded like he was trying to beat Prince at his own game, but elements of the Purple One were still evident. It also wasn't quite as bad as "Tina Cherry." The groove was solid while the production was crisp and clean. It got a bit repetitive and didn't have enough hooks to lure in pop radio, but overall it was a fairly good dance track.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  This song would end up being Georgio's last to reach the Pop chart. His second Motown album was a self-titled effort that came out in 1988. It seems for the most part, Georgio was still chasing after Prince. The LP's first single, "I Don't Want 2 Be Alone," which used the "2" instead of "to" in the same way Prince had started to do years earlier, was a ballad that didn't create any distance between Georgio and the Prince sound. The single got to #37 R&B. Another track on the album, "Romantic Love," only got to #39 at Dance. With those results, the album topped out at #55 R&B while not making the Pop chart. Georgio then left Motown and signed on with RCA for his third album, 1991's Rollin'. The title track got to #35 R&B while a second single only got to #70. The album failed to make any chart and with that, Georgio's music career came to a close. He would later attempt a career in film by writing, directing, and starring in the 2003 music biz crime drama Tapped Out, which featured an appearance by rapper Coolio. After that, Georgio seemingly disappeared from the entertainment business.

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"Reason to Live" by Kiss

Song#:  3352
Date:  12/05/1987
Debut:  98
Peak:  64
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  The band's fourteenth studio album, Crazy Nights, would end up being their best performing of the decade reaching #18 and going platinum. The effort focused on a more mainstream sound with Ron Nevison, who produced Heart's 1985 comeback LP, helping the band along. While the title track first single wasn't a significant hit (#65 Pop/#37 Rock), the associated video proved popular on MTV and helped to sell albums and tour tickets. In addition to having Nevison on board as producer, the band also reached out to hit-making songwriters to assist in shaping their songs. Diane Warren would co-write a track while Desmond Child, who had previously worked with Kiss, helped out on three songs including this second single. It would perform nearly the same as the previous single topping out at #64 Pop and #34 Rock, but once again the video proved to be a hit on MTV. A third single, the Diane Warren co-write "Turn on the Night," wouldn't chart. While critics were mostly negative towards the album, Kiss fans showed up and made it a platinum seller.

ReduxReview:  Nevison and the band were shooting for a "These Dreams" kind of hit with this power ballad and they got fairly close. I'm not sure if it was Top 10 worthy, but it should have at least cracked the Top 40. My guess is that pop radio stations were not that willing to put a Kiss song in rotation even though this track leaned heavily towards Heart/Bon Jovi territory. The band's reputation for hard rock songs and stage theatrics were never really in-step with the pop world, so it was going to be a hard sell to get them accepted on mainstream radio stations. Whatever promotion the label did, it just wasn't enough and the song stalled the same way the title track did. Neither could get over that hump. While I wasn't a fan of the title track, I thought this was a good attempt by the band to keep up with current trends. It just didn't work out as well as it should have.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  The last track on the Crazy Nights album was "Thief in the Night." It was written by Kiss member Gene Simmons along with Mitch Weissman. The song was originally recorded by punk rock/heavy metal singer Wendy O. Williams for her 1984 solo debut album WOW. Williams had led the controversial punk band The Plasmatics since 1978. In 1982, the band opened up for Kiss on some of their tour stops. Afterward, The Plasmatics went on a hiatus due to label issues, so Williams chose to do a solo album and secured Simmons for producer. Simmons would co-write five tracks for the LP and got members of Kiss to play on it as well. The album wasn't a big seller, but it got enough attention to earn Williams a Grammy nod for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. "Thief in the Night" was first recorded for the LP. Kiss then decided to cover the track for their Crazy Nights album. The lead single from the WOW album was "It's My Life." The tune was co-written by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley and first demoed by Kiss as a potential track for their 1982 album Creatures of the Night. The song didn't get a formal recording and was set aside. Simmons then revived it for Williams' album. Kiss would re-record the song for their 1998 album Psycho Circus, but once again it got shelved. The unreleased song would finally see the light of day on the 2001 Kiss compilation collection The Box Set.

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"Seasons Change" by Exposé

#1 Alert!

Song#:  3351
Date:  11/28/1987
Debut:  57
Peak:  1 (1 week)
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  The female vocal trio's debut album Exposure had already gone platinum thanks to three Pop Top 10 hits. It was decided that a fourth single was in order and this ballad was selected. While it wasn't a major risk, the trio had established themselves with upbeat dance tunes so this slower paced track was definitely a change of pace and it went over extremely well. The song became their first to hit #1 on both the Pop and AC charts, while also getting to #27 on the R&B chart. It would end up being the biggest chart hit of the trio's career.

ReduxReview:  The timing of this single was a bit unusual, yet perfect. After a pair of uptempo hits, this song seemed like a natural follow-up, but another dance track was released instead. The (pardon the pun) overexposure generated by the first three hits might have hampered the chart prospects for this ballad. Luckily, the tune was strong enough to crash both the Pop and AC charts in a big way. It was the perfect way to end the run of singles from the album. Producer/songwriter Lewis A. Martineé did an excellent job with composition and production on the track and I'd rank it as his best effort.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  With this song making the Pop Top 10, it set a chart record. Exposé became the first group to earn four Top 10 hits from a debut album. However, they weren't the first overall artist to achieve that feat. The first artist to get four Top 10 hits from a debut album was Cyndi Lauper who did it with her 1983 multi-platinum debut She's So Unusual.

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"Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac

Song#:  3350
Date:  11/28/1987
Debut:  65
Peak:  14
Weeks:  18
Genre:  Soft Rock



Pop Bits:  Featuring two Top 10 hits and another Top 20 entry, Fleetwood Mac's album Tango in the Night had already done well enough to peak at #7 and go platinum. Since its third single, "Little Lies," was a hit reaching #4 Pop and #1 AC, it was decided a fourth single was in order and this track was selected. Like "Little Lies," it was written and sung by Christine McVie. The tune proved be another excellent fit for AC radio and it topped the chart for three weeks. Over on the Pop chart, it looked like it would be another Top 10 for the band, but it stopped just short of that mark. In January of '88 while this song was making its way up the charts, the album would be certified for sales of three million.

ReduxReview:  This was another solid track from Tango in the Night and a good single. I think it was worthy of a quick dip in the Top 10, but it stopped just short. It was a no-brainer that AC would take to the track like a duck to water and indeed it got to #1. Although Lindsey Buckingham's production still had 80s touches, it was less that other tracks on Tango and that gave this song a bit of a timeless appeal. Out of all the singles from Tango, this is the one I hear most often when out and about these days.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  The accompanying video for this song featured a story that closely followed the plot of the 1906 poem "The Highwayman" written by English poet/playwright Alfred Noyes. The plot focuses on a highwayman (basically a person on horseback who robs travelers) who falls for an innkeeper's daughter. The two lovers are betrayed by the inn's stable person and a trap is set to ambush the highwayman. The daughter finds out and in her attempt to warn the highwayman she is killed. The highwayman then seeks revenge and in the process is also killed. The poem ends with the ghosts of the lovers meeting. The poem proved to be very popular and has inspired both film and song. A 1951 film by the same name used the poem for its storyline. In 1997, Canadian singer/songwriter adapted the poem into a folk song. It appeared on her album The Book of Secrets.

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"Throwaway" by Mick Jagger

Song#:  3349
Date:  11/28/1987
Debut:  85
Peak:  67
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Jagger's second attempt to become a viable solo star wasn't working out well. Primitive Cool would peak at a low #41 while its first single, "Let's Work," stalled just inside the Top 40 (#39). His 1985 debut solo disc She's the Boss had gone platinum, so it was quite a disappointment that his second effort was struggling to even approach gold level sales. He needed a bigger hit to help out, but this second single didn't get the job done. Although it was another Top 10 at Rock getting to #7, the tune couldn't even manage to reach the top half of the Pop chart. A third single, "Say You Will," got to #39 Rock, but failed to make the Pop chart. Jagger would attempt another solo album in 1993 with Wandering Spirit. It would perform much better reaching #11 and going gold thanks to a pair of Rock Top 10s including the #1 track "Don't Tear Me Up." In 2001, Jagger would record his fourth (and to-date of this posting his last) solo album Goddess in the Doorway. It would reach #39 and fail to go gold. The album was the subject of an infamous review in Rolling Stone where critic and editor in chief Jann Wenner award the LP five stars (basically an instant classic) and wrote that it was better than any Stones album since 1978's Some Girls. Wenner was called out for his review, specifically in the New Yorker magazine that accused those at Rolling Stone of trying to boost the legitimacy of older, classic rock stars. (Note: while the album is not 5-star worthy, I think it is easily Jagger's best solo album with a few excellent tracks, especially "Visions of Paradise," which was a co-write with MatchboxTwenty's Rob Thomas.) After the relative failure of Primitive Cool, Jagger would return to The Rolling Stones to record their successful 1989 LP Steel Wheels.

ReduxReview:  This album opening track was a solid rock song from Jagger. It actually sounded like a solo Jagger effort rather than something he would have written for the Stones or something more left-field like "Let's Work." It didn't have quite enough pop-leaning hooks to make the song work in a more mainstream way, but it was successful as a rock radio track. The production is nice and chunky too. It's an overlooked track from Jagger's solo career.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  During this late 80s period, Jagger and his bandmate Keith Richards were not getting along. A good chunk of the animosity had to do with Jagger pushing the band aside in favor of his solo career. Richards would later dub this period as "World War III" with the band on the brink of calling it quits. They didn't, but they were also not making plans for a new Stones album. So with Jagger doing solo work, Richards decided he was going to take a crack at it as well. In 1988, Richards released his debut solo album Talk Is Cheap. Its first single, "Take It So Hard," was a hit at Rock getting to #3. While the song would not make the Pop chart, the Rock hit along with the publicity about Richards' first solo effort and good critical reviews helped the album get to #24 and go gold, which bested the results of Jagger's Primitive Cool. Since then, Richards has recorded two other studio solo LPs.

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"Could've Been" by Tiffany

#1 Alert!

Song#:  3348
Date:  11/28/1987
Debut:  86
Peak:  1 (2 weeks)
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  The teen singer who gained some notoriety via a tour of shopping malls made it to the top of the Pop chart with her remake of the Tommy James & the Shondells classic "I Think We're Alone Now." It was the second single from her self-titled debut album. For a follow-up, this ballad was selected. It ended up being the right choice with the tune becoming her second #1 at Pop and her first #1 at AC. This second hit helped to push the album to #1 for two weeks in late January of '88. Three months later in April, the LP would be certified for sales of over 4 million copies.

ReduxReview:  I wasn't buying the whole Tiffany thing at the time. The weird mall tour combined with the cheezy remake of "I Think We're Alone Now" just turned me off. So when this song first came out I didn't want to have anything to do with it. But the more I heard it, the more I began to actually like it. I didn't want to, but I recognized that it was actually a well-written song. It was a fairly mature song for a 14-year old (age at time of recording) to handle, let alone understand, but Tiffany didn't do too bad of a job. I ended up buying the single and toyed with getting the album thinking there may be a couple of other good tunes on it, but then the third single came out, which was worse than "I Think We're Alone Now," and it killed that idea immediately. Still, this may be the best song that Tiffany ever recorded.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) With this single and the album, Tiffany set a couple of Billboard achievement records. At 16 years of age, she became the youngest artist to have two songs reach #1 and the youngest female artist to have a #1 album. She would hold the latter record until 1997 when at the age of 14, country star LeAnn Rimes reached #1 with her second album Unchained Melody: The Early Years.  2) This song was written by Lois Blaisch. Blaisch began working the clubs late in her teens and also started writing songs. Through connections, she got some work writing tunes for Disney, which included popular projects like Mousercise. In the meantime, Blaisch was still working the clubs in the LA. area, mainly as part of a duo. One evening she invited a couple of industry guys to come see her perform. At the show she played a song she wrote called "Could've Been." One of the guys loved the song and introduced Blaisch to producer George Tobin, who after hearing the tune wanted to develop Blaisch as an artist. In 1983, they recorded "Could've Been." During the recording sessions, Tobin pushed Blaisch to sign over her publishing rights to the song for three years, which she did. The pair recorded a couple of other songs and Blaisch got an offer to sign with MCA Records with Tobin producing and guiding her career. She declined because she did not like Tobin's business tactics and the two parted ways. Three years later at the time the song's publishing rights would return to Blaisch, she got a call from Tobin. He had recorded the song with Tiffany and wanted to sign another deal for publishing rights. Not wanting to let a potential opportunity slip away, Blaisch and her lawyer came up with a deal that split publishing rights for the song if it made the album, but giving Tobin full rights if the song was on a single. While the song did become a #1 single, which benefited Tobin greatly, Blaisch still did pretty well with her share of rights from a 4x platinum album. However, the kicker on this is that Tobin just reused the backing track from the Blaisch recording for Tiffany. He just had Tiffany sing over the existing track.

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"Cherokee" by Europe

Song#:  3347
Date:  11/28/1987
Debut:  91
Peak:  72
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Glam Rock



Pop Bits:  The Swedish band scored their biggest hit with the third single from their album The Final Countdown. "Carrie" would be a solid hit reaching #3 on the Pop chart. Because of that hit, the label thought a fourth single was in order and released this track. It couldn't make much headway on the Pop chart and stalled near the bottom quarter. Europe would then retreat to the studio to work on their follow-up LP.

ReduxReview:  This is an odd song. I'm not sure if it was meant to be a message song or a tribute or something to recognize a particularly horrific historical event or all the above. Whatever the case, it was kind of strange that a Swedish glam rock band would record a song about a horrible period in American history. While I appreciate the attempt, it just didn't work for me. It was just too much of a stretch coming from these guys with huge hair and chart conquering aspirations. As an album track, it could kind of meld in with their other tunes, but it was definitely not a good single choice.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  The band's lead singer and main songwriter Joey Tempest got the idea to write this song from a book. Apparently, the wife of the band's producer Keith Elson had a book about Native Americans lying around and Tempest took interest in it. After reading about the plight of the Cherokee nation, he thought the subject could be turned into a song. When the initial tracks for The Final Countdown were finished, the band and their producer thought they needed one more. Tempest brought his new tune "Cherokee" to the table and they decided to record it. Weirdly (and perhaps not Tempest's doing), the video for the song had a lot of historical inaccuracies and wasn't even shot in America. It was filmed in Spain in the same desert area where Clint Eastwood's famous spaghetti westerns like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly were shot. If you look close, there are even cacti in the background that were props left from other shoots.

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"She's Fly" by Tony Terry

Song#:  3346
Date:  11/28/1987
Debut:  92
Peak:  80
Weeks:  9
Genre:  R&B, New Jack Swing



Pop Bits:  Terry began his career in music as a backup singer, but through connections eventually earned a chance at a solo career with Epic Records. He recorded a debut album titled Forever Yours and this first single was issued out. It did well at R&B reaching #10 on that chart. It then crossed over to Pop, but it didn't catch on as well and fizzled near the bottom of the chart after a couple of months. A follow-up single, "Lovey Dovey," would do even better at R&B reaching #4, but the tune failed to crack the Pop chart. The two R&B hits helped the album reach #27 R&B/#151 Pop.

ReduxReview:  This was a solid New Jack Swing track that probably would have done better had it come out a year or so later. NJS was still breaking at the time and while the new genre was doing well at R&B, with a few minor exceptions, like "Casanova" by LeVert, it was taking a little time for it to get into the pop mainstream. Keith Sweat and Bobby Brown would ignite the genre in '88, but when Terry's single came out, it was still something that was perhaps considered too R&B for pop. Still, it was a good track even though it may not have been quite as memorable as upcoming New Jack hits.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Terry's debut album was produced by Ted Currier. Currier had remixed/produced tracks for several artists including George Clinton's 1982 R&B #1 "Atomic Dog." Another act he worked with was the hip-hop group The Boogie Boys, with which Terry had performed as a background vocalist. The Boogie Boys recorded three albums for Capitol Records between '85 and '88. They mainly became known for their #10 R&B hit "A Fly Girl," which didn't make the Pop chart, but bubbled under at #102.

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"You're All I Need" by Mötley Crüe

Song#:  3345
Date:  11/28/1987
Debut:  93
Peak:  83
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Hard Rock, Glam Rock



Pop Bits:  Mötley Crüe's fourth album, Girls, Girls, Girls, would be their highest peaking yet (#2) thanks to the title track also becoming their biggest hit to-date (#12 Pop/#2 Rock). Next up for the band was this track from the album. The power ballad couldn't really catch on and stalled early at Pop while not even making the Rock chart. However, it hardly mattered because the album had already reached double-platinum status and would eventually sell over 4 million copies.

ReduxReview:  This album closing track was a good power ballad from the band. It had nice chord progressions and melodies that took the band in a mainstream rock direction. I'm not sure if it was a great single contender, especially considering the lyrics (see below), but it showed that the band, despite their off-stage antics, were maturing.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Apparently, this song was inspired by a bit of infidelity a member of Mötley Crüe had experienced. Nikki Sixx, bassist and main songwriter for the band, had been dating a woman for a while prior to recording the Girls, Girls, Girls album. It seems Sixx though the two were an exclusive couple, but then he found out she was seeing another guy as well. It turned out to be actor/singer Jack Wagner of General Hospital and "All I Need" fame. Instead of fully confronting his girlfriend about it all, Sixx instead went in to the studio and with Tommy Lee wrote "You're All I Need," a sort of toss back to Wagner's 1984 #2 hit. The song's dark lyrics are about a guy who loves a girl and she may not necessarily love him back. He kills her so she won't love anyone else. Sixx took the demo of the song over to his girlfriend's place, walked in, said nothing, and played the tape. Apparently realizing the jig was up, she left in tears. By most accounts, that's where the story ends. However, it seems Sixx had plans for Wagner and supposedly hired some goons to jump Wagner and break his knee caps. While the plan was never hatched, the former girlfriend got wind of the threat. Then coincidentally, Wagner took a fall during a shoot and fractured his knee. Of course, everyone then though Sixx made good on his threat, but that wasn't the case. The song's associated video pretty much followed the lyrics with a guy killing his girlfriend (off screen). Although there was only implied violence in the video, MTV initially rejected it due to violent content.

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"Because of You" by The Cover Girls

Song#:  3344
Date:  11/28/1987
Debut:  94
Peak:  27
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Dance-Pop, Freestyle



Pop Bits:  By this point in time, this NYC vocal trio had released two singles from their debut album Show Me. Neither were able to crack the Pop Top 40 with only their title-track first single doing anything of note getting to #4 Dance. Hoping that the third time would be the charm, this third single was issued out. This time around, they got a bit more traction at Pop and the song was able to get inside the Top 30. It also got to #16 Dance while reaching #47 R&B. While it wasn't a major hit, it did raise the trio's profile and helped their album get to #64 Pop/#74 R&B.

ReduxReview:  This track is better than their previous two and I think that has to do with the songwriter/producers. It was written by David Cole and produced by Cole along with Robert Clivillés, who would both go on to have hits under the C+C Music Factory name. The pair were perfecting their craft and did well with this song. It was a catchy tune with good freestyle production. However, the problem I have is with the lead singer's voice. I'm just not a fan. It sounds so whiny, thin, and occasionally not fully in tune (or at least sounds...off). It kind of grates on me. Overall, it was a good effort from Cole and Clivillés, but it still didn't quite have that extra oomph needed to secure a bigger mainstream hit.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  After the trio's second single, "Spring Love" (#80 Pop), was released, original member Sunshine Wright decided to leave the group. It seems that move ended her music career, but her name would hit the papers in 1991 due to events that put her then-husband in prison. Isaac Wright, Jr. was arrested in New Jersey for being a drug kingpin and sentenced to life in prison. Unfortunately, the charges were false. Wright had somehow been framed for the crime with illegally planted evidence. Unable to prove his innocence, Wright ended up in prison. While serving time, he studied law and worked as a paralegal. With his help, several of his fellow inmates got their convictions overturned. Wright also worked on his own case and was eventually able to reveal the corruption that led to his arrest. Wright was freed from prison in 1998. He studied law and passed the bar in 2008. If any of this sounds familiar, it may be because ABC took Wright's story and turned it into the TV drama For Life, which starred Nicholas Pinnock as Wright (for the show the character's name became Aaron Wallace). The first season aired early in 2020 and it did well enough for a second season to be ordered, which began late in 2020.

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"Pump Up the Jam" by M/A/R/R/S

Gold Record Alert!

Song#:  3343
Date:  11/28/1987
Debut:  96
Peak:  13
Weeks:  23
Genre:  Dance, House



Pop Bits:  The British label 4AD was known for featuring eclectic artists on its roster including ones that dabbled in electronic/experimental music along with post-punk and dream pop bands. In 1987, label head Ivo-Watts Russell thought it would be a good idea for two acts on the label, the duo A.R. Kane and the band Colourbox, to collaborate on a project. The members decided to give it a go with each side working up a track and then trading so the other group could make their contributions. Somewhere along the way, they got the idea to expand the world of sampling from rap into dance music, so they brought along DJs Chris "C.J." Mackintoch and Dave Dorrell to help with sample procurement and construction. In the end, two tracks were created, "Pump Up the Volume" and "Anitina." The songs were assembled into a single and released under the moniker M/A/R/R/S, which was an acronym made up from the first letters of the first names of the collective members. Of the two, "Pump Up the Volume" got the most attention and it took off in the UK eventually hitting #1. That success led to a release in the US where it would top the Dance chart. It then crossed over to R&B (#8) and Pop, where it just stopped short of the Top 10. It would end up being a gold seller and would earn the collective a Grammy nod for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. A big spotlight was put on the creators of the track and it was hoped they would continue the project. Alas, they all chose to keep it as a one-off project and the two tracks would be the only ones to come from the collaboration. A.R. Kane would go on to record their debut album 69, which received critical acclaim. However, it seems everything that came with having a hit took a toll on members of Colourbox and they chose to call it quits.

ReduxReview:  When I learned back in the day that this song was mostly made of samples, it kind of blew my mind. Obviously, sampling had been around for a while but most tracks utilized a very small amount. The fact that someone sat down, found the snippets, and sewed them together in a way that created a catchy, mainstream dance track amazed me. The song was just so cool and of course I bought the single. The infectious track was highly influential and it really should have made the Pop Top 10. All versions of this track are interesting, but the US version (see below) was the one I got used to so it stands out to me. It is hard to find in the digital world, but at least someone put it up on YouTube (above). I still have the vinyl single. I should transfer that to digital for my playlists.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) "Pump Up the Volume" is considered one of the first hits that was nearly all created from samples. It has been said that over 250 various samples were used to make the track. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the vocal part that states the title. That was a sample from the a cappella version of "I Know You Got Soul," a track from the 1987 platinum debut album by hip-hop duo Eric B & Rakim. It also served as the LP's third single reaching #39 Dance/#64 R&B. The amount of samples used in the song eventually caused issues regarding permission/clearance for use, which at one point for a few days halted distribution of the single in the UK while it was high on the chart. The legal issues also became a problem for the planned US release, which would be pushed out on the 4th & B'way label. Some samples used in the UK version would be removed while others from 4th & B'way would be inserted. Needless to say, the headaches caused by the samples certainly didn't make the members of M/A/R/R/S excited to do another track.  2) This song was picked up for use in the 1988 film Bright Lights, Big City, which starred Michael J. Fox. By the time the movie was released at the beginning of April 1988, "Pump Up the Volume" had already peaked on the Pop chart a few weeks earlier. That timing didn't help when it came to the soundtrack album, which peaked at #67. It also didn't help that the film received mixed reviews and did not do well at the box office.

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"The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson

#1 Alert!

Song#:  3342
Date:  11/21/1987
Debut:  44
Peak:  1 (1 week)
Weeks:  18
Genre:  R&B, Pop



Pop Bits:  Bad, Jackson's follow-up to his massive hit album Thriller, was off to a solid start with its first two singles, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and the title track, both hitting #1 at Pop. Next up for release was this track. Like the previous two singles, it debuted high on the chart near the Top 40 and then proceeded to make its way to the top of the chart. It also got to #1 at R&B, #3 Dance, and #9 AC. While the album would only spend six weeks at #1 and sell only a third as much as Thriller, it would still have its own accomplishments, such as with this song. With the tune going to the top of the chart, Bad quickly bested Thriller in Pop #1s. Throughout Thriller's run of seven singles, only two of them, "Billie Jean" and "Beat It," reached #1. "The Way You Make Me Feel" would be the third #1 in a row from Bad, and it wouldn't be the last.

ReduxReview:  I wasn't a fan of this shufflin' track when it first came out. I thought it was a little goofy and didn't like all of Jackson's little ad libs and hiccups. Plus it annoyed me that it sounded like he sang in the chorus "my lonely days are good," instead of the real word "gone." I was disappointed that it was released as a single over better tracks, but in the end it worked out for Jackson. These days I appreciate the song more. It is still not one of my favorites from MJ, but I do like what Quincy Jones did with the arrangement and production. It was his work that really made the song. I still think Jackson overdid the vocals a bit, but the hooky chorus is still memorable and effective.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) While this song reached #1 and sold well at the time, it did not reach gold level sales for the physical 45 RPM single. However, in 2018 Jackson's catalog was reevaluated by RIAA for certifications. Twenty-one of Jackson's singles received gold or platinum awards based on the RIAA's new rules for digital sales and streaming. "The Way You Make Me Feel" was certified at the double-platinum level.  2) According to a book about Jackson's #1 songs, this tune came about via Jackson's mom. Katherine Jackson had asked Michael to write something with a shuffle rhythm for his next album. Michael took on the challenge and wrote this tune. Originally, Jackson had intended to assemble a triple album and had recorded about 30 songs, including this one. His producer, Quincy Jones, talked him into making it just a single LP. After whittling down the tracks, "The Way You Make Me Feel" made the final cut.

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"Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa

Platinum Record Alert!

Rated 10 Alert!

Song#:  3341
Date:  11/21/1987
Debut:  76
Peak:  19
Weeks:  25
Genre:  Rap



Pop Bits:  New Yorkers Cheryl James and Sandra Denton were nursing students who earned money working at Sears. It seemed they had their career paths set, but then one of their Sears co-workers (and boyfriend of James), Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor ended up altering their lives forever. Azor was a music production student who needed some vocals done on one of his class projects. He asked James and Denton to join him in the studio and the three collaborated on a track titled "The Show Stoppa (Is Stupid Fresh)." They released the song under the name Super Nature on a small indie label in 1985 and it started to get some airplay around New York. It did well enough to crack the R&B chart and get to #46. With that success, the three chose to pursue music full-time and develop an act. Azor decided to add a DJ alongside James and Denton and hired on Latoya Hanson. The trio were then renamed Salt-N-Pepa and they signed on with New Plateau Entertainment. Work began on an album with Azor writing/producing the bulk of the tracks. The LP, titled Hot, Cool & Vicious, was released late in '86. Not long after its release, Hanson was replaced by teenager Deidra Roper, aka DJ Spinderella. The album got a little bit of attention with its first two singles, "My Mic Sounds Nice" and "Tramp," peaking at #41 and #21 on the R&B chart, respectively. However, it would be a b-side track that would prove to be the breakthrough for the trio. "Push It" appeared it its original form on the b-side to the 12" single of "Tramp," but on the 7" single a remix version was used. That remix started to turn some ears and it quickly became obvious that the tune had potential. Although it wasn't on the trio's debut album, the "Push It" remix was issued out as a single late in '87. It reached #28 at R&B and #18 Dance. It then crossed over to the Pop chart where it slowly caught on. The track would eventually crack the Top 20. It would end up being a platinum seller, a first for a female rap act. As the song was shaping up to be a hit, Hot, Cool & Vicious (still with Hanson pictured on the cover) was reissued with the "Push It" remix and the remix versions of two other tracks. The hit helped send the album to #7 R&B and #26 Pop. It would end up going platinum, which like the single was a first for a female rap act. "Push It" would also earn them a Grammy nod for Best Rap Performance.

ReduxReview:  This track was just cool as shit back in the day. The beat and the "ahh, push it" grabbed your attention and after that the song was loaded with hooks galore along with a rap that everyone had memorized. From what I've read, Salt-N-Pepa considered this a toss-away track that didn't show off their skills. Therefore, it got pushed to the b-side of a single. Oh how they were wrong. The remix of this tune had just the right elements to catch on in a mainstream way. Rap was still slowly breaking through to a larger audience at the time and still trying to prove it was here to stay and not a fad. It was tracks like "Push It" that helped rap gain another foothold in popularity and acceptance. It really should have gone Top 10 at Pop - really #1 - but not all Pop stations were on board with rap yet. I certainly didn't hear it on our local stations so like a lot of folks (platinum sales), I bought the single. I loved it then and I think I appreciate it even more these days. Classic.

ReduxRating:  10/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) When James and Denton released their first single, it seemed that their name, Super Nature, was not catching on or getting remembered. Apparently, when folks would call in to NYC radio stations to request "The Show Stoppa," they would ask for the song by Salt and Pepa. That stemmed from a line in the song that stated "Right now I'm gonna show you how it's supposed to be, 'cause we, the Salt and Pepa MCs." That name statement stuck in listener's minds more than Super Nature, so when it came time for the debut album, they rechristened themselves Salt-N-Pepa.  2) When "Push It" was originally released, Azor was solely credited as the composer. These days another composer is also listed, Ray Davies (of The Kinks). Davies was later added as composer because a line in the track uses lyrics from a Kinks hit that Davies wrote. Salt-N-Pepa rap "Boy you really got me goin', you got me so I don't know what I'm doin'" near the end of the song. If you replace "boy" with "girl," that is the opening lyric to The Kinks' 1964 #7 hit "You Really Got Me." It seems some legal wrangling took place and the result was the added credit and, most likely, some financial settlement.  3) The famous whispered "ahh, push it" in the track was a sped up sample taken from the song "Keep on Pushin'" by the funk/rock group Coalkitchen. It appeared on their 1977 album Thirsty or Not...Choose Your Flavor. The Illinois band formed in the early 70s and signed on with Full Moon/Epic Records a few years later. Their debut album came and went to little notice and they broke up. However, the "ahh, push it" sample from their song still lives on with Salt-N-Pepa's hit.

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"I Can't Help It" by Bananarama

Song#:  3340
Date:  11/21/1987
Debut:  78
Peak:  47
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Synthpop, Hi-NRG



Pop Bits:  The British vocal trio got their third US Pop Top 10 with the #4 "I Heard a Rumor." It was from their album Wow!, which mostly co-written and fully produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman team. Next up from the album was this single. While it would do well on the Dance chart getting to #7, the song fizzled on the Pop chart stopping short of the Top 40. Without a second major hit, the album halted at #44 and failed to reach the gold level sales mark that they had hit with their previous LP, 1986's True Confessions.

ReduxReview:  While this sleek dance track still had the SAW stamp, it leaned towards sophisti-pop. It was as if Level 42 or Swing Out Sister decided to boost their tunes with a little Hi-NRG. The tune wasn't quite as catchy as Bananarama's top hits, but it was a pretty good track. The SAW production was apt for the time period, but frankly I think the song would have been much better done in a more subtle, string-laden lite jazz arrangement. The honking synth line that plays through the chorus overwhelms and even drowns out the vocals. It gets rather annoying. The tune probably should have dipped into the Top 40, but it wasn't destined for greater glory.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Two members of Bananarama had long term relationships with famous musicians. Siobhan Fahey married Dave Stewart of Eurythmics in 1987. They would have two sons that would follow in their parents' footsteps in the music business. The two boys would form their own band in 2010 named Nightmare and the Cat. The band would last until 2015. Fahey and Stewart would divorce in 1996. Keren Woodward would start a relationship with former Wham! member Andrew Ridgeley sometime around '85. They would live together until 2017, but the reunite in 2019. While the pair never had kids, Woodward did have a son from a prior relationship that lived with the couple.

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"I Found Someone" by Cher

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3339
Date:  11/21/1987
Debut:  79
Peak:  10
Weeks:  26
Genre:  Pop, Rock



Pop Bits:  Cher's first album of the 80s, 1982's new wave-leaning I Paralyze, was a major flop. It failed to produce any charting singles and didn't even make the album chart. After the LP, Cher decided to concentrate on the acting side of her career, which would reach its peak in 1987 with her starring in three films and included Suspect and the major hits, The Witches of Eastwick and Moonstruck, the latter of which would earn her an Oscar for Best Actress. With her acting goals basically being fulfilled, Cher decided it was the right time to return to music. She signed on with Geffen Records and a comeback album was quickly assembled. Cher wanted to take a more rock-oriented approach and she tapped songwriter/producer Desmond Child to mainly head up the project. Cher was familiar with Child as he had worked with on a couple of I Paralyze tracks, yet since then Child had become an in-demand producer thanks to his success with Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet. Also on board for a couple of tracks was Michael Bolton, whose solo career was taking off at the time. He would produce this track that would end up being the LP's first single. It was a slow-burning single that would finally crack the Pop Top 10 in its sixteenth week. It would stay on the chart for an addition ten weeks. It was Cher's first Pop Top 10 hit since her 1979 disco single "Take Me Home" (#8). The song would also get to #33 at AC. In turn, the associated self-titled album would peak at #32 and become her fourth solo LP to go gold. Eventually it would turn platinum.

ReduxReview:  I liked this song when Laura Branigan recorded it, but the issue with her version was the weak production. It really let the tune (and Branigan) down. I'm not sure whose idea it was for Cher to take a crack at the tune, but it was an inspired choice. It gave Bolton the chance to spruce up his song and Cher the opportunity to prove she had the chops to sing rock. I love how the song started with a memorable keyboard line, went quiet for the first verse, and then built to an explosive chorus. Cher matches Bolton's production with each step and she sells it well. I don't think there could have been a better song to reignite Cher's music career.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  This is a remake of a song originally recorded by Laura Branigan for her 1986 album Hold Me. It was written by Michael Bolton and Mark Mangold. Branigan's long time collaborator Jack White produced the track with Harold Faltermeyer. It was issued out as a single, but it failed to make an impression topping out at a low #90. When Bolton got a chance to work with Cher, it seems he thought this song had more potential and got her to record it. Bolton also produced the track. It ended up being just the right mainstream rock song to reintroduce Cher to the charts and over the next few years she would score six more Top 20 hits including three Top 10s. Bolton would later record his own version of "I Found Someone" for his 1995 Greatest Hits (1985-1995) collection.

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"Can't Stay Away from You" by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3338
Date:  11/21/1987
Debut:  89
Peak:  6
Weeks:  23
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  While the band's album Let It Loose started off with the memorable #5 Pop hit "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," they stumbled a bit with its follow-up "Betcha Say That." The song just scratched the Top 40 peaking at a low #36. It was a disappointment and they needed to turn things around quickly. For a third single, this ballad was issued out. It ended up being the right move that got them back into the Pop Top 10. It was also a big winner at AC becoming their second to top that chart.

ReduxReview:  I forgot about this hit. When I saw the title, I couldn't remember it at all, but of course once the song started it came back to me. It was a lovely tune that was perfect for AC radio. Why they didn't release this as the second single is a mystery. It would have been a far better choice than the anemic "Betcha Say That." Luckily, this song was strong enough to overcome that tepidly received single and got Estefan back in the Top 10.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  It took a while for Estefan and Miami Sound Machine to get a foothold in the UK. While they started off with a bang with the 1984 #6 "Dr. Beat," a song that missed the US Pop chart, things quickly cooled. Follow-up singles failed to do well and they remained locked out of the Top 10 with the tracks from their US breakthrough LP Primitive Love. As the singles began to roll out from Let It Loose, it seemed the trend was going to continue with "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" stalling at #16. When "Can't Stay Away from You" was initially released, it was a failure topping out at #88. However, the band finally got back into the UK Top 10 with "Anything for You" (#10). After that hit, "Can't Stay Away from You" was reissued out and on its second run it reached #7. A third Top 10 would follow. Because of the hits, the album would reach #1 on the UK chart. It would end up being the best selling LP of their career going 4x platinum. Estefan would continue to have success in the UK scoring several platinum and multi-platinum albums along with an additional twenty-four Top 40 entries.

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"Don't Tell Me the Time" by Martha Davis

Song#:  3337
Date:  11/21/1987
Debut:  93
Peak:  80
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  The fifth album by The Motels, 1985's Shock, was a modest success getting to #36 and spawning the #21 Pop hit "Shame." After everything for the album was wrapped up, the band reconvened in the studio to begin work on a sixth album. However, it seems things were not necessarily going in the direction that lead singer/songwriter Martha Davis wanted so she decided to dissolve the band and go it alone. Working with producer Richie Zito, who had helmed Shock, Davis recorded her first solo album titled Policy. This first single was issued out and it didn't do so well peaking low on the Pop chart and disappearing after a couple of months. A follow-up single, "Tell It to the Moon" (written by Diane Warren), failed to chart, but the album track "Just Like You" made a brief appearance on the Rock chart at #47. With those results, the album could only reach #128. It was a disappointment following the success of The Motels.

ReduxReview:  I was a big fan of The Motels so when I learned that Martha Davis was doing a solo album, I was quite excited. I immediately bought the album when it came out. I have to admit that back then I was a little underwhelmed by it. Davis' tunes didn't reel me in as well as her work under The Motels name. However, years later I rediscovered the LP and began to hook into it. While the album is far from perfect, there are some well-done tracks that I've grown to love, such as this single. Written by Davis, it is a lovely pop tune with a memorable chorus that has shades of Roy Orbison, especially at the end. It was an underrated single that should have made the Top 40. In retrospect, I do wonder if the sweet Diane Warren-penned "Tell It to the Moon" might have made a better lead single. Richie Zito tossed in a few production touches on that tune that were reminiscent of the work he did on Shock, so it had more of a Motels feel. I love both songs and the album is certainly worth a listen.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  After her solo album, Davis sought to separate from her long time label Capitol. Over the next decade she did different projects in music and theater including a couple of songs for movie soundtracks. She would also put together a new version of The Motels for performances. Davis wouldn't record another solo album until 2004's ...So the Story Goes. Two other solo efforts would follow. In 2017, Davis would release an album under The Motels moniker titled The Last Few Beautiful Days. It was the first album of all new material credited to The Motels since 1985's Shock. Some of the songs on the LP were inspired by Davis' daughter Maria, who had died in 2016 from an opioid addiction.

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"You and Me Tonight" by Déjà

Song#:  3336
Date:  11/21/1987
Debut:  94
Peak:  54
Weeks:  12
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  This duo consisted of vocalists Curt Jones and Starleana Young. The pair had already experienced success as members of the Ohio funk outfit Slave and its offshoot group Aurra, who had their biggest hit with 1981's "Make Up Your Mind" (#6 R&B/71 Pop). Sometime around '84/'85, Aurra was experiencing internal issues that resulted in two different Aurra bands, one of which consisted of Jones and Young. That Aurra released the 1985 album Bedtime Story. Of course legal issues ensued and when the dust settled, Jones and Young chose to go by the name Déjà. They signed on with Virgin Records and recorded the album Serious. This first single was released and it became a hit at R&B reaching #2. It then crossed over to Pop and got near the halfway point. It also peaked at #20 on the Dance chart. A follow-up single, "That's Where You'll Find Me," got to #16 R&B, but failed to make the Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  This is one of of those odd songs where the title is nowhere to be found in the lyrics. Listening to it, I would think the title would have been "All Night" or "All Night Long," but perhaps the writers didn't want to use it due to the Lionel Richie hit of the same name. Not using the title in the song didn't seem to hinder its hit potential at R&B as the tune sailed up the chart. It didn't do as well at Pop, but I'm not surprised. It was an average R&B/dance groove that didn't have that extra spark to make it a mainstream hit. The song is fine and a good listen. It just wasn't all that memorable.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  After the Serious album, Starleana Young left Déjà for a solo career. She stayed on with Virgin Records and released a debut solo album in 1991 under the single moniker of Starleana. A track on the album was produced by Starleana's husband, former Kool & the Gang lead singer James J.T. Taylor. The album didn't make much of an impression and that ended her solo career. Curt Jones would move forward with Déjà and hire on new vocalist Mysti Day. In 1989, they would released the album Made to Be Together. The title track would get to #23 R&B. It seems the duo dissolved after that.

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"Don't Shed a Tear" by Paul Carrack

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3335
Date:  11/14/1987
Debut:  72
Peak:  9
Weeks:  24
Genre:  Pop, Rock



Pop Bits:  The last time Carrack recorded a solo album was in 1982 with Suburban Voodoo, which featured the #37 Pop entry "I Need You." After that LP, Carrack mainly worked with Nick Lowe, but ended up scoring hits as a member of Mike + the Mechanics, whose 1985 debut album featured a pair of Top 10's including the Carrack-led #6 "Silent Running." With his profile raised thanks to the hit, Carrack signed a deal with Chrysalis Records and recorded his third solo album One Good Reason. This first single was released and it did well at Rock reaching #5 while becoming Carrack's first (and only) solo song to reach the Pop Top 10. It also got to #36 at AC. The hit helped the album peak at #67.

ReduxReview:  The hooky little stop/start guitar riff at the top of this song immediately got my attention and the tune just got better from there. The verse had a great melody and groove. Then there was the cool little transition section that led to the explosive chorus. Carrack sounded fantastic and the production was beefy and perfect for a late 80s pop/rock track. I loved the song right off the bat and immediately bought the single. The song has held up well and I enjoy it just as much today as I did when it first came out.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  This song was co-written by Eddie Schwartz and Rob Friedman. Schwartz started his solo recording career with a 1979 debut LP, but it was a song he wrote and gave to another artist that really kicked things off for  him. In 1980, Pat Benatar got her first Top 10 hit with Schwartz's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot." Thanks to that hit, Schwartz got a major label deal and released his second solo album in 1981. It featured the #28 Pop entry "All Our Tomorrows." At some point during this successful period, Schwartz wrote "Don't Shed a Tear" with Friedman. Schwartz intended to record it with a new band he was forming, but that project fell through and the song was never recorded. The tune somehow ended up over in Carrack's camp and he turned it into a hit. Schwartz's solo career cooled off quick, but he continued writing songs for other artists and would earn another Top 10 later in 1989 with the Doobie Brothers' "The Doctor."

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