"Give Me All Night" by Carly Simon

Song#:  3131
Date:  05/23/1987
Debut:  83
Peak:  61
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  Simon had diminishing returns with each successive album she had released in the 80s. After her 1985 album Spoiled Girl became her worst charting studio effort (#88), Simon hooked up with Clive Davis' Arista Records and began work on a new LP to be titled Coming Around Again. The collection was a more relaxed affair that put Simon back in singer/songwriter mode. The title track first single became a surprise hit reaching #18 Pop and #5 AC. To follow it up, this next song was issued out. It would do well at AC getting to #5. At Pop, the song didn't quite have the impact as the first single and it stalled in the bottom half of the chart. Regardless, the first hit along with support at AC made the album sell. It would reach #25 and become her first platinum album since 1978.

ReduxReview:  This adult-leaning pop track was a perfect fit for AC radio so it was no surprise it did well on that chart. The chorus was strong as was the production. I thought it was a worthy follow-up to "Coming Around Again" and had Pop Top 40 potential, so I was a bit surprised it stopped short of that mark. Had this song been released earlier in the 80s, I believe it might have been a Top 10 contender. For the late 80s, it did play better for an AC audience, but the Pop potential was still there. The track still sounds good today.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Simon co-wrote this song with Gerard McMahon. The British singer/songwriter had been trying to get a solo career going since the mid-70s, but after five albums for various labels the best McMahon could do was the #85 "Count on Me" in 1983. However, along the way his songs got picked up by other artists including Kiss, who made McMahon's song "Is It You?" the opening track on their 1980 album Unmasked. He also began to supply songs to film soundtracks, which included tunes for Defiance, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and All the Right Moves. A chunk of these tracks were sung by McMahon while some would be performed by other artists. None became hits, but McMahon made an impression with one tune. For the 1987 horror flick The Lost Boys, McMahon co-wrote and recorded the song "Cry Little Sister" (under the name Gerard McMann). It would server as the theme to the film and was released as a single. While the song didn't chart, it was a popular track from the film's #15 peaking soundtrack album and became a sort of cult song that would be covered by many artists over the years. One fan of the song was the band Marilyn Manson. They covered the tune for the soundtrack to the 2018 horror film The New Mutants. It would reach #5 on the Rock Digital Songs chart (sales based) and #15 on Hot Rock Songs (sales, airplay, streaming).

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