"We Should Be Sleeping" by Eddie Money

Song#:  3265
Date:  09/19/1987
Debut:  96
Peak:  90
Weeks:  3
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Money's album Can't Hold Back was his first to generate three Top 40 singles, which included his biggest Pop hit, the #4 "Take Me Home Tonight." With three tracks doing well, the label decided to try for four and released this follow-up. It didn't do too bad at Rock where it topped out at #18, but it was virtually a non-starter at Pop spending a mere three weeks near the bottom of the chart. However, the results didn't really matter as the album had been certified platinum a few weeks earlier. It was Money's fourth (and final) studio album to reach the platinum sales level.

ReduxReview:  This song is more rockin' than Money's previous three Top 40 efforts, which skewed towards pop and were composed by outside writers. Money co-wrote this one and it showcases his own rock style well, but it just wasn't as mainstream catchy as his bigger hits. It was a good fit for Rock radio, but it wasn't really suited for Pop and indeed it went nowhere. Frankly, there was no reason to release this single. It could have been left as an airplay-only Rock track, but I'm sure Money's label wanted to eke out as much cash as they could from a hit album and pushed it out. In the process I'm sure they probably spent more money releasing it than what the single brought in. Not a wise choice.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Another track on the album, "Stranger in a Strange Land," was co-written by Money with Henry Small and Tom Whitlock. Small had been a member of the band Prism from 1981-84. During that time, the band got two singles on the Pop chart including the #39 "Don't Let Him Know." After the band split up, Small got to work with The Who's bassist John Entwistle on what would have been Entwistle's sixth solo LP, The Rock. Small was hired in to handle lead vocal duties on the album, which was recorded around the same time as Money's Can't Hold Back. "Stranger in a Strange Land" was recorded by Money and by Entwistle/Small for their respective projects. Since Money is listed as co-writer, it is assumed that Money was the first to record the song and then Small took it over to Entwistle. It seemed like the two versions were going to be in competition, but in the end that didn't happen because due to some legal issues, Entwistle's album was blocked from being released. The LP stayed in the vault for ten years before it was finally issued out in 1996.

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