Song#: 3285
Date: 10/03/1987
Debut: 76
Peak: 30
Weeks: 19
Genre: Prog Rock
Pop Bits: Following their 1980 album Drama, Yes decided to split. Not long after, two band members got together to work on a project and eventually, at the urging of their label, it became a Yes album titled 90125. The 1984 LP would be a #5 multi-platinum hit thanks to the #1 single "Owner of a Lonely Heart." After an extensive world tour, the band reconvened in the studio in 1985 with producer Trevor Horn to record a follow-up. Right off the bat there were issues among the band members and with Horn that led to numerous delays. After two years of recording at a reported cost of $2 million, the band's twelfth studio album, Big Generator, was completed. To kick off the band's return, this first single was issued out. It would be an instant hit at Rock spending three weeks at #1. The song crossed over to the Pop chart, but the best it could do was to just barely make the Top 30. Despite not boasting a major mainstream hit, the support from rock radio along with the band's fan base helped the album reach #15 and go platinum.
ReduxReview: What I remember most about this song is the line "I eat at chez nous." It was a bizarre line that made zero sense to me. The French phrase "chez nous" translates as "with us." How that fits in with "I eat at" is a mystery to me. However, I did see mentioned that somewhere around where part of the album was recorded was a restaurant called Chez Nous, which would seem to make more sense, but the lines before it don't help: "here is my heart, waiting for you, here is my soul, I eat at chez nous." I don't get it. The line is so weird, silly, and strange that it nearly ruins the song for me. Well, at least I remember something about the tune. In general, this is a fairly good track that did attempt to keep the band relevant in the mainstream. It wasn't quite as hooky as their 90215 hits, but I think it performed as well as it could.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) This song was written by band member Trevor Rabin. He had intended for this song to be recorded by Stevie Nicks, but after his bandmate Alan White heard the tune, he convinced Rabin to save it for Yes to record. 2) The album would earn the band a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Duo or Group. The previous year, the band grabbed a Grammy nod for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. It was for the song "Amazing Grace," which was taken from the live LP 9021Live/The Solos. Release in 1985, the album contained five tracks of solos done by each band member during the 90125 tour plus two full-band live tracks from the album. Bassist Chris Squire was featured on "Amazing Grace." The album would reach #81 on the US Pop chart.
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