"How Can I Forget You" by Elisa Fiorillo

Song#:  3385

Date:  01/23/1988

Debut:  78

Peak:  60

Weeks:  8

Genre:  Dance-Pop

Pop Bits:  Fiorillo first got on the Pop chart when she supplied the lead vocal to "Who Found Who," a track from producer/remixer Jellybean's 1986 album Just Visiting This Planet. The pair were labelmates on Chrysalis and as "Who Found Who" was shaping up to be a hit, Fiorillo began to prep her own debut album. The self-titled effort would be released at the end of '87 as was this single. It would be a minor entry on the Dance chart getting to #47. The tune then crossed over to Pop where it peaked in the bottom half of the chart. The LP would get to a minor #163.

ReduxReview:  While Fiorillo wasn't really a Madonna wannabe, I think Chrysalis tried to push her into True Blue territory as several songs, including this one, had a bit of a Madonna smell to them. It didn't help matters that two of Madonna's former associates, including Reggie Lucas, produced tracks on the LP. This song was written and produced by Gardner Cole, who unsurprisingly also worked with Madonna. He co-wrote "Open Your Heart" for the True Blue album. He must have liked the "True Blue" track because this one has that similar retro pop feel, just with a quicker tempo. Again, it is not a copy, but it certainly feels like that Madonna influence was there along with a whiff of Lisa Lisa. In general, it is not a bad tune. It bops along just fine and it has a nice chorus. Fiorillo's girlish voice fits the song as well. I don't think it was destined to become a major hit, but it probably should have done a bit better.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  When video games first came along, many featured their own electronic sounds or even little tunes to enhance the game. These sounds started to become recognizable and popular and it wasn't long before artists used them in their own songs. Electronic music pioneers Yellow Magic Orchestra used sounds from the arcade game Circus for their 1978 #60 Pop single "Computer Game." Then in 1984, YMO member Haruomi Hosono recorded the album Video Game Music. Created from samples of arcade games, it is usually seen as the first video game music album. From there, the business of video game music took off and the more elaborate the games got, the more complex the music became. Now there are full scores being created for video games along with popular hit songs being licensed for use in games such as the Grand Theft Auto series and Guitar Hero. So what does this have to do with Elisa Fiorillo? She ended up singing a song for a video game. For the 2004 action-adventure game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Fiorillo sang the tune "Don't Be Afraid." Written by Japanese musician/composer Rika Muranaka, the song played at the end of the game. The video game was a hit with critics and it sold well.

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