Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 3378
Date: 01/16/1988
Debut: 54
Peak: 2
Weeks: 16
Genre: Pop
Pop Bits: Carlisle's second solo album, Heaven on Earth, got off to a great start with its initial single "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" topping the Pop chart. It would be the first (and only) time an ex-Go-Go would have a #1 Pop single. Even the Go-Go's missed the top spot when "We Got the Beat" got stuck at #2 in 1982. Carlisle nearly had a second #1 when this follow-up single was released. Unfortunately, it stopped just short of the apex at #2. It was Carlisle's third solo Top 10 hit. The song also made it to #9 at AC. Just as this song was debuting on the Pop chart, Carlisle's album would be certified platinum.
ReduxReview: I always thought this song had a 60s feel to it. Perhaps something about mid-decade produced by Phil Spector. The song was well-written by Diane Warren and expertly produced by Rick Nowels. It fit Carlisle and was a perfect follow-up to "Heaven Is a Place on Earth." It should have hit #1, but got blocked by Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." The big one-two punch of hits from Carlisle set her up as a pop diva, which was a far cry from her punk roots. However, if you are going to evolve, why not move forward with a pair of expertly crafted pop tunes? Carlisle was at the peak of her powers during this time.
ReduxRating: 9/10
Trivia: When Diane Warren finished writing this song, she thought it would be a good vehicle for Stevie Nicks and presented it to Rick Nowels, who had produced several tracks for Stevie Nick's 1985 LP Rock a Little. Warren was familiar with Nowels as she had written "Don't Lose Any Sleep," a song Nowels produced for John Waite's 1987 LP Rover's Return. While Nowels liked "I Get Weak," he thought it was a better fit for Belinda Carlisle than Nicks and was able to secure the tune for Carlisle's album. It seems that Nicks never even got a crack at the tune. It may not have worked out anyway because for her fourth album, The Other Side of the Mirror, Nicks chose to work with producer Rupert Hine.
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