Song#: 3564
Date: 07/02/1988
Debut: 75
Peak: 19
Weeks: 17
Genre: Arena Rock
Pop Bits: Benatar's sixth studio album, 1985's "Seven the Hard Way, signaled a dip in popularity. It peaked at #26 and only reached gold level sales. This was a drop from her previous LPs, which all went platinum (or multi-platinum) and cracked the Top 15. She had been cranking out albums consistently since 1979, so after Seven the Hard Way Benatar took a bit of a break. A year or so later, she began work on her seventh studio album that would be titled Wide Awake in Dreamland. Benatar, her husband Neil Giraldo, and drummer Myron Grombacher would write most of the material with Giraldo and Peter Coleman producing. Yet the LP needed a good single to kick things off. Benatar's manager happened upon "All Fired Up" and it seemed to fit the bill. For this track, Benatar worked with producer Keith Forsey (Billy Idol). It was pushed out as the first single and it easily got to the #2 spot on the Rock chart. At Pop the tune was able to make the Top 20. It helped the album perform nearly the same as her previous disc by going to #28 and going gold. A second single, "Don't Walk Away," faltered at #44 Rock while not even making the Pop chart. A third single failed to reach either chart. This song would end up being Benatar's last one to reach the Pop chart and the LP would be her final studio effort to go gold. In essence, this wrapped up Benatar's most successful era on the charts.
ReduxReview: This slick arena rock anthem should have gone Top 10. In my area of the world, this song was played a lot. It was big, hooky, and great for getting people excited. Although it only got to #19 upon release, this song has had long legs. I still hear it today. It gets more play than some of her other hits. I think it was just one of those universal songs/anthems that everyone could relate to and it usually generates excitement. It was just too bad that it missed the Top 10. It would end up being her last hit. Not a bad way to go out. I finally got to see Benatar perform in 2014. She opened up for Cher and was truly awesome. She sounded fantastic and performed the crap out of her songs. The crowd went nuts for her. Even Cher said when she came on that she didn't know if she could follow that up. So if you see that Benatar is performing, GO!
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: Triple Shot! 1) This is a remake of a song originally recorded by the Australian band Rattling Sabres. Written by lead guitarist Kerryn Tolhurst, the band recorded and released the song in 1987. It was a minor entry on the Australian chart at #94. Apparently, someone from the Sabres' label was in the States visiting Chrysalis Records, which was Benatar's label. The rep played "All Fire Up" for some A&R folks when Benatar's manager happened to walk by and hear it. Needing a single-worthy song for her album, he took it to Benatar. She dug the song and after some changes by her and drummer Myron Grombacher, Benatar got it recorded. 2) This song earned Benatar a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. The album's third single, the non-charting "Let's Stay Together" (an original tune written by Benatar and Giraldo, not the Al Green hit) got released in the next Grammy cycle, so the following year Benatar received yet another Grammy nomination for the song. In total, Benatar would get eight Grammy nod in the Best Female Rock Vocal Performance category. She would win four of them in a row beginning with her first nod in 1980. She would get a ninth Grammy nod, but that came in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category. 3) After this album, Benatar decided to slightly step away from rock and do a blues album. Her 1991 effort True Love would feature a mix of old blues tunes along with a few originals. Critics were not kind to the LP, but it got to #37 on the chart. She returned to rock for 1993's Gravity's Rainbow, but it stalled at #85. Since then she had released two other indie albums, both of which charted very low.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I also give "All Fired Up" an 8/10, unlike you I never heard this song playing on the radio in Washington State and always thought this song was one of her forgotten hits, I consider this to be one of her underrated hits, she definitely went out with a bang on this song.
ReplyDelete