"Don't Rush Me" by Taylor Dayne

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3714

Date:  11/05/1988

Debut:  81

Peak:  2

Weeks:  20

Genre:  Dance-Pop

Pop Bits:  By this point in time, Taylor Dayne's debut album Tell It to My Heart had become a platinum success that spawned three Top 10 hits including the #3 ballad "I'll Always Love You." It was the third single from the LP and with that result the label chose to issue out a fourth single. "Don't Rush Me" was pushed out and after a bit of a slow start, the song climbed the chart and surprisingly became Dayne's highest peaking hit at Pop reaching #2. It also did well at Dance (#6) and AC (#3). The hit helped spur some more albums sales and eventually it would go double-platinum. It was decided not to release a fifth single from the LP so Dayne didn't get the opportunity to try and join the minor handful of artists who got five Pop Top 10 hits from one album. However, she did join the club of those who did get four from one album, which at the time included Cyndi Lauper, Wham!, Madonna, Debbie Gibson, Richard Marx, Prince, Lionel Richie, The Pointer Sisters, Heart, Huey Lewis & the News, and a few others.

ReduxReview:  I'm not sure if anyone expected Dayne's album to generate four Top 10s in a row, but it happened. In addition to Dayne being a great singer with a recognizable voice, it helped that she was able to secure several top-notch, radio-ready tracks for the LP. The key to it all was making sure that the album's title track single would be a hit. After that happened, I bet both Dayne and the label were like, "yeah...we got this." Then boom. Three more excellent singles followed. This fourth single was another hook-laden dance-pop track that was taken to the next level by Dayne's performance. It was a great way to wrap up the string of hits.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Taylor Dayne played a small, but important part in the career of a rising stand-up comic. Tig Notaro had been running her own company in the early 90s that managed bands, but by the late 90s she turned into a performer herself and started a career in stand-up. Her reputation grew over the years and in 2004 she got the chance to do her own Comedy Central special. Some film and TV role came her way including a recurring role on The Sarah Silverman Show, but Notaro seemed to still be flying under the radar. In 2011, she recorded her first comedy album Good One. On it was a monologue about how many times she unexpectedly met Taylor Dayne. Each time she saw Dayne, Notaro would approach her and say "Excuse me. I'm sorry to bother you, but I have to tell you. I love your voice." Each time it elicited a different reaction from Dayne. Oddly, Notaro ran into Dayne several times over the years and it became fodder for her true-life monologue. In 2012, Notaro was able to secure a spot on the Ira Glass NPR program This American Life in a live show setting and she performed the Taylor Dayne monologue. Notaro nailed the performance, which was a coup, but then Glass had a surprise for her. After Notaro finished, Glass introduced Taylor Dayne and she came out and performed "I Will Always Love You" to a surprised, and slightly peeved (but ultimately into it) Notaro. The segment became hugely popular and helped push Notaro's career. Unfortunately, right around the same time, Notaro was diagnosed with breast cancer. She addressed the cancer and its difficulties in one of her live shows just a few days after her diagnosis, which had been taped. Comedian Louis C.K. wanted to release the performance as a download on his website, but Notaro was reluctant. Finally realizing that perhaps it could help someone, she allowed for the show to be released. It became a success that eventually earned Notaro a Grammy nod for Best Comedy Recording. The Dayne segment along with the Live album helped Notaro break through in a bigger way. Her 2-16 album/TV special Boyish Girl Interrupted would earn her another Grammy nod along with an Emmy nomination. (Note: I highly recommend looking up her This American Life Dayne performance. It is hilarious.)

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