Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 3786
Date: 01/28/1989
Debut: 74
Peak: 7
Weeks: 16
Genre: Dance-Pop, Funk
Pop Bits: After this Detroit band's third album What Up, Dog? did well in the UK, their new label Chrysalis then issued it out in their home country. The first single, "Spy in the House of Love," became the group's first to make the US Pop chart reaching #16 (#1 Dance, #77 R&B). For a follow-up, this next track was selected. The song had already been a hit in the UK reaching #10 late in '87. It would end up doing better on home turf making it to #7 while also getting to #11 Dance and #30 Modern Rock. That result helped the album reach #43. It would be the peak moment for the band, which featured future Grammy-winning producer Don Was.
ReduxReview: Whether you loved it or hated it, there was no getting around this song back in the day. It was all over the radio and MTV. Local bar bands would fill the dance floors with versions of the tune. For a time it was a party staple with people imitating the video's dance. I admit that I found the whole thing silly, but I do have to hand it to writers David Was, Don Was, and Randy Jacobs. They somehow managed to make a song about a nuclear apocalypse into something incredibly catchy (and kitschy). I think most folks ignored the lyrics and went right for the "boom-boom-acka-lacka-lacka-boom" and the chorus. The goofy factor still reigns supreme with the song, yet it is hard to not get caught up in the earworm-worthy tune for a couple of minutes. However, a couple minutes once in a long while will suffice.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: The video for this song quickly became an MTV staple and most likely helped it reach the Pop Top 10. Filmed in a Flintstone-esque setting and featuring scantily clad "cave girls," the video also included people doing a specific dance to the chorus, which sort of caught on with viewers. The video's stone age setting and talk of dinosaurs didn't go unnoticed when it came time for a live action film version of the 60s hit animated TV show The Flintstones. The song would be used in the 1994 flick that starred John Goodman, Rick Moranis, Elizabeth Perkins, and Rosie O'Donnell as the Flintstones and the Rubbles. Other big names would make appearances such as Halle Berry, Elizabeth Taylor, Jay Leno, Jonathan Winters, and The B-52s. It was set to be one of the blockbusters of the summer and while it ended up doing quite well at the box office, the reviews were terrible. It made several "worst of the year" lists and would win two Golden Raspberry Awards, one for Worst Supporting Actress (Rosie O'Donnell) and Worst Screenplay. Yet despite the critical drubbing, the film, which had a budget of $46 million, would earn $130 million in the US and another $211 million overseas. The soundtrack featured several new tunes along with a few previously released tracks that fit the film's theme including "Walk the Dinosaur." The B-52's, who appeared in the film as the B.C. 52's, recorded a version of the TV show's theme "(Meet) The Flintstones)." It would be issued out as a single and get to #33 Pop/#3 Dance. The soundtrack album would get to #73.
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I always thought it was tragic, that a fantastic song like "Spy...", was eclipsed by this horrible novelty number.
ReplyDeleteTrue. It was a superior song. The album has some other solid tunes on it as well.
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