"Imagine" by Tracie Spencer

Song#:  3796

Date:  02/11/1989

Debut:  96

Peak:  85

Weeks:  4

Genre:  R&B, Pop

Pop Bits:  The young Star Search winner got her first crossover hit with "Symptoms of Love." It was the second single from her self-titled debut album and it reached #11 R&B, #14 Dance, and #38 Pop. For a follow up, this cover tune track was selected for release. It wouldn't do as well topping out at #31 R&B while only spending a month near the bottom of the Pop chart. By this point in time, the album had already peaked at ##57 R&B and #146 Pop. This would be the last single from the album. Spencer would then move on to record her second effort.

ReduxReview:  Unlike her previous single, this one sounded like something from a young talent show contestant. The production was bordering on karaoke and Spencer delivered it as if she was performing in front of a voting audience. The worst part was the ending, which was very stagey. The innocence of a young pre-teen singing this particular song may be appealing to some, but I didn't get it. It was a poor song choice with a horrible arrangement. Spencer deserved better than this dreck. Luckily she got some better tunes and production with her next album including the jammin' "This House."

ReduxRating:  2/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This was a remake of a song originally written by John Lennon and recorded by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band. That version would reach #3 Pop in 1971. Spencer's version would be the first remake of the song to reach the Pop chart. Since then, three other artists have made the Pop chart with a version. Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson would scrape the chart with a version in 2007 (#90). In 2008, another talent show contestant, American Idol runner-up David Archuleta, would take the song to #36. Then in 2009, the cast of the TV show Glee would get a version to #67.  2) Spencer's second album, 1990's Make the Difference, performed better than her first effort. It would spawn four R&B Top 10 hits including the #1 "Tender Kisses." One of the other hits, the #7 "This House," would cross over to Pop and reach #3 (#7 Dance). The album would get to #38 R&B/#107 Pop. Then just as her career was revving up, a series of changes at her label, Capital, curtailed her progress. Apparently, she had recorded a third album, but it ended up getting shelved. Over the next few years all she could really do was record a couple of songs for movie soundtracks. Yet she remained with Capitol throughout the turmoil and finally in 1999 she was able to release her third album Tracie. It would get to #19 R&B/#114 Pop thanks mainly to the #6 R&B/#18 Pop hit "It's All About You (Not About Me)." But then after her career got reignited, it seems things happened that had her dropping out of the music biz. Save for a few background vocal appearances, it seems Spencer has not pursued a music career.

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