Song#: 3899
Date: 05/13/1989
Debut: 74
Peak: 11
Weeks: 17
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: Stewart's fifteenth studio album Out of Order would be his best selling of the 80s reaching the double-platinum mark. It got there thanks to a pair of #12 Pop singles along with the #4 "My Heart Can't Tell Me No." To keep up momentum, this fourth single was lifted from the LP. It would nearly crack the Top 10 stopping at the dreaded #11 spot. With that result, Out of Order became Stewart's first and only album to generate four Pop Top 20 hits. A fifth single was not released, however the album track "Dynamite" did get enough airplay to reach #16 at Rock.
ReduxReview: After "My Heart Can't Tell Me No," the label kind of needed to release a follow up and this track was selected. There wasn't much left on the LP that made for a good single candidate and this one was probably the right pick. It had a sort of Stones "Miss You" meets The Power Station kind of groove and a hooky chorus. Still, I didn't think it would even crack the Top 40. It just didn't sound like a hit to me, yet it nearly made the Top 10. However, the song certainly didn't have lasting impact. It kind of came and went and then stayed away. A lot of Stewart hits have continued to get airplay, but this is one you just never hear, which is kind of appropriate as it wouldn't get close to being on a list of Stewart's best singles.
ReduxRating: 4/10
Trivia: For Out of Order, Stewart would record a version of the old blues standard "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out." Composed by Jimmie Cox in 1923, the song would later become most associated with singer Bessie Smith. Her 1929 version would be a major hit. Oddly, the record was released just a few weeks prior to the Wall Street market crash of 1929, which was a catalyst of The Great Depression. The only artist to reach the Pop chart with a version of the song was in 1960 when Nina Simone got to #93 (#23 R&B). Stewart had covered several rock, soul, and blues tunes for his albums over the years, but in 2002 he would go all-in on recording a full album of oldies. It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook would be an unexpected game changer for Stewart. His previous two albums had sold poorly and it seemed like Stewart's career as a viable recording artist might be over after 33 years. But then he signed on with J Records, Clive Davis' new label after being pushed out from Arista. Davis had great success helping to revive Santana's career with 1999's Grammy-winning Supernatural and had thoughts about getting Stewart back on track. Yet instead of pairing Stewart with young, hip singers and writers, Davis suggested a covers album. Instead of doing something like a 60s throwback, Stewart wanted to sing the old standards he knew via his parents. He worked with producers Phil Ramone and Richard Perry and came up with It Had to Be You. The album became an unexpected hit reaching #4 and going triple-platinum. Stewart would also received a Grammy nod for the work. The success kicked of a string of cover albums for Stewart that would all make the Top 10. He would release five volumes of The Great American Standards along with an album of soul covers and one of rock covers. His 2004 LP Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III would hit #1, go platinum, and earn Stewart his first and to-date only Grammy win. The LP would win for Best Traditional Pop Album. The other four LP's in Stewart's standards series would be nominated in the same category.
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