"Love Has Taken Its Toll" by Saraya

Song#:  3958

Date:  07/08/1989

Debut:  93

Peak:  64

Weeks:  9

Genre:  Hard Rock, Glam Rock

Pop Bits:  This New Jersey band initially began in 1987 as Alsace Lorraine with singer Sandi Saraya and keyboardist Gregg Munier. After adding three more members, things quickly took off for the band. They got signed by Polydor Records and after a name change to Saraya, work began on a self-titled debut album with producer Jeff Glixman. Once completed, this first single was issued out. It caught on at Rock and was able to crack the Top 10 at #9. The tune crossed over to Pop, but it ended up stalling in the bottom half of the chart. The song would help the album sell a few copies and it would peak at #79.

ReduxReview:  This is right in line with most of the other glam rock/metal singles of the day. The song did well on rock radio and got a push from the MTV video, but it wasn't quite enough to break the band in a more mainstream way. Sandi Saraya's voice was terrific for the style of music and she sounded very good on this track. The production was solid as well. It was a good track, but it wasn't quite as hooky or memorable as it needed to be in order to rise further up the Pop chart.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  After signing with Polydor, the band was told they needed to change their name, which wasn't really uncommon. However, even though the label signed the whole band, it seems they really wanted to focus on lead singer Sandi Saraya. According to interviews with Sandi, the label wanted to make her into the female equivalent of Jon Bon Jovi and really wanted to promote her with a sexy image for the album's cover. Not only that, they also wanted to change the band's name to Sandi Saraya - basically making it more of a solo act than an established band. None of it sat well with Sandi who really just wanted to be a part of the band. Eventually, a compromise was reached with the band being called Saraya and an album cover that featured a photo of the band where Sandi blended in making it somewhat difficult to tell if she was a man or a woman.

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