Song#: 3981
Date: 07/29/1989
Debut: 82
Peak: 66
Weeks: 7
Genre: Rock, Soundtrack
Pop Bits: Cafferty had not been on the Pop chart since his 1986 solo single "Hearts on Fire" (#76), which was taken from the soundtrack to Rocky IV. After that side project, Cafferty and the band returned to the studio to record their third album Roadhouse. It's first single "Song and Dance" could only get to #47 Rock while missing the Pop chart. The album then quietly and quickly disappeared. They needed something to give their career a boost and the opportunity would come in the form of another soundtrack. Having been the voice and band behind the cult flick Eddie and the Cruisers, which spawned the hit "On the Dark Side" (#7 Pop/#1 Rock), the band was approached to provide the soundtrack to the film's sequel. While Eddie and the Cruisers was initially a box office dud, it gained a huge audience via cable TV and VHS rentals and that spurred sales of the original soundtrack, which would eventually sell over three million copies. With that success, the idea of a sequel came about and Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! went into production. Cafferty was then hired to compose the songs and record them with his band. Prior to the film being released, this first single from the soundtrack was issued out. It didn't make much of an impression and was unable to get out of the bottom half of the Pop chart. The soundtrack album would scrape the chart at #121. Both would be the last times that Cafferty would be on the charts. Cafferty and the band would continue to tour over the years.
ReduxReview: This song was indicative of Cafferty and also the Eddie character. However, it just didn't grab your attention like "On the Dark Side" did. Plus the fact that the movie tanked didn't help. Cafferty's heartland rock sound was able to do well in the mid-80s, but by '89 it wasn't necessarily in favor, which didn't bode well for the band or the soundtrack. It's nearly impossible to follow up a cult hit like Eddie and the Cruisers, however you can't blame Cafferty for wanting to give it a go. Despite not becoming a hit, it was a pretty good tune.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: In the original film, the character of Eddie supposedly dies when his car crashes on a bridge and goes into the bay, but his body is never found, which then sets up the story of him possibly still being alive. Of course with the original film becoming a left-field sensation that helped sell millions of album, the idea of reviving Eddie sounded good to those looking to capitalize on the success of the first film and a sequel was financed. While the original producers, writers, and directors were not involved in the sequel, actor Michael Paré returned as Eddie and Cafferty came back to write and record the songs. Once released, the film was greeted with bad reviews and nearly zero interest from movie goers. It was pulled from theaters after just one week. It did not turn into a cult cable TV/VHS rental hit like the original. That seemed to put an end to Eddie, but then the label who released the two soundtracks, Scotti Bros., still tried to capitalize on the cult hit and forced out two compilation albums in the early 90s under the Eddie name with Cafferty's material. There was Eddie and the Cruisers: The Unreleased Tapes and Eddie and the Cruisers Live and in Concert. Both failed to sell.
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