(real) one-hit wonder of the week – “Black Stations / White Stations” | M+M (MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS) | 1984.

Between late 1979 and the end of 1989, there were nearly 500 (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s that reached the BILLBOARD Hot 100 just one time, a list that includes Soft Cell, Gary Numan, Timbuk 3, The Church, Bronski Beat, Nik Kershaw, The Buggles, The Waitresses, Ultravox and two different bands named The Silencers.  Once a week or so, I’ll highlight a (real) one-hit wonder for you.

In a way, it’s kind of funny to go back and think about all of the “controversial” songs from the 80s, many of which wouldn’t be anywhere in the same vicinity as controversial today.  For example, George Michael’s “I Want Your Sex” (a song written as a response to the AIDS epidemic and exploring monogamy), was so “controversial” in 1987, that one of the local Central Maine radio stations, the Top 40 station called 92 MOOSE (I’m not kidding, that’s their name), reworked their own censored version, where the word “sex” was replaced by the word “moose.”  JFC.  And Casey Kasem didn’t even mention the title on AMERICAN TOP 40 until well into the song’s chart run (it peaked at No. 2).  Now you have songs on the radio with the word “FUCK” in the title, and it’s a big hit (albeit edited for radio, but still).

But not all (then) “controversial songs” like “I Want Your Sex” or Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “Relax” (famously banned by the BBC) go on to become big hits.  “Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)” by Eurythmics (from the film they scored, based on George Orwell’s 1984) is an incredible song with an amazing beat, was the 15th biggest Dance song of 1985 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart, and a Top 10 hit all over the world.  But, since it had the word “SEX” in it, American radio wouldn’t play it, and it stopped at No. 81 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100, despite the word “sexcrime” being used in George Orwell’s book, which, too, has been banned over the years.

In 1984, radio wasn’t even ready for songs about interracial couples, despite the fact that one of the biggest TV shows on at the time, THE JEFFERSONS, had an interracial married couple on the show.  But, it’s true — I can name at least two songs from 1984 that struggled on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 because of that very subject matter. 

The first song that comes to mind is the brilliant “Original Sin” by INXS, from their album, THE SWING.  In a 1986 interview, Michael Hutchence had said “Original Sin” was about “kids and conditioning.  Growing up.  How you grow up through other people’s ideas or your own.”

Nile Rodgers, who produced “Original Sin,” had the idea to lean the lyrics in a more interracial direction: “The original lyrics were ‘Dream on white boy, dream on white girl.’  I said, ‘Why not make it ‘black boy white girl’?’  I come from an interracial couple.  Psychologically that makes it a bigger statement.” 

But, despite killer producing by Nile Rodgers, and backing vocal help from Daryl Hall, some radio stations weren’t too jazzed about the lyrics (and maybe even the title) and “Original Sin” stopped at No. 58 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100.

Another “controversial” song which had a similar attempt (and result) that year was “Black Stations / White Stations” by M+M (Martha And The Muffins). 

The band from Toronto, Canada started out as a six-member New Wave / Art Rock / Dance-Pop band in 1977, but by the time their fifth album, 1984’s MYSTERY WALK, was released, they were down to just two members — lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist Martha Johnson and band founder, keyboardist and guitarist Mark Gane.  So, they whittled Martha And The Muffins down to M+M (as a play on their first names).

Getting producing help again from the brilliant Daniel Lanois, who had co-produced their earlier albums THIS IS THE ICE AGE (from 1981) and DANSEPARC (from 1983), “Black Stations / White Stations” took a step away from New Wave and a step closer to Dance and Funk.

“Black Stations / White Stations” is based on a true story about radio stations and racism.  Martha Johnson knew about a radio station that refused to play a song about an interracial relationship (“Original Sin,” perhaps?), and it prompted her and Mark Gane to write the song, with lyrics calling radio stations out to “Stand Up and Face The Music / This Is 1984.”  And, being involved with radio for most of the past 35 years, I’ve learned that radio stations don’t like to be pissed on, especially in song, even if they know their policies are wrong, and even if the song itself is a protest song against racism.

The Canadian 12″ single cover art for “Black Stations / White Stations.”

So, suffice it to say, as awesome and funky and kickass as “Black Stations / White Stations” is, radio stations did not dig the title or the lyrics, and it was not well-received on the singles charts.  A couple of Canadian singles charts, The RPM Top 100 and the Toronto radio station CHUM, did chart the single at Nos. 26 and 11, respectively, but the on official Canadian singles chart, THE RECORD, it didn’t even chart in the Top 40.

On the BILLBOARD Hot 100, “Black Stations / White Stations” debuted at the end of June 1984 at No. 82, had one big week a couple of weeks later in mid-July, and the following week, climbed to its peak of No. 63 (with a bullet), before falling out of the Hot 100 four weeks later.  It was the only time M+M or Martha And The Muffins would grace the Hot 100.

The Netherlands 7″ single cover art for “Black Stations / White Stations.”

Over in the U.K., “Black Stations / White Stations” fared a little better, reaching No. 46, but the song found its biggest audience in the American dance clubs, and it reached No. 2 on the BILLBOARD Dance chart.

Today (1.20.2020) is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the United States, and there’s an amazing quote about racism he said that I wanted to share in this post:

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s so unfortunate that radio and TV back in the 80s was so limiting as to what folks could sing or say to get their message out (even about racism).  I remember it being a big deal when Alan Alda said “son of a bitch” on the last episode of M*A*S*H in 1983 — “OMG a swear on TV!”  Today, however, songs about monogamous sex (or sex in general), the term “son of a bitch,” or talk of interracial couples won’t even raise an eyebrow.  In some respects, I love how far we’ve come in terms of what’s allowed and embraced on radio and TV (network TV is even forking catching up), but I still really wish radio had embraced songs like “Sexcrime” and “Original Sin” and “Black Stations / White Stations” back in 1984…

“A voice inside of my car told me today / there was a song of a love they would not play / She was black, he was white / A voice inside of my car told me today… Black stations, white stations / Break down the door / Stand up and face the music / This is nineteen eighty-four!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os4eWX88OxA

M+M: Martha Johnson and Mark Gane.

song of the day – “Under Pressure” – QUEEN & DAVID BOWIE | 1981 / 1982.

Today, January 8, 2020, would have been David Bowie’s 73rd birthday.  But, on David Bowie’s birthday, for the past few years, I tend to think about January 10th, the day we lost him at age 69.  I know it’s weird to think of it like that.  It also reminds me that one of my first blog posts ever was about David Bowie. 

With this blog being three parts autobiographical, singles chart nerdiness and my love for the 80s, one thing I didn’t count on was how much more about myself I would learn through these songs and these artists when writing about them.  When I first wrote about David Bowie, I mentioned that, growing up, although I enjoyed his music very much, he wasn’t one of my immediate favorites.  But, and this surprised me the most, when I thought about it after he died, I realized that David Bowie was always a part of my life, in some form, at least since the 1977 Xmas special he did with Bing Crosby.  More than 42 years later, “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy” is still my favorite Xmas song.

David Bowie and Bing Crosby, 1977.

David Bowie was also on the first record I ever bought with my own money, QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS, at the former LaVerdiere’s Drug Store across the river from where I’m writing this (in Wooterville, Maine, or Waterville, Maine for the uninitiated).  You throw in LET’S DANCE, LIVE AID, LABYRINTH and more, over the years, my love for David and his music grew more and more.  For years, I resisted getting a tattoo, and three months and a week after he died, I got my first tattoo with Mr. Bowie on my right shoulder, saying “We can be Heroes, just for one day.”  Just felt right and still does.  Sometimes, when Maryhope and I are on the air together, and we play David Bowie, I tend to refer to him as “the ever-present David Bowie.”  And he is, and not just because he’s on my shoulder.

Some of the early Elektra pressings of QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS had a new song on the album, with David Bowie — “Under Pressure.”  And I’m so grateful I got one of the early pressings.  My 39-year-old copy of the album is beat to shit, after the millions of times I played it, but as the first album I ever owned, I’ll never part with it.

Not my copy, this is mint compared to my beat-up copy!

Being a lanky 14-year-old singles chart nerd (and nerd in general) in 1981, one of the things I enjoyed most about QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS were the liner notes.  It had mini bios of each song, and revealed what positions the songs charted in both the U.K. and the U.S., which was a thrill for me, because at that time, I had little knowledge of how songs did across the pond, or other parts of the globe.

Here’s what the liner notes looked like on the first U.S. pressings of QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS, right down to the crease in the upper right corner.

What I didn’t know is that, on the U.K. and Ireland versions of QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS (or actually just titled GREATEST HITS, though I never called it that), “Under Pressure” was nowhere to be found.  But, on (at least) the American, Canadian and Japanese versions of the compilation, it was thankfully there.  And I instantly fell in love with it. 

“Under Pressure” was the brilliant pairing of two of the greatest voices in the history of music — Queen’s Freddie Mercury and David Bowie.  Absolute total fucking genius.  I’ve heard stories of stressful moments between them during the recording of “Under Pressure,” which, depending on your interpretation of the song, could be about stress and pressure because of work, politics, life, love, family, war, war within yourself, or anything.  When I hear “Under Pressure,” I don’t feel pressure at all, I don’t think about the battles Freddie and David had whilst making the song.  I just feel the love that was put into the song and I hear the passion and conviction in each of their voices:

“Love, love, love, love, love / Insanity laughs under pressure we’re breaking / Can’t we give ourselves one more chance? / Why can’t we give love that one more chance? / Why can’t we give love, give love, give love, give love / Give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?…”

The unassuming, pressure-free cover art for the “Under Pressure” single.

“Under Pressure” was released the last week in October 1981, on the same day as QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS.  Within two weeks, it debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 at No. 80.  In early December 1981, it debuted in the Top 40 at No. 40.  A month later, in early January 1982, it spent a couple of weeks at its peak position of No. 29, 15 total weeks on the Hot 100, and was gone by late February.  I can’t express enough how pissed I was (or as pissed as a then-15-year-old nerd living in Central Maine could get) that “Under Pressure” didn’t get the recognition it deserved. 

Unbeknownst to me, though, in many other parts of the globe, “Under Pressure” DID indeed get the recognition it deserved.  In the U.K., it spent two weeks at No. 1, a week at No. 1 in the Netherlands, and reached the Top 10 in (at least) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.  Why Americans couldn’t get behind this masterpiece is a question that eluded me for a very long time.

10 years to the week after “Under Pressure” hit No. 1 in the U.K., Freddie Mercury sadly passed away at the age of 45.  His loss was felt everywhere, and less than six months after he died, a benefit concert was put together in honor of him.  Many artists performed with the surviving members of Queen, including Robert Plant, Paul Young, Seal, Lisa Stansfield, George Michael, Elton John, and when it came time for “Under Pressure,” Queen’s Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon performed with David Bowie, and singing Freddie’s part of the song, the extraordinary Annie Lennox of Eurythmics.  The performance was magnificent, and an amazing tribute indeed, that I’m sure Freddie would have loved.

Annie Lennox and David Bowie, from the Freddie Mercury Tribute, April 20, 1992.

Over the years, you couldn’t escape “Under Pressure” being featured in numerous TV shows and movies, including a touching scene in the brilliant 1997 John Cusack film, GROSSE POINTE BLANK.

John Cusack and a baby, quietly jamming out to “Under Pressure” in 1997’s GROSSE POINTE BLANK.

When David Bowie died in 2016, many of his songs returned to the charts everywhere in the world, even here in America.  On the BILLBOARD Hot 100, “Under Pressure” was the highest Bowie song to re-enter the chart, at No. 45 — over “Let’s Dance,” over “Fame,” over “Space Oddity.”  And now (maybe also due in part due to the excellent 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY), “Under Pressure” is in heavy rotation at Retro Rock and Classic Rock stations all over.  It took awhile, but here in the U.S., “Under Pressure” has finally gotten the recognition it has deserved all along.

I want to travel back in time and go to there!

It’s hard to believe that, at one time in my life, David Bowie was not one of my favorite artists.  But, today, January 8, 2020, and well before today, and with many eternally grateful thanks to Maryhope, I can honestly say David Bowie is one of my all-time favorite artists.  I can’t imagine my life without him or his music. 

If I had access to a working DeLorean time machine, you can bet your 88 miles an hour ass that I would go back in time and see David perform live and buy everything of his that I could, at those moments.  But, since that’s not yet physically possible, I take comfort in the fact he left us an incredibly brilliant catalog of music that stretches far across the universe and then some. 

I also take comfort with something Maryhope often reminds me of, how we existed on this planet at the same time as David Bowie.  That’s so fucking cool.  Also so fucking cool is a thought I’ve had of David hanging out with Maryhope’s dad, Dennis, and my two baby brothers, Mark and Jonn — because they can.

Happy Birthday, Starman, wherever you are.  My love to you all…

“Cause love’s such an old fashioned word / And love dares you to care for / The people on the edge of the night / And love (people on streets) dares you to change our way of / Caring about ourselves / This is our last dance / This is our last dance / This is ourselves / Under pressure / Under pressure / Pressure…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a01QQZyl-_I

song of the day – “A Love Bizarre” | SHEILA E. featuring PRINCE | 1985.

More and more lately, I keep coming back to these Classic Rock and these retro radio stations playing “80s and More,” and how they are limiting themselves to the same songs by the same artists that every other station like them always plays.  They always tout variety, and yet, the song(s) remain the same.  And, not in a great Led Zeppelin way either.  And in turn, I’ve been thinking about songs they are not playing, and SHOULD BE playing already.  Damn.

Is it really more, or just the same?

Somewhere in the space and time of radio, some “professional” programmer or programming “team” for a collective of similar radio stations thought that it would be brilliant to play the same select group of artists within a six-hour span, maybe even longer. 

Using an “80s and more” station out of Boston as an example, on Tuesday, December 10th, the same artists are repeated a number of times in just a short six-hour span.  Aerosmith was played three times (understandable since they’re from Boston, but still, is hearing Aerosmith on the same radio station once every two hours necessary?), two Elton John songs were played in an hour, and multiple (male) artists were played twice: Men At Work, The Police, Queen, Billy Joel, Journey, Michael Jackson, Foreigner, Hall & Oates, and fucking Bon Jovi, the band who killed New Wave back in 1986 when “You Give Love A Bad Name” hit No. 1 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 (I half joke about that, but it’s true.).

During that same six-hour span, women were represented just nine times, and though all are awesome, the songs are by the same handful of female (or female-driven) artists they always play in heavy rotation: Scandal, Eurythmics, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Pat Benatar, Heart, The Bangles, and three of the same 70s Fleetwood Mac songs everyone plays (did they forget about all of their sweet work in the 80s?  Or “Tusk” from 1979?  Now THAT would kick ass, and would be branching out!).

Radio programmers! Play this song already, dammit!

While Michael Jackson was played a couple times, I didn’t see any other Soul or R&B artists from the 80s OR MORE OR ANY played at all.  No Aretha?  No Donna Summer (from Boston)?  No Blondie?  No Sheila E.?

Sheila E. performing live, 1978.

Sheila E. turns 62 today (December 12), and by the time she branched out on her own in 1983, she had already worked with music R&B and Pop royalty, including the likes of Lionel Richie, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, Diana Ross, and she was even a member of The George Duke Band for a few years.

In 1978, the year Prince released his debut album, FOR YOU, he also met Sheila E. (full name Sheila Escovedo) at a concert where she was performing with her father, percussionist Pete Escovedo.  Six years later, 1984 would prove to be a huge year for both of them. 

They teamed up during the PURPLE RAIN recording sessions and sang together on the B-side of “Let’s Go Crazy,” the highly memorable (not to mention one of the best B-sides ever), “Erotic City.”

One of THE BEST (and certainly naughtiest) B-sides EVER.

Working with Prince gave Sheila E. a huge boost to her own career, and just a couple of weeks before the release of PURPLE RAIN, she released her own debut album, THE GLAMOROUS LIFE, which would eventually be certified Gold.  Prince co-produced the album with Sheila E., and wrote the album’s title track, a huge Top 10 hit around the globe.  She also opened for Prince on his PURPLE RAIN tour (THAT would have been a concert to see!).

In late August 1985, Sheila E. released her second album, ROMANCE 1600, again co-produced with Prince (and on Prince’s Warner Bros. imprint, Paisley Park).  By late January 1986, ROMANCE 1600 became another Gold-certified album here in America for Sheila E. 

Fast forward to November 1985, and the funky first single from the album, “A Love Bizarre,” co-written by Prince and Sheila E., and featuring Prince on guitar, bass guitar and backing vocals, was released.  A month earlier, the song was featured in the film, KRUSH GROOVE, starring Sheila E., Run-D.M.C., Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Kurtis Blow, The Fat Boys, New Edition, Rick Rubin and Blair Underwood (who you would later see in TV shows like L.A. LAW and SEX AND THE CITY, and many other films in his long acting career).

Most of the music video for “A Love Bizarre” was taken from the film, and the 3:46 single version was whittled down from the album’s epic 12-minute version.

“A Love Bizarre” debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in mid-November 1985 at No. 84.  After a slow start, “A Love Bizarre” reached the Top 40 in the last week of 1985, and after a steady 16-week climb up the Hot 100, it spent a week at No. 11 in early March 1986.  After 23 weeks, “A Love Bizarre” fell off the chart in mid-April 1986.  It was one of the biggest hits of 1986 here in America.

Around the globe, “A Love Bizarre” found some not-so-bizarre love from Germany and The Netherlands, reaching the Top 10.  It also hit No. 14 in Austria, No. 16 in Switzerland, No. 20 in Canada, and charted in the U.K. as well.  It spent two weeks at No. 1 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart, and was her biggest hit on BILLBOARD’s R&B chart, reaching No. 2.

NERDY FUN FACT: In 1987, the late New Age / World singer and guitarist, Michael Hedges, released his much-heralded live album, LIVE ON THE DOUBLE PLANET, and on that album was a spirited acoustic cover of “A Love Bizarre,” performed live in the Spring of 1987 at the University of Maine at Orono, just about 90 minutes north of where I’m typing this.  At the beginning of the song he sings, “A, B… A, B, C, D… Sheila E!”  It was a frequent covers favorite played during the 20-year-plus run of my 80s radio show, STUCK IN THE 80s, and remains as one of my all-time favorite cover songs.

Though Sheila E. never had another big hit, it doesn’t mean she hasn’t been busy.  She appeared in four total movies, toured with Prince on his SIGN “O” THE TIMES and LOVESEXY tours (when she was briefly engaged to Prince during this time), has released eight albums between 1984 and 2017, performed as a member of the “All-Starrs” for three tours as part of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, played percussion on Phil Collins’ cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” and a few years later, played percussion on the Maurice Williams classic, “Stay,” for Cyndi’s brilliant 2003 album of standards,  AT LAST.  She has also provided percussion and/or drums for many motion pictures, including MAN OF STEEL and BATMAN V SUPERMAN.

Sheila E. and Prince, late 80s.

Sheila E. and Prince occasionally got together to perform over the years, and in 2016, following his sad death in April of that year, she released a new song in honor of Prince, called “Girl Meets Boy.”

A 2016 tribute song for Prince.

I still love hearing “The Glamorous Life” on the radio 35 years later, though it’s not played as much as it should be.  But, it’s certainly played more than “A Love Bizarre,” which to this day is highly-regarded as Sheila E.’s signature tune, and yet I NEVER hear it on the radio. 

For those “professional” 80s and retro programmers out there, what in THE H-E-double hockey sticks are you doing?!  What are you waiting for?  I love that Barry Scott’s long-running program, THE LOST 45s, brings some of these big hits, most of which sadly remain lost and forgotten, back to the radio with his wonderful show, but until I can finally get that programmer job I’ve always wanted, radio programmers need to please please please show Sheila E. some birthday love and highly regard “A Love Bizarre.”  Not only does it kick much ass, but NOT showing this song any love IS truly bizarre.

Happy Birthday, Sheila E.!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56gpwl6cohc

song of the day – “Think” | ARETHA FRANKLIN | 1968 / 1980.

It’s March 25, 2019, and today I’m remembering the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who would have been 77 years old today.

Regardless of what kind of music you listen to, it’s hard to imagine a time when Aretha and her music wasn’t a part of your life.  When I really started getting into music back in 1979, my knowledge of Aretha, as well as interest in her music, was embarrassingly limited.  It took me about six years to climb on board the Aretha train, but after I did, there was no turning back.

After Aretha passed away on August 16, 2018, BILLBOARD published a list of Aretha’s 20 biggest Hot 100 hits.  Overall, she made 73 appearances on the Hot 100 between 1961 and 1998, the most Hot 100 hits for women and a record she held onto until 2017.  Out of her Top 20, nine of those hits, not surprisingly, were from the 60s, including her first No. 1, “Respect,” at No. 2 on the list, “Chain Of Fools” at No. 5, “Think” at No. 12, “A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)” at No. 14, and “I Say A Little Prayer” at No. 16.

Out of her Top 20 hits, four of them were from the 80s, including her biggest hit ever, 1987’s No. 1 duet with George Michael, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” “Freeway Of Love” at No. 4, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” at No. 10, and her collaboration with Eurythmics, “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves,” at No. 20.

Aretha Franklin and Eurythmics’ David Stewart and Annie Lennox, hamming it up during 1985’s “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves.”

One thing I noticed about Aretha’s singles chart history is that she went 12 years without a Top 10 hit here in America.  1985’s “Freeway Of Love” returned her to the Top 10 (and Top 5) in high fashion.  Her 1985 WHO’S ZOOMIN’ WHO album was her biggest-selling album ever.  But, as awesome as “Freeway Of Love” is, it’s not what really started her comeback.  That happened years before.

When film director John Landis was putting together a movie version of the SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE skit for The Blues Brothers, Dan Aykroyd, who co-wrote the film with John Landis, lobbied, and in fact insisted, that Aretha and other R&B superstars James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles would appear in the film, replete with speaking parts that worked around the songs each of them performed in the film.  Other Blues legends like John Lee Hooker and Pinetop Perkins appear in the movie too.  The casting for this film, which also includes the wonderful talents of Carrie Fisher and John Candy, was absolutely brilliant.

The casting of Aretha was absolutely brilliant as well.  She had gone through a rough time in the second half of the 70s, and several of her albums on Atlantic Records did not do well.  In 1979, after 12 years, she left the label for which she had much of her greatest success.

Matt “Guitar” Murphy and Aretha Franklin in THE BLUES BROTHERS.

In THE BLUES BROTHERS, Aretha plays the owner of a soul food restaurant, and the wife of Matt “Guitar” Murphy, who works in the restaurant as a cook.  After John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s attempt (as Jake and Elwood Blues) to get Matt  (lead guitarist) and “Blue Lou” Marini (saxophonist; who also works at the restaurant) back into The Blues Brothers Band, Aretha memorably bursts into song and dance to try and get Matt to stay.  That song is her 1968 Top 10 hit, “Think.”  When Aretha (as Mrs. Murphy) is unsuccessful at her attempt to keep Matt (and subsequently, “Blue Lou”) from leaving with Jake and Elwood, she ends her scene with one very convincing and hilarious word: “Shit.”  Fucking brilliant.

Aretha Franklin at the end of her hilarious and memorable scene in THE BLUES BROTHERS. “Shit.”

And, I contend it was Aretha’s performance in THE BLUES BROTHERS that reignited her success in the 1980s, five years before “Freeway Of Love.”  (NERDY SIDE NOTE: Even though Aretha had left Atlantic in 1979, “Think” was featured on THE BLUES BROTHERS soundtrack, which was on the label of The Blues Brothers — Atlantic Records.)

Also in 1980, the founder and president of Arista Records, Clive Davis, signed Aretha to Arista, a label she would remain with until 2007.  Her first two albums with Arista saw her biggest album success since 1974, but it was 1982’s JUMP TO IT album that brought Aretha her first gold album in 10 years, and her first Top 40 hit on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in six years — the album’s title cut.

The song “Jump To It” (co-written by then-up-and-coming R&B recording artist Luther Vandross) reached No. 24 on the Hot 100, No. 4 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart, and spent four weeks at No. 1 on BILLBOARD’s R&B chart. 

I didn’t get to pay tribute to Aretha last year, but on her birthday, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity (same goes for Matt “Guitar” Murphy, who sadly passed away a couple of months before Aretha).

The poster for Aretha’s self-titled 1986 album, with album cover art designed by Andy Warhol.

You are definitely missed, and though it took awhile for me to jump on the Aretha train, I’m so glad I did.  I’ve always had a special amount of R-E-S-P-E-C-T for you, and your scene-stealing performance in THE BLUES BROTHERS will always make me laugh and make me THINK! about your incredible contribution to music in the 80s and for all time…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY66elCQkYk

A great shot of John Belushi, Aretha Franklin and Dan Aykroyd, 1980.

song of the day – “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” | CYNDI LAUPER | 1983 / 1984.

It’s March 8, 2019, and International Women’s Day today!  Today, and all through the month of March (and, really, every day), is a celebration of women that began when the Socialist Party of America organized a Women’s Day on February 28, 1909.  The following year, it was suggested that it be held annually.  It became a national holiday in Soviet Russia on March 8, 1917, and in 1975, the United Nations officially chimed in.  In 2019, it’s embraced in many places and ignored in others.  I say let’s go to embrace International Women’s Day!

Over the course of writing this blog, my love of radio has been mentioned a lot.  And why not — it’s a huge part of who I am today.  I also may have mentioned my love / hate relationship with radio.  I have loved radio for 40 years, but apart from my wonderful time at college stations like WUMF and WHSN, and community stations like WMPG, radio has not loved me…yet.  And, the radio I listened to at age 12 vs. the radio I listen to at 52 is far from the same.

A potential bumper sticker for WMPG’s 45th birthday, designed by my friend and former radio neighbor, the incredibly-talented DJ Shaxx.

One thing I’ve noticed as of late on commercial radio, namely Classic Rock or Oldies stations (OMG 80s is Oldies now!  Holy cats!), and the question I ask more than any other — where are the women at?!  Yesterday (March 7, 2019), I researched a few radio stations around Portland, Maine, Boston and New York just to compare how many women are represented in playlists today.  And, apart from Top 40, which has always had a large representation of women played on their stations, even dating back to when I listened to Top 40, the playlists at the Classic Rock and Oldies stations I researched were sadly dominated by men.

Apparently (and unfortunately), the whole “recently played” feature has yet to catch on in the three major Portland, Maine radio stations I researched.  C’mon Portland, you’re the 96th radio market in America!  Act like it dammit!

So, when I struck out in Portland, Maine, I went down to the No. 1 radio market in the country — New York — to find a Classic Rock station.  And success!  Well, depending on how you look at it. 

In the three-hour period I first researched of this iHeart radio station that brands itself as “New York’s Classic Rock,” Pat Benatar was played once, and Fleetwood Mac was played twice.  I go back another three hours, and Fleetwood Mac is there again!  I get it!  RUMOURS is one of the biggest albums of all time, an rightfully so; it’s an incredible album.

But, in the six hours I researched, so many great male artists were played more than once, and yet no Joan Jett, no Heart, no Janis Joplin, no Go-Go’s.  Hey, Men At Work is in there, and I love Men At Work!  So, why not The Go-Go’s?  In six hours, three songs by Fleetwood Mac (two featuring Stevie Nicks on vocals) and one Pat Benatar song.  Three songs featuring women on vocals in six fucking hours.  Where are the women at?!  And no proper 80s radio station in New York?  What the what?!  I’ll have to get right on that.

I then went up to Boston to the station formerly known as “Boston’s Greatest Hits.”  This was promising.  Then the station recently rebranded itself as “80s & More.”  I was intrigued.  Apparently, “80s & More” for this station means they play 70s and 90s with an emphasis on 80s.  Still intrigued. 

In the same six-hour research time period, Stevie Nicks and Don Henley’s “Leather And Lace” kicked things off.  Then it took almost 90 minutes for Pat Benatar’s “We Belong” to be played.  That was followed later by Scandal, Eurythmics, The Go-Go’s (!), Fleetwood Mac, Pat Benatar again (three hours after “We Belong”), Nena, and Cyndi Lauper’s gorgeous “Time After Time.”

So, compared to the other station, seven female artists (or female-led acts) were played on eight songs in the same six-hour timeframe vs. three female artists.  That’s better, but still not great.  After the 90-minute wait between Stevie Nicks and Pat Benatar, it was a 45-minute wait between Pat and Scandal, another 45 minutes between Scandal and Eurythmics, 40 minutes between Eurythmics and The Go-Go’s, and so on.  An average of six to eight songs by men vs. one song by a woman in the average span of 45-60 minutes.  It’s better than the New York station, but it’s not enough.  You play Michael Jackson, why not Madonna?  And where’s Aretha?  The Motels?  Janet Jackson?  Tina Turner?!  I shouldn’t have to get angry about this shit.

Back in mid-December 1983, more than three months after its release, a new single by a relatively unknown 30-year-old woman by the name of Cyndi Lauper made an unassuming debut on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 at No. 80 with “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” (which features Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian of The Hooters, Jules Shear, and David Letterman’s house drummer, Anton Fig).

Three months later, in March 1984, the native New Yorker reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 and had a huge hit with “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” but was denied the No. 1 spot by the four-man Pasadena, California Hard Rock band, Van Halen, and their hit, “Jump.”

“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” was written and recorded in 1979 by Robert Hazard (whose “Escalator Of Life” was a moderate hit in the Spring of 1983), but when Cyndi recorded her version for her brilliant album, SHE’S SO UNUSUAL, it took on a whole new meaning and a whole new life.

As Cyndi mentioned about “Girls” in her 2012 autobiography, CYNDI LAUPER: A MEMOIR, “I said to myself, ‘Hell yeah, I’ll make [it] an anthem!  Maybe it’ll be something that will bring us all together and wake us up.’  It would be a movement right under all the oppressors’ noses, and no one would know about it until there was nothing they could do to stop it.

“It was very blatantly feminist [and] it doesn’t mean that girls just want to fuck.  It just means that girls want to have the same damn experience that any man could have.”  And absolutely should have. 

“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” may have stopped at No. 2 here in America, but globally, it was the fourth-biggest single of 1984, reaching No. 1 or the Top 10 in at least fourteen countries around the globe.  And, its staying power and strong message has lasted through generations and I know it will continue to be an inspiration for women (and girls) for generations to come. 

Every time I’ve seen Cyndi perform “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” in concert, I often find myself looking at the crowd, and I see so many girls dancing to this song with their friends or sisters or mothers or aunts or grandmothers, and it’s beautiful.  The last time I saw Cyndi was in Bangor, Maine on a July 2017 double bill with Rod Stewart (and her first time performing in Maine since the TRUE COLORS tour!).  I was near the front, and reveled in the excitement over Cyndi performing this amazing anthem for those in attendance.  I look forward to the next time I can experience that again.

Cyndi Lauper, amazing and on the big screen, live in Bangor, Maine, 7.14.2017.

For 35 years, Cyndi Lauper has been a beacon of hope and love and peace and music and togetherness for everyone, especially for those who don’t get the respect and love and peace they deserve and then some.  TRUE COLORS UNITED (formerly the TRUE COLORS FUND; truecolorsunited.org) exists to combat homeless youth, especially LBGT youth, who, as of 2016, made up 40% of the homeless youth population in the United States.

And for 35 years, Cyndi’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” has conveyed that all women truly want to have the same experiences that men have.  And I know that could be conveyed to radio, too. 

So, if there are any actual program directors left out there who might be reading this (and not some stupid computer-generated program which predicts what people want to hear, as opposed to listening to what people really want to listen to), Cyndi’s right. 

For those stations out there (in any genre) already playing women in heavy rotation, I applaud you.  I love you, radio, I always have.  And I have always believed in you.  But, you can do better… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIb6AZdTr-A

Cyndi Lauper, 1983.

song of the day – “Let Me Tickle Your Fancy” | JERMAINE JACKSON featuring DEVO | 1982.

On June 15, 2014, Casey Kasem, host of the longtime countdown program, AMERICAN TOP 40, passed away at the age of 82.  From my first blog post (and prolly some more inbetween then and now), I explained how, in 1979, I was a geeky, lanky and somewhat lost 12-year-old living in Central Maine, had a few friends and not a lot of interest in much of anything, but at some point early that year, I discovered AMERICAN TOP 40, and was glued to it every weekend.  Not only could I hear the 40 biggest songs in the country every week, but also Casey’s cool trivia and facts about the songs and the artists, a trait I treasure to this day.  For me, the show was No. 1 with a bullet.  And still is (thanks to the re-airing of broadcasts of AT40 on iHeart Radio).

In honor of my radio hero, Casey Kasem, for the entire month of June (and now through July), I will be highlighting a song each day (some days will have two songs!) that peaked in the Top 40 of the BILLBOARD Hot 100 (including five (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s), and with every blog post, just like on AMERICAN TOP 40, the hits will get bigger with each post.  On June 1, 2017, I featured a song that peaked at No. 40.  Sometime here in July, I’ll feature a “song of the day” that went all the way to No. 1. 

As Casey used to say on AT40, “And on we go!”

I may have mentioned this before in this series, but I have to say it’s been totally fun revisiting songs that peaked at each position of the Top 40 of the BILLBOARD Hot 100 from 1979 through 1989, and interesting how, as the chart peaks get higher (or the numbers get lower, take your pick), the number of songs that peaked at each position gets higher as well (or interesting to me, anyway).

More than 50 songs peaked at No. 18 between 1979 and 1989, and strangely, only 1/5 of those were by women (a ratio that will increase I’m sure as I continue the series), included three (real) one-hit wonders of the 80s, and two songs from Daryl Hall & John Oates (although, I think maybe Hall & Oates peaked at every position in the Top 40; prolly not, but sure seems like it!).

Boy, did I really want my hair to look like that in 1983!  I couldn’t pull it off, but that didn’t stop me from bringing in my copy of LIVING IN OZ to the hair stylist and saying, “Can you make my hair look like this?”  In my youth…

Out of the 50+ choices for this blog post, it was a close contest between “Walking On A Thin Line,” the fifth and final single from the monster album, SPORTS, by Huey Lewis & The News (a song about the post-war stress for vets coming home from the Vietnam War), “Sidewalk Talk” by Jellybean (written by Madonna, who sings backing vocals) and Rick Springfield’s “Human Touch” (THE most-requested Rick Springfield song on my former radio show, STUCK IN THE 80s, even more-requested than “Jessie’s Girl”)…

…but when I saw Jermaine Jackson’s “Let Me Tickle Your Fancy” on the list, the contest was over.

When you think of Jermaine Jackson 80s solo hits, what songs come to mind first?  “Let’s Get Serious” (written by Stevie Wonder)?  “Dynamite?”  “Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming” (with his brother, Michael Jackson)?  I’m betting all of the above.  I’m also betting “Let Me Tickle Your Fancy” was not on most people’s radar, then or now. 

“Let Me Tickle Your Fantasy” was the title track of Jermaine Jackson’s 1982 album, his final album for Motown Records.  Jermaine had stayed on with Motown after his other brothers left the label in the 70s, moved over to Epic and renamed themselves The Jacksons (Jermaine would rejoin them on The Jacksons’ 1984 album and tour, VICTORY).

The most unusual and fun fact about the song “Let Me Tickle Your Fancy” is that Devo sings backing vocals on it.  It’s one of the coolest one-time collaborations out there.  Devo had come off of their big 1980 hit, “Whip It,” released NEW TRADITIONALISTS in 1981 and were about to release OH NO! IT’S DEVO in November 1982. 

Believe it or not, Jermaine Jackson actually sought Devo out for this collaboration.  In a 1984 interview, Jermaine mentioned how he was getting into what he called “Modern Music” (i.e. New Wave), and loved the creativity Devo had in their videos.  When Jermaine called them up to see if they’d sing on “Let Me Tickle Your Fancy,” they didn’t think he was serious.  But that’s what Jermaine wanted: “When it’s just off the wall like that, if it’s great, it’s gonna make it the biggest thing ever.”

They both came from Midwestern cities (Jermaine from Gary, Indiana, Devo from Akron, Ohio), and the collaboration – though not the biggest thing ever, paid off, and more curiously, they actually sounded great and natural together.

The LET ME TICKLE YOUR FANCY album was released in early July 1982, and it did not take long for the “Let Me Tickle Your Fancy” single to reach the BILLBOARD Hot 100, debuting at No. 75 only a couple weeks later.  “Let Me Tickle Your Fancy” landed in the Top 40 about a month later, on its way to a No. 18 peak for two weeks in September / October 1982.  It also reached No. 5 on BILLBOARD’s R&B chart.

I’m unsure as to why, but an entire year after “Let Me Tickle Your Fancy” left the Hot 100, Jermaine (joined by “Spud and Pud Devo” – Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale) appeared on a Dick Clark-produced Halloween special called A MAGICAL, MUSICAL HALLOWEEN.  Other musical guests included Billy Joel, Toni Basil, Eddie Money and William Shatner.  Still, the performance is interesting to watch (the sound isn’t great and it’s kinda dark, but the video link is at the end of the post).

I love it when recording artists unite for just one song, whether it turns out to be a killer hit or just a fun thing to do.  The KLF and Tammy Wynette teamed up back in 1991 for “Justified & Ancient” (a song whose origins date back to 1987).  Madonna and Prince teamed up for “Love Song” (on her 1989 LIKE A PRAYER album), and of course there’s the brilliant “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, to name a few. 

Two other No. 18 hits in the 80s had great one-time collaborations as well – “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves” by Eurythmics & Aretha Franklin, and (real) one-hit wonder Clarence Clemons, who got some help from Jackson Browne on “You’re A Friend Of Mine.”

For most who remember the song, the quirky pairing of Jermaine Jackson and Devo is what folks remember the most about “Let Me Tickle Your Fancy.”  And while it prolly didn’t get any woman to tickle Jermaine’s fancy, I will forever remember it for being a really fun, albeit mostly-forgotten song…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ImnOLzVBc

song of the day – “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves” | EURYTHMICS AND ARETHA FRANKLIN | 1985.

Happy International Women’s Day!  So many great anthems for women released in the 80s to choose from, but I went with a kick-ass 1985 gem that called to me today and which united – for one time – a woman from Aberdeen, Scotland (Annie Lennox), a man from Sunderland, England (David A. Stewart) and another woman from Memphis, Tennessee by way of Detroit, Michigan (Aretha Franklin) – “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves.”

When Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were putting together their fifth studio album as Eurythmics, BE YOURSELF TONIGHT, they wrote what turned out to be an 80s (and beyond) feminist anthem called “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves,” and had intended on doing a duet with Tina Turner, who in 1984 had the biggest comeback of the year, perhaps of the entire decade.

However, Tina Turner was not available to record the duet, so Annie and Dave asked Aretha if she’d sing it, and luckily for us, she agreed.  “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves” was the third single released from BE YOURSELF TONIGHT, the biggest-selling album to date for Eurythmics.  It was also included on Aretha’s 1985 album, WHO’S ZOOMIN’ WHO?, which oddly enough was Aretha’s first Platinum-selling album here in America.

“Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves,” which additionally features three members of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers (including Mike Campbell on guitar), debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in the latter half of October 1985, and spent a quick week at their peak position of No. 18 in early December 1985, a week after Aretha Franklin peaked at No. 7 with the title song from her own album, WHO’S ZOOMIN’ WHO?

The feminist anthem was also well-received around the globe, reaching No. 5 in Ireland, No. 6 in New Zealand, No. 9 in the U.K., No. 10 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart, and the Top 20 in Australia, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland.

I think Dave Stewart is gonna lose this one…

A number of cover versions of “Sisters” have been released over the years, including one from Lisa Simpson (voiced by Yeardley Smith), Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart and Lisa’s aunts, Patty and Selma Bouvier on The Simpsons’ 1998 album, THE YELLOW ALBUM, a play on The Beatles’ WHITE ALBUM from 1968, with its cover as a parody of 1967’s SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND.  It’s also been covered by The Pointer Sisters, The Spice Girls and even Lucy Lawless covered it on her popular TV show, XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS.

Earlier on this special day, I saw an amazing and beautiful Facebook post from one of my best friends, Shawn in NYC, a post in which he’s kind enough to allow me to share here, and a sentiment I wish to echo:

“Happy Women’s Day to all of you strong, intelligent, and beautiful women.  I have nothing but love, respect, and appreciation for who you are, what you do, and all you have to put up with.” 

That’s damn right.  Thank you Shawn.  And thank you, girls, ladies, women.  With women equalling about half of the population of the world, it still bugs me that folks continue to call the human race “mankind.”  Hell, “mankind” wouldn’t exist without women.  Just sayin’ it like it is…

“Now there was a time when they used to say / That behind every great man there had to be a great woman / But in these times of change you know it’s no longer true / So we’re comin’ out of the kitchen / ‘Cause there’s something we forgot to say to you / We say: Sisters are doin’ it for themselves…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtUWs6muGzg

xmas song of the day – “Winter Wonderland” | EURYTHMICS | 1987.

Happy Holidays!  Since it’s the first year of my blog, and since it’s the last year for my Annual Holiday Show on my little 20-year-old 80s radio program, STUCK IN THE 80s (on WMPG community radio in Portland, Maine), I wanted to present to you THE 31 DAYS OF 80s XMAS SONGS, or, 31 of my favorite 80s holiday musical treats.

The song for Day 5 of the 31 DAYS OF 80s XMAS SONGS is “Winter Wonderland” by Eurythmics, from one of my all-time favorite Xmas albums, 1987’s A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS, which came about from an idea of super-producer Jimmy Iovine. 

Long before Jimmy Iovine was the co-founder of Interscope Records and Beats Electronic (with Dr. Dre), Jimmy was an engineer on such classic albums like Bruce Springsteen’s BORN TO RUN, DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN and THE RIVER, Meat Loaf’s BAT OUT OF HELL and John Lennon’ WALLS AND BRIDGES. 

Before 1987, Jimmy Iovine produced or co-produced such memorable albums  Patti Smith’s EASTER, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ DAMN THE TORPEDOES, Dire Straits’ MAKING MOVIES, BELLA DONNA by Stevie Nicks, ONCE UPON A TIME by Simple Minds and The Pretenders’ GET CLOSE.  He also supervised the music for the 1984 John Hughes classic, SIXTEEN CANDLES, and in 1988, he produced U2’s excellent double-album soundtrack to their rockumentary, RATTLE AND HUM, and supervised the music for the Bill Murray holiday film, SCROOGED.

For the first A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS album in 1987, Jimmy Iovine recruited many of the recording artists he worked with, like Bruce Springsteen, U2, The Pretenders and Stevie Nicks, along with Eurythmics, John Mellencamp, Sting, Run-D.M.C., Madonna, Bryan Adams, Alison Moyet and more – 15 songs in all.

In the wake of Band Aid, Live Aid, Farm Aid and “We Are The World,” Jimmy Iovine wanted to put together a Christmas album as a memorial to his dad, who passed away in 1985. 

The idea for A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS to benefit Special Olympics was idea of Jimmy Iovine’s wife, Vicki (herself a volunteer for Special Olympics), and that’s where the “special” in A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS is inspired from.  Mr. and Mrs. Iovine got some help organizing the album from extended Kennedy family member Bobby Shriver, and the founders of A&M Records, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss.

Since the original 1987 A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS album, there have been nine other albums released in the series, through 2013.  And since 1987, the series has raised over $100 million dollars for Special Olympics.  Since 1991, A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS ranks as the 19th best-selling holiday album here in America, and has sold over four million copies since its release.

A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS Producer Jimmy Iovine (front center), surrounded (in no particular order) by U2, Annie Lennox, Sting, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Run-D.M.C.

The cover art for the albums was designed by pop and graffiti artist, Keith Haring, and the untitled image of a mother and child was chosen by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1987 as the cover of the first A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS album.  Keith Haring sadly passed away in early 1990, but that image has become synonymous with the album series, and also with the mission of the Special Olympics.

This wonderful version of “Winter Wonderland” by Eurythmics has been a longtime holiday favorite of mine, and it has made it onto most (if not all) of the playlists for my Annual Holiday Show.  Many versions of “Winter Wonderland” have been recorded since it was written in 1934, from Bing Crosby to Elvis Presley to Ozzy Osbourne, but this version truly stands out among the best.

To learn more about Special Olympics and the mission of A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS, go to averyspecialchristmas.org.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xVLeW9UmjE

song of the day – “Would I Lie To You?” | EURYTHMICS | 1985.

For the fifth studio album by London’s Eurythmics, 1985’s BE YOURSELF TONIGHT, Scotland’s Annie Lennox and England’s David A. Stewart were sounding less like the New Wave / Dance sound they had on the first four albums (including their soundtrack to the film, 1984), and more like a Pop / Rock band.  For this album, they meshed the Motown sound into their “newly-found” Rock sound, and with the help of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Elvis Costello, the new sound worked.  BE YOURSELF TONIGHT remains as their biggest-selling album worldwide.

“Would I Lie To You?” was the first single released from BE YOURSELF TONIGHT, which debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in late April 1985, the same week the album was released.  “Would I Lie To You?” (an MTV favorite) had a steady climb up the chart, and reached No. 5 (their last U.S. Top 10 hit to date) on July 13, 1985 – the day of Live Aid.  (SIDE  NOTE: Annie and David weren’t able to perform at Live Aid because Annie was recovering from vocal fold nodules, which prevented her from singing.)

The Hot 100 wasn’t the only BILLBOARD chart to see “Would I Lie To You?” in the upper echelon of the charts: It reached No. 2 on BILLBOARD’s Rock chart, and No. 5 on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart – no easy feat.

Around the globe, “Would I Lie To You?” didn’t lie to fans, and it spent 2 weeks at No. 1 in Australia, plus Top 10 rankings in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland and Sweden.  In their U.K. homeland, it reached No. 17.

Annie Lennox and David Stewart have released four more Eurythmics studio  albums since BE YOURSELF TONIGHT, the most recent of which was 1999’s excellent comeback album, PEACE.  The pair last performed on 2014’s “The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles” in Los Angeles, the day after the Grammy Awards, with an amazing version of “The Fool On The Hill.”

In 2007, Annie Lennox announced that she didn’t foresee any future Eurythmics projects in the works, and while that remains true to this day, David A. Stewart, in 2012, remained hopeful: “We’re not talking about a [new album] right now, but never say never.”

I have loved this band from the moment I heard “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” blaring from my Panasonic boombox.  Of course, I would absolutely LOVE to see the Eurythmics get back together and work on a new album (and tour again).  Would I lie to you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhpu2N4rQZM

song of the day – “Train In Vain (Stand By Me)” | THE CLASH | 1979 / 1980.

When The Clash debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 in late March 1980 with their first U.S. hit, “Train In Vain,” it was like it didn’t quite fit in with other debut songs that week: “The Rose” by Bette Midler, “Wondering Where The Lions Are” by Bruce Cockburn, and “Heart Hotels” by Dan Fogelberg.  But, that didn’t stop the London Punk Rock quartet (Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Nicky “Topper” Headon) from taking on America and beyond.

Everyone and their mother knows about the history of The Clash, oft-labeled as “The Only Band That Matters,” but for those who don’t, this post will fill in (at least) some of the gaps.  The Clash formed in London in 1976, and were, like The Sex Pistols and The Damned, among the first batch of British Punk bands.  But The Clash truly had some depth to their music that went beyond Punk, throwing in elements of Reggae, Funk and Ska, among other genres. 

The Clash released their self-titled debut album in the U.K. this week in April 1977.  It gave them their first Gold record in Britain.  Their second album, 1978’s GIVE ‘EM ENOUGH ROPE, was their first album released in the U.S., earning them another Gold record in the U.K., reaching No. 2 there and No. 128 on the BILLBOARD album chart. 

The American recognition of GIVE ‘EM ENOUGH ROPE warranted a U.S. edition of The Clash’s debut album, which was released in the Summer of 1979, and gave them their first Gold record in America.  Fast forward to the end of that year.  The Clash’s third album was released, and the dynamic of The Clash (and that of Rock and Roll and music altogether) would change forever.

LONDON CALLING is The Clash’s third album, a 2-album, late-1979 Post-Punk masterpiece that not only goes all over the music map, it also tackles subject matter in their songs such as unemployment, drug use, challenging the status quo, commercialization and consumerism, and…a brand new Cadillac. 

In 2003, ROLLING STONE magazine ranked LONDON CALLING at No. 8 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, a ranking that would echo publications around the globe.  The double album was certified Platinum in both the U.K. and the U.S., and it has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.  I’m sure I’ll devote a deserved entire post to LONDON CALLING one day, but for now, I’ll concentrate on the band’s third single from the album, “Train In Vain.”

Hard to believe I almost didn’t purchase LONDON CALLING at first, because “Train In Vain” wasn’t listed.  But, when I learned “Train In Vain” was on the album as a hidden track, I was amused.  I mean, what band doesn’t put the album’s hit on the record sleeve?  Honestly?!  In the end, I thought it was kinda cool and later found out that “Train In Vain” wasn’t on the album sleeve initially because it was added to LONDON CALLING at the last minute.

The “Train In Vain” single away from the U.S…

Away from the U.S., the emphasis on the title was “Stand By Me,” but with the 1961 Ben E. King classic of the same name, “Train In Vain” was listed as “Train In Vain (Stand By Me)” here in America to avoid any confusion.  (Country singer Mickey Gilley had a hit crossover cover of “Stand By Me” later in 1980, featured on the soundtrack to URBAN COWBOY.)

On the BILLBOARD Hot 100, “Train In Vain (Stand By Me)” found its way to a No. 23 peak for a couple of weeks in May 1980.  It was also a No. 30 hit on BILLBOARD’s Dance chart and a No. 9 hit in Canada, but oddly enough, it never was a U.K. hit, though then again, it didn’t have to be a hit to be beloved.

Over the years, “Train In Vain” has been covered by the likes of Country music superstar (and part-time actor) Dwight Yoakam, and a wonderful, soulful version by Eurythmics’ Annie Lennox from her second solo album, 1995’s MEDUSA.  It was also sampled on “Stupid Girl,” a worldwide hit in 1996 for the American-Scottish Alt-Rock band, Garbage.

The 10″ U.S. promo single for “Train In Vain.”

The song’s meaning has sparked conversations for more than 35 years, especially since the words “Train In Vain” aren’t even mentioned in the song.  A 1995 GUITAR WORLD interview with “Train In Vain” singer and songwriter Mick Jones revealed that “Train” was actually a love song.  According to a 2007 BLENDER magazine article on “The Greatest Songs Ever,” Mick Jones commented further on “Train In Vain”: “The track was like a train rhythm, and there was, once again, that feeling of being lost.”

In more than 36 years, I confess I never learned the actual meaning of “Train In Vain (Stand By Me).”  All I can say is that I love dancing to this song any chance I get (though as of late, it’s mostly in the car than on a dance floor), and it is one of prolly 20 songs I would want to be marooned with for all-time.  Hmmm, maybe it is a love song after all…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNot47WRBFk

The Clash in 1979…