CHART ATTACK! #37: 6/26/82
Hi everybody! Let’s see, in recent weeks we’ve done ’84, ’88 and ’86…so naturally, you know where I’m headed. Let’s take a look at the charts during the week of June 26, 1982!
10. The Other Woman – Ray Parker, Jr. Amazon iTunes
9. Love’s Been A little Bit Hard On Me – Juice Newton Amazon iTunes
8. Let It Whip – Dazz Band Amazon iTunes
7. Crimson and Clover – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Amazon iTunes
6. Hurts So Good – John Cougar Amazon iTunes
5. Always On My Mind – Willie Nelson Amazon iTunes
4. Heat Of The Moment – Asia Amazon iTunes
3. Rosanna – Toto Amazon iTunes
2. Don’t You Want Me – Human League Amazon iTunes
1. Ebony And Ivory – Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder Amazon iTunes
Before we delve into these ten tasty treats, let’s just look at these tracks as a whole, shall we? In June of 1982, we certainly had our share of different genres occupying the top of the charts: you’ve got R&B, funk, country, pop, hard rock, and good ol’ rock & roll. (Which is which, of course, is another story.) Okay, let’s dig in!
10. The Other Woman – Ray Parker, Jr. (download)
Now, if you are anywhere near my age (30), the first thing you’re probably going to ask yourself is: "the ‘I Want A New Drug’ ‘Ghostbusters guy’ had other successful songs?" Yes, Virginia, Ray Parker, Jr. did have other songs; eight Top 40 solo songs, as a matter of fact – and that doesn’t include the five he had as part of Raydio! "I Want A New Drug" "Ghostbusters" just happened to be his most successful. Here are some other useless facts about him: he played guitar on Talking Book and Innervisions, toured with Stevie Wonder’s band, and also wrote and recorded his own version of New Edition’s "Mr. Telephone Man."
Although it’s no "I Want A New Drug" "Ghostbusters," I do like "The Other Woman." It’s a nice slab of funky rock. And you have to love the man’s vocal: this guy is trying his damndest to sound like a sex god. I get this kind of voice when I first wake up in the morning, or when I speak very quietly into the phone. I wouldn’t be surprised if this song was recorded while he was chillin’ in bed. Awwww, shucks!
9. Love’s Been A Little Bit Hard On Me – Juice Newton
Yeah, I ripped on ol’ Juice a few months ago, although it was really more an assault against "Angel Of The Morning" than anything else. And quick tangent – I never thought I’d say this, but I found a version of that song that I didn’t hate. It’s by Girlyman, one of my favorite groups. (One of their CD covers sits on the right-hand side of this website.) It’s bootleg quality, but the harmonies are beautiful enough that I actually thought about taking back the bad things I said about the song. Almost.
Girlyman – Angel Of The Morning (live) (download)
But anyway, back to Newton and this song. I don’t really want to like it, but I do. It reminds me of about three other songs, none of which I can remember at this point in time. It’s a little bit rock, a little bit country, and a little bit ’80s, courtesy of that synthesizer in the opening riff. Why do I feel like somewhere in America, right now, at least 15 people are line-dancing to this song?
Hey, you know what? This song could be used in a Viagra commercial. Either as the "before" OR the "after," if you think about it. (Thank you! I’ll be here all week! Try the veal!)
Here’s the video for "Love’s Been A Little Bit Hard On Me." I was going to play "Count The Douchebags!" with this video ("One! One douchebag! Ah, ah, ah!"), but I actually wound up enjoying the plot, in which a d-bag suitor continually beats the crap out of Juice. It’s like a precursor to O.J. Simpson in The Naked Gun movies, except I’m pretty sure this Juice doesn’t wind up murdering anybody. Anyway, by the end of the video (especially when they recap her various accidents), I was completely smitten.
[youtube]EPlRcoYj32c[/youtube]
8. Let It Whip – Dazz Band (download)
So when I first saw this title, I was perplexed. I was almost positive I’d never heard this song before. Of course, within 15 seconds, not only did I know exactly what song it was, but I was pushed out of my chair by some unexplainable force. This force caused me to run back and forth across the apartment and shake my groove thing, shake my groove thing, yeah yeah. I hope it does the same for you. (By the way, did Michael Jackson steal this drum track for "Beat It?")
7. Crimson and Clover – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Can somebody tell me what people thought of Joan Jett back in 1982? She had three songs in the top 20 in that year, and all three were covers. First was "I Love Rock & Roll" – yes, it’s a cover, originally by The Arrows (thank you, Coverville, for that piece of education) then this song, originally by Tommy James & The Shondells, and then, "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" by Gary Glitter (yes, Gary Glitter, and no, I will not go there). I’m not saying anything bad about Joan Jett – I think she fucking rocks, and undoubtedly puts her stamp on any song that she performs, cover or no, but does anybody remember what kind of legitimacy she had at this point? I know she was 3 years out of her work with The Runaways, but that’s all I know (or care to look up).
6. Hurts So Good – John Cougar
"Sometimes love don’t feel like it should." Hey, another Viagra commercial! (Thank you! Tip your waitress!)
5. Always On My Mind – Willie Nelson
I like Willie Nelson as much as the next guy (and personally, I don’t think anybody really likes Willie as much as they claim they do), but I don’t care for "Always On My Mind" very much. Not this version, not Elvis’ version, either. Admittedly, I haven’t heard Brenda Lee’s version or BB King’s version. I do like the Pet Shop Boys’ cover, only because I like everything from the Pet Shop Boys. I know it won boatloads of awards and was a huge hit for Willie, but I’m just not feelin’ it. And I certainly regret the day I found Bon Jovi singing it with Willie Nelson. Can we just not mention the words "Bon Jovi" and "country" for the rest of the week? Thanks. Anyway, I’d like to think that Wilie recorded this on the one day he didn’t smoke weed.
4. Heat Of The Moment – Asia
I’m only going to say this once: I don’t care about Asia. So if there are any Asia fans reading this, don’t try to convince me. You already have me listening to mellow music that’s quickly making the hair fall out of my chest, and ELO is next on the list. Don’t hand me no lines, and keep your Asia to yourself.
I’ll confess that I barely knew this song before I heard it featured in The 40 Year-Old Virgin. I mean, I love that the opening sounds vaguely Outfield-ish to me and they actually name check the year 1982 in the song, but I give the rest of the song a meh. The chorus doesn’t kick in nearly as hard as it should. And it fades out! BOO! My friend Len really likes Asia, and is probably disappointed in me, but then again, I don’t think Len has read this blog in ages, so fuck you, Len, and I hate your new haircut.
I don’t care know what Asia is up to these days, but Jeff checked in on Geoffrey Downes and John Wetton a couple of years ago. Those poor saps. (And let this be a lesson to you: thar’s gold in them Jefito archives.)
3. Rosanna – Toto (download)
This has got to be one of the best songs of the decade. I will never – ever – ever – get sick of "Rosanna." I know it’s overplayed. I know you’ve heard it a million times. I know you’re sick of seeing them chase Cynthia Rhodes (who, by the way, is still very hot – damn you, Richard Marx) on the other side of the chain-link fence in the video. You should get over it and just relish in "Rosanna." I know you have it. Download it again.
The musicianship on this song is just unparalleled: Bobby Kimball’s soaring vocal, high enough to ensure that I will never be able to cover it, David Paich’s multiple keyboard solos (yes, the sounds he chose are cheesy now, but they RAWKED in 1982), and, behind it all, the late, great Jeff Porcaro’s steady, rollicking drums. This song – especially the instrumental in the middle – is flawless. It deserved every Grammy it won (including Record of the Year, Best Vocal Arrangement For Two Or More Voices, and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal, which I had no idea was a category but was probably created just for this awesome song).
Yes, the song was written by David Paich for Rosanna Arquette, even though he wasn’t the one dating her – that honor went to Steve Porcaro (not Steve Lukather, as has been erroneously reported for years). You didn’t think it as Bobby Kimball, did you? Have you seen the video?
[youtube]CTafzJl-DTo[/youtube]
Kimball, by the way, looks like a thinner version of one of those "that guy" actors from sitcoms in the ’80s and ’90s, but I can’t figure out who the hell it is. Please, for the love of God, help me. Robert, I’m thinking this is your territory.
"Rosanna," of course, inspired one of the best of the Yacht Rock series. Check it out.
One other question for you guys: what is the low voice saying at 3:31?
2. Don’t You Want Me – Human League
Damn you, Human League, from keeping "Rosanna" from hitting #1! (And while we’re at it, damn you too, Survivor, for the same crime.) In researching Human League, I was intrigued to find out the following facts:
– "Don’t You Want Me" was a hit in 1982. I know this is relatively obvious, but it sounds like a later ’80s hit to me, just like "I Ran." ("It was ahead of its time," Mike recently said about "I Ran," at which point I hung up the phone);
– One member was purely responsible for "onstage slides and films";
– After the massive (and misogynistic?) success of "Don’t You Want Me," the band had a few other hits, but at one point, refused to promote a follow-up album because "we thought we were so popular we didn’t have to";
– Despite the odds being against them, came back with the hit song "Human" in 1986;
– Hey, we’ve performed this song! Mike sings lead, because obviously he wasn’t going to sing the female part. That honor, of course, goes to yours truly.
1. Ebony And Ivory – Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder
Shhhh! Maybe if we don’t talk about it, we can pretend it didn’t exist! Actually, I think I’m coming around the bend on this one: I’ve hated it for years, but now I want to perform it. I’ll be Stevie or Paul. It doesn’t matter to me.
Here’s the awkward video, featuring Stevie effectively humping a huge black piano key and multiple Paul McCartneys playing all the instruments. Seriously, how many times has Paul used this fucking convention in his videos?
[youtube]sssqBjaTzOU[/youtube]
Wikipedia actually does have an interesting story about "Ebony And Ivory:"
The lyrics have long been thought to have been written by McCartney alone, but in a biography of McCartney written by Barry Miles it was revealed how Wonder contributed to the majority of the "bookends" or rhymes, and also came up with the song’s distinctive melody. McCartney claimed in the book that Wonder was afraid of how successful a tune with such a bold racial message would be if it was known that it had an African-American writer, and so pleaded for McCartney to take credit.
Hmm. That doesn’t sound like Stevie Wonder to me, but if it’s in print, it must be true.
Wouldja look at that? The end of another fun-filled week here on CHART ATTACK! Have a great weekend and see you soon! Thanks for reading!
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:15 am
"Not quite a year since you went away . . . Rosanna yeah"Another stellar chart Attack!
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:19 am
Another killer roundup Jason but dude…what’s with the Asia hatred?I’ve got a good mind to send you not only the best of Asia but a best of ELO while I’m at it.And for those who do care, the original Asia foursome is now on tour.Oh, and the only redeeming thing about Ebony & Ivory is the hysterical SNL skit with Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy, as Sinatra and Wonder. Good times, good times.
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:36 am
Your words on Rosanna bring tears to my eyes, Jason. I’ve started long and lasting friendships based on common love for the Rosanna groove. The Pet Shop Boys – me too.
June 22nd, 2007 at 7:18 am
The original Asia is playing at the Birchmere next week! That place can easily hold 38 people. But no special guest — at other dates, they have the "Alan Parsons Project" with "lasers" or Jefferson Starship.
Don’t You Want Me is a GREAT song, even though the brunette singer I found really cute didn’t have much to do. Not a bad band. Really.
My interest in Let It Whip was revived by a terrific TV ad featuring the Grambling band. They have a greater capacity to get you up out of your seat than my old band at Duke. Just a bit.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:06 am
Much love for Ray when he was paired with Ronnie James Dio in Raydio. “Two Places At The Same Time” is smooooth mellow gold with some R&B soul. Liquid gold, if you will.
Juice Newton was all those things you mentioned, a horrible musical frankenstein of everything I loved about early 80’s radio: Bubblegum pop, mainstream rock, Donny & Osmond, Alabama … mix ’em all up, extrude them into a studio, and you’ve got yourself a little Juice Newton. Or Ronnie Milsap.
I dunno about “people,” but *I* was already tired of Joan Jett in 1982. And despite the mutual admiration club she chairs with Paul Westerberg, I still am. Chrissy Hynde was way cooler. Joan just sneered a lot.
Johnny Cougar. Yeah! This song always reminds me arguing with my brother, about a year or so later, that Cougar’s career would SO outlast Bryan Adams’. I don’t know who lost that argument. All of us, I guess.
Asia rocks. But 1982 is the only year they could have. Perfect storm kinda thing.
Rosanna, though not the best song from IV, is an incredible track from a terrific LP. I think IV will long be remembered as on of rock’s finest albums. I also think reality TV will never really catch on. (3:31: Clearly, it’s “Yo Crazy.” These guys were rap before rap was cool. And the chicken tastes like wood.)
Human League: This song, along with “Bette Davis Eyes” and “Abracadabra,” should be buried in a time capsule to show future civilations what early 80’s music could become when left unchecked. Also, the time capsule should be buried in cement. Then lava.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:35 am
Joan Jett was good rockin’ fun, but she wasn’t like The Shit or anything close. David is right: Chrissie Hynde was and is way cooler.
Rosanna is a great song. I just love the drum part (which is kind of tricky), and there’s some cool video of JP breaking down the groove over here:
http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Jeff_Porcaro.html
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:45 am
Great find, Ted, and here’s a clip of Simon Phillips riffing on the "Rosanna" drum beat during a soundcheck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZzFxaQsjO4
He’s not Porcaro, but he brings his own special style to the mix. Although I never thought he was the right drummer for The Who, I love watching and listening to him play.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:27 am
I’m going to check this out when I get home…No sound card on my work computer. :-(
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:54 am
I’ve always been disappointed that Toto didn’t call their sophomore album "Toto Too."
Even if everything people say about them is true, I have an unabashed fondness for The Human League’s "Mirror Man"…and a sneaking fondness for Juice Newton’s "Break It To Me Gently."
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:59 pm
For me, Heat of the Moment will always equal Eric Cartman.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Joan Jett was considered to be more of a kick-ass chick than Chrissie Hynde. Joan Jett always made me think of Leather Tuscadero (Suzi Quatro) from Happy Days. She had cred but not as much as The Pretenders or The Motels. “I Love Rock and Roll” and “Do You Wanna Touch” stand out to me.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Who knew that this week on the charts would be the greatest fucking week EVER! Seriously, I love every one of these songs, even the Ray Parker. In fact, I was just talking to someone about this song a couple of weeks ago. By the way, does anyone find it ironic that Huey Lewis won his lawsuit against Ray Parker considering that the guitar solo at the end of “I Want A New Drug” clearly steals several licks from “Purple Haze”?
In my youth, I used my cheap little cassette player to record songs off the radio by settin it next to the stereo speakers. I had each of these songs on any number of tapes! My weekend has just begun with a BANG! Thanks, Jason.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Eb-o-ny, and i-vo-ry / is the perfect soundtrack to sodomy / ‘Cause you feel like the bastard tricked in-to the / buh-gerr-ry!!
June 22nd, 2007 at 7:21 pm
The original Asia lineup will be at Summerfest in Milwaukee next week. Summerfest is THE music festival. Alll others are just pretenders to the throne.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Sorry, I just don’t get "Rosanna". Being brilliantly arranged and prefectly played can’t redeem a boring song.
June 23rd, 2007 at 8:00 am
Another great post… for me, this period represents the height of my personal MTV addiction. All but 3 of these songs were in pretty intense rotation on MTV… with only Willie, Juice and the Dazz Band making it here without their support.
Although I like most of these songs… collectively there is a real whimpy theme here…
* Poor Ray Parker (He’s "just an average guy who fooled around a little on the side") really got burned by his seemingly innocent infidelity.
* Everything by Juice Newton is and always will be whimpy. Shame on everyone in America who allowed this to become a hit.
* "Crimson and Clover" is the song that convinced me that Jett wasn’t as dirty and badass as I thought.
* "Roseanna" great song, but dude, it’s not quite a year since she went away… get over it (BTW, I always thought the mumbling at 3:31 was "or was it?" casting slight doubt on the length of her departure)
* "Don’t you want me" is the exception. It’s delightfully threatening and vindictive.
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:09 am
Bobby Kimball is hardly a thin version of anything. That was a pretty bad manperm. It totally looks like the guys in the fight scene are going to make out. I’m OK with that, but it’s amusing that these tough guy scenes in videos are always so homoerotic. Also, the synth patches were cheesy even in 1982 (think of what New Order was doing in 1982).
The weird thing about Joan Jett doing all these covers is that she wrote a lot of the Runaways material. I like Joan. Her version of "Crimson And Clover" pwns the original and she totally gets all kinds of mad props for not changing the pronouns. I dunno how much respect she was given in the business, but she had wicked street cred innit.
Surprised to see the Human League hatred above – not that "Don’t You Want Me" is their best song. They were pretty subversive, really.
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:12 am
(Robert breathlessly runs into the room.) I got here as fast as I could! Jason, is this the actor you’re thinking of?
http://imdb.com/gallery/hh/0002235/HH/0002235/Headshot.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Hagerty,%20Mike
He’s a Second City alum who played the building super on “Friends.” Bobby Kimball also looks a bit like Dennis Franz with hair to me. Aside from those two, I’m at a loss as to who Kimball reminds you of. But if you throw out some episodes, maybe I can help more.
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:41 am
I’m glad to see all the “Rosanna” love here. That song never gets old to me. It reminds me of going to the pool every day the summer after kindergarten ended. I’ll have to go with MC’s guess that the 3:31 mumble is something like “Or is it?” It FEELS like Rosanna’s been gone almost a year, but maybe it’s only been a few weeks. Arquette sisters can have that effect on a man! (Alexis doesn’t count.)
I always thought “Let It Whip” was by the Gap Band, not the Dazz Band. Did the Dazz Band have any other hits? Brick had a big hit with “Dazz” around 1978 (it’s short for “disco jazz,” but I don’t think the extended flute solo in that song counts as jazz), but they’re not the Dazz Band. Have any of you heard “Outstanding” by the Gap Band recently? Ooh-wee, it’s good.
“I’ve always been disappointed that Toto didn’t call their sophomore album ‘Toto Too.'” Good call!
As Mike at Down With Snark! pointed out in March, the guitar solo in Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” steals from Hendrix’s “Third Rock from the Sun.” And All Music Guide pointed out that “I Want a New Drug” shares some similarities with M’s “Pop Muzik,” although they’re harder to hear than the similarities that “Drug” and “Ghostbusters” have.
“In my youth, I used my cheap little cassette player to record songs off the radio by settin it next to the stereo speakers.” Just curious — how many of you readers had to do that? My brother was given a tape recorder when he was 12, which he had to stick next to his clock radio to record songs. I always felt sorry for him, especially when he’d be recording a song and right before it ended my dad would yell upstairs, “Boys, time for supper!” When I was 11 I got an AM/FM cassette recorder for Christmas, which was a step up from my brother’s first foray into tape recording, but that little mono cassette recorder lasted less than two years, probably due to overuse on my part. Near the end it was eating tapes to the point where you could flip over a tape and hear a song on the other side backwards. (I’m sorry to inform all of you that “Rock’n Me” by the Steve Miller Band contains no hidden messages.)
I loved the Viagra jokes this week, Jason. Double entendres are the best. I agree with you about Willie Nelson, although I have nothing against him. He’s like corn on the cob for me — I’ll eat it, but I never crave it, so I’m not going to seek it out. David, you had lots of funny comments as well.
I prefer “Only Time Will Tell” by Asia over “Heat of the Moment.” When a friend of mine heard the former a few years ago, he said, “Is this ‘The Final Countdown’?” He got excited because of the similar synth intro. And then he got very disappointed.
I’ll take “(Keep Feeling) Fascination” over “Don’t You Want Me,” but it’s still fun to hear “Don’t You Want Me” now and again.
Am I the only person who’s always loved “Ebony and Ivory”? I’ve never felt guilty about liking it. I love those burbling synths (well, I call them “burbling”) and the harmonies. Sure, “Take It Away” was a better single from “Tug of War,” but “Ebony and Ivory” is A-OK with me.
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:15 pm
I remember Dazz Band had another hit circa 1986 called "Joystick"… which I may have recorded off the radio by placing a tape recorder up against the speakers.
June 23rd, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Last week while shopping at TJ Max, "Rosanna," "Hurts so Good" AND "Don’t You Want Me" were all piped in, practically back to back, while I searched for discount designer wear. Then I headed over to the 99 Cent Store for some 99 cent goods and "Hurt so Good" came on. It was like being TORTURED with sound. Thank GOD "Abracadabra" did not raise its ugly head that day. I can only take so much.
Joan Jett was never considered much of an innovator, that’s for sure. She covers territory that male rockers have honed for years now. BUT she was the first pop star that I know of to sing of girl on girl love (she didn’t bother to change "her" to "him" in "Crimson and Clover," partially because "him" doesn’t rhyme with "clover"–duh). That was brave, in my book. I like her but I’ve never bought an album of hers. She was there for the masses to enjoy and that’s OK with me.
I still like "Whip It." It’s got that weird bouncy vibe throughout. That song has magical properties–hard to resist booty shaking when it comes on, as you discovered.
I loved how "40 Year Old Virgin" used a framed poster of Asia as the main proof of Steve Carrell’s dweebish virginitude. Asia really paved the way for punk rock to free us youngsters from over-production and prog sensibilities. Thank you Asia. And thanks Jason, for the sonic memories.
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:40 pm
I’m glad everybody’s enjoying this week!
Robert – that’s TOTALLY him. I can sleep tonight. Thank you. I knew you’d get it.
June 24th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
I remember band nerds at my high school trying to play that “Rosanna” drum beat in the little practice rooms after school. No one ever could, that I heard. I don’t play drums, but it seems like it has to be really difficult.
And, Jason, I could kiss you for the Bon Jovi and country music snark. Besides being SO OVER THEM, I am disappointed in the Nashville peeps who let the hair band invade in the first place. Seriously.
June 24th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
“Robert – that’s TOTALLY him. I can sleep tonight. Thank you. I knew you’d get it.”
My work here is done.
June 24th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Re "Let It Whip" – I always figured it was an R&B attempt to go new wave, a la Prince, "Super Freak" or Jermaine Jackson’s "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy" (the latter of which actually featured Devo). It came no more than a year after "Whip It," after all.
June 24th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
"Let It Whip" and The Gap Band’s "You Dropped The Bomb On Me" both have new wave tendencies.Man, I miss awful keyboard sounds something fierce. DwD
June 25th, 2007 at 3:49 am
Now, I LOVED the Juicy Newton song, she never did any bussiness outsides the USA (I suposse) and I never heard of her, but I love that "Musical frankestein). Incredible catchy. The keyboards chords reminds me of the beggining of the Alvin & The Chipmunks song of the 80’s cartoon.
June 25th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Would now be a good time to say I really dislike Tommy James & The Shondells?
Joan Jett only gets part of the blame for that mini-revival, though. There’s also Billy Idol, who went to the well when he ran out of material.
I’m reading quickly — has anyone already mentioned the SNL bit with Piscopo and Murphy doing a Sinatra-Wonder version of “Ebony and Ivory”?
June 25th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Yes, Kurt mentioned the Piscopo-Murphy sketch: “STEVIE: I am black and you are white / FRANK: You are blind as a bat and I have sight …”
“Let It Whip” and “You Dropped the Bomb on Me” are inseparable in my mind. I think it’s because both were overplayed on a Jammin’ Oldies station I listened to in Atlanta almost a decade ago.
June 25th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Wuzzup with the hating on the Human League?? The wiki article is woefully incomplete, as the Human League was once comprised of members of Heaven 17 and some members (not the girls) of the current incarnation of the HL. And yes, the slide shower was a real band position back when the HL + Heaven 17 were one big group doing artsy-fartsy stuff and punk. Not very successful, as we all know. HL was booked for a tour, but they broke up and would have been sued if they didn’t do the shows. So Philip (the lead singer now) found the girls, who were still in high school at the time, and took them on the tour. Philip called on them again to do some vocals, “Sound of the Crowd” being one, and “Don’t You Want Me” being another. The rest is history. Sorry for being so looong winded, but I happen to like the band. :)
Toto’s ok, but I love the PSB version of “Always on My Mind” over Willie’s or anyone’s for that matter.
June 26th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Just got to put some hate out there for Rosanna. Sorry, blame my dad. My first name and middle name both start with R and have the right amount of syllables. Most. Annoying. Dad Song. Ever.
Though I’ve got plenty of love for Toto. Africa is my karaoke song!
June 26th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Dazz Band never had another top-40 (pop) song, but "Joystick" reached #61 in 1983. Like "Let It Whip", it’s pretty funky and, of course, also has a suggestive title. The band won a Grammy, a gold record, and had 7 albums for Motown. How they faded into obscurity! But "Let It Whip" is an excellent song – thanks for the post
June 28th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
The Human League’s album "Dare", which "Don’t You Want Me" comes from, is one of the best synth pop albums of the 80s. If you haven’t heard the whole I think I heartily recommend it. I was just listening to it again a few days ago…
I saw Joan Jett in concert last year for the first time, and it was a very fun show. Even if she doesn’t have the rock cred of Ms. Hynde, she was completely gracious/genuine in her attitude and was totally into every note she played, as tired as she must be of playing "I Love Rock and Roll" and "Do You Wanna Touch Me"…
And I’ve always been kinda ambivalent about "Rosanna". I preferred "Africa" at the time, and still pretty much do.
October 3rd, 2007 at 12:09 am
Actually the Dazz Band had several Top 40 hits in the early eighties, even making a mild comeback in 1988…but this was on the R&B charts, where their main fan base was. But as far as the white pop listings go, it was just “Let It Whip” and nothing else.