Sardonicus reviews a bunch of old 45s
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Shirley
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I've been CROSS ABOUT THAT since 1984
I wouldn't care but THE REFLEX is so SHIT. Even NILE RODGERS couldn't DO ANYTHING WITH IT
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Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
Yeah this would have been a great number 1 - I was also AGOG to find "I'm So Excited" only peaked at number 11 - it feels like it was a much bigger hit, although maybe that's because it was featured on that old CADBURY'S CRUNCHIE advert for years
funky
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You know I never really go into the Pointer Sisters.. the singles don’t do much for me generally
The singles are mostly pure pop as they shifted away from their 70s R&B roots, which is FINE - it’s probably the reason for their crossover success
There’s a couple of singles that were more R&B based in the 80s which I preferred but I can’t think which ones right now
The singles are mostly pure pop as they shifted away from their 70s R&B roots, which is FINE - it’s probably the reason for their crossover success
There’s a couple of singles that were more R&B based in the 80s which I preferred but I can’t think which ones right now
Shirley
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It was MENTIONED ON NEWSNIGHT! Oh those were DIFFERENT DAYS INDEED
Sheena
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I'm So Excited is their greatest moment, but that Breakout reissue that included the remix really is FULL OF SMASHES. Let's not forget the stupid English didn't have a BAR with the glory of the NEUTRON DANCE and no one ever got to hear their finest album track Telegraph Your Love, which is QUITE MAGNIFICENT.
There's a FIRE IN ME TO FEED
I can't touch you baby
All you've got to do is BEAM IT INTO ME
FILTH!
There's a FIRE IN ME TO FEED
I can't touch you baby
All you've got to do is BEAM IT INTO ME
FILTH!
Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror b/w Instrumental
UK chart peak - Number 21 (1988)/Number 2 (2009)
One of five chart toppers from the "Bad" album (a record equalled only by current MOOPY DARLING Katy Perry) in the USA, but a relative flop in the UK as purchasers went for the album instead, which continued to sell in DROVES over 1988. After his death, though, recurrent airplay had pushed this high up the list of the public's MJ FAVES, & it came within a whisker of getting him a posthumous number 1 as the streaming era tightened its grip on the once strictly SALES ONLY UK chart.
Glen Ballard shows up again as a co-writer, & I don't think OUR GLEN has ever been full dues for his versatility as a songwriter. He's managed to help a whole variety of acts churn out the hits over the years, & each time he manages to create something commercially appealing while quite unique to the artist. That's a difficult ask & I credit him with his eye for a melody & what's suitable for the act. Siedah Garrett is the other writer, having already duetted on the opening hit "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", which is a TAD FORGOTTEN these days considering it was a transatlantic number 1. Apparently it came about during a songwriting session at the house of Quincy Jones, who instructed them to write a hit.
This instruction is why "Man In The Mirror" proved to have enduring commercial appeal, but it's also the drawback for me. I'm not sure if it's a favourite of @Ellie but it's the forerunner of a strand of MJ music that's my least liked. You can hear shades of later successes such as "Heal The World", "Gone Too Soon" & "You Are Not Alone", all of which I'm NO FAN OF. There's too much of a MAWKISH SENTIMENTALITY to them all, & the generic lyrics, while clearly chiming with a lot of people, all just seem too bland & AI generated, a kind of LIVE LAUGH LOVE style of meaningless platitudes about believing in & loving yourself that's been copied by MANY AN ACT since, but it leaves me a tad COLD, like they've tried to come up with something with the widest possible appeal, but in the process diluting everything that made MJ a compelling musical FORCE. Give me funky, skittish & paranoid on "Billie Jean" & "Smooth Criminal", the stadium rock pop of "Give In To Me" or the peerless & reflective "Stranger In Moscow" over this one any day.
Regardless of my thoughts though, it's become a signature song of his now, & maybe its message of self worth was just the right flavour for fans to turn to after his death in 2009. It's the first time in forever I've voluntarily given it a spin, but it's also representative of a time when MJ was at the PEAK of his powers, as all the other oft-discussed revelations overshadowed his 90s commercial success. Even if streaming had never overtaken CD sales, it's still difficult to imagine any artist since getting near the insane "Thriller" numbers of 47 million sales - only Elvis & The Beatles can really claim to have had as much of an impact on music across the world in the rock & roll era.
UK chart peak - Number 21 (1988)/Number 2 (2009)
One of five chart toppers from the "Bad" album (a record equalled only by current MOOPY DARLING Katy Perry) in the USA, but a relative flop in the UK as purchasers went for the album instead, which continued to sell in DROVES over 1988. After his death, though, recurrent airplay had pushed this high up the list of the public's MJ FAVES, & it came within a whisker of getting him a posthumous number 1 as the streaming era tightened its grip on the once strictly SALES ONLY UK chart.
Glen Ballard shows up again as a co-writer, & I don't think OUR GLEN has ever been full dues for his versatility as a songwriter. He's managed to help a whole variety of acts churn out the hits over the years, & each time he manages to create something commercially appealing while quite unique to the artist. That's a difficult ask & I credit him with his eye for a melody & what's suitable for the act. Siedah Garrett is the other writer, having already duetted on the opening hit "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", which is a TAD FORGOTTEN these days considering it was a transatlantic number 1. Apparently it came about during a songwriting session at the house of Quincy Jones, who instructed them to write a hit.
This instruction is why "Man In The Mirror" proved to have enduring commercial appeal, but it's also the drawback for me. I'm not sure if it's a favourite of @Ellie but it's the forerunner of a strand of MJ music that's my least liked. You can hear shades of later successes such as "Heal The World", "Gone Too Soon" & "You Are Not Alone", all of which I'm NO FAN OF. There's too much of a MAWKISH SENTIMENTALITY to them all, & the generic lyrics, while clearly chiming with a lot of people, all just seem too bland & AI generated, a kind of LIVE LAUGH LOVE style of meaningless platitudes about believing in & loving yourself that's been copied by MANY AN ACT since, but it leaves me a tad COLD, like they've tried to come up with something with the widest possible appeal, but in the process diluting everything that made MJ a compelling musical FORCE. Give me funky, skittish & paranoid on "Billie Jean" & "Smooth Criminal", the stadium rock pop of "Give In To Me" or the peerless & reflective "Stranger In Moscow" over this one any day.
Regardless of my thoughts though, it's become a signature song of his now, & maybe its message of self worth was just the right flavour for fans to turn to after his death in 2009. It's the first time in forever I've voluntarily given it a spin, but it's also representative of a time when MJ was at the PEAK of his powers, as all the other oft-discussed revelations overshadowed his 90s commercial success. Even if streaming had never overtaken CD sales, it's still difficult to imagine any artist since getting near the insane "Thriller" numbers of 47 million sales - only Elvis & The Beatles can really claim to have had as much of an impact on music across the world in the rock & roll era.
Sheena
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I generally hate this strand of Michael Jackson as well, but You Are Not Alone I don't count in the same way as the others you've mentioned. It's got far more HEART than GLOOP and I have a real soft spot for it.
Heal The World, obviously, was the NADIR, but there's plenty more where THAT came from in the back catalogue. I remember being distinctly pleased that it "bombed" in the UK and surprised when Dirty Diana did relatively well a fair while later.
Heal The World, obviously, was the NADIR, but there's plenty more where THAT came from in the back catalogue. I remember being distinctly pleased that it "bombed" in the UK and surprised when Dirty Diana did relatively well a fair while later.
Ellie
Super talented triple threat
Hmm, well I adore Gone Too Soon. The others can generally piss off. MITM is really too good though, even if you don’t like sentimentality. Any of the versions with Greg Phillinganes’ piano performance pulled up in the mix are my favs.
Ellie
Super talented triple threat
Can we also appreciate Siedah’s recorded version that she released in 2003?
Ellie
Super talented triple threat
That probably sounds about right. It was officially at 42 million back in the late 80s before CDs were even the leading format.
Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
Yeah I think my guess is probably about 25 years out of date
I remember that figure being quoted for years, although I'm not sure how you'd record a "sale" of it in the streaming era. Regardless, I think it'd be almost impossible to catch.
Sheena
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I do always wonder about this, though. Has it really sold 28 million copies since then?
I mean, it's obviously higher than 47 million, sure, but would it have sold enough to put it close to the top ten albums of all time a second time?
NAH.
Ellie
Super talented triple threat
All sorts of random inflated figures go around, but considering he was huge in markets like India where they probably didn’t even record anything officially, you never know.Yeah I think my guess is probably about 25 years out of date
My only real beef with the Thriller situation is the record companies and RIAA being absolutely desperate to keep re-certifying that random Eagles compilation in the US. It gets re-certified practically every year, and half of the so-called “sales” or shipped copies in the last 20 years are extremely dubious, considering they rarely bother the catalogue album charts. While it’s still the US, surely Queen or ABBA should be accelerating at a faster pace.
Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
I've always wondered why that compilation has kept on selling - it doesn't even have any of the later stuff from "Hotel California" etc, unless maybe it's sold at a discount?
Ellie
Super talented triple threat
I genuinely think it’s a massive farce and there’s something dodgy going on with it. It’s not even like they haven’t had more comprehensive GH albums since. Why would anyone buy that one after 1990?
It doesn’t have Hotel California BUT it does have some of their most well known songs. They ran ads for it all the time here in the US when CDs became popular (same with ABBA Gold). It’s currently their top album on US iTunes.
funky
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I love Man In The Mirror
Nothing like You Are Not Alone for me, which is closer to Heal The World not only in its gloopiness but also in its overly simplistic melody (probably why both did so well) Man In The Mirror is a gospel-tinged monster of a tune.
I know the album was selling bucketloads in the UK but how the HELL did it only get to #21 first time around?? All 4 singles AFTER it charted higher and 3 of them went top ten!
Nothing like You Are Not Alone for me, which is closer to Heal The World not only in its gloopiness but also in its overly simplistic melody (probably why both did so well) Man In The Mirror is a gospel-tinged monster of a tune.
I know the album was selling bucketloads in the UK but how the HELL did it only get to #21 first time around?? All 4 singles AFTER it charted higher and 3 of them went top ten!
Sheena
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He did zero promotion here (unsurprisingly) and there wasn't a proper video- which for him was obviously a BIG thing.
Dirty Diana coincided with the tour coming to the UK and all the associated promo if I remember.
Smooth Criminal had THAT video.
Not everyone had Leave Me Alone as it was only a bonus track on CD editions of Bad.
Ellie
Super talented triple threat
I was only 6 but Man In The Mirror was HUGE where I was from. Way bigger than Dirty Diana, so it’s strange, but with him every single has mostly just been an advert for the album. It would be interesting to see if the album sales had a spike as a result of that song.
Sheena
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Seemingly not really. It held at #9 for the first three weeks it was out and then began to sink to its lowest point thus far. Later singles would bring it back.
Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
Belinda Carlisle - Runaway Horses b/w Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Live At Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, May 1988)
UK chart peak - Number 40
Third appearance on THIS HERE LIST for OUR BELINDA, & although it's possibly my favourite ever track by her, the actual single got lost in a clumsily thought out release schedule & a lack of promotion, toddling around just outside the top 40 for a few weeks before just scraping into the countdown at the lowest end.
"Heaven Is A Place On Earth" features on the B side in a very decent (& I think unavailable elsewhere) live performance in Philadelphia in mid 1988, as her fame peaked with mega hits across the globe, & in many ways "Runaway Horses" can be seen as a bit of a retread of the earlier hit, with a similar feelgood pop rock sound, a belting singalong chorus & an overall radio friendly, polished commercial SHEEN. What it does do differently is a brilliant & quite original (to my ears anyway) drumbeat that replicates horse hooves, clattering louder & faster as the song builds towards the chorus each time, & then when the song stops to a magical sounding instrumental bit, quietly & then increasingly loudly comes CHARGING back again before the final minute. It's a genius production choice that's not only an obvious fit for the theme of the song but makes for a hugely thrilling pop MOMENT, & it's totally unfair that it just didn't catch on the way it should. The video was great too, she looked amazing & it again fitted the song well.
So what went wrong? I did wonder if maybe the straights just DIDN'T GET IT - even now, having heard it a zillion times over, I can't help but get swept up in the SHEER GAY DRAMA of WOOOAAHHH RACING THE DARKNESS TRYNNA FINDA LIGHT WOOHOO BABY HOLD ON TIGHT & such, but maybe it was a bit too niche & that's JUST US MO'S - it's also fairly lengthy & maybe that put radio off playing it - I don't recall hearing it much at the time.
I think Belinda was on a world tour at the time, so the limited promo won't have helped, but most likely, as discussed earlier in the thread, is that Virgin Records completely ballsed up the release schedule for the album. After "Leave A Light On" hit, they perplexingly chose "La Luna" as the follow-up in late 1989. This may have been part of the (ludicrous) push for the "IT MUST BE A BALLAD" Christmas market, but even so - it's a Latin tinged song that's more summery than anything & while I do like it a lot, it's not got enough wide appeal to be a 2nd single - it's very much a single to put out towards the end of a successful campaign to flog a few extra albums. It flopped at #38, & it knocked the window out of the sails of both "Runaway Horses" & "Vision Of You" (#41) too. It was only thanks to a very radio friendly remix of "(We Want) The Same Thing" that fortunately returned Belinda to the top 10 & gave the album a bit of a second life - or her career may well have gone the same way as it did in the USA when the 90s hit.
As discussed previously, Belinda was releasing albums & singles to success all over Europe until 1997, but that PESKY COKE addiction & some seeming APATHY with the whole thing set in & the couple of albums she released 20 odd years later were more passion projects in genres that interested her rather than attempts at further success. Nonetheless, she produced MANY MOMENTS of POP MAGIC over the years & the JUDDERINGLY SPLENDID "Runaway Horses" is amongst the very best of them.
UK chart peak - Number 40
Third appearance on THIS HERE LIST for OUR BELINDA, & although it's possibly my favourite ever track by her, the actual single got lost in a clumsily thought out release schedule & a lack of promotion, toddling around just outside the top 40 for a few weeks before just scraping into the countdown at the lowest end.
"Heaven Is A Place On Earth" features on the B side in a very decent (& I think unavailable elsewhere) live performance in Philadelphia in mid 1988, as her fame peaked with mega hits across the globe, & in many ways "Runaway Horses" can be seen as a bit of a retread of the earlier hit, with a similar feelgood pop rock sound, a belting singalong chorus & an overall radio friendly, polished commercial SHEEN. What it does do differently is a brilliant & quite original (to my ears anyway) drumbeat that replicates horse hooves, clattering louder & faster as the song builds towards the chorus each time, & then when the song stops to a magical sounding instrumental bit, quietly & then increasingly loudly comes CHARGING back again before the final minute. It's a genius production choice that's not only an obvious fit for the theme of the song but makes for a hugely thrilling pop MOMENT, & it's totally unfair that it just didn't catch on the way it should. The video was great too, she looked amazing & it again fitted the song well.
So what went wrong? I did wonder if maybe the straights just DIDN'T GET IT - even now, having heard it a zillion times over, I can't help but get swept up in the SHEER GAY DRAMA of WOOOAAHHH RACING THE DARKNESS TRYNNA FINDA LIGHT WOOHOO BABY HOLD ON TIGHT & such, but maybe it was a bit too niche & that's JUST US MO'S - it's also fairly lengthy & maybe that put radio off playing it - I don't recall hearing it much at the time.
I think Belinda was on a world tour at the time, so the limited promo won't have helped, but most likely, as discussed earlier in the thread, is that Virgin Records completely ballsed up the release schedule for the album. After "Leave A Light On" hit, they perplexingly chose "La Luna" as the follow-up in late 1989. This may have been part of the (ludicrous) push for the "IT MUST BE A BALLAD" Christmas market, but even so - it's a Latin tinged song that's more summery than anything & while I do like it a lot, it's not got enough wide appeal to be a 2nd single - it's very much a single to put out towards the end of a successful campaign to flog a few extra albums. It flopped at #38, & it knocked the window out of the sails of both "Runaway Horses" & "Vision Of You" (#41) too. It was only thanks to a very radio friendly remix of "(We Want) The Same Thing" that fortunately returned Belinda to the top 10 & gave the album a bit of a second life - or her career may well have gone the same way as it did in the USA when the 90s hit.
As discussed previously, Belinda was releasing albums & singles to success all over Europe until 1997, but that PESKY COKE addiction & some seeming APATHY with the whole thing set in & the couple of albums she released 20 odd years later were more passion projects in genres that interested her rather than attempts at further success. Nonetheless, she produced MANY MOMENTS of POP MAGIC over the years & the JUDDERINGLY SPLENDID "Runaway Horses" is amongst the very best of them.
funky
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I don’t have much to add for this except I really HATE when they give live tracks as B-sides
Ah see I don’t mind this. I’ve discovered some great versions of songs that I didn’t know existed through my old multi track CD singles
Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
Eurythmics - There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) b/w Grown Up Girls (1985)
UK chart peak - Number 1
For an act so associated as quintessentially & iconically part of the 80s, Eurythmics came perilously close to joining the likes of Bananarama, Janet Jackson & Bon Jovi on the list of tons of hits, but never had a UK number 1, after "Sweet Dreams" narrowly missed out before going all the way in America. If any of the follow-ups were going to make it, it was going to be this one & it duly squeezed in a solitary week at the top in the summer of 1985, before that CONNIVING TROLLOP MARGE rudely shoved them out of the way with "Into The Groove".
"There Must Be An Angel" sees Annie & Dave at their slickest & with a ruthless focus towards commercial success. It fuses the usual electronic beeps & burbles that we heard from them in earlier work, but what's pushed more to the FOREGROUND is the soulful & gospel influence, in particular a genuinely GLORIOUS vocal performance from Annie that does great work in lifting the song, especially the chorus, into the STRATOSPHERE of POP MAGIC. She absolutely embodies the lyrics, sounding RADIANT & you totally buy in to the performance as a celebration of real LOVE & JOY. Stevie Wonder making a special guest appearance on the HARMONICA is an often related HOT POP FACT, & its zippy, upbeat accompaniment as the song fades out suits PROCEEDINGS to a T. It's as cheerful & sunshiney as the rest of the song, & it's easy to see why it took off during a LONG HOT SUMMER. I also wondered if there was a bit of BEMUSEMENT around Annie, who had cultivated a STERN & FORBIDDING image on previous hits, suddenly switching tack to a smiley angel in the video.
Eurythmics showed an ability to up & change their image quite DRASTICALLY from album to album in a similar manner to OUR MARGE. This, I think, was crucial to their continued appeal during a decade when music videos were king, & image was everything. And I don't think they ever get enough credit for their skills in trying on all sorts of genres & looks over the years - from the PARANOID DOMINATRIX stylings of "Love Is A Stranger" & "Sweet Dreams", to the soulful stadium rock off "Be Yourself Tonight" to later crazed suburban housewife on "Beethoven" & bitter weariness on "Don't Ask Me Why" & on into her solo years. Annie's ability to serve up countless iconic LEWKS had me thinking that I'd love to see a night of a thousand Annies themed runway on Drag Race sometime.
B side "Grown Up Girls" harks back to earlier, jittery hits like "Sexcrime (1984)" & is a decent, perfectly serviceable but tad more forgettable tune that nonetheless is still musically interesting. There's been a few reunions after they first split in 1990, although the material, while not weak, has never recaptured their imperial era BEHEMOTHS. Annie seems more interested in political activism these days, but as The Cure proved in 2024, it might never be too late to still come up with one LAST HURRAH that showcases them at their best, if they're willing to do so.
UK chart peak - Number 1
For an act so associated as quintessentially & iconically part of the 80s, Eurythmics came perilously close to joining the likes of Bananarama, Janet Jackson & Bon Jovi on the list of tons of hits, but never had a UK number 1, after "Sweet Dreams" narrowly missed out before going all the way in America. If any of the follow-ups were going to make it, it was going to be this one & it duly squeezed in a solitary week at the top in the summer of 1985, before that CONNIVING TROLLOP MARGE rudely shoved them out of the way with "Into The Groove".
"There Must Be An Angel" sees Annie & Dave at their slickest & with a ruthless focus towards commercial success. It fuses the usual electronic beeps & burbles that we heard from them in earlier work, but what's pushed more to the FOREGROUND is the soulful & gospel influence, in particular a genuinely GLORIOUS vocal performance from Annie that does great work in lifting the song, especially the chorus, into the STRATOSPHERE of POP MAGIC. She absolutely embodies the lyrics, sounding RADIANT & you totally buy in to the performance as a celebration of real LOVE & JOY. Stevie Wonder making a special guest appearance on the HARMONICA is an often related HOT POP FACT, & its zippy, upbeat accompaniment as the song fades out suits PROCEEDINGS to a T. It's as cheerful & sunshiney as the rest of the song, & it's easy to see why it took off during a LONG HOT SUMMER. I also wondered if there was a bit of BEMUSEMENT around Annie, who had cultivated a STERN & FORBIDDING image on previous hits, suddenly switching tack to a smiley angel in the video.
Eurythmics showed an ability to up & change their image quite DRASTICALLY from album to album in a similar manner to OUR MARGE. This, I think, was crucial to their continued appeal during a decade when music videos were king, & image was everything. And I don't think they ever get enough credit for their skills in trying on all sorts of genres & looks over the years - from the PARANOID DOMINATRIX stylings of "Love Is A Stranger" & "Sweet Dreams", to the soulful stadium rock off "Be Yourself Tonight" to later crazed suburban housewife on "Beethoven" & bitter weariness on "Don't Ask Me Why" & on into her solo years. Annie's ability to serve up countless iconic LEWKS had me thinking that I'd love to see a night of a thousand Annies themed runway on Drag Race sometime.
B side "Grown Up Girls" harks back to earlier, jittery hits like "Sexcrime (1984)" & is a decent, perfectly serviceable but tad more forgettable tune that nonetheless is still musically interesting. There's been a few reunions after they first split in 1990, although the material, while not weak, has never recaptured their imperial era BEHEMOTHS. Annie seems more interested in political activism these days, but as The Cure proved in 2024, it might never be too late to still come up with one LAST HURRAH that showcases them at their best, if they're willing to do so.
jyxz
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Forever in my brain as a Dawn French sketch set in a suburban kitchen where she is asked to stand in for Annie.
funky
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I'll echo this word for word.
Eurythmics have been a memorable journey for me as they're probably the biggest U-turn of any artist I've had - mostly because I absolutely dismissed any kind of electronic music as a kid because I had no reference for it - I was brought up on Stax soul music and 60s/70s rock. Nobody I knew listened to Pet Shop Boys or Depeche Mode or New Order or Erasure. It started to revert when Annie went solo and then when Sweet Dreams had a massive revival in the 90s club scene, and then when I started to really investigate 80s music properly as an adult.
They're now one of my favourite acts of all time. I'm not overly familiar with all of the albums, but I do know some of the more essential album tracks. But WHAT a singles run, my God. To be a fan at the time must have been so rewarding.
My Top Ten:
1. Here Comes The Rain Again
2. It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)
3. Who's That Girl
4. There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)
5. I've Got A Life
6. You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart
7. Heaven
8. Angel
9. You Hurt Me (And I Hate You)
10. Sweet Dreams
Special mention also for the amazing Miracle Of Love, Peace Is Just A Word, Shame, Love Is A Stranger, When Tomorrow Comes...
I do also like the other big singles - Thorn In My Side, Sisters Are Doing It, Would I Lie To You, Beethoven... but they're not as essential for me. I know the last one is a mopsy favourite.
The only song I actively dislike is Right By Your Side.
Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
Yeah, this is definitely the WEAK LINK for me too, especially in the middle of such a run of BONAFIDE CLASSICS. It just sounds a bit CHEAP.
lolly
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As much as I don't DISLIKE it, I don't think I'd ever actively choose to listen to There Must Be An Angel specifically, and it still RANKLES that it sits as their sole #1 when it's one of my least favourite songs from their imperial era.
lolly
Rowena? From Kuwait?
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And I'll say it here again - I actively judge people on their opinion of that song.It will come as NO SURPRISE TO NO ONE that I believe Beethoven is their greatest moment...
WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'LL GET UP TO?
VoR
Take it or leave it
Shirley
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Darling you must be as BITTER AND TWISTED as ME!
Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
Prince & The Revolution - Kiss b/w ♡ or $ (1986)
UK chart peak- Number 6
Only 2 more singles to go after this before THAT'S YER LOT from this INTERMINABLE thread - & things are becoming a TAD REPETITIVE. We've already seen both THE PURPLE ONE before along with this song in the guise of the GODAWFUL Art Of Noise/Tom Jones cover. This copy was in HORRENDOUS condition, CRACKLING & JUMPING all over the place, which probably didn't add to my enjoyment, but as mentioned previously, this SIGNATURE HIT has never been amongst my toppermost Prince tunes.
Unlike BELLOWING TOM, Prince actually gives a delivery that's entirely accurate to the SENSUOUS FEEL of the song, all trembly & high pitched as though the MERE TOUCH of whoever he's singing about here is going to SET OFF AN ORGASM. It's also a musically interesting song too, very stop-starty & funky, with a recognisable, shrill sounding bit just before he sings "kiss" each time, but like many of Prince's other big successes from this IMPERIAL ERA (maybe best exemplified by "When Doves Cry"), it doesn't immediately grab you as a hit, as it plays a bit fast & loose with structure & tempo, but there's something about it that nags at your brain & the public, along with pop radio, came back to it enough to get him an American number 1 & UK top 10.
Part of my issue with it is that Prince was providing us POP LOVERS with a SMORGASBORD OF RICHES at this point. Fully ensconced up there with Jacko & Marge as a MUSICAL TITAN by 1986, there's so much to choose from, whether it's the variety of singles, album tracks, other stuff that he was chucking out left & right for everyone from The Bangles to Sheena Easton, so going for such a familiar tune as this one seems a bit pointless the DEEPER YOU DELVE into his epic back catalogue. My other problem is that, if the MAWKISH BALLAD is my least preferred Jacko genre, my least favourite amongst Prince's many different musical HATS is any song that he sings at the top of his register throughout - I just find it a bit of a STRAIN, although I appreciate that here, the choice works for the song.
The B side, while continuing his obsession with replacing words with symbols (I wonder what he thought of the emoji-strewn WhatsApp era), finds Prince at his most playful, being upbeat, funky & almost instrumental electronica with some SQUEAKY PROCESSED VOCAL BITS - I found it very reminiscent of his 1989 single "Partyman" with its funny background noises & for someone who worked on as many songs as he did, I wonder if he even thought of it as a precursor, or had forgotten it already by 1989.
The "Sign O'The Times" album in 1987 represented, to me, Prince at the absolute PEAK of his powers - in fact 1987 was probably one of the few years when all of the BIG 5 of the 80s - Prince, Jacko, Marge, Whitney, George - were all producing albums & hits amongst the most long lasting & iconic of their careers. Even as commercial success dwindled - flooding the market with a TRIPLE album, "Emancipation" in 1996, was a TAD TOO MUCH for many a casual record buyer - he was still capable of pulling off things that nobody else could right up until his untimely death in 2016 - the musical world has been a lesser place since.
UK chart peak- Number 6
Only 2 more singles to go after this before THAT'S YER LOT from this INTERMINABLE thread - & things are becoming a TAD REPETITIVE. We've already seen both THE PURPLE ONE before along with this song in the guise of the GODAWFUL Art Of Noise/Tom Jones cover. This copy was in HORRENDOUS condition, CRACKLING & JUMPING all over the place, which probably didn't add to my enjoyment, but as mentioned previously, this SIGNATURE HIT has never been amongst my toppermost Prince tunes.
Unlike BELLOWING TOM, Prince actually gives a delivery that's entirely accurate to the SENSUOUS FEEL of the song, all trembly & high pitched as though the MERE TOUCH of whoever he's singing about here is going to SET OFF AN ORGASM. It's also a musically interesting song too, very stop-starty & funky, with a recognisable, shrill sounding bit just before he sings "kiss" each time, but like many of Prince's other big successes from this IMPERIAL ERA (maybe best exemplified by "When Doves Cry"), it doesn't immediately grab you as a hit, as it plays a bit fast & loose with structure & tempo, but there's something about it that nags at your brain & the public, along with pop radio, came back to it enough to get him an American number 1 & UK top 10.
Part of my issue with it is that Prince was providing us POP LOVERS with a SMORGASBORD OF RICHES at this point. Fully ensconced up there with Jacko & Marge as a MUSICAL TITAN by 1986, there's so much to choose from, whether it's the variety of singles, album tracks, other stuff that he was chucking out left & right for everyone from The Bangles to Sheena Easton, so going for such a familiar tune as this one seems a bit pointless the DEEPER YOU DELVE into his epic back catalogue. My other problem is that, if the MAWKISH BALLAD is my least preferred Jacko genre, my least favourite amongst Prince's many different musical HATS is any song that he sings at the top of his register throughout - I just find it a bit of a STRAIN, although I appreciate that here, the choice works for the song.
The B side, while continuing his obsession with replacing words with symbols (I wonder what he thought of the emoji-strewn WhatsApp era), finds Prince at his most playful, being upbeat, funky & almost instrumental electronica with some SQUEAKY PROCESSED VOCAL BITS - I found it very reminiscent of his 1989 single "Partyman" with its funny background noises & for someone who worked on as many songs as he did, I wonder if he even thought of it as a precursor, or had forgotten it already by 1989.
The "Sign O'The Times" album in 1987 represented, to me, Prince at the absolute PEAK of his powers - in fact 1987 was probably one of the few years when all of the BIG 5 of the 80s - Prince, Jacko, Marge, Whitney, George - were all producing albums & hits amongst the most long lasting & iconic of their careers. Even as commercial success dwindled - flooding the market with a TRIPLE album, "Emancipation" in 1996, was a TAD TOO MUCH for many a casual record buyer - he was still capable of pulling off things that nobody else could right up until his untimely death in 2016 - the musical world has been a lesser place since.