Comments on: CHART ATTACK! #17: 2/2/85

By: Sara

Sara — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:54:57 +0000

Kenny Loggins also sang Easy Lover with Philip Bailey on tour at the Montreaux Festival.
Useless fact I know.

By: JasonHare.com » Blog Archive » CHART ATTACK! #26: 4/8/89

JasonHare.com » Blog Archive » CHART ATTACK! #26: 4/8/89 — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 13:42:50 +0000

[...] Ahh, the Bangles’ biggest-selling single, reaching #1 in five countries, including the U.S. "Eternal Flame" was another hit from the powerful songwriting duo Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg – we discussed them back in Chart Attack! #17, concerning their awkward journey writing "Like A Virgin." Susanna Hoffs, who’s also listed as a co-writer , requested that Kelly and Steinberg assist her in creating a tune similar to one entitled "Unconditional Love" that the duo penned for Cyndi Lauper. (Anybody heard it? Not me, but I’m humming the Donna Summer song of the same name now.) [...]

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 05:30:26 +0000

I always loved Phil Collins’ "Genesis mullet". It made him look like a toupee was sliding off the back of his head. Think he’ll re-grow it this summer? Nah, doubt he can anymore.
And how did Method Man & RZA get away with the blatant Hall & Oates "M-E-T-H-O-D" lift without giving them a co-write? I guess the Wu-Tang Clan really ain’t nothin’ to f**k with…

By: thefax

thefax — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 07:49:38 +0000

Chart attack=crazy awesome. Great work, as always.

Posting the video for “You’re the Inspiration” allows me to once again ask The Great Unanswered Question: why is Peter Cetera wearing a Bauhaus t-shirt in the video? Maybe with all the synths and drumpads in the video, Chicago were looking for some post-punk edge…

And speaking of Bauhaus t-shirts in odd places–and future Chart Attacks–Donnie Wahlberg wears one in the New Kids on the Block’s “The Right Stuff” video. Once is an aberration, twice is a motif–what does it mean???

By: Kurt's Krap

Kurt's Krap — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 22:04:08 +0000

Damn, I’m late to the party today.
For the longest time I thought I was the only one with these inane and useless musical factoids stuck in my head…good to know I am not alone!
As always Jason, excellent job!
(and for the curious among you, there’s a great mash up out there of Wanted Dead Or Alive sung over Careless Whisper and dare I say actually works! I’ve got it linked on my blog:
http://kurtskrap.blogspot.com/2007/01/shake-shake-shake.html

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 18:48:33 +0000

Phil Collins really is one of us — he was a huge pop star in the ’80s who was balding but not trying to hide it. Kind of shocking by today’s standards.

I understood what you meant about George Michael rejecting Jerry Wexler’s production of "Careless Whisper," Jason. Michael had some laser-sharp pop instincts for a while there. It’s too bad he shot himself in the foot with that whole "Sony is whoring me out" debacle in the ’90s; "Fastlove," from ‘96, deserved to be a bigger hit than it was. And call me stupid, but when an English classmate first told me in the summer of ‘97 that George Michael was regularly seen in gay clubs in England, I thought, "George Michael’s gay? No way!" I mean, look at the "Careless Whisper" video. And "Father Figure." And "I Want Your Sex." That’s when the rest of the world replied, "Robert, look at the video for ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’! Don’t act like you weren’t given fair warning."

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 18:22:58 +0000

Thanks, Dave. "Invisible Touch" was the one I was thinking of - isn't there a dopey little acapella break in the middle from the three of them? Wait, why am I asking this, I can just look it up, and yes, there it is, at the end. Funny, I could have sworn it was actually good.

I always loved that in the '80s and '90s, Phil Collins grew his hair long whenever he played with Genesis. Clearly he was making a statement.

By: Dave P

Dave P — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 18:15:36 +0000

I’ll back you up on the Phil Collins video-making videos: In addition to “Easy Lover,” the video for “Don’t Lose My Number” featured him trying to figure out which direction to go in for the song’s video (it’s actually kind of clever, I guess), and the video for Genesis’ “Invisible Touch” showed the band filming each other on the set with handheld cameras. That’s what I love about Phil — it’s like he’s one of US. You know, a regular bloke. Or something.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 17:04:52 +0000

Yeah, I bought Son Of Albert when it was released. I file it under "Facts I Wish I Had Never Told Jefito."

I only remember two songs: "Shake," which was the single (and received a good amount of publicity at the time, including a big MTV video premiere), and "Red Dress" (which may have been the b-side). "Shake" wasn't bad, but I sure as hell don't have the CD anymore.

Mike, I think Phil Collins did a bunch of these "video of us making the video" releases - can anybody back me up here? I can't remember for sure, but I feel like I've seen a few.

I agree about "Careless Whisper," Robert: the released version is way better than the Wexler version. I am just impressed that, after giving the song to a man like Jerry Wexler, he felt he could do better. Of course, he was right.

Wham! Bam! I am! A man! (but not after knowing all those lyrics.)

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:55:49 +0000

Thanks for providing the “Loverboy” video, Jude. Still my favorite Billy Ocean song aside from “Love Really Hurts Without You.” I wonder if George Lucas had his lawyers contact Billy’s lawyers back in ‘84.

The original version of “Careless Whisper” doesn’t have the same oomph as the do-over. Those string stabs during the “I wish that we could lose this crowd” part in the do-over help boost the oomph factor quite a bit. Has anyone here heard Andrew Ridgeley’s 1988 solo album? “Son of Albert,” I think? Seems like a “Cutout Gone Wild!” to me. Crediting a song to “Wham! featuring George Michael” is like those Isley Brothers albums credited to “The Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley.” We get it, guys.