Howdy, everybody! Happy Halloween! Between Tina Turner’s hair and Eddie Money’s face, it’s quite a scary week here at CHART ATTACK! Take a look back at what singles were topping the Billboard Hot 100 on November 1, 1986!
10. All Cried Out — Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force Amazon iTunes
9. Take Me Home Tonight — Eddie Money Amazon iTunes
8. Sweet Love — Anita Baker Amazon iTunes
7. When I Think of You — Janet Jackson Amazon iTunes
6. True Blue — Madonna Amazon iTunes
5. Human — Human League Amazon iTunes
4. Amanda — Boston Amazon iTunes
3. I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On — Robert Palmer Amazon iTunes
2. Typical Male — Tina Turner Amazon iTunes
1. True Colors — Cyndi Lauper Amazon iTunes
10. All Cried Out — Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force
I have the weirdest memory of this song. I remember watching America’s Funniest Home Videos very early on in its run (I was 12, okay?), and they had a video of a guy who had done his makeup half as a bride, half as a groom. And his shtick was that he sang “All Cried Out” in profile to the camera, half as the woman and half as the man. That’s all I remember about this song; it wasn’t until I listened to it just now that I realized it was even a duet. Who’s the guy, anyway? I’m guessing he was in Full Force. According to Wikipedia, Full Force had two vocalists — Paul Anthony or Bowlegged Lou — so I guess it was one of those two. Please let it be Bowlegged Lou. I like the idea of someone named Lisa Lisa having a passionate lover’s quarrel with Bowlegged Lou. “You listen here, Lisa Lisa!” “Don’t talk to me like that, Bowlegged Lou!” And then, of course, later, they reconcile, and before you know it, the priest is going, “Do you, Lisa Lisa, take Bowlegged Lou…”
Why did Lisa Lisa need Full Force, anyway? Wasn’t having Cult Jam enough? Both sound like formidable teams, but a Full Force Cult Jam sounds like overkill.
Holy cow, here’s a “live” performance from 1986, and guess what? Paul Anthony and Bowlegged Lou sing to Lisa Lisa! It’s a Full Force threesome! Fast forward to 1:40 for the good stuff, and by “good stuff,” I mean “some seriously awful fashion decisions.”
I personally find this song to be just another lame ballad, but apparently, I’m in the minority: listen to this crowd do all the singing at this performance from earlier this year. They’re loving this one, even without good ol’ Bowlegged Lou. By the way, I’m not saying that people can’t get older and maybe put on a few pounds, now she’s more like Lisa Lisa Lisa.
9. Take Me Home Tonight — Eddie Money
Is it just me, or does Eddie Money kind of look like Benny Mardones?
I said something that sent a jolt of disbelief through the ranks of Popdose. I have been known to take my opinions to the far side, but this one threatened to betray an ignorance I didn’t know I harbored. Let me spell it out and see if I’m as far off base as some have claimed me to be:
A word of note to anyone who is not a music nerd accidentally finding themselves at this site: a cover song is when an artist records another artist’s song, hence covering it. The term ‘remake’ fits as well. The term ’smart-ass’, at least relative to this article, refers to those who decide to go all hipster and record something that bears no relevance, charm or wit toward their own sensibility. I’m thinking of Madonna’s cover of “American Pie” or that godawful A Perfect Circle CD where the songs weren’t just reworked, they were worked over, until all that was left was roadkill disguised as tribute. Then there’s the Bluegrass Tribute to Pink Floyd’s The Wall. More notoriously, I’m thinking of the late-’50s pop songs from black artists covered by teen idol white artists because, you know, if it comes from a white guy in a sweater, the subtext can’t be about sex. Right? Pat Boone? Tutti Frutti?