Mirage Records, a tiny little label with major distribution, was on fire in 1984. The label scored a few high-profile dance chart hits, but ended up getting their most notable hit of the year from an unlikely sourceÁ¢€¦a solo Bee Gee.
And not even the hot one.
Robin Gibb had a previous solo album in the early Á¢€Ëœ80s that didnÁ¢€â„¢t cause much of a stir, and since the Bee Gees were laying pretty low in those post-disco days, he and Maurice had time to conjure up another, more successful album in 1984 called Á¢€Å“Secret AgentÁ¢€. Meanwhile, hot Bee Barry was off doing his solo thing and even scored a hit with Á¢€Å“Shine, ShineÁ¢€. Robin, however, wanted to go new wave.
Check out that cover. Those clothes. Those shades. ItÁ¢€â„¢s like watching your dad try to be hip after his divorce. But hey, the music wasnÁ¢€â„¢t as embarrassing.
Okay, maybe a little. But I LOVED this song when it was out. I just loved it in private, lest anyone think I was a raging homo (that would come true a few years later). Radio didnÁ¢€â„¢t play this much, but MTV rolled a cutesy little video that played along with the whole Á¢€Å“Secret AgentÁ¢€ aspect. I thought I was alone in loving this tune, until one afternoon I was hanging out at my buddy ChrisÁ¢€â„¢ house Á¢€” now Chris was the total high school jock, blond, blue, track team, homecoming king, you name it. We were good friends and lo and behold, I saw this 45 peeking out from under a Saga single or something.
BUSTED.
He also had Culture ClubÁ¢€â„¢s Á¢€Å“Mistake #3Á¢€, which weÁ¢€â„¢ll get to someday. I wonder if Chris ever came out?
Oh yeah, the song. Cute, fun, hooky, harmless and a big gay club hit, according to my friend Joe who remembers dancing to it at Traxx. It also scraped the bottom of the Top 40, which wasnÁ¢€â„¢t too shabby for a Bee Gee in 1984. The little robotic backing vox near the end remind me of Á¢€Å“Video Killed the Radio Star,Á¢€ which Á¢€Å“BoysÁ¢€ actually charted higher than (people seem to forget Á¢€Å“VideoÁ¢€ peaked at a paltry #40 when it was out).
Download Á¢€Å“Boys Do Fall In LoveÁ¢€, straight (ha) from my old little 45. I believe thereÁ¢€â„¢s a Dutch pressing of the Á¢€Å“Secret AgentÁ¢€ CD that exists, but sells for ridiculous amounts when it surfaces.
Á¢€Do you have anything to add, Robin?Á¢€
Á¢€Å“Á¢€¦no.Á¢€
Pic shamelessly stolen from the great snl.jt.org
Á¢€Boys Do Fall In LoveÁ¢€ peaked at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Á¢€Å“Secret AgentÁ¢€ failed to chart.
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