"Because of You" by The Cover Girls

Hey Dialophiles!

Upon scanning the airwaves for the long forgotten and the unfairly ignored, Kyle’s Radio Dial has locked frequencies onto “Because of You”, a tasty little slice of Latin-tinged dance pop.

Recorded by The Cover Girls comprising of Caroline Jackson, Sunshine Wright, and lead vocalist Angel Clivilles, and composed by late C&C Music Factory founder David Cole, “Because of You” peaked at #27 pop, #16 US dance, and #47 on the R&B charts when released as a single in late 1987.

I absolutely loved this jam when it was new, and I stayed up beyond my typical bedtime for several nights to try and tape this off the radio. I finally snagged it at around 1:30 am on the third night, and it was playing on my Walkman on the school bus the very next day. It’s a bouncy, positive, youthful song, very much evocative of a first crush or high school sweetheart kind of love. Plus, I’ve always been enamored of Angel’s sweet voice. :^)

Much like their contemporaries, Expose and Sweet Sensation, The Cover Girls mined a Latin freestyle pop vein, and had several hits including the top 10 smashes “We Can’t Go Wrong” (US#8 in ’89) and the Rose Royce cover “Wishing on a Star” (US #9 in ’92).

Ya know, I’ve always been an unapologetic fan of pop music. Whether it’s The Partridge Family, Abba, Debbie Gibson, or even the Spice Girls, if it’s got a decent hook, a catchy melody, and tends toward the upbeat, I’ll usually appreciate it on some level. And I truly appreciate The Cover Girls and their sweet and fun ’87 dance hit. Now… where did I put my Walkman?

“Now I’m jumping up and down… spinning all around, because of you, babe.

I’m as happy as can be, and it’s definitely because of you, babe…”

"Ladykillers" by Lush

Hey Dialophiles!

Belly on up to the table for a heaping helping of today’s musical blue plate special… “Ladykillers” by British alt rockers Lush.

Culled from their 1996 release Lovelife, and peaking at #22 on the UK Singles chart and #18 on the US Modern Rock charts (but achieving no Hot 100 position), Ladykillers features Miki Berenyi’s sarcastic decrying of various men she’s encountered in the dating scene, including, it is strongly rumored, The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis, in verse 2. (“Hey you, the muscles and the long hair…”). The first and third verses allegedly spear Liam Gallagher from Oasis and Weezer’s Matt Sharp.

During the ‘90s, I was gainfully employed at no less than three mall based record stores (not concurrently, mind you), Square Circle (later to become “The Wall”), Waxie Maxies, and Waves Music.  

Like many music retailers, Waves had multiple ceiling mounted TVs playing music videos all day long, and one of the tunes I enjoyed hearing (and watching) the most was “Ladykillers”. It was a welcome respite from the uninspired pop ballads, rap & R&B, and dance music (“Macarena”, feh.) that dominated those video playlists. 

To this day, whenever I hear Miki’s biting vocals, and see the stylish and humorous video, I’m instantly positioned at the rear entrance of Waves’ odd “L” shaped location, to make sure that CDs didn’t “walk out” of the store, if you catch my meaning. 

Some may call this a man-hating song, but I feel the clever lyrics and hard rocking, yet melodic vibe make it accessible to everyone, regardless of gender. 

Besides, who doesn’t enjoy hearing jerks get called out in a musical selection? It’s one of the many reasons that Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” has remained in the public consciousness. Well, there is that speculation as to who that song is actually about, but that’s an article for another time, and some other blogger…

“I’m as human as the next girl, I like a bit of flattery… 

But I don’t need your practiced lines, your school of charm mentality so… 

Save your breath for someone else and credit me with something more, 

When it comes to men like you, I know the score, I’ve heard it all before.”