"Dominoes" by Robbie Nevil

“Steam was rising in the Asian quarter, as she stepped out… in the street. Voices dropped and every eye was on her, as she braved the midnight heat.”

So begins Robbie Nevil’s “Dominoes”, tonight’s intriguing musical tale on Kyle’s Radio Dial.

“Dominoes” introduces us to Dominique, a devastatingly beautiful woman whom makes men swoon upon first sight. She could literally have any man she wishes, but she longs for a specific mate she cannot have, and remains morose and unfulfilled. The implication is that the singer, (Nevil’s character), is the one Dominique longs for.

“And no one sees the tears that I see falling, urgent whispers calling me.”

However, the lovely lady and the target of her affection will soon be reunited as Nevil conveys in the chorus…

“Dominoes… dominoes… I'm coming back to find you…
Don't let the shadows blind you from love when it's mine.”

And what of the dominoes that are referenced throughout the song? This clever game piece metaphor is actually a reference to Dominique’s swooning suitors. Derisively identified as “soldiers of fortune” and “conquering heroes”, the idea being that even those macho men who tend to view women as conquests find Dominique completely irresistible, hence, they all fall like dominoes when she’s around.

“Dominoes” peaked at US #14 and UK #26, and was extracted from Nevil’s 1986 self-titled LP. Dominoes was Robbie’s second single, following his signature hit “Cest La Vie”, which peaked at US #2. 

I was always taken with Dominoes’ funky bass line, the brief Asian styled interjections (heard best at 1:24 and 2:35), and its interesting sound collage effects, in particular, the descending notes which kick off the song, and the occasional “creaking” sound heard throughout. Nevil’s masterpiece sounded like nothing else on top 40 at the time, and his lyrics are marvelously descriptive in setting up the locale and mood of an oppressively hot summer city night.  

After Nevil charted three LPs, he shifted his focus to writing and production for others, including… Melissa Ethridge, Smashmouth, Mark McGrath, Jessica Simpson, and Jesse McCartney. No word on whether any of these folks plan to cover Nevil’s Dominoes, but no doubt it would serve as an interesting shout out to a prior collaborator.

“It's one more night of Dominoes (dominoes)
every heart is falling, but something else is calling her into the night”

"Tell Her No" by Juice Newton

Howdy, Dialophiles! Tonight, the Dial tunes into a frequency from country crossover legend Juice Newton, as she puts her spin on the mid ‘60s pop/rock hit “Tell Her No”.

The first single pulled from Newton’s 1983’s LP Dirty Looks, “Tell Her No” peaked at #27 on the Billboard top 40, and would be her final entry on that chart, following earlier smashes “Queen of Hearts”, and “Angel of the Morning”. THN was pushed exclusively to pop/top 40 stations, and had no special mix or release for country music stations.

Juice Newton was one of the prominent figures of what is now known as “Countrypolitan” music. A variant of country incorporating strong pop elements, artists like Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Ronnie Milsap, and Eddie Rabbitt all enjoyed multiple crossover hits on top 40 even as their more traditional country leaning singles continued to find favor on country formats. The Countrypolitan genre tended to borrow elements of whatever the prevailing trend in top 40 was at the time, such as disco (Dolly’s “Two Doors Down”), soft rock (Milsap’s “There’s No Getting Over Me”), and even new wave, such as this excellent track by Ms. Newton.

Originally a #6 hit in 1965 for British rock legends The Zombies, the original THN is a warning from a jilted lover to a friend, cautioning him against moving forward with the singer’s unfaithful former flame so as to avoid heartbreak himself.

Juice’s gender switched version changes the story, into a tale of a woman warning her lover not to stray to another, for his love belongs to her.

The country cross over train derailed by mid-decade as top 40 became increasingly rock and soul based (no doubt due to influence from a certain Music Television channel), and traditional country performers often voiced their displeasure at crossover artists.

Juice recovered from this stumbling block beginning in 1985 with six consecutive top 10 country singles including the #1 “You Make Me Want To Make You Mine”, and the #5 “Old Flame”. By the end of the decade, Juice’s chart career had come to an end. 

Whenever I listen to Juice’s THN (which I heard a few times back in the day), I visualize dim rooms lit by neon streaks flashing in time to the ascending and descending notes in the chorus, like something you’d expect to see in an ‘80s club or bar. Not sure where I got this mental image, as there doesn’t appear to have been a music video for this track, but it’s a quintessentially 80s visual for a great forgotten track. Sit back, and enjoy.

“And if she should tell you “I love you”… if she whispers with her charms…
And if she should tell you “come closer”, if she tempts you into her arms…
You tell her no, no. You tell her no, no, NO! You tell her no, no.
Don’t hurt me now, for your love, belongs to me.“