"A Night to Remember" by Shalamar

       Get out your dancing shoes, friends! It’s time to dial it all the way back to ’82 for Los Angeles based Shalamar, and their classic jam “A Night to Remember”!

“When you love someone, it's natural, not demanding… and that’s one thing I’m proud to say I’ve found in you.”

Pulled from the group’s 1982 LP Friends, “A Night…” was poised to become Shalamar's third US top 40 hit, (following 1977's “Uptown Festival”, and 1980's “The Second Time Around”), however, this classic cut just missed that goal by stalling at US #44 on the almighty pop charts. Deservedly, the single scored much better on the US R&B chart at #8, and it also made a splash “across the pond”, where its UK #5 peak was Shalamar’s first Top 10.

“Celebrations and my heart could stay united… And there’s nothing in this world to come between me and you…”

A sweet and upbeat melody sung by two lovers excited about spending a memorable night together (possibly their first?), “A Night…” expertly melds the sounds of funk, soul, and pop. It successfully bridges the gap between ‘70s dance floor rhythms and the upcoming mid ‘80s electronic soul movement termed “post-disco”, populated by acts such as The Pointer Sisters, Billy Ocean, The Gap Band, and Starpoint (whose classic “Object of my Desire” was covered by this very blog in August 2014.)

However, given that Shalamar comprises of two men and one woman (Howard and Jody are the main vocalists here, with Jeffrey singing backing accompaniment), another lyrical interpretation holds that this night will be memorable for a much more... ahem... adult reason than what is initially alluded to. To support this theory, it's worth mentioning that Shalamar’s 1980 LP, which produced the R&B chart hit “This Is For The Lover In You”, was entitled “Three For Love”… Hmmm… *scratching chin pensively*

“Let's make a toast to those who helped make this occasion… They turn their back on love…  But that's what drove you straight to me.”

The song is also notable for featuring a third and final verse that comes in around the time that most first-time listeners might assume the song is wrapping up. It appears after no less than five (!!!) chorus repetitions following verse two.

So what became of the group following their mid-80s breakup? Jody, of course, enjoyed a very prominent post-Shalamar career, charting high in the late 80s with tracks like “Looking for a New Love”, “Don’t You Want Me”, and “Real Love”. She even earned the 1988 Best New Artist Grammy, despite having been a part of a successful group earlier in the decade.

Howard’s solo career was less prolific than Jody’s, but he still scored several hits on the US R&B chart, among them, a smooth quiet-storm cover of the Eagles' “I Can't Tell You Why”. Jeffrey Daniels left recording behind, becoming an in-demand choreographer in the process, and worked with such musical luminaries as Paul McCartney, LL Cool J, Michael Jackson, and Sheena Easton.

As catchy as “A Night...” is, I admit I'd completely forgotten about it until I started listening to the Rhapsody playlists created by my buddy Greg, a fellow musicologist, and a long time member of the Radio Dial family. It had been at least 25 years since I last heard Shalamar's classic on the radio, and thanks to Greg's playlist, it was a welcome delight to hear it again, and add it to my own playlist. Why don’t you give it a whirl too, and see if this classic jam catches you the way it did me on the second time around. (See what I did there?)

“So my love to you, baby, I surrender… Get ready. Tonight. Gonna make this a night to remember.”

"Spending My Time" by Roxette

        Thanks for tuning in to the Dial tonight, friends! We’re serving up a forgotten little pop nugget from the year I graduated high school, 1991! I remember that all the yearbook signatures said “Havin’ fun in ‘91”… but I digress. Hailing from Halmsted, Sweden; give a listen to Roxette and their forgotten classic “Spending My Time”. 

“What’s the time? Seems it’s already morning. I see the sky, It’s so beautiful and blue…”

The duo of guitarist Per Gessle and singer Marie Fredriksson, Roxette was the biggest Scandanavian pop import of the decade in the States – yes, even bigger than Ace of Base. Per and Marie wrote most of their material, though “Spending…” was written by Gessle with Mats Persson, who had also collaborated with Gessle on the smash hit “Listen to your Heart”.

A mature mid-tempo pop-rocker, borrowing heavily from the sub genre of power pop, “Spending” details a woman’s heartache at the loss of her lover, and the emptiness, confusion and apprehension she feels surrounding her life and what her next move should be. The music begins softly and subdued, then over time builds to a near-orchestral crescendo, before settling back down into an elegant, lite-rock fade out.

“I thank the Lord above that you’re not here to see me, in the shape I’m in.”

Despite its impressive orchestration, “Spending”, the third US single from the multi-platinum LP Joyride, unbelievably ended an impressive streak of six top 10 US singles, all of which were either chart toppers or landed in the runner-up position. “The Look”, “It Must Have Been Love”, “Joyride”, and the aforementioned “Listen to Your Heart” all peaked at US #1, while “Dangerous” and “Fading like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)” reached US #2. Amazingly, “Spending” made just a cameo appearance in the lower reaches of the Top 40, peaking at US #32.

Following the fourth and final extract from Joyride, the US #36 “Church of Your Heart”, Sweden's top 90s pop import was no longer represented on the Top 40 here in the States. However, Marie and Per continued earning big hits in The UK and other European countries well into the ‘90s, ending with 1999’s UK #11 “Wish I Could Fly”.

“My friends keep telling me… hey life will go on. Time will make sure I get over you… This silly game of love… you play to win, only to lose.”

And in a move that is sure to delight listeners whose tastes reach back to Motown, a nice little Smokey Robinson shout out is dropped in the chorus with the mention of his 60’s hit “Tears of a Clown”. A very classy touch as far as I’m concerned.

So take a trip back to the early 90s, and spin the CD single of Roxette's forgotten minor hit in your Sony Discman. Or, I suppose you could simply click the window below to listen and watch the video. Your call. And I have to say that I appreciate you spending your time with me, here on Kyle's Radio Dial, where the more you listen, the more you REMEMBER!

“Spending my time… watching the days go by… feeling so small, I stare at the wall. Hope that you are missing me too.”