"This Is Me" by Dream

    Hey friends, I have something to confess. In the late 90s, I went through a “pure pop” phase. Songs by N*Sync, the Backstreet Boys, the Spice Girls, Britney, Christina, Mandy,  and All Saints were as much of my playlists as were classic 70s and 80s hits by Abba, The Eagles, Foreigner, Michael Jackson, and Cyndi Lauper. I enjoyed the happy upbeat feel of these 90s pop acts, and the contemporary popular sounds they brought to the table.

 

By the time Y2K was over and done however, I found myself growing tired of most of the “current day” popsters. But even as I largely returned to my retro-listening habits, one then-new pop act caught my ear, and to this day, 16 years later, I still frequently return to one of their tunes in particular. That song is entitled “This Is Me”, and the act bringing it to you on the Dial, is Dream.

 

“She stole your heart… only did it because she could...

Chewed you up and spat you out... bad girl never was no good."

 

A quartet of female vocalists based in Los Angeles, California; Holly, Melissa, Diana, and Ashley harmonize very smoothly here, and sing at a subdued level when compared to some of their contemporaries like Mariah and Christina. While Dream certainly sings in the style of R&B influenced teen pop, there’s no over-the-top fluttering melismas here. Overall, “This is Me” has a definite light-"Genie in a Bottle" vibe, which makes sense, as one of the authors of This is Me, Pamela Sheyne, was also a co-author of Christina’s Grammy winning debut single.

 

Lyrically, “This is Me” offers a young woman’s declaration of love and devotion to her new beau. The dreamy relaxing melody, along with the layered and complimentary harmonies, give the song a tender and sweet vibe, as the girl reassures her guy that while he was hurt in the past, his heart is safe with her now.

 

“Baby I would never do that… ‘cuz I love you faithfully...

But your suspicious mind thinks I'm gonna repeat her story..."

 

About the only thing I could do without is the tune’s coda… a spoken “Get a Grip!” Sure, maybe the guy is being really whiny about not wanting to be hurt again (which would understandably frustrate her and eventually provoke a snarky response), but it seems out of place given that the song’s entire 3:12 run time portrays her to be reassuring, sympathetic and caring. But I’ll look past that…

 

Taken from the group’s 2000 debut LP It Was All A Dream, and following the lead single “He Loves U Not”, (US #2, US R&B #15, UK #17), “This is Me” peaked at #39 on the Hot 100. Well… sort of. As it turns out, the song that actually charted at #39 is properly called "This is Me Remix", but instead of enhancing some beats and adding some loops while leaving the basic structure of the song intact (which many remixes tend to do), this version is a completely different song from the album cut.

 

The remixed version only retained a portion of the album version’s chorus, discarding the remainder of the song, and rebuilding it with a new melody, new lyrics, an unnecessary rap section, and a music bed sampling Bob James' "Take Me to the Mardi Gras". It doesn't even share the same relaxed vibe as the album cut, replacing the soothing soft soulful pop of the original with a sort of Euro-funk jam.

 

Hence, I prefer the original LP version.

 

“It’s makin’ you crazy, makin’ you a wreck...

Makin' you follow me, makin' me a suspect."

 

I realize this is manufactured pop, written by professional songwriters, managed by a known music star (Puff Daddy), and targeted towards TRL watching teens, and there was certainly a ton of “me too” style songs and acts in the  late ‘90s teen pop boom. But Dream’s “This Is Me” has always impressed me as possessing a class and elegance in a genre that didn’t typically aspire to those loftier qualities.

 

I played it for my nearly 5 year old daughter recently, and now she asks for “This is Me” as we drive to school in the morning, played alongside her favorite tracks by Survivor, Tom Petty, and Glenn Frey. Hey, she’s a chip off the old Dial!

 

So give Dream’s ode to devotion and reassurance a listen, and be sure to keep your ears to the Dial for the next overlooked track from the past! Kyle’s Radio Dial… The more you listen, the MORE you remember!

 

“You wanna trust me but you don’t know how...

I'm never gonna mess around, let you down, can't you see?

That was her... and baby, this is me."

 

 

 

 



The work of Simon Le Bon - "Election Day" by Arcadia, and "Meet El Presidente" by Duran Duran

     Hello friends! Today, November 8, 2016, is our Presidential Election here in America. In celebration of this important day, the Dial is beaming you an election themed “Two Fer Tuesday” piece, featuring the music of ‘80s icon Simon Le Bon, and his groups Duran Duran and Arcadia. Thinks there’s no connection between a British new romantic rocker and our election process? Read on, for our look at Arcadia’s “Election Day”, and Duran Duran’s “Meet El Presidente”!

“Kind of look to the day… opening eyes impale neon flickers…

She moon, she turning away… the city’s her slave but he’s cheating his mistress…”

An offshoot project comprised of Le Bon and his fellow Duran Duran mates Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor, Arcadia only released one album, 1985’s So Red the Rose, the lead single of which was “Election Day”. An upbeat slice of new wave synth pop that also featured Jamaican lyricist Grace Jones on spoken dialogue, this was by far Arcadia’s most successful single, peaking at US #6, UK #7, and the top of the singles chart in Italy.

Nick Rhodes explained in a November 24 1985 Chicago Tribune article that the song is about making decisions, both the right choice for a positive change, and the way that a lack of courage causes positive decisions not to be made.

However, for years, I believed the song to be about a feeling of disgust and helplessness felt by the populace toward the government, culminating in an assassination attempt on a government official by the singer. This was all due to a misheard line in the chorus… “Pull my SHOT off and pray”.

Turns out, the line is actually, “Pull my SHIRT off and pray”. So, where Le Bon was simply stating that that the summer is hot, and he needs some relief, for years I thought something much more disruptive was about to go down. Hey, I heard what I heard, and even now I still think that maybe the whole “summer is hot” idea is a metaphor for serious political stress.

“I pull my shirt off and pray… we’re sacred and bound, to suffer the heatwave…

Pull my shirt off and pray… we’re coming up on re-election day”





    Next the Dial turns its receivers to spotlight a lesser hit from Simon, recorded with his more iconic group Duran Duran, 1987's “Meet El Presidente”. The third single pulled from the Notorious LP, following the title track and “Skin Trade”, “Meet El…” did alright in the UK by reaching #24, but struggled greatly stateside, only managing #70.

“Miss November Tuesday, bend your rubber rules…

Take your time but don’t take off your high heel shoes…”

The lyrics relate the tale of a political figure’s mistress, and how she holds power over the adulterer. He tries to placate her by buying her cruises, as she dresses in revealing clothing and always makes herself available to him, not only to further her own power hungry goals, but also to camouflage her disgust at her own situation. As Le Bon pointedly sings… “Hell hath no fury like a young girl’s ego”. (Dig the percussion on that line!) The song concludes by stating that she has a gun, so this young woman is very aware that she can destroy this figure’s career and indeed, his life, with either a public admission of their relationship, or a well-timed bullet.

Despite the provocative subject matter, “Meet El…” came at the beginning of a chart slump for the band, as no additional singles were issued from Notorious, and only 1988’s “I Don’t Want Your Love” (from the Big Thing LP) charted highly on both sides of the Atlantic in the following several years.

It wasn’t until their unexpected comeback, 1993’s Duran Duran (The Wedding Album), which contained the monster classics “Come Undone” and “Ordinary World”, that Duran Duran were returned to pop prominence, albeit briefly.

Could this be considered pretentious art rock? Yeah, probably, but it’s still great. Sure, the song is nowhere near as iconic as “Hungry Like the Wolf”, “Rio”, or “The Reflex”, and it leans more toward dance funk, not the synth heavy new wave they are primarily known for, but it still possesses that Duran Duran quality that we’ve all come to expect. So sit back and enjoy it… because the Dial knows best.

By the end of our own Election Day, America and the rest of the world will meet our new “El Presidente”. I'm not for political commentary here, I’m just enjoying the music, and trying to make it relate, however loosely. Though I think a lot of folks might have preferred it if Simon Le Bon had been a choice for pres, I'm just sayin'.

So until the next time the Dial turns its signal to a forgotten classic from the past... Good night ever'body!

“She's on the case at dinner time... she's on the evening news...

And if you dare step out of line... you're going to be abused.”