Welcome back, friends! Thanks for stopping in at our little outpost on
the internet! We sincerely hope you enjoy the latest offering, an ‘80s rocker
sung by a well-known voice, but not necessarily a well-known name… at least in
America, that is. Read on for Mr. Paul Carrack and his top ten hit “Don’t Shed a Tear”.
“Cab
fare to nowhere… is what you are…
A
white line to an exit sign… is what you are…”
The lead single from Carrack’s 1987 One Good Reason LP, and a US #9 chart
success, Paul's
power pop hit serves as a kiss off to a woman who did him wrong. It's not quite
specified what lead to the breakup, only that Paul is happy to put the
relationship and the girl in his rear view mirror.
Throughout the song, Paul compares
his ex-lover to things he deems to be pointless… (“cab fare to nowhere”, “locked
door on a candy store”, etc.) illustrating that he feels the woman he speaks
of (sings of?) is no longer worth his time.
Though one could make the argument
that that a cab fare to nowhere could be interpreted as a nice lazy drive with
no destination in mind which could be fun, and a candy store with a locked door
would be good for a dieter with a sweet tooth, but I digress…
I’ve always loved the build-up in the bridge toward
the chorus, and the lyric “All that I saw in you… now I see through”
is a simple, yet effective summation of how Carrack felt misled by his former
flame, and he is finally breaking free of this toxic relationship.
“You
ain’t givin’… well, I’m not takin’.
I’m
not missin’… what we ain’t makin”
The
music video shown below features views of Carrack and his former flame
played by model Kendall Conrad, whom is now a successful fashion designer. As Carrack
sings, he seems to relish in the fact that he is removed from the relationship. And while she appears to be furious at Carrack as the clip
begins, it’s clear that she grows to regret the loss as the song progresses, as
evidenced by her tears near the end of the video. Images of the two ex-lovers are
positioned like photographs overlaid on top of a collage of old film leaders,
paint streaks, and water stained maps.
Now to explain my comment about Paul
being a well-known voice, but not necessarily a well-known name. You see,
Carrack’s voice has been bouncing around our top 40 charts off and on for quite
some time. Carrack sang lead on Ace's "How
Long" (#3/’74); Squeeze's "Tempted"
(#49/’81 – not quite top 40, but an iconic track nonetheless); and Mike + The
Mechanics' "Silent Running (On Dangerous
Ground)" (#6/’85), and "The
Living Years" (#1/’89). Most casual radio listeners probably don’t
realize that all these songs are sung by the same guy! I sure didn’t before I
became a pop music historian.
While “Don’t Shed a Tear” is Paul‘s biggest
solo hit in the U.S., I imagine that the above songs are probably recognized by
more listeners in America than this, his lone U.S. top 10 hit. Carrack did peek
in to the US Top 40 two other times however, with 1982’s “I Need You” (#37), and 1989’s “I
Live by the Groove”, a #22 hit.
So, click the video below to watch,
listen to, and remember this great hit from three decades past, which turns up
so rarely on current radio playlists. That’s what we do best here at the Dial… stir
up those long forgotten musical memories. Drop me a line if you have any song
suggestions or comments!
“Don’t
shed a tear for me… my life won’t end without you…
Long
as the night will be… the sun will rise without you.”
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