"Put A Little Love in Your Heart" by Annie Lennox and Al Green

    Hello again friends! Thank you for tuning your receiver to the Radio Dial, as today we bring you a holiday-inspired top 10 that has been undeservedly absent from radio playlists for a mighty long time… from 1988, it’s Annie Lennox and Al Green with "Put A Little Love in Your Heart"!

"Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand… put a little love in your heart."

First up, as we head into the final few weeks of the year, I’d like to recognize a very special birthday – that of this here Radio Dial blog! Can you believe it turns seven years old this month? It seems like just yesterday my little blog was barely crawling, and getting into all sorts of mischief, but now, it’s going to school and acting relatively responsible, all the while continuing to spotlight great underplayed music from the past. I’m so proud. *sniff sniff* excuse me.

Now, allow me to get back on topic... "Put A Little Love…" extolls the benefits of kindness and treating others with respect, and this pop favorite originally charted at US #4 for its co-author Jackie DeShannon in the fall of 1969. Nearly twenty years later, it became an indirect Christmas tune when covered by Lennox and Green for the soundtrack of the 1988 Bill Murray comedy Scrooged.

Despite being associated with a holiday film, and receiving a ton of airplay in November and December of '88, Annie and Al’s version actually peaked in January of 1989 at US #9, and #2 A/C.

Now here’s a wacky little snippet of chart trivia… "Put A Little Love…" was the first top 40 single for Annie Lennox as a soloist, apart from her monster hit making days as one half of the Eurythmics, but on the "flip side" (to use vinyl record lingo), it was also the last top 40 charting solo single for Al Green, though he continued to place several mid-range hits on the R&B charts well into the ‘90s.

"You see it’s getting late, oh please don’t hesitate… put a little love in your heart."

As it turns out, this cover was produced by Annie’s Eurythmics bandmate David A. Stewart, (who plays synthesizers, bass guitar, lead guitar, and keyboards on Eurythmics recordings), however it is unclear whether he played the instruments on "Put A Little Love…" or handed those duties off to others. The credits on the 45 RPM single sleeve simply list Lennox and Green as vocalists and Stewart as the producer, which makes me think he probably did play the instruments after all, and just considered that to be part of his production work on the track. If he did, then this record could correctly be considered a collaboration between Al Green and the Eurythmics (the duo) instead of Annie Lennox alone.

My best guess is that this was credited under Lennox’s name for legal reasons. The Eurythmics recorded for RCA, and the Scrooged soundtrack, (including this single) appeared on A&M. If A&M wanted to market this tune as by The Eurythmics and Al Green, they probably would have needed permission from RCA to use the full band name, however, crediting it to Annie Lennox and Al Green would be okay.

My theory seems supported by the fact that back in ’85, The Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin released a little ditty called "Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves" (US #18, UK #9). As the Queen of Soul was on Arista in ’85, which was part of the RCA/Ariola International group, the duet was essentially recorded by two RCA related acts. In this way, the Eurythmics band name could be used on this collaboration with no legal issues between opposing record labels.

"Another day goes by, and still the children cry… put a little love in your heart"

"Put A Little Love…" features a very simple music video, which intercuts Scrooged movie clips, with Lennox and Green dancing and grooving against sparkly and wintery backgrounds. It’s likely the two artists never met face to face when filming the video (or perhaps even when recording the song), since they are never actually shown together in the clip. Remember, it’s fairly commonplace for duets to be "stitched together" from separate performances, especially when the musicians encounter scheduling conflicts.

That being said, I’ve always loved when the song’s intensity ramps up and the horns become more prominent, at around 1:25. The entire track sounded so great on the radio back then (or on my mix tape on my Walkman), and I can’t fathom why this isn’t played on all those "holiday format" stations that pop up right after Halloween each year. Instead, those stations just overplay multiple versions of "Baby, its Cold Outside", "Santa Baby", "Last Christmas", or "The Little Drummer Boy". C’mon all you program directors, we need Annie and Al on the holiday stations!

"I hope when you decide, kindness will be your guide… put a little love in your heart."

One more fun fact:

Back when this was a current record, I remember the disc jockeys on WAVA 105.1 FM in Washington DC introducing the artists as Annie Lennox and the Reverend Al Green. At the time, I assumed this was simply a nickname like The King of Pop, or The Godfather of Soul, but it turns out that Green actually became an ordained minister in 1976, and as of this day, he still practices in Memphis. So there ya go. Might be fun to attend one of his sermons. I wonder if he would autograph one of his vinyl albums? Hmmm...

Now, just a reminder that as per New Year’s tradition, the Dial is taking the month of January off, but we plan to return later in the new year with more great overlooked and underplayed tunes from the worlds of rock, pop, soul, country, and more.

I’m also toying with the idea of changing the look of the blog, to move some furniture around and spruce it up for 2019… but then again, I may end up just keeping it as is. It largely depends upon how motivated I am to make those changes during the cold winter season.

So, regardless of wherever you are from, and whichever holiday festivities you partake in, all of us here… (Mrs. Radio Dial, the Radio Dial kids, and myself, Kyle) wish you…

Felices Fiestas

Buone Feste

Joyeuses Fêtes

Glade Feriedage

Frohe Feiertage

Gelukkige Vakansiedae

Καλές δικακοπές

Счастливых праздников

節日快樂

 

Happy Hanukkah, Super Solstice, Joyous Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas, and a very Happy Festivus for the rest of us!

 

“And the world will be a better place… and the world will be a better place for you… And for me… you just wait… and see.”
 

 

 





TWO FER TUESDAY: All Saints with "Lady Marmalade" and "Under the Bridge"

      How ya doin’ friends? Today, the Dial brings you another Two Fer Tuesday article, this time featuring a pair of remakes by UK based female quartet the All Saints. From 1998, it’s "Lady Marmalade" and "Under the Bridge".
"My place or yours… gotta be raw… don’t really matter once we get through the door."
This is a slightly different type of "Two Fer Tuesday", as these two tunes were released as a double A-side in the UK, allowing both songs to enjoy radio attention at the same time, and thus, their combined airplay and sales of the single propelled both songs to UK #1… the Top of the Pops, you might say.
Typically viewed in their native UK as an edgier answer to The Spice Girls… Shaznay Lewis, Melanie Blatt, and sisters Nicole and Natalie Appleton specialized in a blend of r&b and electro pop that earned them nine top 10 singles across the pond.
They weren’t completely absent from the charts in America, however, as they charted two top 40 singles, the US #36 Steely Dan sampling party tune "I Know Where It's At", and its follow up, the jazz-styled US #4 Motown-channeling ballad "Never Ever".
Now back to that double A-side. Featured on the girls’ 1998 self-titled debut LP, the songs are "near" covers of LaBelle’s 1975 disco smash, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers 1992 rock classic. So, what do I mean by "near" covers?
"Now come on and share all your deep fantasies… I’m asking not telling you, please.
Well, a valid argument could be made in that these songs are not true and complete remakes of the originals, and instead exist more as interpretations or reimaginings. For instance, "Marmalade" uses the same overall melody as the original (though slightly updated for the late ‘90s), but contains different verses, which change the focus of the song from a business man’s tryst with a call girl in New Orleans (as in LaBelle’s version), to that of a confident modern woman asserting her sexuality to her intended lover for the night. The only lyrics retained from the original 1975 composition are the famous French chorus, the playful chants in the bridge sections, and the often quoted "Hey sister, soul sister, go sister, soul sister" refrain.
Now, by comparison, Under the Bridge retains most of the original tune’s lyrics, but has been musically recast with a neo-soul skin, turning the Chili Peppers’ remorseful and cautionary anti-drug tale into a lament of overall loneliness and emotional isolation in a heavily populated city.
Interestingly enough, in both cases, the lyrics that quote each song’s title was replaced or dropped. For the LaBelle tune, the line "Creole lady marmalade" was updated to "Where you think you're sleeping tonight?", and RHCP’s verse of "Under the bridge downtown, is where I drew some blood", has been omitted altogether, out of respect to Chili Peppers’ songwriter Anthony Kiedes, and his personal struggles with drugs on which the original composition was based.
"Sometimes I feel like I don’t have a partner… sometimes I feel like my only friend is the city I live in…"
I find it odd that London Records did not issue Marmalade/Bridge as the third single in the U.S., especially given that the group would have been coming straight off of the hot #4 hit "Never Ever", thus, the act was at their highest marketability in the U.S. right then. Even if the label was skittish about how us closed-minded Americans might react to the RHCP cover, then why the hell didn't they release the LaBelle remake as a stand-alone single?
And before you go assuming that it was because of that other revival of Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguliera, Missy Elliott, Pink, Mýa and Lil' Kim from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack… that chart topper didn’t come along until 2001, three years after the All Saints’ take on the same tune. So I imagine that in 1998, American airwaves would have been quite receptive to a new version of Marmalade (as we proved to be three years later), had the record label and radio station program directors simply gave it a chance. Perhaps it could have even been the ladies’ second US top 10. In the words of Led Zeppelin… "It makes me wonder."
"I drive on the streets, ‘cus he’s my companion… I walk through his fields, ‘cos he knows who I am."
Also of note here are the insanely creative music videos for both songs, which see the floors and ceiling of a populated skyscraper realistically crumbling apart while a dance party is occurring (in Lady Marmalade), and then the aftermath, in which the ladies are walking around what’s left of their apartment with huge jagged gaping holes in the building (in Under the Bridge). The special effects are excellent here, and I really got a sense of dread in watching the floors and ceilings tear away from their supports, revealing tremendous holes multiple stories above the city streets far below… for God’s sake, how is this building still standing with such little structural integrity left?
I’ve always enjoyed discovering remakes that are radical re imaginings of their source material. Songs like Tori Amos’ haunting piano ballad rendition of Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Duran Duran’s alternative rock take on Public Enemy’s "911 is a Joke", or Dweezil Zappa and Donny Osmond’s heavy metal version of the Bee Gees’ "Stayin’ Alive". It takes quite a bit of risk and creative cojones to change up an iconic tune, and the All Saints have done that here, turning both songs on their ears and morphing them into their own, while still honoring the spirit of the original tunes.
So give them a spin below, and be sure to watch the videos in the order they are posted below. And check back on the Dial in about two weeks for our annual wintertime selection, a top 10 hit from 1988 that wasn’t originally intended as a holiday recording, but due to its inclusion on a holiday movie soundtrack, it wound up that way. Stay tuned to Kyle’s Radio Dial… the more you listen… the MORE you remember!
"I don’t ever want to feel like I did that day… take me to the place I love… take me all the way."



"Just Be Good to Me" by The S.O.S. Band

     What’s goin’ on party people? You picked a great time to check out the Dial, as today we bring you a classic 80’s post-disco funk track that has gotten feet moving on the dance floor for well over 30 years now. Prepare yourself for “Just Be Good to Me” by The S.O.S. Band!

“Friends tell me I am crazy… and I’m wasting time with you. You’ll never be mine.”

Formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977, The S.O.S. Band (short for “Sounds of Success”) are primarily remembered by pop radio audiences for their US #3, US #1 R&B hit from 1980, “Take Your Time (Do It Right) (Part 1)”. As this was their only top 40 entry, the group is indeed a one hit wonder on the pop chart. Though it is worth noting that they charted eleven top 20 hits on the R&B singles chart before disbanding in 1991.

“Just Be Good…” was released as a single from the band’s 1983 “On the Rise” LP, at a time when the act consisted of eight members, including Mary Davis on lead vocals, Jason Bryant on keyboards, Billy Ellis and Sonny Killebrew on saxophones, guitar work courtesy of Bruno Speight, bass slappin’ by John A. Simpson III, drums and percussion by Jerome "J.T." Thomas, and additional percussion and instrumentation (like the flugelhorn!) by Abdul Ra'oof.

A woman’s declaration that she will remain devoted to her lover despite her friends’ warnings, so long as he treats her well, “Just Be Good…” was an R&B chart smash, stopping one position short of the top at #2, but despite this success, the post-disco funk track stalled at US #55 pop, nearly reaching the halfway mark of the hot 100. Our friends across the pond however, embraced the song more warmly than pop radio did in the states, causing the tune to reach UK #13 on their singles charts.

“Friends are always tellin’ me… you’re a user.”

Written and produced by the legendary team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who brought us tons of great hits like “I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On” (Cherrelle, and later, Robert Palmer), “Tender Love” by The Force M.D.’s, “Human” by the Human League, “Diamonds” by Herb Alpert, most of Janet Jackson’s hits from her entire career, and multiple hits by Alexander O’Neal, New Edition, Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, Karyn White… the list goes on and on. Seriously, just look up the list of songs these guys have had a hand in creating. It’s staggering.

The S.O.S. Band’s classic has resurfaced on the charts in various forms over the years, including a 1990 cover version by Beats International retitled as “Dub Be Good To Me”, (though the actual words remain unchanged in the song itself), and a 1996 remake by Deborah Cox under the original title. The lyrics were also interpolated by Destiny’s Child in their collaboration with rapper Silkk the Shocker for 1998’s “Just Be Straight with Me”, and the lyrical melody was quoted by Usher in his 2014 single “She Came to Give It to You”.

I find it interesting that none of these versions, (not even the excellent original!) cracked the top 40. I wonder if a modern act would be able to take a cover of this tasty track into the top 10 where it rightfully belongs, but knowing my luck, (and the current musical landscape), it would probably end up being recorded by somebody with questionable talent like Flo Rida, Ed Sheeran, or Nicki Minaj. Blecch.

“Friends always seem to listen… to the bad things that you do… you never do them to me…”

Unlike most songs I’ve featured on the Dial, which are favorites that have resided in my personal CD and vinyl collection for years, “Just Be Good…” was actually rediscovered by me just this past September, when I was listening to a ‘80s R&B playlist online. I didn’t recognize it the title at first, but those opening a cappella notes really grabbed my attention! Then the Roland drum machine kicked in, closely followed by the otherworldly bass, distorted guitar, and groovy synths, and I instantly flashbacked to 1983, and couldn’t believe I had gone at least 30 years since hearing this exceptional slice of ‘80s post-disco funk!

Memories of hearing this all over the radio in ’83 were fresh in my mind once more, and back then, I assumed the tune was a top 10 smash, but this was only because of the “Washington DC effect”. That was the phenomenon in which sizable R&B chart hits crossed over rather frequently to our Maryland based top 40 stations. As I grew up about an hour south of DC, (Charles County representing!) I heard a lot of R&B, soul, and early hip hop tracks that didn’t chart highly nationwide, but sure played to enthusiastic audiences in DC, and the nearby Virginia and Maryland suburbs.

Okay, I’m done rambling now. Check out the tune below, and leave me a comment if you remember dancing, roller skating, or just grooving out to this tasty soul jam. And keep it tuned to Kyle’s Radio Dial, because the more you listen… the MORE you remember!

“People always talkin’ ‘bout… your reputation… I don’t care about your other girls… Just be good to me.”