"Home by the Sea" by Genesis

   “Creeping up the blind side...shinning up the wall.. stealing through the dark of night.”

   Welcome back to Kyle's Radio Dial, friends! The blog that unearths forgotten musical memories from the recesses of your mind, one at a time. 

   It’s getting cooler outside, the leaves are turning colors, and pumpkin spice everything is EVERWHERE! Soon, black cats, skeletons, ghosts, and witches will be decorating homes and businesses across the country. Stores have already begun stocking jumbo bags of candy, and costumes have appeared on displays so the kiddos and grown ups alike can masquerade as their favorite horror or fantasy personalities! (and jeez, after the horrible year that continues to be 2020, we all can use some Halloween escapism right now! AMIRIGHT?)

  So, in honor of the spooky season, the Dial is reaching back to 1983 to bring you a spectral cut by one of the most charismatic and beloved pop rock acts of the MTV era. A song, that while it was not a major hit on radio, has remained one of the group’s most popular tracks in concert performances. So prepare yourself for an intrusion INTO the other world, as Genesis spins their tale of the “Home By the Sea”.

   At this time in their band’s evolution, Genesis had long since pared down to the now iconic trio of Phil Collins on drums and vocals, Mike Rutherford providing bass and guitar, and Tony Banks on keyboards. The departure of early members Peter Gabriel in 1975 and Steve Hackett in ‘77, reshaped their style from progressive art rock, to a much more commercial pop influenced sound as the ‘80s began.

   Appearing on their self titled 1983 LP, (the one with “Perfection” game pieces on the album cover), Genesis’ tune is actually a suite consisting of two sections: the namesake “Home by the Sea” and “Second Home by the Sea”. The first section essentially follows the standard pop song structure of verses, bridges, and choruses, while the second portion begins at a little after the five minute mark, and is entirely instrumental, recalling elements of their ‘70s prog rock days. The tune culminates in a brief vocal reprise that drives the anguish of the characters in the song home.

   So what's the deal with this tune? Why is this my selection for Halloween 2020?

   Well, you see, Tony Banks' lyrics tell the tale of a burglar who breaks into a haunted waterfront home, and is subsequently confronted by the spirits that reside there. Before the criminal can flee, the ghosts capture him, and force him to be their audience as they recount stories of their lives. For the rest of his life. His ultimate fate is left up to the listener to decide.

   This raises some questions… Is this an abandoned, derelict home that the burglar should have dismissed entirely before even attempting to break in? Or did the house appear lived in and in good shape from the outside, and thus, perfectly normal?

   Also, we know the house is haunted, but is it possible that it also has folks living there as well? Perhaps the homeowners went out for the night, leaving the burglar to think their valuables were easy pickings, only for him to encounter the specters.

   And if the house is occupied, do the homeowners have a symbiotic relationship with the spirits? Perhaps the ghosts agree to keep the house safe, in exchange for “story time” with the homeowners every now and again.

   I imagine some of the spirits’ stories would be rather interesting. Perhaps one of the spirits was a wild west outlaw, or a turn of the century railroad conductor. Maybe one of them was a politician from the early days of the country, an actress from the era of silent films, or a celebrated artist revered by the elite of their day.

   Personally, it sounds to me like the ghosts are simply lonely, and just want to experience a little of their own humanity once more. Besides, who doesn’t enjoy telling stories about their own lives?

   However, the ghosts DO capture the crook, and inform him that he’ll stay there for the rest of his life… which is undoubtedly ominous and terrifying, even if they are just lonely. Maybe they should be less aggressive, and just ask for an hour of the burglar’s time, then send him on his way? I’m sure I’m over thinking this… but hey, it’s what I do.

   Musically, this is ranks among Genesis’ best work. That opening with the distorted keyboard and powerful drum crash lets you know that this will not be a happy go-lucky pop song. Phil’s delivery of the lines “Help us someone, let us out of here”, and “let us relive our lives in what we tell you” makes you sympathetic to the loneliness of the spirits. And that instrumental... especially around the 9:10 mark – those synth and guitar flourishes seem to be created by the specters as they swirl in and out of the physical realm in front of our hapless criminal. Awesome.

   Incredibly, “Home by the Sea” did not chart at all on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did manage to reach #24 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. Even weirder is that it didn’t chart in the UK – Genesis’ native homeland! In fact, the only place the tune charted highly was in New Zealand where it hit #4… yeah, that’s random. Kudos to the Kiwis for showing excellent musical taste!

   So, this Halloween season, in between the decorating, watching scary movies, and picking out costumes, be sure to set aside some time for Phil, Mike, and Tony’s story of a brazen intruder who gets much more than he bargained for. And as always, stay tuned to the Dial for more overlooked and underplayed tunes of the past!

   Happy Halloween!

http://www.genesis-music.com/

"The NeverEnding Story" by Limahl

   “Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds… and there upon a rainbow is the answer to a never ending story.”

   Saturday Night Fever. Urban Cowboy. The Breakfast Club. Back to the Future. Top Gun. Pretty Woman. The Bodyguard. Singles. Titanic. All of these iconic films produced equally iconic songs and top selling soundtracks. The music associated with these movies was all over the radio and MTV, and served as exceptional marketing tools for the motion pictures themselves.

   Today, the Dial turns it’s receivers to movie theaters of the past to spotlight a motion picture theme that has slipped into relative obscurity, even though it’s associated with a well loved fantasy film. Ladies and gentlemen, Rock biters and Night hobs, let me present “The NeverEnding Story” by Limahl.

   Coining his stage name from an anagram of his last name, Limahl, (born Christopher Hamill of Lancashire, England), has the unique claim of being a one hit wonder twice... well, at least in the U.S. he’s a two time one hit wonder... he’s had other hits overseas. Wait, how is it possible to be a one hit wonder TWICE??? Well, you may recall a popular ditty called “Too Shy” (#5/‘83) recorded by new wave group Kajagoogoo. Limahl was the lead singer of that band. Shortly after that hit, he embarked on a solo career, which led to his one hit as a solo act… the theme to the 1984 film “The NeverEnding Story”. So, he’s been a one hit wonder as the frontman of a group, and also as a soloist. Cool, huh?

   Peaking at #17 on the U.S. Hot 100, and #6 on the U.S. adult contemporary charts, “The NeverEnding Story” charted much higher in the UK at #4, and topped the respective singles charts of Norway and Sweden.

   The lyrics broadly reference the events of the film, in particular, the character of the Childlike Empress, and the final grain of sand from Fantasia… “In her face, the mirror of your dreams”, and “in your hand the birth of a new day”. It also incorporates general fantasy story tropes, by mentioning stars, clouds, and rainbows, and featuring the sound effects of wind layered into the music.

   However, when I separate the song from the film, I see “The NeverEnding Story” theme as a parallel to falling in love. The aforementioned line about seeing your dreams mirrored in her face… perhaps that means love at first sight. Isn’t it true that upon falling in love, a person becomes filled with a euphoria and a great feeling of well being that could indeed be symbolized with rainbows, stars, clouds, unicorns, dolphins, and anything else associated with Lisa Frank notebooks? The best, all encompassing love, can make a person feel like they are floating above the world.

   So maybe this seemingly simple movie theme actually exists on two levels… that to link to the narrative of the film, and that to describe a burgeoning romance. And because of that, the two interpretations of the song are intertwined, much like the two snakes featured on the film’s Auryn amulet worn by the warrior Atreyu? (Yeah, I love this movie – just let me geek out here…)

   A clever feature of the song is that it fades in from silence at the beginning (as opposed to just beginning with the opening notes), and fades out at the end, giving the listener the idea that the song is truly never ending. The effect is that it’s always playing somewhere in the breeze at some time, and we just happen to catch a few moments of it each time before it fades off to places unknown once more. I think this tune is much more of a masterpiece than I originally gave it credit for!

   And, why wouldn’t it be a masterpiece, when Georgio Moroder and Keith Forsey put their production abilities behind it? Between the two of them, they’ve significantly contributed to works by Donna Summer, Billy Idol, Irene Cara, Berlin, Blondie and many others.

   The music video is quite simple, with just two people on a very basic set, and feels much like Broadway performance. Interestingly, there are no movie clips featured here, and I’m not sure why. I can’t imagine it was due to licensing issues. Perhaps the record label (EMI) tried to keep the cost of the video down by only featuring Limahl and his duet partner (more on her in a moment), to avoid paying any actors that would appear via movie clips they may have used. Actually, I respect that there are no film clips here because many movie theme music videos feature awkwardly shoehorned movie clips that break up the flow of the visuals of the video. I like that they kept it uncluttered for this one.

   The female vocalist that Limahl duets with here (even though she is uncredited on the label), is Beth Anderson, but in the video Limahl’s backing singer Mandy Newton convincingly lip syncs to Anderson’s vocals. This is because Beth was not available to film any scenes for the video, (given that she is based in Kentucky, and the video was filmed in the UK), though Limahl and Anderson did perform the song together on American Bandstand and Solid Gold.

   As recently as 2019, the memory of this soundtrack cut crossed my mind, but I immediately dismissed it as not worthy of being revisited without even listening to it. Seriously… shame on me. But the unbelievable events of this year which have drastically changed our lives and our world have had me looking for any positivity wherever I could find it.

   So, last month I watched the title film for first time in at least 30 years, and found myself still enthralled by it’s themes of childlike wonder, innocence, and overall message of hope for the future, even when things seem their most bleak, and man, can we identify with THAT nowadays! Afterwards, the theme song stayed firmly lodged in my mind… much like it was… well… “never ending”. I knew then I was wrong to have dismissed it.

   Okay, perhaps the theme hasn’t aged well, it’s very tied to it’s time with it’s synth-heavy orchestration, and I know it could easily be derided as “cheesy”. But the soaring melody and lyrics of fantasy and magic return me to childhood innocence and hit me in the feels.

   I’m also aware that the tune recently enjoyed a huge popularity boost because it was featured in the Netflix series Stranger Things. I haven’t watched ST yet, even though tons of folks have suggested it to me and it certainly sounds like a show that would be right up my alley. One of these days I’ll get to it.

   So take a flight of fantasy with Limahl, and allow the music to sweep you away to places unknown. Do you have any favorite movie music that you think should have been a big hit? Drop me a comment below! And be sure to stay tuned to Kyle’s Radio Dial, where the more you listen, the more you remember!

http://limahl.com/

"Someday" by Glass Tiger

   “When I come home, you telephone… to say you’re waiting for me.”

   Hello friends, I hope your summer is treating you well! Thanks for tuning into to the Dial on this fine August day… evening… wee hours of the morning? Truth be told, I’m not sure exactly when you are reading this, but I am sure that the Dial is bringing you a classic top 10 hit from our friends in the Great White North. Stay tuned, read on and listen up for Glass Tiger and “Someday”.

   Founded in Ontario, Canada, in 1983 and consisting of lead singer Alan Frew, bassist Wayne Parker, guitarist Al Connelly, Sam Reid on keyboards, and Michael Hanson on drums, Glass Tiger released their debut album, The Thin Red Line, in 1986. The first single pulled from that album was the smash hit “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone”, which topped the charts in their homeland, and nearly duplicated that feat in America, yet stopped one position short at #2. Quite an impressive debut overall.

   “Someday” was the band’s second American released single, a mid-tempo ballad which was to be their final top 10 hit in the states, reaching #7 on the pop charts. The boys only charted in the U.S. two more times, with “I Will Be There” (#34/’87), and “I’m Still Searching” (#31/’88). However, they had tons of big hits in Canada for several years, including 1991’s “My Town”, which featured Rod Stewart, and was a #8 hit on the Canadian RPM singles chart.

   Written by Frew and Connelly, along with producer Jim Vallance (you may know him as the prolific songwriting partner of Bryan Adams), the song speaks to the frustration of a guy who’s girlfriend is very conflicted regarding their relationship. The couple speak on the phone for the bulk of the song, initially with her saying that she’s waiting for him (while crying...), then later, she says she doesn’t need him, yet she can’t explain why for fear of hurting him. Sounds like she is dealing with some heavy emotional baggage to be sure, but in doing so, she is also stringing this poor guy along. Eventually, he decides he can only take so much.

   The chorus contains the line “Someday I’ll be losing this fear”, indicating that once he reaches the peak of his frustration, he’ll confront her about their relationship. He hasn’t told her yet, but it’s coming soon. Someday.

   Glass Tiger were nominated for a 1986 best new artist Grammy award, but lost that to Bruce Hornsby and the Range. However, back in Canada, the band won multiple Juno awards, including Single of the Year (‘86) for “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone”, Album of the Year (‘86) for “The Thin Red Line”, and the Most Promising Group of the Year (again,’86) award. “Someday” won the single of the year award for ‘87, making Glass Tiger one of the few acts (an exclusive club with Terry Jacks, Anne Murray, and Alanis Morissette) that won that same award in two consecutive years.

   I’ve always loved “Someday”. The whole song is just filled with hooks that please my ears. Alan’s blue-eyed soul style of singing, the ascensions in the chorus, that harmonica solo during the bridge, the soulful backup singers. In fact, even though I would classify “Someday” as a ballad, it also doesn’t quite seem to fit the typical interpretation of a ballad to me. Even though the lyrics clearly convey romantic frustration, the easy going mid-tempo melody steers it away from the exhausting melodrama that often plagues many of the best known ballads from the rock era.

   “Someday” fell off of radio playlists rather quickly once it’s chart run ended, (glad I taped it off of Q107 back then!) but I recall hearing it on a light rock station in the mid ‘90s and being reminded of what a great tune it is. Later that year, I got the Air Time: The Best of Glass Tiger compilation CD for either Christmas or my birthday, so I could revisit “Someday” and their other tunes whenever I please. Still, I can count the number of times I’ve actually heard “Someday” on the radio on one hand since it’s original ‘86 chart run, which makes this a lost hit on the airwaves... at least here in the states. (I admit, it may very well be all over the classic hits stations in Canada.)

   And when you watch the music video, remember, it was the mid ‘80s. And besides, real men wear pink.

   So give Glass Tiger’s forgotten hit a spin and see if it jogs any memories for you. Are you familiar with their other hits? Do you think they deserved a longer hit making career in the U.S.? Drop me a message below!

https://glasstiger.ca/

"Go Home" by Stevie Wonder

  

    “Her parents said, girl don’t leave home, but her heart kept cheering her on…”

    And we suspect that you will be cheering for this latest spotlighted song tonight! A mid ‘80s classic from a true soul pioneer, which despite significant chart success upon its release, is now quite underrated and receives virtually no radio airplay. Ladies and Gentlemen, Kyle’s Radio Dial is proud to feature none other than Mr. Stevie Wonder and his hit “Go Home”!

   The second single pulled from Wonder’s 1985 “In Square Circle” album, preceded by “Part-Time Lover” (#1 pop, #2 R&B), and followed by “Overjoyed” (#24 pop, #8 R&B), “Go Home” peaked at #10 pop and #2 R&B, making it Stevie’s final tune to reach the US pop top 10. All three singles also topped the adult contemporary singles chart. Additionally, the parent album won the Grammy in 1986 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Not too shabby.

   As an aside… in the early ‘90s, I worked at Square Circle, a mall based record store chain, and I noticed that we did indeed have a copy of this Stevie album on CD and cassette. So In Square Circle was IN Square Circle. HA HA HA… ehh… I found it amusing. Don’t judge me.

   Anyway, Wonder’s tune concerns a young woman who leaves her life behind to try to pursue romance with the narrator. He rejects her advances, hence the title. The woman attempts to defend her desire to be with him, but ultimately accepts his “final word” and leaves him alone as he wishes. Later on, the narrator’s life takes a really bad turn (he looses his family, his friends, and his job- jeez, what the heck happened?), and he comes to regret pushing away the one person who truly wanted to be with him. Yet, by then it was too late, as he has lost her as well. Heartbreak on top of heartbreak.

    There’s also an interesting line in the chorus, in which Stevie sings…

   “She only wanted to be close to me… to give me the love she knew someday I’d need.”

   Was this girl psychic? Did she somehow know that this guy’s life would turn to crap? If so, I think her timing was completely off. Don’t approach the poor bloke when he’s married and has everything together, hit him up when he’s at his lowest. No wonder he pushed her away.

   Now let’s examine that music video. Instead of a literal depiction of the lyrics, we are presented with a… crime drama???

   Initially I thought the video’s story was focused on a pair of detectives tracking thieves. However, upon further viewings, it seems the blonde woman is not a detective herself, but instead has actually hired a detective to track down the man she loves, believing that he has gotten involved with the wrong crowd, so to speak.

   So when considering the video, you could conclude that the narrator of the song (Stevie’s voice) is actually representing that missing partner telling the blonde to “go home”, possibly to protect her from the criminal involvement. But unlike in the song’s lyrics, this woman fights back, locates her guy and saves him at the end. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it. I do that sometimes.

   And if that detective looks familiar, it may very well be because he is played by Art Evans, whom you may recognize from films such as A Soldier’s Story, Ruthless People, School Daze, Die Hard 2, and CB4 among many others over the years. And yes folks, that IS funk and jazz legend Herbie Hancock in a cameo in which he greets Stevie on the street at the 2:16 mark.

   I know that a lot of folks look negatively on Wonder’s ‘80s output. But I think this is unfair. Much of that feeling seems to stem from his 1984 smash “I Just Called To Say I Love You”, which was possibly the most saccharine and lightweight tune Stevie ever recorded, and over time, has overshadowed much of the rest of his material of the decade.

   When compared to Wonder’s socially aware, political, and highly influential ‘70s “classic period” (“Higher Ground”, “Living for the City”, “Superstition”, “You Haven’t Done Nothin’”, “Pastime Paradise”, and “Village Ghetto Land” being some of the many highlights), his more commercialized, polished ‘80s pop leaning output seems less significant and innovative. However, by the 1980s, Stevie was no longer the angry young man of the prior decade, as he had settled into the role of respected elder statesman of soul music. Personally, I believe Stevie was simply enjoying the freedom to create music without having to make any powerful social statements.

   This is not to say that Stevie didn’t record some outstanding tunes in the decade of Atari and legwarmers. There’s the one-two punch of “That Girl”, and “Do I Do”, (back to back singles from ‘82), the synthpop leaning “Skeletons” (1987) – and the powerful funk rocker “Get It”, a 1988 duet with Michael Jackson. On the softer side, there’s “Lately” (1981) – a gorgeous mature ballad that ranks among his best love songs. Stevie Wonder is truly a musical genius that we don’t deserve.

   And for possibly the most ‘80s thing you will see today… I’ve added a clip (below the actual music video) of an amazing performance at the 1985 Grammy Awards, in which Wonder played “Go Home” in a synthesizer medley as part of a supergroup with Herbie Hancock, Thomas Dolby, and Howard Jones. The vibe on the stage is incredible! And Dolby truly looks the part of the mad scientist here!

   So check out “Go Home”, and let me know, do you have any favorite underrated Stevie Wonder tunes? What do you think about his ‘80s material? Post a comment below! And always remember our tag line…

   Kyle’s Radio Dial… the more you listen, the more you remember!

http://www.steviewonder.net/

"I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" by Barbara Mandrell

    “I was listening to the Opry, when all of my friends were diggin’ Rock ‘n Roll and Rhythm & Blues…”

    Hello friends! Tonight, the Dial transmits a signal to you direct from Nashville, Tennessee, from almost four decades hence. A song that playfully comments on the then-contemporary “urban cowboy” trend, while asserting that the singer was always country, even when the genre wasn’t necessarily the “hip thing” to like. Southern Belles and Proper Gentlemen alike… put your hands together for Miss Barbara Mandrell, and “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”.

    Written by Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan, “I Was Country…” finds Barbara positioning herself as one of the torchbearers of classic country in terms of music and style, at a time when country was crossing over to the pop charts in a big way. She states “now look at everybody trying to be what I was then”, and later follows that with “what you see ain’t nuthin’ new”. This makes reference to the influence that the country music scene held on pop culture in the late '70s and early ‘80s, and counters that by saying Barbara had always been true country the whole time, and she’s not simply jumping on the bandwagon.

    The lead single from 1981’s Barbara Mandrell Live album, and a #1 smash hit on the US Country singles charts, the tune surprisingly never crossed over to the Hot 100, which may have suited Barbara and her songwriters just fine, given the song’s context. She only reached the pop top 40 once, with her 1979 cover of Luther Ingram’s “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right”, which landed at US #31 on the pop charts.

    Funny thing about the Barbara Mandrell Live album. True to it’s name, it is a collection of live recordings of many of her prior hits, with one exception… that being today’s spotlighted track. Yep, even though you hear the roar of the audience throughout, and especially when the guest artist joins in (more on this in a moment), those enthusiastic fans are actually just a replayed loop of applause and cheering, mixed into a standard studio recording of the song. AH HA! Studio trickery! (This is rather apparent when you notice the same loud and borderline obnoxious “WHOO-HOOO” popping up several times during the song.)

    So who is that guest artist I mentioned? None other than Mr. George Jones, a legend with over fifty top 10 country hits beginning in 1955, including thirteen chart toppers, among them the heart-wrenching "He Stopped Loving Her Today" from 1980. Jones for whatever reason, is not credited on Mandrell's record, despite being identified by name in the lyrics themselves. I assume this was because of the “old standby” problem of competing record labels, (Mandrell was on MCA, and Jones was on Epic), but if the labels had issues with crediting George on the record label, then why was he approved to sing on the track in the first place? I can’t rationalize any good reason why this shouldn’t have been billed as a duet between the two icons. Seems it would have only benefited them both.

    Growing up in the early '80s, my family and I used to watch the variety show Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters on NBC, and I enjoyed their songs and cute comedy bits, plus I had a bit of a crush on youngest sister Irlene. (Irlene... call me?) However, the only sketch I recall anything about now was one in which Barbara was shown playing a Pac-Man arcade game on stage – it was not a mockup cabinet or prop, but the authentic machine. Being an arcade fanatic, it makes sense why I would recall that detail all these years later. Really wish I could find that clip to see it again.

    “I Was Country…” also reminds me of my grandma, who owned a huge 70’s woodgrain Zenith console record player with 8 track and AM/FM radio. I LOVED this enormous and beautiful piece of furniture that always had great tunes pouring forth from its speakers. As near as I can recall, the bulk of my grandma’s vinyl records were contemporary (‘70s and early ‘80s) country. Barbara was definitely in the mix, as was Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Ronnie Milsap, Eddie Rabbit, Crystal Gayle, Charlie Pride, Mickey Gilley, and Tanya Tucker. Along with some easy listening like 101 Strings Orchestra, and some 50’s vocal groups like The Platters thrown in. I'm certain that my often referenced love of country music from this era was not just informed by the songs that crossed over to top 40, but was equally entrenched in my grandma's vinyl collection.

    On a side note, and I don’t typically reference parody tunes, but in 2003 Cletus T. Judd (the “Weird Al” of country music) recorded a tune called “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Pop”. Goofing on the late '90s and early 2000s trend of country artists incorporating more pop and r&b styles in their music in order to appeal to a larger pop market, it contains lyrics like “Now it’s more like Britney Spears than it is Loretta Lynn…” It’s worth a chuckle, and worth a listen. (Cletus even got George Jones to revisit his lines from the original song!)

    One final thought… inspired by a lyric in Barbara’s hit, I recently tried the Southern tradition of peanuts in my Coke a few months ago. Ultimately, I wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t see what the big deal was. I probably would have felt differently if I had grown up doing so. However, I remain impressed by Barbara’s song, with it’s sweet, yet assertive lyrics stating that she has remained true to herself and her craft, while so many others chase trends.

    So check it out below and let me know – what are some of your favorite country tunes that you never hear on the radio anymore? Do YOU put peanuts in YOUR Coke? Post me a message and let’s chat! And as always, thanks for checking out Kyle’s Radio Dial, where the more you listen... the more you remember!

https://barbaramandrell.com/

"(Believed You Were) Lucky" by 'Til Tuesday

   “So I guess I’ll give it up, yeah, I guess I will… What’s the use in pushing, when it’s all uphill?”

   So asks Aimee Mann, front-woman, lead vocalist, and bassist of Boston, Massachusetts’ ‘Til Tuesday. Joined by her band-mates Michael Hausman on drums, Robert Holmes on guitar, and Michael Montes on keyboards, the group attempts to provide some context to a collapsing romance in their single “(Believed You Were) Lucky”, a tune that deserved far greater recognition and success than it received.

   Best remembered for their iconic MTV fueled smash “Voices Carry”, (a #8 hit on the US pop charts in ‘85), ‘Til Tuesday released three albums before closing up shop in ‘89 to allow Aimee to pursue a solo career.

   The lead single pulled from the band’s third and final album, 1988’s “Everything’s Different Now”, “(Believed You Were) Lucky” contains elements of power pop, folk and college rock that finds Aimee coming to terms with the end of a romantic relationship.

   Aimee reflects that she had been the “keeper of the flame”, and acknowledges that her partner didn’t feel the same way about her, as she did toward him. She thinks about talking out her goals for their future together… but ultimately, she breaks it off, wishes him a good life, and the ability to see personal value in himself. A poignant line in the chorus (that the title of the song derives from) has me believing that the guy suffered from low-self esteem, and felt that he was undeserved of Aimee’s affection, leading toward his apathy regarding the relationship. I’ll let you hear it for yourself.

   Co-written with songwriter Jules Shear, “(Believed You Were) Lucky” has been stated to be about the breakup of Jules and Aimee’s two year relationship. If this is true, then this song belongs in a class of tunes like Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way”, Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”, and No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak”, in which two halves of a musician couple either write, sing, or play on on a great song that not only airs their personal grievances, but becomes a lasting addition to the pop music landscape.

   Despite widespread critical acclaim and winning Best New Artist at the 1985 MTV Video Music awards, the group quickly faded into the pop scene’s background. Their second biggest hit following “Voices Carry”, 1986’s “What About Love”, lost steam on the singles charts at #26. Only three other singles from the group charted… “Looking Over My Shoulder” (#61/’85), “Coming Up Close” (#59/’87), and today’s spotlighted song, which registered a faint blip at US #95.

   So why wasn’t this a bigger hit? It certainly deserved to at least reach the top 40 if not the top 10.

   I think we can look at the music video for some clue to this mystery. While the video isn’t bad, it just looks… hastily thrown together. It’s not up to the often theatrical and imaginative standard of music videos set by Duran Duran, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, Michael Jackson and others in the ‘80s, and it especially pales by comparison with the clip for ‘Til Tuesday’s own “Voices Carry”. It appears that Epic Records put minimal money behind the video’s production, which also seems to validate the idea that next to no promotion was being put behind the band in general at this point. I’ve heard that Epic didn’t like the acoustic direction the band was evolving toward, as they wanted more tunes in the same new wave vein of “Voices Carry” so they turned their corporate backs on the group.

   I know I certainly never heard it on the radio, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the tune wasn’t even really pushed to program directors, thus explaining it’s truly unfair #95 peak on the Billboard Hot 100.

   Also, observant fans may notice that it looks like Aimee doesn’t appear to be singing the words “life could be so great” in the final chorus repetition in the video. That would be… because she isn’t. In the album version of the song, Aimee sings “F***ing great” instead of “so great”. The audio of the music video has been edited to replace the expletive, but the visuals have not. As far as that album version goes, Aimee’s profanity completely fits with her exasperation over the way the relationship turned out, and the fact that she saved that salty language until the very end of the song heightens its impact dramatically.

   ‘Til Tuesday has so many great tunes, and I struggled with picking just one for this review. Now, if you’d like to hear more, then I particularly recommend “No One is Watching You Now”, “On Sunday”, “Will She Just Fall Down”, and “The Other End of the Telescope”, which was co-written with and featured backing vocals by none other than Elvis Costello. All of these tracks feature Mann’s incredible musings on the emotional trials and tribulations of relationships, whether they be romantic, or platonic… and lovely soft melodies that have a way of drifting beautifully, almost like a musical stream of consciousness. But maybe I’m partial. I am a huge ‘Til Tuesday fan, after all.

   Give it a listen below, and share your thoughts! Do you think “(Believed You Were) Lucky” should have been a big hit? What are some of your overlooked favorite songs of years past? Go ahead and post a comment, you know you want to!

https://aimeemann.com/

"Hourglass" by Squeeze

   “I feel like I’m pounding on a big door, no one can hear me knocking…”

   A little over ten years ago, I posted something cool to my personal Facebook page. It was a song that I had just heard on the radio for the first time since it’s original late ‘80s chart run. I linked the music video, and wrote a few sentences about it, praising the rapid fire, nonsense lyrics, and surreal imagery. It only got maybe two or three likes. However, it sparked a personal interest in writing about overlooked songs from years prior, which directly lead to the creation of Kyle’s Radio Dial several months after.

   Yet in all the years since, I’ve never given that specific song the proper Radio Dial treatment… until now, that is. Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m proud to present Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford, Jools Holland, Andy Metcalfe, Keith Wilkinson, and Gilson Lavis… collectively known as Squeeze, as they watch the grains tumble… upward through their “Hourglass”.

   From the 1987 Babylon and On LP, “Hourglass” was Squeeze’s biggest hit single in the U.S., peaking at #15 on the Hot 100 (slightly better than it’s UK peak of #16). What, you thought their 1981 classic “Tempted” was surely a top 10? Yeah… and so did I! As awesome as it is, and as long lasting as it has proven to be, the reality is that “Tempted” did not chart very high upon on its initial release, peaking only at US #49 and UK #41. I know… sometimes truth is weird.

   The lyrics of “Hourglass” are hard to pin down, but they seem to be about insanity. The protagonist references falling with nobody to catch him, no more sand in his hourglass, no more hands on his watch, no crew on the ship, no one hears him when he calls them on the phone… so is the guy going crazy? Or perhaps its a commentary on the stress of daily life, in which most of us have so much going on, that we feel like chickens running around with their heads cut off? I think we can all identify with that.

   I read an interview with Chris Difford where he stated that the song has no true meaning. He and Glenn Tilbrook simply wrote the song in an hour and he really didn’t know where it came from. But that’s the cool thing about music (and pretty much any art)… the listener (or viewer, or reader, etc) can derive their own interpretation on the artist’s work, filtered through their own life experiences. So what does that say about me that I went straight to insanity and stress as the deeper meaning here? *sigh* Maybe I should switch to decaf…

   Anyway, the music video, a favorite on MTV upon its release, is filled with wacky optical illusions and forced perspective effects. Its quite a fun video to watch, and it never fails to put a smile on my face! Check out the guy falling up the stairs, the infinity doorways, the mirror illusion, and the clock hands that become drumsticks) The mirror illusion in particular amazed Zoey, (the Radio Dial daughter), who kept asking “How’d they DO that?”

   I also appreciate that Tilbrook rocks some sweet ‘50’s rock and roll dance moves (think Elvis or Chuck Berry) in one of the video’s final scenes.

   On a side note, I briefly considered spotlighting not “Hourglass”, but Squeeze’s 1980 track “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)” for this article instead. But that was mainly because I wanted to relate a story of how I once worked with a girl named Michelle who was quite the chatterbox. A sweetheart, but rather exhausting to listen to. Another co-worker, heard “Pulling Mussels…” play over our in-store audio system, and started singing the chorus as “Put A Muzzle on Michelle”. You know, because she talked a lot. Yes, it was mean, but she never knew because that co-worker and I kept it a joke between the two of us. Hey, we all have skeletons in our closets.

   So, refresh your memory and check out Squeeze’s biggest stateside hit tune below. And enjoy that crazy music video, which still looks good after all these years – remember, this was 1987, so none of that pesky CGI in this one folks! (and before the next time that you adjust your tie or put on make up in the mirror, just make sure it’s ACTUALLY a mirror… just a helpful hint from Kyle’s Radio Dial.)

  http://www.squeezeofficial.com/