"Where Were You When I Needed You" by The Triplets

   Hello friends! It’s the beginning of the month, and with that, another overlooked song and corresponding review has been posted on the ever lovin’ blog! Today’s tune should’ve had a shot at the hot 100, but as it remained an album cut, most pop music fans never heard it. Stay tuned for Latin American sisters The Triplets, and their 1991 tune “Where Were You When I Needed You”.

“Don’t bother cryin’, don’t bother crawlin’… It’s all over now, no use in stallin…”

Diana, Sylvia, and Vicky Villegas, actual triplets who hail from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, first made waves in the U.S. by winning the 1986 MTV Basement Contest for their song “Boys”, which led to a contract with Elektra Records and the release of an English language EP entitled “Break the Silence”.

The sisters’ first full length album, 1991's “… Thicker Than Water” (yes, the album’s official name begins with the ellipsis, but I will omit that for the ease of reading throughout this article) contained “Where Were You...”, a cover of a minor top 40 entry by The Grass Roots (US #28) from 1966. 

Written by the songwriting team of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, “Where Were You” is a “kiss off” to a prior lover that the singer wants no part of anymore. The song is a bit deceptive, because Diana, Sylvia, and Vicky harmonize sweetly on the track, but there exists an anger and frustration toward the former love interest that bubbles just below the pop sheen.

I was expecting that this tune would be the follow up single to the girls’ US #14 uptempo charter “You Don't Have to Go Home Tonight”, the only sizable hit from this LP, but the remake was destined to remain an album cut.

“The love I once felt, I don’t feel anymore for you… this time, I’ll even open the door for you.”

I had no idea this was a cover when I first heard The Triplets LP playing in store at the Square Circle record store at which I was a cashier. Even though I was well versed in “oldies” pop tunes by this time, and I was already a fan of The Grass Roots, especially “Midnight Confessions” (#5 / ‘68) and “Temptation Eyes” (#15 / ‘70), I had never heard the original version of “Where Were You”. XTRA 104 (my local oldies station) wasn’t playing this lower charting single, so as a result, the very first version of the song I heard was courtesy of The Triplets. So even though I have since learned of the song's history, my ears still hear their version as the “original”.

“Livin’ with you, is worse than without you, I won’t spend a lifetime worrying about you…”

Interestingly enough, "Where Were You" was also covered by The Bangles as the B-side to their 1984 single "Hero Takes a Fall". Had I heard the Bangles recording first, I certainly would have assumed that The Triplets were covering Suzannah Hoffs and her bandmates! On a related note, I’d love to hear the Villegas sisters cover the Bangles’ hit “Walking Down Your Street”. That would be cool.

So take a listen below, and enjoy the beauteous Villegas sisters’ rendition of this overlooked ‘60s pop nugget. And be sure to check back in about two weeks, when the Dial will bring you another classic tune that is rarely heard anymore - a late ‘80s summertime party jam that unites a then-contemporary hip hop act with a pioneering ‘60s pop and rock group. But you gotta wait until the review is posted!

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

“Where were you when I needed you…

Where were you when I wanted you…

Where were you when I needed you…

Where….”



"Hang On To Your Love" by Sade

    Hello friends, it’s time once again to revisit a forgotten track from the radio broadcasts of decade’s past. Today, we look back at a tune released at the beginning of a celebrated act’s career, which kicked off several years of smooth soulful hits from the band in both the UK and the US. Settle in for London’s Sade and their lovely single “Hang On to Your Love”.

 

“Take time if you’re down on luck… it’s so easy to walk out on love…

Take your time if the going gets tough, it’s so precious…”

“Sade” is not only the first name of the “face and voice” of the band, Sade Adu (which is her stage name, as her given name is Helen Folasade Adu), but it’s also the name of the band itself, comprising of Adu, guitarist and saxophonist Stuart Matthewman, keyboardist Andrew Hale, and drummer Paul Denman. And remember, “Sade” is pronounced “Shar-day”, not “Say-dee” or “Sayd” (rhyming with “paid”).

The first US single taken from their breakthrough 1984 LP Diamond Life, “Hang on…” was proceeded in the UK by four other singles, most of which had belated release dates in the states.

Perhaps Epic/Portrait Records (their label at the time) wasn’t sure how or even IF they should market the band in the U.S. due to the band’s very European and unique sound. Luckily for American music fans, the label eventually decided to test the band’s fortunes in the States.

“Hang On” did reasonable well on Billboard’s Hot Black singles (now called the hot R&B/Hip Hop chart) with a peak of #14, however the single did not cross over to the Hot100, though it came close by “bubbling under” at #102. For a lot of bands, the story probably would have ended here with a song that didn’t set the charts on fire, however Epic/Portrait decided to push one more single in the US, a little ditty called “Smooth Operator”… maybe you’ve heard of it.

Of course, “Smooth Operator” was the tune that catapulted Sade to super stardom, reaching US #5 on both the pop and R&B charts, and additionally topping the adult contemporary chart in 1985.

On a side note, I always appreciated that the first two words Adu sings in “Smooth Operator” were “Diamond Life”… which was also the name of the parent LP. Nice little bit of subtle self-promotion there.

“So if you want it to get stronger… you better not let go…
You gotta hold on longer… if you want your love to grow…”

“Hang On…” was one of the many songs that I thought was a bigger hit than it actually was, based solely on how frequently I heard it on the urban-leaning  pop radio stations in the Washington DC market that I grew up in. I assumed it went top 10 on the pop charts and was astonished that it earned no hot 100 chart showing, and only a top 20 R&B chart position.

Long before I knew of the term “sophisti-pop” or “quiet storm”, I appreciated Sade’s music. Adu’s sensual vocals perfectly mesh with the classy vibe of the band’s instrumentation to create the smoothest, most interesting R&B I’ve ever heard. Additionally, Sade’s lyrics (chiefly written by Adu and Matthewman) tend to lean more towards the intellectual side of things than most top 40 or R&B tunes.

So, settle back and relax for a smooth soul classic courtesy of Londoners Sade, and be sure to periodically check in with the Dial for more great tunes from years past!

Kyle’s Radio Dial – the more you listen – the MORE you remember!

“In heaven’s name, why are you walking away?

Hang on to your love…

In heaven’s name, why do you play these games?

Hang on to your love…”

 

 

 

 



 

 



"Come Back And Stay" by Paul Young

          Hello friends! Thanks once again for tuning into the Dial to catch the latest signal culled from radio frequencies of the past. This latest track to jog your memory is an early 80s classic from an Englishman that appeared only sporadically on the U.S. singles chart, yet still recorded several important singles of the era. Read on, and listen on, for Paul Young, and “Come Back and Stay”.

“Since you’ve been gone… I shut my eyes… and I fantasize… that you’re here with me”

The first top 40 appearance in America for Luton, England, native Young, “Come Back and Stay” introduces the listener to a man pining for his former flame, and the abandonment he feels as he clings to the hope that she will return. Although this is well worn territory for pop music, “Come Back…” rises above similar compositions with its upbeat new wave influenced blue-eyed soul vibe.

With Young’s soulful delivery, (especially the way he really nails that final verse), along with the female backing harmonies, and the beautiful and poppy instrumentation that carries a somber undercurrent just below the surface, there was no way this song couldn’t be a hit. And indeed, in his native England, the song reached #4 on the UK pop charts.

Taken from Young’s 1983 debut LP No Parlez, “Come Back…” was Paul’s second single released in the U.S., following the Marvin Gaye cover “Where I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)”, a #1 UK smash that unfairly petered out at US #70 in the states.

“Come Back” was the tune that broke Young stateside by peaking at US #22, and bigger hits would follow, though Paul would have to wait two years for his next US chart success, which would prove to be a #1 smash.

“Will you ever return? I want you satisfied... ‘til you’re by my side… don’t wait any longer.”

In contrast to being a singer/songwriter, Young can be considered a “vocal interpreter” as he dabbles largely in cover songs. In fact, all of his major US chart hits were versions of songs by acts like Hall & Oates (“Everytime You Go Away” #1/85, and Paul’s aforementioned chart topper), Ann Peebles (“I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down” #13/85), The Chi-Lites (“Oh Girl” #8/90), and Jimmy Ruffin (“What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”  #22/92).

Even “Come Back…” is no exception to this rule, being originally released in 1981 by its writer Jack Lee of the mid ‘70s power pop group The Nerves. Lee’s version was never released to radio, and remains an obscure recording, but luckily for us, Young reinterpreted the punk rock leaning original as a beautiful soul-meets-new-wave hybrid ballad which found favor on MTV and top 40 outlets.

 

“You said goodbye, I was trying to hide, what I felt inside… until you passed me by…”

As I periodically select songs to spotlight for the Dial, I’ll introduce those same tunes to my 5 year old daughter, who loves music just as much as me. Once I played her the music video for “Come Back…”, she immediately asked to hear/watch it again, and then a third time. Since then, I’ve caught her singing “Come back… please hurry” while playing in her room. This confirms it’s a winner!

So I invite you to click the video below to refamiliarize yourself with Paul’s first taste of success in the states. Drop me a line with your thoughts and keep it tuned here for more great underplayed tunes from the past. Kyle’s Radio Dial… the more you listen… the MORE you remember!

 

"Why don't you come back? Please hurry, why don't you come back? Please hurry...

Come back and stay for good this time..."

 

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