"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/