“Electric Blue” is a song that I didn’t fully appreciate until fairly recently. I certainly remembered it as a hit in the summer of ‘88 (although maybe less of a hit than it might have appeared in non-urban parts of the country. I think most of my exposure to it was via weekly listens to American Top 40 as opposed to radio saturation), and I liked it then. But my level of appreciation for it didn’t become five star level until maybe a year or two ago. Not sure what finally flipped the switch for me, either. 

It’s stately and measured–falling somewhere between the sophisticated sound that was prominent in the U.K. at the time (Everything But The Girl, Simply Red, Swing Out Sister) and American adult contemporary pop/soul a la Hall & Oates. Actually, “Electric Blue” was co-written by John Oates and features what appear to be his trademark background vocals.

Considering Hall & Oates were on hiatus when “Electric Blue” was recorded (or were just coming out of it, as their Ooh Yeah! Album and “Electric Blue” climbed the charts contemporaneously), I often wonder what this song would sound like with Daryl Hall’s voice on it. Not to say Icehouse didn’t do a fantastic job, but seeing as Daryl Hall is one of those dudes who can sing the phone book and make it sound soulful, the mind is left to wander…