“Housequake” isn’t so much a song as it is a groove. And what a groove it is. Prince’s appreciation for the music of James Brown was never a secret (and it certainly isn’t now, as revelations of hours-long rehearsals with The Revolution where they just grooved on JB’s “Bodyheat” have come to light), and “Housequake”… Read More “Housequake” by Prince (1987)
Squeeze’s Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook are a songwriting duo on par with…yes, I was gonna write Lennon and McCartney. While I can’t say I totally believe that (I mean, we are talking John and Paul here), they have written some incredibly tuneful songs in their day. “Hourglass” was their biggest U.S. hit (although other… Read More “Hourglass” by Squeeze (1987)
“Helplessly In Love” is historically notable because it marked the first time the members of New Edition worked with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Jam & Lewis would ultimately help steer the ship that took New Edition over the teen idol hump and worked closely with the group their most artistically credible albums, 1988’s Heart… Read More “Helplessly In Love” by New Edition (1987)
“Heaven Is A Place On Earth” was a standout among the tons of great songs that arrived as 1987 was coming to a close. It’s an irresistible slice of pop/rock cheese. By this time, Belinda Carlisle had shed any lingering remnants of her punk-rock past and was a full-on California pop diva. With that said,… Read More “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” by Belinda Carlisle (1987)
“Head To Toe” was the first single from Spanish Fly, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam’s second album. It’s sunny melodic pop with a street edge. The writing and production team of Full Force (who pretty much did everything except sing lead vocals on all of LL&CJ’s hits) must have been listening to a ton of… Read More “Head To Toe” by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (1987)
“Hazy Shade Of Winter” was originally written and recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1968. I initially became familiar with the song via The Bangles’ cover, which appeared on 1987’s soundtrack to the Robert Downey Jr. Less Than Zero and peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts early the following year. Having heard both versions… Read More “Hazy Shade Of Winter” by The Bangles (1987)
If you wanted to make a kickin’ dance record in the mid ’80s, you were going to have to follow Prince or one of his acolytes (like the amazing production duo of Jimmy “Jam” Harris and Terry Lewis). George Michael certainly had the Minneapolis sound Prince, Jam, Lewis and others created on his mind when… Read More “Hard Day” by George Michael (1987)
I was an unhappy kid in the spring of 1987. I’m not sure if that unhappiness played into how much I disliked “Happy”, the breakthrough hit for the band Surface, at that time. Maybe it wasn’t so much unhappiness as it was that the song seemed to be on Detroit radio every half hour (and… Read More “Happy” by Surface (1987)
There is an element of religious iconography present in the music of British sophisti-pop group Breathe. Of their five top 40 American hits, one is called “Say A Prayer”, another (the excellent and phenomenally sad “Does She Love That Man”) takes place during the Christmas season, and their debut single is called “Hands To Heaven”.… Read More “Hands To Heaven” by Breathe (1987)
In the mid ‘80s, it became commonplace for songs to get “freshened up” for single release, so that the version played on the radio was similar but not exactly the same as the version you’d hear on the album. “Don’t You Want Me”, the third single from Jody Watley’s Grammy-winning debut album, is one song that benefitted greatly… Read More “Don’t You Want Me? (single remix)” by Jody Watley (1987)
