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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Infatueighties

  • Infatueighties #56: One Step Up

    bossIt’s purely coincidence that a song from The Boss comes up on this list when Springsteen’s profile is higher than it’s been in some time thanks to a new album and his upcoming Super Bowl performance. Tunnel of Love is certainly Bruce’s best album of the Eighties (sorry, fans of Nebraska and Born in the U.S.A., and might actually be one of the decade’s Top Ten albums. Each of it’s singles, however, stand alone as classics by themselves.

    Of course, it helps to listen to this song in it’s proper context. Bruce was in love with a woman at the time, but that woman was not his then-wife Julianne Phillips. It was a young lady named Patti Scialfa, who within a couple of years was Mrs. Springsteen. She also sings harmony on part of the last verse on this song, giving it an extra bit of pathos.

    Bruce has always (rightfully) been praised for his songwriting, and this song is one of his many excellent short stories. The music and the timbre of Bruce’s vocal does a lot to set the mood for the song, but his lyrics put it over the top. I didn’t even know there was a video for this song, but here it is!

  • Infatueighties #55: Hands to Heaven

    handstoheavenA song called Hands to Heaven by a band called Breathe immediately conjures up thoughts of things airy and light. So no surprise that this song is one of the most beautifully ethereal songs to ever hit the Top Forty. Singer David Glasper whispers the verses before going into full out croon mode in the song’s choruses.The prototypical ’80s sax wails away and what you have is one of the most perfect breakup ballads of them all.

    Breathe is one of those bands that should have caught on but never really did. Hands to Heaven peaked at #2 in the summer of ’88, and its’ follow-up, How Can I Fall, landed just a notch behind, however, sales of their album All That Jazz were unimpressive. Album #2, Peace of Mind, brought Glasper to the forefront with a “featuring” credit. That didn’t change the band’s fortunes much. The album bombed, even though two singles landed in the Top Forty. Both albums aren’t bad if you like the whole 80s stately British thing (think Johnny Hates Jazz or Spandau Ballet). I’m sure you can find ’em pretty cheap, so check them out if you desire.

  • Infatueighties #57: Hands to Heaven

    “Hands to Heaven” is light as a feather, from the slow motion synth arrangement to David Glasper’s gauzy vocals. The song’s haunting quality becomes even more apparent when you listen to the lyrics: “so raise your hands to heaven and pray/that we’ll be back together someday”. It’s hypnotic and beautiful.

    In 1988, the year of George Michael, Breathe were one of the most successful British imports. Hands reached #2 on the singles chart, while two more singles hit the Top 10. However, just as quickly as the band’s star rose, it fell. A second album, Peace of Mind, featured two singles that hit the lower rungs of the Top 40. The album strongly featured Glasper (actually, the band was now Breathe featuring David Glasper, and he alone was on the cover), and the strong-voiced Glasper seemed an ideal candidate to carry on with a solo career. It never happened, though,and Breathe disappeared without a trace, never to be seen or heard from again.

    However. they left behind a handful of strong singles, of which Hands to Heaven is by far the best.