After giving teenage boys across the world an air drum moment they'd never outgrow, Phil Collins tried to give the girls their chance with Frida's "I Know There's Something Going On". Taking a cue from The Cure's "Other Voices" (no, really - play 'em side by side and hear for yourself) former Argent front man Russ Ballard concocted another paranoid ode to dysfunctional relationships and Phil propped what little song there was upon a great drum fill he probably had lying around the studio and a that Gallup-esque guitar riff. Released in the fall of 1982, it was obviously intended as an opportunity to put the Abba chic into the wake of the new wave and, peaking at #13 in the US, it worked for just over four minutes. Stations like 98 Rock played it to death and it proved to be a good way to close the dance floors come 1:35 am. Beyond that, Frida would make no further impact on pop charts, the little girls didn't understand and thankfully kept one hand on the steering wheel while freshening their lipstick - preferring to just bitterly sing along instead of taking advantage of any grand imaginary percussive opportunities.
Meanwhile, a 17 year kid was making his transition from high school to bohemian poverty knowing full well that there was definitely something going on somewhere yet completely oblivious to all that ominousness that was obviously in the air. Walking blindly into life, he began to drum up some interest while naively assuming he'd beat everyone at their own game. Looking back twenty-five years it's clear that he usually did.
No comments:
Post a Comment