August 08, 2008 Earworm

Stephen Bray and Madonna where cranking out so many tunes in the mid-eighties that they had to start throwing them at other people. One lucky recipient was the UK face of 1985, Nick Kamen. Thanks to a sexy Levi's 501 ad where he stripped down to his boxers and socks, the cover boy of The Face achieved a lascivious level of infamy and someone had the bright idea of a career in pop music. Possessing just the sort of look that left Madonna weak in the knees, she and Bray offered up "Each Time You Break My Heart", a song that sounds like an out-take from "True Blue". To ensure a smooth transition to the charts, Madonna co-produced and left her backing vocals entact. Triangulating six degrees, her co-star from the "Open Your Heart" video, little Felix Howard - another face from The Face, in a small supporting "huh?" role for the video that seems to take place in a gay bar in Boy's Town just before opening time where a captive audience is forced to admire Nick's total embodiment of what was once called the Buffalo look. And yes, there are plenty of stances...

"Each Time You Break My Heart" hit the UK top ten but couldn't move its way beyond the US Dance chart but did find a welcoming home here in earworm central where memories of Kenny singing "Today I Met The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" every time he saw Nick's face keep it in periodic rotation.

If you ever wondered what happened to that little boy from Madonna's video, check fine print of your Kylie Minogue and Amy Winehouse discs. Sadly, that's one pretty face that didn't age well. Last news of Nick was that he's traveling in India, suggesting that a sheep farm may not have happened.


Nick Kamen's biggest hit:


Nick Kamen's other hit:

May 28, 2008 Earworm

There's no doubt that Duffy has something, but what it is I've yet to decide. As her debut album slips into the US charts at #4 and "Mercy" climbs to #27 and provides the soundtrack to "American Gladiator" commercials, it appears that she's ready to pick up the crown that LaWinehouse left in the gutter amongst cigarette butts and little bits of tin foil. But she's no Winehouse, even with the magic fingers of Bernard Butler working the production desk. But if we only give her the time needed to find a skeevy boyfriend, a drug habit, and relentless paparazzi, perhaps the second album will fulfill that destiny.

For now, there is the title cut of her album, "Rockferry", and a few other key cuts that are thrilling while the remainder seems a bit lacking in a distinct personality and could be just about any other retro diva's. On "Rockferry", Butler waits until a minute before the train is leaving to step out from behind the station and unleash his Bernardian guitar, sending Duffy off with all the drama of a Dusty Springfield arm sweep - but one far more choreographed. Meanwhile, Lulu is looking anxious.

We'll see...

February 11, 2008 Earworm

Watching the Grammy Awards last night, I began to think that Amy Winehouse was going to sweep but I still had concerns about that Album of the Year nod. Would Kanye West's entitlement issues get mixed with sympathy for a win or would the Foo Fighters come up for an underdog grasp at the prize. I hadn't even considered Herbie Hancock's tribute to Joni Mitchell, "The River" because it had been years since a jazz album had won. Forty-three years, to be exact, as Mr Hancock graciously reminded us during his acceptance speech. Go figure.

I'd already spent the day with a healthy dose of Joni Mitchell, unaware of both Hancock's album and its nomination. As a child, I'd considered Mitchell's music "old" but as I got older, I realized that her music wasn't "old", but that I was too young to appreciate it. Settling down with a man with a best friend who idolized Joni, I began to experience her in a different way; paying attention enough to recognize Joni's impact on the musicians who made records that I loved.

"Help Me" was Mitchell's only top ten single, her brush with pop stardom in 1974, and I, being a child of top forty and avid forty-five buyer, bought a copy that was rarely played because it scared me a little. It didn't play by the rules and the way she crammed so many words into the bridge made me nervous, concerned that someone was chasing her. Then there was that whole thing about dancing with lady with a hole in her stocking that made no sense to me.

Now, of course, I recognize the rush of romance in that bridge and the seemingly minor detail of a lady with a hole in her stocking is just that sort of random imagery, a poetic sophistication that kept Joni from pop stardom. Not playing by the rules has left her with the a "musician's musician" tag that, while honorable, gets tiresome, as the lady herself has noted. Still, it must be nice to be an icon. Even if you have to wait for the world to catch up with you.

"Help Me" is available on "Court and Spark" and the humorously titled "Hits".