August 01, 2008 Earworm

To celebrate the art of multi-tasking I'm closing out the work week while opening a new month in a way that has kept me giggling all morning. I will not be alone in the task because the sound you are about to hear will be a thud followed by two squishy rolling splats when Kmatt's jaw hits the desk and her eyes roll clear off her head at the mention of a song she's probably not thought of in almost twenty years and probably hoped she'd never hear again: "A Zillion Kisses" by Tommy Page.

Pretty Boy Page stepped out of the coat closet of Nell's armed with a demo tape that he brazenly handed the house dj. The dj, probably impressed with the sixteen year old's pluck - he probably loved pluck - began playing Tommy's tracks which caught the ear of producer Mark Kamins who forced the hand of Sire Records' honcho, Seymour Stein who, betting that he had the male answer to Debbie Gibson, signed Tommy. The song that started it all, "Really Turning Me On", didn't stir the public so the free styling "A Zillion Kisses" got the nod, a video that showed just how awkward the now eighteen year old could be in front of a camera, and a wicked remix that inexplicably came packaged in Sire's generic 12" sleeve. Delighted by the title, I shelled out a buck for a promo copy knowing nothing about it. Much dancing occurred after the initial sugar shock and "A Zillion Kisses" would eventually become a part of the soundtrack to the ritual of prettying up for a night on the town which just seemed right considering the depth to be found in all three experiences.

Sugar highs inevitably fade and it had been a long time since I have given any thought to this song or to Tommy Page so it took a few minutes to place the tune I found myself humming as I washed the dog bowls this morning. When I found that I actually had Tommy's debut on cd - and his second!, tucked right beside another teeny popper with a short shelf life - Jennifer Paige, I was shocked but not nearly as much as I was when I discovered that both Tommy's first and second album are still in print.

After finally getting some hits - #29 with"A Shoulder To Cry On" in '89, and the #1 (and New Kids on the Block associated) "I'll Be Your Everything" in 1990 - Tommy couldn't keep up the chart momentum yet carried a fan base strong enough to support seven albums in a twelve year span. He is still in the music business, producing acts like "High School Musical" star Ashley Tisdale, obviously not straying far from his humble beginnings. Meanwhile, here I am twenty years later with a mean case of the giggles as I play this disposable ditty over and over...