70's, 80's 'Feel Good' Music

[postnew]

"Can't We Try" is a 1987 duet performed by Dan Hill and Vonda Shepard. The ballad was Billboard's No. 1 Adult Contemporary Song of the Year for 1987.
"Can't We Try" was released as a single from Dan Hill's 1987 self-titled album. The song reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also on Cash Box, making it Dan Hill's second-biggest hit behind "Sometimes When We Touch", which hit No. 3 back in 1978, and was Vonda Shepard's only Top 10 Pop hit.
It also reached No. 2 for three weeks on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart (behind "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston and "Moonlighting" by Al Jarreau). In Canada, the song reached No. 14.

Dan Hill, Vonda Shepard - Can't We Try​

​

In 1998, Rockell covered the song as a duet with Collage. It was her third single from her 1998 debut album, What Are You Lookin' At? and third single overall. This song reached No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as No. 11 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart.

​

In 1988, Hong Kong singer Gina Lam and Andy Hui covered this song in Cantonese.

​

 

[postnew]

v"Barbra Streisand" is a song by Canadian-American DJ duo Duck Sauce. It was released on September 10, 2010. The song topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, and Switzerland and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. On November 30, 2011, the song received a nomination at the 54th Grammy Awards for Best Dance Recording. It was also featured on Just Dance 3 for the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox Kinect.
The song, named after the American singer and actress Barbra Streisand, relies almost entirely on a sample replay of German disco group Boney M.'s 1979 international hit single "Gotta Go Home", which in turn borrows content from the 1973 German song "Hallo Bimmelbahn" by the band Nighttrain (the brothers Heinz and Jürgen Huth and Michael Holm; the hookline was written only by Heinz Huth). The sample replay of "Gotta Go Home" was produced by Mark Summers at SCORCCiO Replays. The song's lyrics consist entirely of the name "Barbra Streisand" being spoken throughout the piece.
The single's album artwork is modelled directly after Streisand's own 1980 album, Guilty, which features a photograph of her and Barry Gibb embracing on the sleeve. For the "Barbra Streisand" cover, Streisand and Gibb's are instead presented in the form of a black and white line drawing, with duck beaks superimposed over their otherwise blank faces.
The music video is set in New York City (where Barbra Streisand was born) and it features many prominent and affiliated artists making cameo appearances, such as Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, André 3000, Ryan Leslie, Buckshot, Cocoa Brovaz, DJ Premier, Todd Terry, Chromeo, DJ Mehdi, So Me (who also directed the video), Diplo, Ezra Koenig, Santigold, Yelawolf, Questlove and Fafi and The Fat Jew of Team Facelift. Barbra Streisand herself is not present in the music video, but it features her impersonator, Gayle Robbins

Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand​

Boney M. - Gotta Go Home​

​

 

[postnew]

"You Drive Me Crazy" is a song by Welsh rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens, released in April 1981 from his album Shaky. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks behind Adam and the Ants' "Stand and Deliver"

Shakin Stevens - You drive me Crazy​

​

 

[postnew]

Thief of Hearts is a 1984 American erotic drama film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It was written and directed by Douglas Day Stewart.
It stars Steven Bauer, Barbara Williams, John Getz and David Caruso.

Thief Of Hearts · Melissa Manchester
℗ 1984 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Released on: 1984-01-01
Producer: Harold Faltermeyer
Composer Lyricist: Keith Forsey
Composer Lyricist: Giorgio Moroder
Composer Lyricist: Melissa Manchest

Thief Of Hearts, - Melissa Manchester​

​

 

[postnew]

"Hello Darlin'" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Conway Twitty. It was released in March 1970 as the first single and title track from the album Hello Darlin. The song was Twitty's fourth No. 1 song on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart. The song spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that summer, and was named the No. 1 song of 1970. Aside from being Twitty's standard concert opener, the song became a country standard as well as his signature song. When performing with Loretta Lynn, Twitty would frequently sing the song directly to Loretta. Twitty's recording was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
The song is about a man who runs into an old flame and, after acknowledging to her "You're just as lovely as you used to be," tries to put up his bravado by saying he's getting along fine without her, "except," he admits, "I can't sleep, and I cry all night 'til dawn." He then details his deep sorrow for his mistakes that led to the breakup of their relationship, then – after sharing an embrace "just for old time's sake" – bids her well. Before the second half, he says that if she would forgive him, he'll be waiting for her.

Conway Twitty -- Hello Darlin'​

​

 

[postnew]

"Rest Your Love on Me" is a country ballad performed by the Bee Gees and written and sung by Barry Gibb. It was the B-side of the US No. 1 hit "Too Much Heaven". Andy Gibb recorded the song as a duet with Olivia Newton-John for his 1980 album After Dark.
"Rest Your Love on Me" was written by Barry Gibb in 1976 and recorded it on 2 May on the Children of the World sessions. Stephen Stills played bass on its original demo.

​

It was not used until "Too Much Heaven" was released, as "Rest Your Love on Me" was chosen as the B-side. As a country song, it did not fit in with what the Bee Gees were putting on their albums, even though they continued to write the occasional country song, like "Where Do I Go", also left off the forthcoming album.
The Osmonds, themselves beginning a transition from pop/rock to country music, recorded the song under Maurice Gibb's direction shortly before the Bee Gees released their version, but not released until afterward. In January 1979, Andy Gibb and Olivia Newton-John would perform it at the Music for UNICEF Concert, the first time most people would have heard it.

The Osmonds - Rest Your Love On Me​

​

"Rest Your Love on Me" was recorded by Conway Twitty in 1980 for his album of the same name. It was his 25th number one on the country chart as a solo artist. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of ten weeks within the top 40.

Conway Twitty - Rest Your Love On Me​

​

 

[postnew]

"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie and the theme to the 1980 film American Gigolo. Produced and composed by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, with lyrics by Blondie singer Debbie Harry, the song appeared in the film and was released in the United States in early 1980 as a single. "Call Me" was No. 1 for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, where it became the band's biggest single and second No. 1. It also hit No. 1 in the UK and Canada, where it became their fourth and second chart-topper, respectively. In the year-end chart of 1980, it was Billboard's No. 1 single and RPM magazine's No. 3 in Canada.
"Call Me" was composed by Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder as the main theme song of the 1980 film American Gigolo.
Moroder originally asked Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac to perform a song for the soundtrack, but she was prevented because of a recently signed contract with Modern Records. Moroder turned to Debbie Harry of Blondie, presenting Harry with an instrumental track called "Man Machine". Harry was asked to write the lyrics, a process that Harry states took a mere few hours. The lyrics were written from the perspective of the main character in the film, a male prostitute.
Harry said the lyrics were inspired by her visual impressions from watching the film and that "When I was writing it, I pictured the opening scene, driving on the coast of California." The completed song was then recorded by the band, with Moroder producing. The bridge of the original English-language version also includes Harry saying "call me" in two European languages: Italian: Amore, chiamami, lit. 'Love, call me' and French: Appelle-moi, mon chéri, lit. 'Call me, my darling'.

Call Me Blondie​

Call Me (American Gigolo)​

​

 

[postnew]

"A Fifth of Beethoven" is a disco instrumental recorded by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band, adapted from the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. The record was produced by production music and sound effects recording producer Thomas J. Valentino. The "Fifth" in the song's title is a pun, referencing a liquid measure approximately equal to one-fifth of a gallon, a popular size for bottles containing liquor, as well as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony from which the song was adapted.
Released as a single by Private Stock Records in 1976, the song debuted at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and climbed to number 1 within 19 weeks, remaining there for one week. In 1977, it was licensed to RSO Records for inclusion on the best-selling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The song is one of Murphy's few Top 40 hits.

Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band ~ A Fifth Of Beethoven​

​

 

[postnew]

"Lady, Lady, Lady" is a 1983 song written by Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey and performed by singer Joe Esposito for the film Flashdance. It was released as a single from the soundtrack to the film.

Joe Esposito - Lady, Lady, Lady​

​

In 1984, the Flashdance soundtrack was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys; the soundtrack album contained one of Esposito's songs ("Lady, Lady, Lady") as well as songs from various other acts. In 1988, Brenda Russell and Esposito were nominated for Best Pop Duo for the song "Piano in the Dark", as he supplied vocals on the song as well. Also in 1988, he duetted with Laura Branigan on the song "Come into My Life" which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Coming to America. Joe performs as a vocalist at various casino hotels. During the early 1990s, he and Eddy Hokenson (of Brooklyn Dreams) toured with Kenny Vance and the Planotones, a vocal group created for the film American Hot Wax. In May 2013, Esposito became the lead singer for the Brooklyn Bridge band, formerly known as Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge.

Laura Branigan & Joe Esposito - Come Into My Life​

​

 

[postnew]

Toby Beau is an American band from Texas, formed in the early 1970s and perhaps best known for the 1978 hit single, "My Angel Baby". The band is still in existence today and continues to perform on the club circuit. The band's name was based from one of the last original wooden shrimp boats docked in the Gulf Coast community of Port Isabel, Texas.
Upon completion of the self-titled first album, the band moved to New York, and embarked on major tours with artists and bands such as the Doobie Brothers, Bob Seger, and the Steve Miller Band. Popularity of the band gradually rose through these tours, but this skyrocketed when the pop ballad "My Angel Baby" (co-written by Danny McKenna and Balde Silva) scored number 1 on the Easy Listening Chart for one week, and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album scored major sales, and "My Angel Baby" would eventually achieve gold status, and be granted the "Million-Aire Award" by BMI for over a million radio airplays. There was even a re-release of the album, this time with "My Angel Baby" as the album title, which was added to the cover art.

Toby Beau - My Angel Bab​

​

 

[postnew]

"Arms of Mary" is a song written by Iain Sutherland and performed by Sutherland Brothers and Quiver. It was a 1976 international hit single for the band; the Glasgow Herald in its obituary for Iain Sutherland described "Arms of Mary" as "a plaintive and radio-friendly folk-rock ballad in which the narrator reminisces over the woman he first made love to."

​

Sutherland Brothers & Quiver - Arms Of Mary​

​

"Arms of Mary" has also been recorded by Lady Flash (Beauties in the Night 1976), October Cherries (World Hits '76 1976), the Everly Brothers (Born Yesterday 1985), Keith Urban (Keith Urban 1991), Piet Veerman (In Between 1992, duet with Mell, 2014), Leo Kottke (Peculiaroso 1994), Boyzone (Said and Done 1995), Smokie (Uncovered 2000), Dominic Kirwan (Under Your Spell 2002), Kevin Kennedy (Present Kennedy 2002), Jan Keizer (Going Back in Time II 2004), Nicholis Louw (My Hart Is Aan Die Brand 2004), Janne Önnerud & Co (Kryddboden 1978) and Wisex (Miss Decibel 1978). The New Pornographers included "Arms of Mary" on their 2007 EP Spirit of Giving placing the song in tandem with "Looking at a Baby" - recorded by Chilliwack in their earlier incarnation as the Collectors - and presenting the track as a Christmas song. In 2012, the Minus 5 recorded a version for a fundraising CD titled Super Hits of the Seventies for radio station WFMU. German techno band Scooter released their own version called "Mary Got No Lamb" in 2016, from their album Ace.

Smokie - Arms of Mary​

​

Boyzone - Arms of Mary​

​

 

[postnew]

"Touch Me When We're Dancing" is a song written by Terry Skinner, J. L. Wallace and Ken Bell. Skinner and Wallace headed the Muscle Shoals, Alabama session group Bama,< who first recorded this song and released it as a single in 1979 reaching number 42 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was later recorded by The Carpenters in 1981 for their Made in America album. In 1984, it was recorded by country music artists Mickey Gilley and Charly McClain for their 1984 duet album It Takes Believers and in 1986 by the country music group Alabama.

Alabama - Touch Me When We're Dancing​

Touch Me When We're Dancing - Carpenters​

​

 

[postnew]

"An Everlasting Love" is a song written by Barry Gibb, performed by Andy Gibb, released in June 1978 by RSO Records as the second single from his second studio album Shadow Dancing. It was produced by Gibb-Galuten-Richardson. The song peaked at #5 on the Hot 100 on 23 September 1978 "An Everlasting Love" was Gibb's only Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom.
"An Everlasting Love" became a Gold record. It was his fourth of five hits to do so. Its B-side "Flowing Rivers" was the title song of his first album (1977).

An Everlasting Love - Andy Gibb​

​

 

[postnew]

Queen of Hearts is a country-pop song written by Hank DeVito, the pedal steel guitarist in Emmylou Harris's backing group The Hot Band. It was first recorded by Dave Edmunds on his 1979 album Repeat When Necessary. Edmunds' version was released as a single and reached number 11 in the UK and number 12 in Ireland that year, but failed to chart substantially elsewhere in the world. The most successful version of the song was recorded by Juice Newton in 1981 – her version reached number two in the United States and South Africa. Newton's version also reached the top 10 in Canada, Australia, Denmark, Switzerland and New Zealand.
British new wave and neo-rockabilly artist Dave Edmunds released the first recording of "Queen of Hearts" for his 1979 album Repeat When Necessary. The song came out as a single in the UK and was a hit there, reaching number 11. Edmunds wanted to have the single released in the US, but his label never released it: "I was just waiting for Swan Song, in their wisdom, to put it out in America, which they didn't do. ... Eventually, Juice Newton did it with an almost identical version and had a huge hit with it."
Following the Newton version, Edmunds felt uncomfortable performing the song live, as it was now associated primarily with Newton. He commented, "What bugged me is that I can't do it live now. 'Because to people it looks like, 'What's he doing a Juice Newton song for?' you know, but it's my song. Maybe now I could, but at the time, when it was a hit, I felt you would feel kinda weird about doing it, 'cuz there's no reason US audiences would know anything about my version of the song". In 1986, a live version by Dave Edmunds appeared on his album I Hear You Rockin'.
Edmunds' version has seen a positive reception from critics. AllMusic named it one of the four "classics" on Repeat When Necessary, while Ultimate Classic Rock named it a "highlight" of the album. Trouser Press similarly named it a "standout"

Dave Edmunds - Queen Of Hearts​

Juice Newton - Queen of Hearts​

​

 

[postnew]

"Against the Wind" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Bob Seger for his eleventh studio album of the same name. It was released as the second single from the album in April 1980 through Capitol Records. Seger recorded the ballad during a two-year process that began his eleventh album; it was recorded with producer Bill Szymczyk at Criteria Studios in north Miami, Florida. Sonically, "Against the Wind" is a mid-tempo soft rock tune with piano backing. It was recorded with Seger's Silver Bullet Band, and features backing vocals from Eagles co-frontman Glenn Frey.
"Against the Wind" explores the space between care and indifference from friends and loved ones. It centers on maturation and memories, like many other Seger songs, and carries a tender, mellow tone. Seger pulled from his high school years as a cross-country runner to form the song's title–a metaphor for growing old. "Against the Wind" became one of Seger's most successful singles, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100. It also charted in Canada, Australia, and Belgium. It received high marks from music critics, with many praising Seger's songwriting. The song has been celebrated by generations of country artists, with covers by Garth Brooks and Brooks & Dunn.

Seger, wrote the song about growing old.​

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Against The Wind​

​

 

[postnew]

"Shake Your Groove Thing" is a song by R&B duo Peaches & Herb. The single reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Billboard R&B chart. It also reached No. 2 for four weeks on the Billboard Disco chart in 1978. The song spent 22 weeks on the American charts and became a Gold record.
The song was Peaches & Herb's first return to the charts in seven years. It was their first hit with the third "Peaches", Linda Greene.

Peaches & Herb ~ Shake Your Groove Thing​

​

 

[postnew]

"Forever in Love" is an instrumental by American saxophone player Kenny G that was released as a single in 1992. The song appears on Kenny G's album Breathless, and he both wrote and produced the song. The song topped the US and Canadian adult contemporary charts and won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition at the 1994 ceremony.
A music video for the song featuring a couple as children, and also that couple again, as adults, and Kenny G as the performer.

Kenny G - Forever In Love


​