Dear James,
Another oft-overlooked song from my mother's 1987 Island Story, I still can't work out whether this song is a minor work of ironic genius, or just a bit naff. There's some clever lyrics, some original spoken word performance and Carly Simon, all these things are usually good, but there's also an annoying Billy Ocean beat and Carly Simon. And you know that Spanish-language bit in the middle? I only worked out it was Spanish today. All my life I presumed it was French. And it's spoken by a non-native Spanish speaker and all.
Due to my confusing all the names of the artists on the Island Story, I always imagine the man from Buggles with big glasses singing this while Sparks sing Video Killed the Radio Star. Julian Cope sneaks into this one too, albeit only in my imagination.
(Brief pause while I read numerous Wikipedia entries) Well cut my legs off and call me Shorty, it turns out Will Powers wasn't a bloke at all, but a photographer called Lynn Goldsmith singing through a vocoder, and the whole album was a self-help album set to music. AND Steve Winwood and Todd Ruddgren had a hand in writing this song. Was there any aspect of Island Records' business that Steve Winwood didn't have a hand in? Please tell me now that when you were signed to Island and recording Doorway of a Dancehall, he popped in and laid down a cool electric organ track, which was nice.
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