Songoftheday 12/17/12 - I walk along the city streets you used to walk along with me, and every step I take reminds me of just how we used to be...

Naked Eyes - "Always Something There To Remind Me"
from the album Naked Eyes (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (two weeks)
Weeks in the top-40: 13

Today's Song of the Day was the debut single by British synthpop duo Naked Eyes, who came together in the southwestern city of Bath. After being signed to EMI Records in 1982, they cut the one-take vocals of the Hal David/Burt Bacharach classic "Always Something There To Remind Me" at Abbey Road studio with Tony Mansfield, the electronic music whiz that also worked with a-ha and the B-52's....

Always Something There To Remind Me - Naked Eyes from Music 101 on Vimeo.


While the single became a big hit in the US, reaching the top-10 on the pop chart as well as top-40 on the dance and adult-contemporary charts, the group floundered in their home country, only reaching #59. Most likely the reason is that the song was already a big hit there in the 60s...

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The song, one of my favorite Bacharach/David songs, was first released by R&B singer Lou Johnson, and went to #49 on the pop chart in 1964...

When the song was heard by a British scenemaker, it was then recorded by singer Sandie Shaw, who would record probably the iconic British version of the song, reaching #1 for three weeks in 1964 (it also made it to #52 in the States)...

The top-10 success of Shaw's record in Holland spurred a top-20 translated cover by Dutch vocalist Edwin Rutten...

A year later, Parisian pop idol Eddy Mitchell recorded a French version which went to #2 in his homeland and #3 in neighboring Belgium...(and check out a younger and still awesome Donna Summer singing with Eddy in the 70s)...

 In 1967 the song was finally properly recorded by the songwriters' muse, Dionne Warwick, who demoed the song back in 1963. It was the B-side of her top-40 hit "Who Is Gonna Love Me", and was played enough on the radio to make the chart as well, peaking at #65 in 1968...

That same year, the Del-Rays released a version with a very young Michael McDonald (of the Doobie Brothers) singing lead...

Also in 1967, Patti LaBelle & The BlueBells released an extra-groovy version of the song, converting it to a girl-group masterpiece, and almost made the Hot 100 with it..

R.B. Greaves (of "Take A Letter Maria" fame) released the first top-40 version of the song in the US, reaching #27 in 1970...

Disco queen Viola Mills also put out a take on the track in 1980...

In 1995, British dance act Tin Tin Out did a rave cover of the song featuring Espiritu (Vanessa Quinones) on vocals that reached #14 on the UK singles chart...

...lastly, at a Burt Bacharach tribute concert in 1998, British girl-group All Saints performed the song for the master himself...

Finally, in 1999, the show Xena: Warrior Princess used the song in their musical episode...

Up tomorrow: the Boy has a watch.