Songoftheday 7/15/15 - Welcome to the big time you're bound to be a star, and even if you don't go all the way I know that you'll go far...

"Don't Mean Nothing" - Richard Marx
from the album Richard Marx (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 12

Today's SOTD comes from pop singer/songwriter Richard Marx, who came from the Chicago suburbs to California, singing back-up for Lionel Richie and writing songs for Kenny Rogers. After landing his own solo contract, Marx recorded his debut solo album in 1987, releasing his first single, "Don't Mean Nothing", in May. Written by Marx with Bruce Gaitsch (who co-wrote Madonna's "La Isla Bonita"), he enlisted the Eagles' Randy Meisner , Timothy B. Schmidt, and Joe Walsh to play on the single, which made it even doubly sound like an out-take from that band, especially with the "trying to make it in L.A." lyrical angle...

"Don't Mean Nothing" became Richard's first big hit, reaching the top-3 on the pop chart in America in August of 1987. The single also went all the way to #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart the month before, and go on to be nominated for a Grammy for Solo Rock Performance in 1998, losing to Bruce Springsteen's "Tunnel Of Love".

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Here's Marx performing live in California in 1988...

...an acoustic version with Matt Scannell from Vertical Horizon...

...playing with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band...

...and finally, here's Richard talking about the making of the single...

Up tomorrow: Another movie for Madge, probably her least remembered.