Songoftheday 10/21/16 - I never thought that I could feel this way, you came around and brought about a change in me...

"It's No Crime" - Babyface
from the album Tender Lover (1989)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 10

Today's song of the day comes from R&B/singer Kenneth Edmonds, aka Babyface, who grew up in Indiana, playing with various funk artists before teaming up with Antonio "L.A." Reid. The two formed the group The Deele, who landed a top-10 pop hit in the spring of 1988 with "Two Occasions". At the same time, he had his own solo career, releasing his first solo album in 1986. From that record, Lovers, four singles reached the R&B chart in Billboard magazine, with "I Love You Babe" peaking at #8, however none of them made so much as a dent on the pop chart. After leaving the Deele in 1988, Babyface and Reid became highly sought-after producers and writers, scoring hits for the likes of Sheena Easton, Bobby Brown, and Karyn White, who he had his first #1 hit with his duet with her on "Love Saw It". In 1988, he released his second album, Tender Lover, from which the first single, "It's No Crime", gave Babyface his first big pop solo exposure. Written with Reid and Daryl Simmons, the uptempo track was both smooth and danceable at the same time...

"It's No Crime" not only was Babyface's first top-40 pop hit as a solo artist, it reached the top 10 in October of 1989. The song also went to #1 on Billboard's R&B chart for two weeks (his longest stay there), while the 12" remix became his sole dance hit, getting to #5 on their club play chart. Internationally, the record went to #24 in New Zealand.

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Here's the extended "IJ Remix" that took the song to the top-5 on the dance chart...

In 2009, singer (and former porn star) Colton Ford covered "It's No Crime"...

Lastly, here's Babyface performing the song on the Arsenio Hall show...

Up tomorrow: Rock and Roll titans are on the fence.