Songoftheday 7/25/12 - Everytime I see your smile, hear your hello...

Michael McDonald - "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)"

from the album If That's What It Takes (1982)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (three weeks)

Weeks in the top-40: 13

Today's Song of the Day is by Michael McDonald, who got his start as a studio musician and vocalist in Steely Dan's recordings. At the same time, he joined the Doobie Brothers, where he sang on many of their best-known songs, including "Talkin' It To The Streets" and "What A Fool Believes". McDonald won the Grammy for Song of the Year for writing the latter track.

But as the 80s dawned, the Doobies disintegrated, going in different directions, and McDonald recording his debut album If That's What It Takes. The first single from the album was "I Keep Forgettin'", and it sounded not far from his work with the Doobies, with added keyboards and omitted guitars, as well as sister Maureen singing backup....

The song not only was a top-5 pop hit, it made the top-10 of the adult-contemporary (soft-rock) chart as well.

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Since the song was so close to an R&B 60s standard, Chuck Jackson's "I Keep Forgettin'", that writers Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller.