Robbed Hit of the Week: Philip Bailey's "Walking On The Chinese Wall"...

Philip Bailey - "Walking On The Chinese Wall"
from the album Chinese Wall (1984)
Billboard  Hot 100 peak: #46

This week's "robbed hit" is by R&B vocalist Philip Bailey, who took a break from the band Earth, Wind & Fire to record his solo album Chinese Wall, and scored a top-5 hit with his collaboration with Genesis singer Phil Collins on "Easy Lover". For the next single (the third from the set), Philip released the titular "Walking On The Chinese Wall", written by Billie Hughes and Roxanne Seeman, and again produced by Collins...

The dramatic-sounding single (which reminds me of Africa's "Toto") failed to match the success of "Easy Lover", stopping just below the pop top-40 in May of 1985, while peaking at #56 on the R&B chart. It did do better across the Atlantic, reaching #34 on the British singles chart. I think the single would've done much better in say, 1982 or 1983...

In the following year, Bailey would release another pop solo album Inside, and the single "State Of The Heart" went to #20 on the R&B chart. He wouldn't have another solo single until 1994's new-jack "Here With Me", which was a minor soul hit and his latest chart single apart from the group he's still performing with as the lead singer (their newest, The Promise, is a keeper).

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In the 90's, Italian Eurodance act Double You? covered the song...

...and here's Philip promoting the single on TV...