Songoftheday 8/18/14 - The moon up above it shines down upon our skin, whispering words that scream of outrageous sin...

Sheila E. - "A Love Bizarre"
from the album Romance 1600 (1985)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 12

Today's Song of the Day comes from percussionist and singer Sheila E., who under the mentorship of Prince had a successful debut with her Glamorous Life album, which scored her a couple top-40 hits with "The Belle Of St. Mark" and the top-10 title track. She collaborated once again with The Purple One for her next effort, Romance 1600, though the first single released, "Sister Fate", just missed the pop Hot 100 chart. The next single fared much better; "A Love Bizarre" was a looser jam with a much heavier Prince influence (and him on background vocals), and appeared in the movie Krush Groove (as did Sheila)...

"A Love Bizarre" became Sheila E.'s third and so-far latest top-40 pop hit, just missing the top-10 in March of 1986. The single also climbed to #2 on the R&B chart in Billboard magazine, and topped the dance club play list as well. Internationally, the record had some success in Europe, reaching the top-20 in Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands...

The artist would release her self-titled third album in 1987, and the change-of-pace ballad "Hold Me" went to #3 on the R&B chart and #68 pop (her last time on this list). Four years later came her underrated gem Sex Cymbal, and the title track was her last top-40 soul success, while the AIDS-era jam "Droppin' Like Flies" reached the top-30 on the club play chart. Since then she's played on many other artists' albums, and even did a reality-show stint, winning the CMT competition Gone Country in 2009.

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


Here's the club version that topped the dance chart...

...and here she is live on TV promoting the single in 1986..

,,,and along with Ringo Starr's all star band in 2006...

...and lastly, in concert last month in the Netherlands...

Up Tomorrow: A Nigerian songstress with a love that dare not speaketh its name.