Songoftheday 10/11/14 - When I think about you my feelings can't explain why after all this time my heart still feels pain...

Cherrelle with Alexander O'Neal - "Saturday Love"
from the album High Priority (1985)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 6

Today's Song of the Day come from a pair of soul singers who benefited from the talents of former Time members turned producers Jimmy "Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis. Before the guys, who called their production team Flyte Tyme, struck gold with Janet Jackson, they first helped out Cherrelle, who previously worked as a backup singer, with her debut album Fragile in 1984. That set contained the single "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On", an amazing record that hit top-10 on the R&B chart and later on would do the same on the Hot 100 with a cover by Robert Palmer. The following year, they helmed the debut disc for Alexander O'Neal, who was in the "original" version of The Time (called Flyte Tyme) before Prince canned him to bring in Morris Day. That self-titled set spun off a couple of top-20 R&B hit with the first, "Innocent", just missing the top-10 at #11 (Cherrelle appeared in the video).

For Cherrelle's second album, Jam and Lewis put the two together for a classic soul jam, "Saturday Love". Written and produced by the team, the song gave the singers their first true pop radio love...

"Saturday Love" became the first top-40 pop hit for either of the two in April of 1986. The single also climbed all the way to #2 on the R&B chart (then known as the "Black Singles Chart") and #13 on Billboard's Dance Club Play list. Internationally, the song was a huge hit in England, reaching #6 on the singles chart (and #7 in neighboring Ireland). It remains one of the most lush and sweet duets of the decade, and the pair will repeat (and in my mind outdo) themselves on the next Alexander O'Neal album (subject to a future SOTD)...

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In 1999, Italian dance music producer Junior Jack sampled "Saturday Love" for his single "My Feeling", which went top-10 on the American dance chart and top-40 in England, Spain, and Italy...

Alex himself redid the track with singer Bianca Lindgreen on his Alex Loves record in 2007..

The following year, British rapper Sway had a minor hit at #67 with "Saturday Night Hustle" which interpolated the song...

Most recently, in 2011, singer (and now reality show fodder) Keke Wyatt teamed up with American Idol winner Ruben Studdard for a version that hit #33 on the American R&B chart...

Finally, here's Cherrelle and Alex live from 1986...

...and again from 2013...

Up tomorrow: A jazzy new-wave band notices.