Songoftheday 8/21/16 - I was so crazy about you everyone knew, I couldn't sleep when I found out you feel the way you do...

"Giving Up On Love" - Rick Astley
from the album Hold Me In Your Arms (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #38 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 1

Today's song of the day comes from fresh-faced British pop singer Rick Astley, whose second album Hold Me In Your Arms returned him to the top-10 on the American pop charts in the winter of 1989 with "She Wants To Dance With Me".  While in England, he scored two more top-10 hits with the bouncy "Take Me To Your Heart" and the title track ballad, in America the record company chose instead to put out the shuffling mid-tempo "Giving Up On Love", which I guess gave a passing nod to the rise of new jack swing. although the juxtaposition of the bright, sunny production to the lyrics of betrayal (as possibly written by Jack McBreyer on 30 Rock, though in truth penned solely by Rick) was a little jarring...

"Giving Up On Love" became Rick's fifth top-40 pop hit in America in May of 1989. The song did much better on Adult Contemporary radio, landing at #11 on Billboard's "easy listening" list. The song wasn't put out internationally save for Canada, where it just missed the top-40 at #45. For a third American single, he released a cover of the Motown classic "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", which slipped into the Hot 100 at #89 but did get to #16 Adult Contemp.

Up tomorrow: Copper-topped soul/pop back revive a questioning classic.