Songoftheday 8/4/16 - We conceived a modern generation, it was free but now we pay the price...

"Voices Of Babylon" - The Outfield
from the album Voices Of Babylon (1989)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 6

Today's song of the day comes from the British mainstream rock band the Outfield, who had scored a third top-40 hit single in the summer of 1987 with "Since You've Been Gone" from their second album Bangin'. A second single from that album, "Bangin' On My Heart", didn't get any pop radio traction, and nicked the rock radio chart at #40. The group returned in 1989 with Voices Of Babylon, produced by David Kahne, a guy more associated with alternative rock acts, and the more nuanced sound was demonstrated on the title track and first single, written by guitarist John Spinks. The exotic-ish percussion (mindful of Tears for Fears and Howard Jones) and quirky chord changes made the track sound like an emo version of a Yes cover band, with lead singer/bassist Tony Lewis' high tenor emulating Jon Anderson quite nicely...

"Voices Of Babylon" became the Outfield's fourth top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in May of 1989. The song did land the group their biggest rock radio hit, reaching #2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock list. Internationally, the song was a minor hit in the UK (#78) and Germany (#57).

A second single from the album, the more direct and mainstream rock of  "My Paradise" (a road-trip classic), made it to #34 on the Rock chart, and #72 on the Hot 100.

Up tomorrow: Celebrity Big Brother's current pop diva is surprisingly monogamous.