Songoftheday 11/4/16 - Sometimes I wonder how I'd ever make it through, through this world without having you I just wouldn't have a clue...

"When I See You Smile" - Bad English
from the album Bad English (1989)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 15

Today's song of the day comes from the hard rock "supergroup" Bad English, who got together during a break in the recording career of the arena-rock giants Journey, with guitarist Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain teaming up with solo star John Waite ("Missing You") and his former Babys bandmate Ricky Phillips. Recruiting journeyman drummer Deen Castonovo (who would eventually record with Journey himself in the next century), they released their self-titled debut album in 1989. The first single, the hard-rocking "Forget Me Not", went all the way to #2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, but stalled right under the pop top-40 in the summer of 1989. However, the follow-up release, the power-ballad "When I See You Smile", was pre-constructed by "song doctor" Diane Warren for maximum mainstream radio love, with the lovey-dovey woman-wooing lyrics to the air-guitar-friendly backdrop. And their glam-metal-style hair was all on fleek...

"When I See You Smile" climbed to #1 on the American pop chart in November of 1989. The song also reached #10 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart, while it stopped at #11 on their Adult Contemporary list. Internationally, the single topped the chart in Canada, peaked at #4 in Australia, and was a minor hit in the UK at #61 (their best showing, even with Brit Waite on board).

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...and here's Waite performing the song in a solo show in 2010...

Finally, for shits and giggles, here's what it was like to be at a concert in 1990 watching them...

Up tomorrow: Boston boy-band is back...back into time.