Songoftheday 7/24/17 - I keep your picture upon the wall, it hides a nasty stain that's lying there...
from the album Journey Home (1990)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 12
Today's song of the day comes from the dance music act Will To Power, who had landed a #1 pop hit in the winter of 1988 with their "mash-up" medley of "Baby I Love Your Way/Free Bird". Before that their debut album had a couple of near-misses to the top-40 with "Dreamin'" and "Say It's Gonna Rain", and after the success of "Baby" they scored another #1 club hit with "Fading Away", which peaked at #65 on the American pop chart. For the sophomore effort, producer/group leader Bob Rosenberg recruited singer Elin Michaels for most of the tracks on the album, including the lead single, another laid back 70s cover, this time of art-rock band 10cc's hit "I'm Not In Love". The original from the British group, written by members Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman, topped the UK charts for 2 weeks and went to #2 in the States in 1975...
Will To Power's cover uses a similar serene soundscape without veering off in the dreamy interlude...
The Will To Power version of "I'm Not In Love" became the act's second and final top-10 pop hit in February of 1991. The single also climbed to #4 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. Internationally, the song reached the top ten in Canada (#7) and Norway (#8), while going top-40 in New Zealand (#15), Ireland (#27), the UK (#29), and Australia (#38). They followed with another 70s cover, this time the disco of Heatwave's "Boogie Nights", but that failed to chart anywhere. An expanded version of their album reprise track "Fly Bird", was a minor hit in the Netherlands (#60). Since then Rosenberg has continued to tour under the "Will To Power" name, and released an indie album, Spirit Warrior, in 2005.
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Many other artists have covered "I'm Not In Love" with varying success. A year after 10cc's original, folk-rock singer Richie Havens "bubbled under" the Hot 100 at #102 with his take...
That same year, former 60s dance fad queen Dee Dee Sharp ("Mashed Potatoes") released "I'm Not In Love", which reached #62 on Billboard's R&B chart...
In 1982, ex-Supreme Sherrie Payne had a dance club hit with a medley of "I'm Not In Love" with "Girl You're In Love" (#35 Dance Club Play)...
Irish-Australian singer Johnny Logan, the only person to have won Eurovision twice (in 1980 and 1987 for Ireland), had a top ten hit in Ireland with his version...
In 1996, another Aussie, Deni Hines, had a minor hit there with a smooth soul cover (#86)...
A year later, the Fun Lovin' Criminals went to #12 in the UK with "I'm Not In Love"...
Lastly, in 2000, trip-hop duo Olive topped the American dance chart with their transformation of the classic...
Up tomorrow: Two A-list DJ's have the biggest club hit of the year with a little bit of trickery.
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