Songoftheday 7/3/17 - Calling up the promised land Johnny Seven's coming over the sea, he's taking your time when you want to be free...
from the album Romantic? (1990)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #32 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 3
Today's song of the day comes from the British new wave group the Human League, who returned to the #1 spot on the American chart with "Human" at the expense of selling their soul (and their sound) to be transformed into a vehicle for one of the best songs from Janet Jackson producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. After this, it took a full four years for another album to emerge, with only singers Philip Oakey, Joanne Catherall, and Susan Sulley left, taking on keyboardist Russell Dennent for their sixth full-length album, Romantic?. But what they did do is reunite with produer Martin Rushent, who helmed their breakthrough album Dare and single "Don't You Want Me", to return them to their electronic roots. Also, the first single from the set, "Heart Like A Wheel", was co-written by former member Jo Callis with Eugene Reynolds, and it was a bright, flashy comeback to be had, albeit with cutting topical lyrics that were subtly anti-war...
"Tell Me When" became the Human League's fifth top-40 pop hit in America in November. The single also climbed to #17 on Billboard's Modern Rock radio chart, while crossing over to their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart at #39. Internationally, the record was a top-40 hit in Germany (#36) and their native UK (#32), while just missing the mark in Canada (#43). However, the success of the single wasn't up to what their label had hoped, and they found themselves dropped after follow-up track "Soundtrack To A Generation" stalled out on the British chart at #77. They would return in 1995 on EastWest with their last big hurrah, "Tell Me When".
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Here's the League performing live in concert in 2005...
,,,and finally, a show from last year...
Up tomorrow: A pop giant has his second emancipation proclamation.
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