album of the year
Song Sunday: Early Warning
“Too young to know, too old to listen…”
Sunday evening’s playlist submission is Early Warning by Australian band Baby Animals. The second track from their debut album Baby Animals, it was released on April 21, 1991, as their debut single. Written by Suze DeMarchi, Dave Leslie and Eddie Parise, the song was nominated for Single of the Year and Song of the Year in 1992 by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The album was awarded Album of the Year at The Arias Awards.
I discovered this band when their third track Painless was released in the US in November 1991. Suze’s voice is stunning and powerful and, her band is as hard rocking as any from Downunder. I bought the CD and there’s not a bad song on it. It deserved Album of the Year. They broke up in 1996 but, reformed in 2007. They continue to perform and record.
Baby Animals Channel From 1992
MTV’s Video From 1991
Tune Tuesday: Charlie Rich 1974
Forty-five years ago, today, the #1 song on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart was A Very Special Love Song by Charlie Rich. It was, also, the #1 song on the Billboard Hot Country chart, simultaneously. Written by Billy Sherrill and Norro Wilson, it was released as a single in January 1974 from the album Very Special Love Songs. Inspiration for the song came from the soundtrack of the movie The Summer of ’42, composed by French pianist Michel LeGrand. Track listing #8, The Summer Knows, was the lyrics version of the movie’s main theme. Rich was quoted by Tom Roland of Billboard:
“I don’t think I stole from them [at] all but, that’s my favorite theme of all time. There’s not a similarity, and yet, you can understand what I was thinking about and where I was coming from.”
The song garnered a Best Country Song Grammy for songwriters Sherrill & Wilson. Rich won an AMA for Favorite Country Male Artist of 1975 (for 1974) and the album was nominated for Favorite Country Album. He also won a CMA for Entertainer of the Year (1974) and the album won Album of the Year (1974).
Lyrics:
Babe, somewhere I know I’m gonna find it, babe
It’ll have my love behind it
And it will be a symphony of all you mean to me
A Very Special Love Song
And babe, if there’s a way you know I’m gonna say it babe
If there’s a melody I’ll play it
I’ll play it through especially for you and all the words are true
A Very Special Love Song
So don’t be surprised if you’re sittin’ alone and you hear it
‘Cause I’m goin’ to sing it to the whole big lonely world
So turn your radio way down low and get near it
And I’ll tell the world I love you, girl
Babe, if there’s an ounce of love I’m gonna give it to you
Babe, if there’s a breath of life I’m gonna live it every day for you
And all the whole night through, singin’ just for you
Tune Tuesday: Doo Wop That Thing 1998
Twenty years ago, today, the #1 Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Rap song was Doo Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill. It debuted at #1, the tenth song in the chart’s history to do so and, the first début single to do so.
Awards
♥ 1999 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best R&B Album, Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance & Best R&B Song
♡ 1999 American Music Awards: Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist
♡ 1999 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA): Video of the Year, Best Female Video, Best R&B Video & Best Art Direction in a Video (Gideon Ponte)
♡ 1999 Soul Train Awards: Sammy Davis Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year (Female), R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year, Best Female R&B/Soul Album & The Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video
Nominations
☆ 1999 MTV Video Music Awards: Best Hip-Hop Video
☆ 1999 Soul Train Awards: Best Female R&B/Soul Single
Cosmic-Observation 