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Fortunately, following her renewed success with the career-reviving No. 6 pop smash "We've Got Tonight"—which gave Sheena the rare
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First single "Telefone (Long Distance Lover Affair)" was a joyous bubbly uptempo synth-dance track, which became her fourth top 10 hit—following "Morning Train," "For Your Eyes Only" and "We've Got Tonight." The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Pop Performance (trumped by Irene Cara's "Flashdance,"
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"Telefone's" follow-up "Almost Over You"returned Easton to familiar AC territory. The stellar heartbreak ballad rallied to No. 4 at AC and a respectable No. 25 on the Hot 100. (On my TTT chart, "We've Got Tonight" was 1983's No. 1 and "Telefone" No. 3. "Almost Over You" was No. 2 in 1984.)
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While Sheena may have had the greatest pop singing voice of the era, she was certainly never renowned for her music videos. The fairly ridiculous black & white "Telefone" was set in a gothic mansion alongside Frankenstein and Dracula, where she is ultimately lifted to ecstasy by a giant King Kong paw. The video has the production savvy of a college undergrad's thesis project.
The clip for "Almost Over You" was beautifully set in a misty brick-walled apartment with Sheena at a piano (pretending to play) as she laments her lost love... all very
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But there was one ideal outlet to see Sheena in action: As any early '80s music fan knows, the syndicated "Solid Gold" was in high gear and Sheena was a favorite of the producers, season after season—not only singing her hits, but any number of album tracks.
It's here that we followers kept up with her constantly evolving hairstyles (including the poodle stage by 1983), while obsessing on Sheena's signature mannerisms: her proclivity to snap her neck back for drama, pumping her arm to and fro and frequently pursing her lips.
Mind you, VCRs were not yet commonplace, so you had to live in the moment... and then reflect. There was no living the performances again and again on your TiVo (praise god in the millennium for Youtube; they're all there).
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Following the successful "Almost Over You," the third single from Best Kept Secret, synth-rocker "Devil in a Fast Car," was a curious choice, when the album had better tracks, like clever giddy pop "I Like the Fright" and lush power ballad "Don't Leave Me This Way."
As usual, EMI seemed to regard Sheena as a B-level act, seldom strategizing for greatest success (recall the previous blog post, where the label neglected to release "Wind Beneath My Wings"). "Devil" flopped, peaking at No. 79. But there was still plenty of success ahead for Easton, as her most successful album was released in 1984.
Coming Monday: Sheena sings in Spanish!
This is probably my favorite album by Sheena. :)
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