Blogocentric Formulations

Turning the radio up with Eric Carmen

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Song: "Make Me Lose Control"
Artist: Eric Carmen
Album: The Best of Eric Carmen

So far I haven't gone too far back with my artist selections. The previous Save Ferris entry is the oldest song on my list so far, and even that was recorded in 1999. So let's dial it back another decade and pick up some 80s greatness. Ironically, even though Eric Carmen had several very popular hits in his day, he never hit #1 on the Billboard 100 chart. He's had a variety of hits, first as a member of the 70s band The Raspberries, and then with solo hits such as "All By Myself," "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," and "She Did It." He's perhaps most remembered for his song "Hungry Eyes," not for its commercial success, but for its inclusion in the perennial cult classic movie Dirty Dancing. "Make Me Lose Control" spent a few weeks at the top of the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1988, and has the distinction of being his only Top 10 hit that's never been covered by another artist. It was also featured in the first season of Dexter, with Jennifer Carpenter's character singing along to it.

Eric Carmen is classically trained in the piano, and self-taught himself how to play the guitar. He hadn't recorded any new music in more than fifteen years until he released a free single called "Brand New Year," which was a teaser to lead into a 30-track career retrospective compilation that was released in 2014. Until then, the only other music he performed was a brief reunion with The Raspberries to record a live album during their sold-out revival tour.

Not only is this a quintessential 80s song, it's also a quintessential 80s music video, complete with big hair (mostly Eric Carmen's), hot babes, and references to his own previous hits.