Phil Collins, Elton John, and Gloria Estefan dominated Adult Contemporary radio back in the 1980s and '90s, yet have disappeared from modern radio. Seemingly, the only time you ever hear them is at the grocery store or your local CVS. This blog remembers the music, the stories and the quirky characters from my days working in Adult Contemporary radio.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Benny Mardones - "Into the Night"
Benny Mardones scored a rare feat that just a handful of artists have managed: his one and only hit, "Into the Night" charted in 1980 and then again in 1989. There is a shortlist of songs to accomplish this and inclusion on a movie's soundtrack is usually the reason. The Contours "Do You Love Me" charted in 1962 and again in 1988 thanks to Dirty Dancing. The same applies to the Righteous Brothers 1965 hit "Unchained Melody" that saw a second life in 1990 thanks to Ghost. In Benny's case, a "where are they now" feature on a radio station gave "Into the Night" a second wind prompting Benny to re-record the song in 1989. By then, the girl he referenced in the lyrics to "Into the Night" was 26 years old.