A Tender Lie...

Here's a song I covered that was originally done by the 80s and 90s country band, Restless Heart.  It was later covered by Dolly Parton.  I liked Dolly's version enough to give it a go.  Here it is, with lots of pictures from Ireland.

Van Stephenson... Modern Day Delilah

I had a sudden flashback to this crap from the past...  This is a clip from American Bandstand.  Those striped shirts were all the rage back in the mid 1980s.

Van Stephenson's 1984 hit "Modern Day Delilah" must have been buried deeply in my grey matter.  I haven't thought of this song in ages.  I was sitting here pondering what to write about and I had a sudden flashback to this mid 80s gem.

Actually, I wonder if I should call it a gem.  I don't remember being particularly fond of this song when it was popular.  I do remember hearing it on the radio a lot, though.  

The official video... back when videos were a real thing.

I see from a quick Google search, Van Stephenson is no longer among the living.  He died in April 2001 of melanoma.  He was only 47 when he passed away...  Listening to this song, I realize he had a good voice for rock.  The song "Modern Day Delilah" is kind of a stupid song.  The lyrics are really cheesy.  The music isn't bad, though, especially considering that this was a hit in 1984.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my 80s hits, but some of the ones from the mid 80s were terrifically bad.

"What The Big Girls Do", a hit from the same era.  He sounds a little like Bryan Adams here.

I see Van Stephenson eventually collaborated with Restless Heart, a country band that was popular in the 80s and 90s.  I actually liked Restless Heart.  They were a little like The Eagles.  Later, he joined BlackHawk and was a member of that band when he was diagnosed with cancer.

Another hit... "We're Doing Alright"...

I don't remember "We're Doing Alright", though I probably heard it back in the day.  In fact, I bet if I put my mind to it, I could sit here and remember a lot of minor hits from musicians who made ripples in the business rather than splashes.  I have to admit that I kind of miss those days, although the 80s is the decade when appearance really seemed to matter more than it ever had before.

Restless Heart...

I remember the first time I heard a song by Restless Heart, a country-rock band made up of session singers who were long on harmonies and short on edginess.  They had a beautiful love song that was a crossover hit called "I'll Still Be Loving You".

This song always reminds me of how horse crazy I was in the mid 1980s.  I was very much into 4-H and constantly went to horse shows and did other horsey stuff like fox hunts and competitive trail rides. I'm pretty grateful that I got to do those things growing up.  My horse kept me out of trouble.  I still love this love song, too.

A few years later, I bought a greatest hits compilation of Restless Hearts' songs and it occurred to me that they reminded me a lot of the Eagles.  And then it turned out that they were produced by Bernie Leadon, who was, in fact, one of the original Eagles.

Other songs Restless Heart made famous include the super saxy hit, "Tell Me What You Dream", a hit from the early 90s that reminds me of the stint I enjoyed at summer camp, working as the cook at Camp Paddy Run in Star Tannery, Virginia.

Around the same time, they came out with "When She Cries"...

Restless Heart mastered harmonies on their song "You Can Depend On Me".

And then there's the lovely "The Bluest Eyes In Texas"...

Restless Heart was a good solid band.  They were never huge stars, but they were very respectable.  I was reminded of them last night when I ran across karaoke for them...  I tried my hand at their song, "Hold Me Now".

And "I'll Still Be Loving You"...  I did both in higher keys.