The place for great and not-so-great nearly forgotten videos from the decade of Miami Vice, mullets, and acid wash jeans. All praise to the bands, YouTube, and the original posters of these videos.
George Harrison's Somewhere in England album was originally slated for release in October 1980. However, Warner Bros. initially rejected the album as too laid back (label speak for not enough radio-friendly songs). As a result, Harrison was re-working the material when John Lennon was murdered in December 1980.
Harrison took a previously written song (originally intended for Ringo), changed the lyrics, and recorded it with a little help from his friends. Ringo actually played drums on the song, and Paul McCartney (along with Linda McCartney and Denny Laine from Wings) sang backup vocals. As a result, this was the first song to feature the three ex-Beatles since 1970.
In the aftermath of Lennon's death, the feeling of sadness and nostalgia was palpable, and "All Those Years Ago" became a huge hit - reaching #2 on the charts (and only kept out of the top spot by "Bette Davis Eyes.") The video, featuring footage of Lennon, Harrison, and the rest of the Fab Four, fits the song quite well - it's more a celebration than a dirge.
After Harrison's 1982 LP Gone Troppo fell flat, he took a five year break from the business before his next album. He then remained sporadically active in the music industry until his untimely death from cancer in 2001.
Red Rockers was a fascinating band who never quite found their audience. To be fair, this was at least partly due to their evolving musical style, which seemed to shift almost on a song-by-song basis.
The band formed in New Orleans in 1979 as a punk act, influenced by groups such as The Clash and The Dils. In fact, Red Rockers (the band) is named after "Red Rockers" (the 1979 Dils' song). However, after their first LP (1981's Guns of Revolution), they swung wildly from punk to pop/new wave on 1983's Good as Gold album. This resulted in a MTV hit with "China," and set off a series of internal conflicts within the band (not to mention alienating their early punk fans).
In spite of some serious MTV airplay, "China" peaked at #53, leaving Red Rockers one hit short of being a one hit wonder. Internal conflicts and some personnel changes continued through 1985's Schizophrenic Circus, and the band broke up later that year.
In addition to the video, we found some cool behind the scenes footage shot during the making of "China":
ABC burst onto the music scene as a dashing New Romantic act in 1982. Their debut album, The Lexicon of Love became a big hit in 1982 and made them MTV favorites for a time. While that album remains the pinnacle of their success, they continued to release well-crafted pop songs for most of the decade.
The band formed in Sheffield and was originally called Vice Versa. Interestingly, Stephen Singleton and Mark White (both synthesizer players) met Martin Fry (also a synthesizer player) when he interviewed them for his Modern Drugs fanzine (which may have been about synthesizer players). Fry was asked to join the band, the name was changed and before too long they had a recording contract.
By 1987, the band had been through several ups and downs. Singleton left the group in 1983 due to their lack of touring, and Fry spend several years in the mid-1980s being treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Their '87 album release, Alphabet City (named after the area in NYC when Fry and White lived for a time) became a modest success, and featured one of our favorite ABC songs, "When Smokey Sings."
Upbeat and nostalgic, "When Smokey Signs" would go on to be a hit, reaching #5 on the U.S. charts and #11 in the UK. The Alphabet City album would also do well, reaching #7 in the UK and #48 in the U.S. Unfortunately, this marked the end of the band's major commercial success, and they broke up in 1991. Fry resurrected the name in 1997 (White has left the industry) and remains active as of this writing.
Cool trivia fact: "When Smokey Sings" is of course about Smokey Robinson, whose song "More Love" was covered by Kim Carnes (and featured on ERV in December 2012).
This is Kool & the Gang's second appearance on ERV, as "Get Down On It" was posted back in 2013 (and has a solid if brief summary of the band).
Unlike the funk and R&B that characterized most of Kool & the Gang's work, "Misled" is a catchy pop gem with an excellent guitar hook. Additionally, the video is the perfect stealthy Halloween type that we love at ERV. From the creepy guys in robes to the Indiana Jones-inspired later scenes, the whole thing is steeped in pure 1984 awesomeness. The ghostly white dancer and that amazing blue jacket round out the major characters in the video.
The song ended up being a big hit, and reached #10 on the charts, which surprised us. To be fair, the 1984 Emergency LP also spawned "Fresh" and "Cherish," so it isn't as if there wasn't a lot of Kool on the radio back in the day. However, we don't remember seeing the video on MTV, which is kind of a shame.
While Kool & the Gang did have a few hits after "Misled," they had mostly faded from view by the late 1980s. However, they remain active in the industry as of this writing.
Although ERV has been mostly on hiatus of late, we could not miss the opportunity to celebrate All Hallows Even. We've been posted rare-ish, Halloweeny (is that even a word) vids since soon after we opened up shop, 7 years ago, and it's become a tradition. So, on to this years' festivities.
By 1986, Huey Lewis and the News had become big stars. Fore! (the 1986 LP) was their second consecutive #1 album, and between Sports, Back to the Future, and Fore!, they scored 11 top 40 hits (and 3 #1s - "The Power of Love," "Stuck With You," and "Jacob's Ladder.")
"Doing It All For My Baby" was the last single off the Fore! album, and was released in June 1987. The video has a prefect Halloween vibe, and is actually a tiny bit darker than we remember. After the long intro, we're treated to a campy, monstery rendition of the song, with Huey and the band playing most of the major roles.
The song would go on to reach #6 on the charts, though we think this represented the end of the band's superstar period. However, they have remained active in the industry (with some lineup changes through the years) until the present day.
Cool trivia fact: The model in the video is Tara Shannon, and there is an interview with her here.
For the second video of our "confusion" double shot, we went with Genesis' "Land of Confusion" - one of the more overtly political songs of the 1980s.
By 1986 Genesis (and Phil Collins separately) were huge pop stars, and the band seemed far removed from their art rock roots with Peter Gabriel. In fact, 1986's Invisible Touch would be the third of four top 10 LPs in the U.S., and the fourth of five consecutive #1 albums in the U.K.
"Land of Confusion" was one of five top five singles from Invisible Touch and hit #4 on the U.S. charts. The video featured puppets from Spitting Image (a British TV show that was popular at the time). Interestingly, Spitting Image often made fun of Genesis, which led to the idea of using them in the first place. The political lyrics from Mike Rutherford suite the theme perfectly, and older readers will recall that "Land of Confusion" went into heavy rotation on MTV for a time.
Eagle-eyed readers may want to try to identify the many politicians and celebrities caricatured in the video.
As many readers will know, Genesis remained major stars through the early 1990s, before fading from view. In recent years, the band has sporadically re-formed for reunion tours.
The Babys were a British-American power pop act who by all rights should have become big stars in the 1970s. Guitarist/keyboardist Mike Corby and manager Adrian Miller formed the band in 1974 and held auditions to fill out the roster. Tony Brock (drums), John Waite (vocals/bass) and Wally Stocker (guitars) made up the original lineup.
The group were signed by Chrysalis and seemed to be building an audience, but a dispute with the record label resulted in Corby and Miller being fired in 1978. Soon afterwards, Americans Jonathan Cain (keyboards) and Ricky Phillips (bass) joined; this lineup continued until the group broke up in 1980.
While The Babys has some modest successes (3 top 40 hits and 2 top 40 LPs), their hard work never really paid off, and this frustration eventually led to their breakup. John Waite would go on to have some success in the 1980s as a solo artist, while Jonathan Cain would join Journey right as that band became megastars. In 1989, Waite, Cain and Phillips would reunite in Bad English (with guitarist Neil Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo).
For the blog, we went with the group's last top 40 single, 1980's "Back on My Feet Again." The song peaked at #33 on the charts while the Union Jacks album only hit #42. However, it is a solid representation of the band's later material.
In 2013, original members Tony Brock and Wally Stocker reformed the band. Additionally, John Waite has been know to perform Babys songs at concerts from time to time.
A wonderfully catchy piece of dance-pop, "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" was the peak of Wang Chung's career, and might also be the most dangerous eighties video ever made. (More on the second point in a bit.)
Wang Chung (originally spelled Huang Chung) was a British new wave act that formed in London in 1980. The group was comprised of Jack Hues (born as Jeremy Ryder) on vocals and guitars, Nick Feldman on bass, and Darren Costin on drums (though he left the group in 1985). Named after the first note in the Chinese classical musical scale, the band released their first LP in 1982, using the original spelling. However, it was 1984's Points on the Curve that put them on the map (in the U.S., at least), as "Don't Let Go" and "Dance Hall Days" became top 40 hits.
The band continued to have success in 1985 with the soundtrack of To Live and Die in L.A, but 1986's Mosaic contained their biggest hits, with two top 10 singles -- "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" (#2) and "Let's Go" (#9).
Unfortunately, Wang Chung's 1989 LP, The Warmer Side of Cool did not do particularly well, and the band broke up in 1990. The did re-form in 1997, and remain together as of this writing.
Now, as to the video ... The clip was directed by the famous duo of Godley and Creme, who opted for a strobe effect of rapid cuts. Unfortunately, someone at the BBC became concerned that this cause trigger epileptic seizures, and the network banned it on health grounds.
"Let the Music Play" was a successful and influential single that helped create the dance sound of the eighties. When the song was released in 1983, dance had mostly fallen off the pop charts, as nothing had filled the void left by the collapse of disco.
With its Latin beats and use of drum machines and synthesizers, "Let the Music Play" pointed to a new sound, that was initially called the "Shannon Sound," but eventually evolved into Freestyle music. Unfortunately, Shannon did not remain at the forefront of the scene, as other acts such as Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam and The Jets became far more successful. However, "Let the Music Play" really opened the door for much of mid to late 1980s dance pop.
Shannon (born Shannon Green) was in the business in New York City when she met producers Mark Liggett and Chris Barbosa. She auditioned for them, they liked her voice, and soon afterwards they were in the studio recording "Let the Music Play." The success of the single (it hit #1 on the dance charts and #8 on the pop charts) led to a 1984 LP of the same name, but that turned out to be Shannon's commercial peak. Although she had several dance and R&B hits, she did not break the top 40 again, and she asked to be released from her contract in 1987. However, Shannon remains active in the industry as a working musician to the present day.
In spite of the song's success, the video for "Let the Music Play" remain somewhat rare, exacerbated by the fact that MTV (and many other video channels) were more focused on rock and new wave at the time. As a result, it's perfect for ERV.
Steve Winwood got his musical start at the tender age of 14 when he joined the Spencer Davis Group, though he would go on to even greater fame in Traffic and Blind Faith. However, by the mid-1970s his career was on the wane. In fact, when his first solo album performed poorly in 1977, he apparently considered leaving the music business altogether.
This all changed with the success of his second solo LP, 1980's Arc of a Diver. The synthesizer-driven pop album sounded fresh and original, and would go on to become a huge hit, reaching #3 on the charts.
Winwood tried to capitalize on this success, releasing Talking Back to the Night in 1982. This album sounded a bit like a reprise of Arc of a Diver, and did not do as well (though "Valerie" became a top 10 hit when it was re-released in 1987). Interestingly, Winwood may have realized that the formula wasn't working, and soon shifted into more soul-influenced pop. The result was even greater success by the end of the 1980s.
While the LP was not a big hit, we've always been partial to "Still in the Game," a synth pop gem that picked up a bit of airplay on MTV back in the day. The song became the highest charting single off Talking Back to the Night, but only reached #47 on the charts, while the video was only aired for a short while.
Although Winwood has slowed down in recent years, he remains active in the industry as of this writing, both as a solo artist and in occasional projects with other classic rock stars.
Cool trivia fact: The woman in the video is Nicole Winwood, who sang backup on "Still in the Game" and was Steve Winwood's wife from 1978 - 1986. Sadly, she passed away in 2005.
Ray Parker, Jr. formed Raydio in 1977 with with Vincent Bohnam, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael. The group's smooth pop/funk quickly led to success, with "Jack and Jill" and "You Can't Change That" as strong examples of their style.
First among equals bands, where there is one dominant member, often have trouble staying intact and Raydio was no exception. By 1980, the group was called Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio; this only lasted around a year before Parker left Raydio to go out on his own.
"A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)" was off the last Raydio LP of the same name, and the success of the song and album likely encouraged Ray Parker, Jr. to go solo. The single reached #4 on the charts, while the album peaked at #13 and went gold.
While the song picked up a significant amount of airplay on pop and adult contemporary radio, we don't recall ever seeing it on MTV. The combination of the soft pop sound and MTV's initial positioning as a new wave/rock video channel probably account for this. However, the vid is an awesome timepiece -- from the time Parker gets out of his Porsche, we were hooked. Smooth, relaxed love advice never sounded so good (at least in 1981).
As regular readers will know, Parker's solo career go off the a strong start, with "The Other Woman," featured in our All Hallows Even celebration of 2014. However, his career was inconsistent from there, though he did score a #1 hit in 1984 with "Ghostbusters."
Stabilizers were another act that appeared on MTV for the briefest of time before fading from view. The band consisted of Dave Christenson on vocals and Rich Nevens on guitar and keyboard. By 1985, they had generated enough buzz on the Erie, PA music scene to get signed by Columbia Records, and Tyranny (their debut LP) came out the following year.
"One Simple Thing" was the lead single from Tyranny, and it picked up a bit of airplay -- even breaking into the top 100 at #93. However, the follow up single did not do as well, and the band was dropped by the label before releasing their second effort.
There seems to be remarkably little information on Christenson and Nevens since then, so if any reader has information to share, please leave it in the comments.
"One Simple Thing" is a classic 1980s pop song, in the Mr. Mister vein (note that Mr. Mister's Welcome to the Real World hit #1 on the album charts in early 1986).
Cool trivia fact: "One Simple Thing" was directed by David Fincher, who got his start in videos (including Jermaine Stewart's "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" and Loverboy's "Notorious") before transitioning to movies (Seven, Fight Club and The Social Network, among others).
David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley was reggae legend Bob Marley's eldest son, and he built a career in the industry after his father's untimely passing in 1981. Along with several siblings, he formed the Melody Makers in 1979 -- named after the British music trade rag, by the by.
The group released three independent albums in the 1980s and built enough of a fan base to get signed by Virgin Records. Their first major label release was 1988's Conscious Party, and it became a surprise hit. The album climbed to #23 on the charts, while "Tomorrow People" broke into the top 40 (barely) at #39. The sound was undoubtedly helped by the production team of Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth (both of Talking Heads fame), who helped find the pop side of the strong material.
The video for "Tomorrow People" is a well-crafted performance piece that seems to suit the song well. The upbeat clip with the reggae-pop sound even went into heavy rotation for a time at MTV.
While Ziggy's time as a pop star was brief, he remains a major figure in the reggae scene and has continued to record and perform to the present day.
Cool trivia fact: Ziggy Marley And The Melody Makers are a one hit wonder, as only "Tomorrow People" broke the top 40. However, that is one more top 40 hit than Bob Marley had.
Welcome to ERV's 5th annual All Hallows Even celebration, and feel free to click on the (appropriately named) All Hallows Even label to the right if you'd like to catch up on our earlier videos. In short, we try to come up with rare and interesting Halloween videos to celebrate the spooky time of year.
Leading off this year is an artist who had some definite career advantages. For instance, although being Barry Gordy's son may not ensure that you make in the music business, it sure can't hurt. Ditto for having Michael Jackson (yes, that Michael Jackson) sing backup on your first single.
To be fair, Rockwell (born as Kennedy William Gordy) used a stage name, and may have even signed to his father's Motown label without the old man knowing. Rockwell's first single was released in 1984 and is a perfect Halloween video (it has been in the bullpen from our first All Hallows Even post). One viewing and you'll see (or remember) why.
"Somebody's Watching Me" turned out to be a big hit for Rockwell, reaching #2 on the charts, while his debut LP of the same name hit #15. However, that was the peak of his success, and after his next two albums failed to break the top 100, Rockwell left the industry.
Cool trivia fact: Rockwell is not a one hit wonder, as "Obscene Phone Caller" off Somebody's Watching Me reached #35 on the chats.
This is Bananarama's second appearance on ERV for a cover, as "Venus" was posted on our little blog back in January of 2013. To be fair, the members of Bananarama also co-wrote much of their material, often with the Stock Aitken Waterman team.
The group initially consisted of Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward -- three friends who sang in unison, instead of using harmonies. They started the band in 1979 and created the name by combining the TV show The Banana Splits with Roxy Music's "Pajama Rama."
Amazingly, Bananarama got not one but two big breaks to help launch their career. First, the group happened to live above a rehearsal room used by Steve Jones and Paul Cook (formerly of the Sex Pistols); this led to their first recording contract in 1981. Later that year, an article in The Face (a U.K. fashion magazine) in support of their first single ("Aie a Mwana") was read by ex-Specials singer Terry Hall. Hall reached out to Bananarama to work with his new group (Fun Boy Three) on "It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" which led to a second collaboration on "Really Sayin' Something."
Both Fun Boy Three songs became top 10 hits in the U.K., and launched Bananarama as a major pop act in their native country. During the 1980s they had 18 top 40 singles in the U.K., though they had only 3 in the U.S. ("Cruel Summer," "Venus," and "I Heard a Rumour").
Siobhan Fahey left Bananarama in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan (who left in 1991). Since then, the group has been a duo, and remains active as of this writing. Fahey went on to form Shakespears Sister with Marcella Detroit.
"Really Sayin' Something" (with a g) reached #5 on the U.K. charts, but did not break the top 100 in the U.S. It was off Bananarama's 1983 debut LP, Deep Sea Skydiving, which hit #7 on the U.K. album charts, and #63 in the U.S.
The original version of the song ( "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" with no g at the end) was recorded by Motown group the Velvelettes in December 1964 and became their biggest hit, reaching #64 on the U.S. charts.
Although they would go on to become the most successful duo of the rock era, Daryl Hall & John Oates had a choppy career before becoming superstars for most of the first half of the 1980s.
Hall and Oates met in 1967 in Philadelphia, and began working together in 1970. While their first three albums (for Atlantic) were unsuccessful, 1975's self-titled album (on RCA) made them pop stars. Between 1975 and 1977, they had three top 10 hits with "Sara Smile," "She's Gone," and "Rich Girl." This run of success ended with "Rich Girl" and they had no top 10 hits through the end of the 1970s. In fact, 1979's X-Static was the duo's first non-Gold record on RCA.
Needless to say, this made 1980's Voices album a really important record for the group, and they opted to go with the John Oates track "How Does It Feel To Be Back" as the lead single. Had the duo not gone on to become hugely successful, this would have become a forgotten track. Perhaps it still is. The strong pop song doesn't even really sound like a typical Hall & Oates single, mostly due to Oates' voice (Hall sang most of the big hits of the 1980s).
"How Does It Feel To Be Back" did not become the big hit the the band had hoped for -- it stalled at #30. However, the next single, a cover of the 1964 Righteous Brothers hit, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" became a surprise success at #12, and "Kiss on My List" became the duo's second #1 hit (after "Rich Girl"). The rest of the story is history, as they say.
Note that Hall & Oates inexpensive but masterful video for "Private Eyes" was featured on ERV in September 2020.
"If I Had a Rocket Launcher" was one of the more political songs to hit the charts during the 1980s. The song was written by Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn, who built a successful career in his home country, but saw little mainstream success south of the Canadian border.
Cockburn was born in Ottawa and entered the music business in the late 1960s. His big breakthrough was 1979's "Wondering Where the Lions Are" which led to an extended period of chart success in Canada. Between 1979 and 1997, Cockburn had 8 top 40 singles (and another 12 songs that charted but did not break the top 40). In contrast, only "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" and "Wondering Where the Lions Are" broke the top 100 in the U.S.
Interestingly, prior to 1984's Stealing Fire, Cockburn was not considered an unusually political songwriter, though his humanist and pacifist leanings were known to his fans. However, an Oxfam sponsored trip to Central America underscored the troubles there, and led to much of the material on his album. "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" was inspired by an actual event, where Cockburn saw Guatemalan refugees fired on by helicopters.
Although there was some controversy around the song -- particularly the last lyric, Cockburn has said that it is not a call for violence, but a cry for help.
"If I Had a Rocket Launcher" peaked at #88 in the U.S., while the Stealing Fire LP would reach #74.
Cool trivia fact: Bruce Cockburn is a one hit wonder in the U.S.; only 1979's "Wondering Where the Lions Are" (#21) broke the top 40.
A nearly perfect 1981 time capsule (right down to the short shorts and high socks), "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" captures the Commodores at the end of the Lionel Richie era, when they were still one of the biggest acts in pop/funk.
The group formed while at the Tuskegee Institute in the late 1960s, and signed with Motown Records in 1972. They quickly rose to become one of the most popular acts in 1970s and early 1980s pop/funk; between 1975 and 1981 they had 10 top 30 LPs and 15 top 40 singles. As many reader will know, the Commodores sound evolved over time, becoming more pop and less funk. This migration to pop was driven by singer/songwriter Lionel Richie, which created tension in the band and ultimately led to Richie leaving in 1982.
In the aftermath of Richie's departure, the Commodores soldiered on as a working band, but without a ton of major commercial success. Lionel Richie would of course go on to become a major pop star, before going into semi-retirement in 1987.
"Lady (You Bring Me Up)" became a #8 hit in 1981, while the In the Pocket LP would peak at #13.
Cool trivia fact: The Commodores had great difficulty picking their name, and ultimately chose it by picking a name out of the dictionary. This led the band to joke that they almost became known as the Commodes.
Cool trivia fact #2: The group is looking at a Billboard magazine at the start of the video, and eagle eyed readers may notice the back page advertisement for Van Halen's Fair Warning album (our favorite Van Halen LP), which was released in April, 1981.
Long time readers will recall that videos which were played during the first day of MTV (August 1, 1981) have a special place in our hearts at ERV. Is this rational? Probably not. (Especially since we did not get MTV on our cable system until the following summer). But there you have it.
Which brings us the Styx' "A.D. 1928 / Rockin' The Paradise," the 10th video played on MTV (yes, ever). "A.D. 1928" is the piano and keyboard intro, while "Rockin' the Paradise" begins with the guitars (around 1:10 below). The song is a good example of the band combining different musical styles, while the live (ish) video highlights the band's showmanship.
Styx are an interesting band and an unlikely success story. The group formed in Chicago in the late 1960s and officially became Styx when they signed their first recording contract in 1972. Originally a prog rock act, the band's style become progressively more pop rock during the 1970s, leading to their 1977 breakout, The Grand Illusion.
"Rockin' the Paradise" was off the group's 1981 Paradise Theater album, a concept album based on the opening and eventual closing of a theater in Chicago. By this point, the tension between guitarists Tommy Shaw / James Young (who were more rock oriented) and keyboardist Dennis DeYoung (who was more pop ballad focused) were nearing a breaking point. The conflict would eventually boil over during the 1983 Kilroy Was Here album and the group would break up the following year.
In spite of this, the Paradise Theater album would reach #1 on the charts, although "Rockin' the Paradise" surprisingly did not chart. However, "The Best of Times" (#3) and "Too Much Time on My Hands" (#9) would both break the top 10.
Styx re-formed in 1989 (without Tommy Shaw, who was in Damn Yankees at the time), broke up in 1992, and reformed in 1995. They remain together (with some personnel changes) as of this writing.
Tommy Shaw's solo video for "Girls With Guns" was posted on ERV in September 2013.
Although casual listeners may view Katrina & the Waves as an overnight success story and a one hit wonder, the truth is that they were neither. In fact, this is the second time that they have been featured on ERV without their signature hit, 1985's "Walking on Sunshine." [The first time was when we posted The Bangles' cover of "Going Down to Liverpool," complete with Mr. Spock.]
The group formed in London in 1981 and was fronted by American ex-pat (and army brat) Katrina Leskanich. Guitarist Kimberley Rew (the group's primary songwriter), Vince de la Cruz (Bass) and Alex Cooper (drums) rounded out the lineup. Signed in Canada, the band released two records there before they finally scored a major deal with Capitol in 1985.
As a result of their previous work, the act's self-titled major label debut consisted primarily of reworked material - making it something of a greatest hits record. The album would go on to become a major success, reaching #25 on the charts, led by the ever present (in the summer of 1985) "Walking on Sunshine," which peaked at #9. However, "Do You Want Crying?" would also break the top 40 at #37, as would 1989's "That's the Way" (#16).
While Katrina & the Waves continued recording and touring in the 1990s, they did not have much in the way of major commercial success ... until a surprising win at the 1997 Eurovision song contest with "Love Shine a Light," which would go on to be a #3 smash in the U.K. Sadly, this second period of success did not last, and the group broke up in 1998, though there have been occasional reunions in recent years.
