My introduction to this week's tune was when it was originally released as a single, though I can't recall if it was from hearing it on a Music on the TV channel or if it was the video on Much Music (have a hunch it was on Much Music because they played a lot of cool songs). This is one I share with my oldest son--both of us very much liked the song, and at one time he made me a cassette tape (remember cassette tapes, boys and girls?) of this week's featured album, which I still have. Though I can't say I've played it in a while as I couldn't begin to remember the last time I put a tape in a cassette deck....
Eagle-Eye Cherry (and, yes, Eagle-Eye is truly his given name) was born in Stockholm Sweden in 1968. He originally set out to be an actor (and had a few minor roles from 1988-93), but after the death of his musician father in 1995 he began to focus on music. Cherry wrote and composed his first album on an acoustic guitar in his bedroom studio, and it went on to become an international hit. His Wikipedia bio is very light on the details of his career, but since his first hit he has appeared on several artists' albums, done some soundtrack work, and toured. For his career he has released six studio albums (the last in 2023), one live album, and seventeen singles. He is fluent in both Swedish and English.
Fun Fact: Cherry came from a musical family. His father was influential (he says, even though he first heard of him while doing this week's half-assed research) jazz trumpeter Don Cherry. His half-sister is Neneh Cherry who had quite a bit of musical success as a solo artist in the U.K. in the nineties. Both of his brothers (one sadly now deceased) and two of his step nieces are also musicians.
"Save Tonight" was Cherry's 1997 debut single from his debut album, the rather left wanting entitled Desireless. The single hit #5 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top forty in twenty-two other countries. The album peaked at #45 on the Billboard 200 but hit the top five in five other nations. Both peaked at #2 in his native Sweden (so many cool kids in Sweden!).
"Save Tonight" tells the tale of a couple making the most of their last night together for a while, as the protagonist is leaving in the morning (where he's going and for how long is left up to us to guess). The song opens with some nice acoustic guitar, and they carry the instrumentation throughout the song. The drums give the song a rock-solid beat, snapping and cracking to the rhythm of the lyrics. There's also a nice instrumental break which features a wailing electric guitar that echoes the young lovers sweet and sorrowful parting (may have borrowed that line from somewhere...). Cherry's vocals are the cherry (so to speak) on the top, giving voice to both their desire and their fear. A catchy as catchy can melody and chorus round it out. In the end, it's what emaycee lives for: a bodacious slice of pop music pie.
Lyric Sheet: "It ain't easy to say goodbye/Darlin', please, don't start to cry /'Cause, girl, you know I've got to go, oh/And, Lord, I wish it wasn't so..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
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