90's Nostalgia: Saigon Kick- 'Love is on the Way'

"Time of season
Wipes the tears
No rhyme or reason
No more fears
All the dreamin'
Is far behind
You are here now
Everything's alright"

Is Saigon Kick one of the most underrated bands of the late '80s and early '90s? Their fans would probably say, absolutely.

Formed in 1988, Saigon Kick spent a few years building their following before finally breaking through in a big way with their 1992 ballad "Love Is on the Way." The song climbed all the way to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, but the chart position almost doesn't tell the whole story. "Love Is on the Way" was everywhere. Radio stations played it constantly, MTV gave it plenty of love, and suddenly this hard-rocking band had a gorgeous acoustic ballad that seemed to connect with just about everybody.

You probably know the song within the first few seconds. That guitar comes in and, before the vocals even start, there's a good chance your brain has already gone, Oh yeah… THIS song. Technically, Saigon Kick gets tossed into that giant musical filing cabinet labeled "One-Hit Wonders." And I suppose that's fair if we're talking strictly about major Billboard hits. But there's a problem with that label. It can make you forget that there was an actual band behind the song.

Recently, I realized something kind of embarrassing: despite knowing "Love Is on the Way" for decades, I had never actually sat down and listened to an entire Saigon Kick album. So I fixed that and I gave The Lizard a shot, and honestly? There's a lot more going on there than the one song most of us remember. It's a reminder that sometimes we hear one massive song from a band, file them away in our musical memory and never bother to dig any deeper.

And every once in a while, when we finally do, we discover that we missed something pretty damn good. Saigon Kick may forever be associated with "Love Is on the Way," but that doesn't mean they only had one song worth hearing. Thirty-plus years later, the band is still part of the conversation, and that alone says something.

Boom Radio: Love Note's Playlist

 

Boom Radio: 80s Power Ballads

 

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Cinderella - 'Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)'

"I can't tell ya baby what went wrong

I can't make you feel what you felt so long gap

I'll let it show

I can't give you back what's been hurt

Heartaches come and go and all that's left are the words

I can't let go

If we take some time to think it over baby

Take some time, let me know

If you really want to go

Don't know what you got till it's gone

Don't know what it is I did so wrong

Now I know what I got

It's just this song."

How can you not love a good power ballad? I mean, even if you hate hair bands, how can you not love a power ballad?? Aside from tugging at the heartstrings and connecting to people on a gut punch level, they were also a brilliant marketing tool back in 1980-something. Heavy metal bands already had guys liking them but women were often a tougher sell- until the power ballad came along. Love songs appeal to women and one 4 minute song could easily sell tickets to that demographic. 

Picking a favorite is really tough because there were so many great ones. In the case of Cinderella, one of their ballads was their top charting hit of all time. "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" seemed to speak to our teenaged generation just as much as it still speaks to a fortysomething going through a divorce now. Up until that point, the Philly-born band was firmly rooted in the hard rock scene and their videos were loaded with big hair, bright lights and a string of half-dressed chicks. This time out Tom Keifer sat down at his piano and just poured his heart out and boy did it work. The video was in heavy rotation on MTV and the song reached number 12 on Billboard's charts. 

More importantly, it's a ballad that still resonates to this day. Check out the video below!

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Cinderella - 'Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)'

"I can't tell ya baby what went wrong

I can't make you feel what you felt so long ago

I'll let it show

I can't give you back what's been hurt

Heartaches come and go and all that's left are the words

I can't let go

If we take some time to think it over baby

Take some time, let me know

If you really want to go

Don't know what you got till it's gone

Don't know what it is I did so wrong

Now I know what I got

It's just this song."

How can you not love a good power ballad? I mean, even if you hate hair bands, how can you not love a power ballad?? Aside from tugging at the heartstrings and connecting to people on a gut punch level, they were also a brilliant marketing tool back in 1980-something. Heavy metal bands already had guys liking them but women were often a tougher sell- until the power ballad came along. Love songs appeal to women and one 4 minute song could easily sell tickets to that demographic. 

Picking a favorite is really tough because there were so many great ones. In the case of Cinderella, one of their ballads was their top charting hit of all time. "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" seemed to speak to our teenaged generation just as much as it still speaks to a fortysomething going through a divorce now. Up until that point, the Philly-born band was firmly rooted in the hard rock scene and their videos were loaded with big hair, bright lights and a string of half-dressed chicks. This time out Tom Keifer sat down at his piano and just poured his heart out and boy did it work. The video was in heavy rotation on MTV and the song reached number 12 on Billboard's charts. 

More importantly, it's a ballad that still resonates to this day. Check out the video below!

Daily Boom 90's Nostalgia: Giant - 'I'll See You In My Dreams'

I'll see you in my dreams

There we'll be safe tonight from the lonely days of memory

I'll see you in my dreams

Back in my arms again and no matter what tomorrow brings

I'll see you in my dreams

It's kind of amazing how much staying power a good rock ballad can have, even if it's a one-hit-wonder. In 1990 "I'll See You In My Dreams" hit the radio airwaves and it was one of those songs that everyone wanted to know who was singing on it. It's that big, showy power ballad that grabs your attention right from the start and holds it. It gave Giant their first and only real moment in the chart success sun that is Billboard. The guys first got together in 1987 and had disbanded by 1992. While they've moved in different directions over the years, a reunion album and some shows have popped up every once in awhile.

I'm not sure if Giant will ever find themselves with another hit, but "I'll See You In My Dreams" is still getting plenty of airplay on rock stations. Check out the video below. Do you remember this one?

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Foreigner - 'Waiting For A Girl Like You'

"When you love someone, when you love someone

It feels so right, so warm and true, I need to know if you feel it too

Maybe I'm wrong, won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong?

This heart of mine has been hurt before, this time I want to be sure

I've been waiting for a girl like you to come into my life

I've been waiting for a girl like you, your loving will survive

I've been waiting for someone new to make me feel alive

Yeah, waiting for a girl like you to come into my life"

There were so many great power ballads to come out of the 80's. I love the term "power ballad" because it insinuates that the group can really rock out once this particular song ends. That idea certainly held true for Foreigner back in 1981 when they released "Waiting For A Girl Like You".  It was one of those mushy songs that got tons of airplay because of the sentimentality (wedding song material). I was really young so I didn't care about that but I did love the synth vibe to it that a then-unknown Thomas Dolby provided.

"Waiting For A Girl Like You" was the second single released off of Foreigner's 4 album and it went to number two on Billboard's Hot 100. "Urgent" was the first release and it grabbed lots of attention so fans were ready to see what was up next when Foreigner dropped their ballad. I can remember fighting to get a clear signal on my transistor radio whenever either song came on because I loved them equally.  Check out "Waiting For A Girl Like You" below. Is it one of your sentimental favorites too?

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Dokken - 'Alone Again'

"I'd like to see you in the morning light
I like to feel you baby when it comes to the night
Now I'm here and I'm all alone
Still I know how it feels, I'm alone again

Tried so hard to make you see
But I couldn't find the words
Now the tears they fall like rain
I'm alone again without you
I'm alone again without you, I'm alone again without you."

I'm not even going to pretend that there is anything profound about Dokken's "Alone Again" because there isn't. It is simply a solid power ballad that came before many of the standards of the late 80's. In a way, Don Dokken threw down the gauntlet on how to write and perform one with his 1984 release of "Alone Again".

The melody is good, the lyrics are tight and the song is performed well. What that means is that if this song should come on when you are having a bad relationship day, it might be exactly what you need to hear to feel less alone. Check out the video below,. Pretty awesome song, isn't it?

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Night Ranger - 'When You Close Your Eyes'

"A girl in love 
With a gleam in her eye
I was a younger boy 
All dressed in white
We're older now
Do you still think about me"

When I think back to middle school musical artists like Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper had everyone's' attention. They were like the top flight of what you heard every few hours on the radio but there were also a lot of solid rock groups in the mix too. Journey, Foreigner, and Heart did a great job of breaking up the pop music. So did Night Ranger, the powerful rock band formed in San Francisco back in 1979. They were building steadily and getting decent airplay and then "Sister Christian" broke through and became one of the biggest summer songs of 1984.

It seemed impossible for the band to put out a better song but they did, by chasing "Sister Christian" with "When You Close Your Eyes". Singer Jack Blades wrote the song about reflecting on an ex-girlfriend and apparently, a lot of people could relate to wondering if an ex ever thinks of you. The chorus is infectious and whether you're 15 or 50, the sentiment will inevitably strike a chord. When it first came out I was at an age where everyone around me, myself included, was going through some sort of breakup and so the song sat at number one on the local evening radio request countdown for a really long time.

Looking back on Night Ranger's work now I think what I like the most about it is how truly timeless it is. Songs like "When You Close Your Eyes" could be released now and still have the same gut-punch effect. Check out the video below and you'll see what I mean.

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: L.A. Guns- 'The Ballad of Jayne'

Now she's breakin' hearts in heaven
Shinin' bright in the sky
I still hear her voice in the wind
I still think of you in the night, oh yeah
Well I guess you'll never know
How much I need her so

I was trying to find the perfect power ballad for this morning and this song by L.A. Guns came to mind. Back in 1989 "The Ballad of Jayne" caused many headbangers to pause for a moment and think about the lyrics. While the guys admitted that the song was originally a tribute to Hollywood icon, Jayne Mansfield, who was killed in a tragic accident, the lyrics resonated with just about everyone.

If you've ever lost anyone too soon then "The Ballad of Jayne" will hit a nerve. Phil Lewis' haunting vocal makes this one of the best ballads to come out of the 1980's. Plus it is pretty timeless. After taking a listen to "The Ballad of Jayne" for the first time in a while it occurred to me that it could have just been released yesterday. 

As for L.A. Guns, well they're still around playing shows here and there. I'm pretty sure that "The Ballad of Jayne" ends up being one of the best songs in their setlist to this day. 

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Atlantic Starr - 'Always'

"Girl you are to me, all that a woman should be
And I dedicate my life to you always
The love like yours is grand
It must have been sent from up above
And I know you'll stay this way, for always

And we both know, that our love will grow
And forever it will be you and me
Ooh your life is the sun
Chasing all the rain away."

Atlantic Starr had a female singer before they hired Barbara Weathers and singers have followed her, but none enjoyed similar success. Hers is the voice most closely associated with the group and it's her voice that you hear on songs like "Secret Lovers" and "If Your Heart Isn't In It". By the time the group's 1987 release rolled around great things were a foregone conclusion and the ballad "Always" totally delivered.

I was in tenth grade and it was the song for every couple that I knew, especially the ones that only made it three months. Let's face it, in high school a few months seemed like proof that it would last forever, didn't it?  I suspect "Always" still finds its way onto plenty of wedding playlists to this day. 

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: XYZ - 'What Keeps Me Loving You'

"Every time I walk away it feels so wrong 

Tell me why I never stay where I belong 

Ohhh - Take me home 

Every time I walk away it feels so wrong 

Tell me why I never stay where I belong 

Ohhh- Take me home 

I dream of the dawn in the blue of your eyes 

Ohhh - Take me home 

What keeps me loving you 

It's easy to know when we touch 

What keeps me loving you 

It's easy to know when it's love." 

XYZ was (and is) one of those 80's hair bands that broke through at the same time as powerhouse acts like GNR and Def Leppard. They were heavy-duty enough to become the official house band for The Whiskey A Go-Go but never ranked quite well enough on the charts. Not that it matters anyway because lead singer Terry Ilous' band was produced by Don Dokken and their debut album was truly great.

It also holds up. I remember listening to "What Keeps Me Loving You" on repeat back in 1989 and I found myself doing it again just now. For me, it's the kind of power ballad the rivals the best. It's right up there with Whitesnake's "Is This Love" or Def Leppard's "Love Bites", in my opinion. Ilous just takes me there. You know, to that place where you just know you're in the wrong relationship with the wrong person? Of course, you know what I mean.

XYZ as a band, still to this day, rivals some of the best that the late '80s brought us. If you're really lucky you might catch them at a hard rock festival or on a rock cruise! In the meantime check them out below!

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Cinderella- 'Nobody's Fool'

"You take your road, I'll take mine
The paths have both been beaten
Searchin' for a change of pace
Love needs to be sweetened
I scream my heart out, just to make a dime
And with that dime I bought your love
But now I've changed my mind
I'm not your fool
Nobody's fool
Nobody's fool
I'm no fool"

Cinderella's debut album, Night Songs is more than 30 years old. THIRTY! Does that make you feel as old as it makes me feel? I'd say that Cinderella spent a few their early year's lost in a sea of fellow headbangers but when I looked back, they actually did chart pretty well. They were also innovative in that all of their first videos had a continuing storyline.

In their first video, "Shake Me" a Cinderella-type girl was transformed into a bad girl that hung with the band. Her wicked sisters (AKA the polka dot twins) were always nearby. "Nobody's Fool" picks up the story with Cinderella heading to practice with the guys but then leaving in order to make it home by midnight.

"Nobody's Fool" ended up being a really popular power ballad, with tons of radio play. MTV also had the video for it on an every four-hour loop for months. In an era where power ballads by glam rockers were everywhere, this song probably lands in my top five or six.

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Aerosmith - 'What It Takes'

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: L.A. Guns- 'The Ballad of Jayne'

Now she's breakin' hearts in heaven
Shinin' bright in the sky
I still hear her voice in the wind
I still think of you in the night, oh yeah
Well I guess you'll never know
How much I need her so

I was trying to find the perfect power ballad for this morning and this song by L.A. Guns came to mind. Back in 1989 "The Ballad of Jayne" caused many headbangers to pause for a moment and think about the lyrics. While the guys admitted that the song was originally a tribute to Hollywood icon, Jayne Mansfield, who was killed in a tragic accident, the lyrics resonated with just about everyone.

If you've ever lost anyone too soon then "The Ballad of Jayne" will hit a nerve. Phil Lewis' haunting vocal makes this one of the best ballads to come out of the 1980's. Plus it is pretty timeless. After taking a listen to "The Ballad of Jayne" for the first time in a while it occurred to me that it could have just been released yesterday. 

As for L.A. Guns, well they're still around playing shows here and there. I'm pretty sure that "The Ballad of Jayne" ends up being one of the best songs in their setlist to this day. 

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Mötley Crüe - 'You're All I Need'

"The blade of my knife

Faced away from your heart

Those last few nights

It turned and sliced you apart

This love that I tell

Now feels lonely as hell

From this padded prison cell
So many times I said
You'd only be mine

I gave my blood and my tears

And loved you cyanide

When you took my lips

I took your breath

Sometimes love's better off dead"

When it comes to power ballads, Motley Crue was deadly serious when they released "You're All I Need". It was originally written by Nikki Sixx for a girlfriend that he believed was cheating with soap star, Jack Wagner. He handed her the lyrics and never intended to turn it into an actual song but the rest of the band had another idea. They rallied for it to be included on their Girls, Girls, Girls album and won.

I remember when the video for "You're All I Need" was about to drop because MTV immediately banned it. It was filmed in black and white and showcased a young couple fighting violently until the woman is eventually killed. The Crue have always maintained that stories on the 6pm news are far worse- and they are. But I have to say, even in 2021 this video jolted me. I know that it horrifically plays out in homes all over the world and that's simply a fact. But the way that this was shot, makes it all feel very real. You can pick up the emotional rawness in it and I think that's why it was banned. 

In the 80's music relied heavily on videos to sell records and I think that the reaction to this one caused the song to stall out in the bottom half of the top 40 on Billboard's Hot 100. Check out the video below. Do you remember this?

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Cinderella- 'Nobody's Fool'

You take your road, I'll take mine
The paths have both been beaten
Searchin' for a change of pace
Love needs to be sweetened
I scream my heart out, just to make a dime
And with that dime I bought your love
But now I've changed my mind
I'm not your fool
Nobody's fool
Nobody's fool
I'm no fool

Here's a nugget for all of you glam rock fans out there. Cinderella's debut album, Night Songs is officially 30 years old. THIRTY! Does that make you feel as old as it makes me feel? I'd say that Cinderella spent a bit of their early years lots in a sea of fellow headbangers but when I looked back, they actually did chart pretty well. They were also innovative in that all of their first videos had a continuing storyline.

In their first video, "Shake Me" a Cinderella-type girl was transformed into a bad girl that hung with the band. Her wicked sisters (AKA the polka dot twins) were always nearby. "Nobody's Fool" picks up the story with Cinderella heading to practice with the guys but then leaving in order to make it home by midnight.

"Nobody's Fool" ended up being a really popular power ballad, with tons of radio play. MTV also had the video for it on an every four hour loop for months. In an era where power ballads by glam rockers were everywhere, this song probably lands in my top five or six.

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Van Halen - 'Love Walks In'

Daily Boom 90's Nostalgia: Saigon Kick- 'Love is on the Way'

"Time of season
Wipes the tears
No rhyme or reason
No more fears
All the dreamin'
Is far behind
You are here now
Everything's alright"

Is Saigon Kick one of the most underrated bands around? Their fans like to think so. After forming back in 1988 the band finally made a huge breakthrough with their 1992 hit ballad, "Love is on the Way". It made it to number 12 on Billboard's Hot 100 but more importantly, the song got tons of airplay across the country.

Technically, "Love is on the Way" is considered a one-hit-wonder but the band is still around, thirty years after the fact. I realized that I had never listened to a full album of Saigon Kick's and so I gave The Lizard a shot. You should too,  it's definitely worth a spin. In the meantime, here's "Love is on the Way".

Are you like me? Do you recognize this song a few seconds in, whenever you do hear it?

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Atlantic Starr- 'Always'

"Girl you are to me, all that a woman should be
And I dedicate my life to you always
The love like yours is grand
It must have been sent from up above
And I know you'll stay this way, for always

And we both know, that our love will grow
And forever it will be you and me
Ooh your life is sun
Chasing all the rain away."

Atlantic Starr had a female singer before they hired Barbara Weathers and singers have followed her, but none enjoyed similar success. Hers is the voice most closely associated with the group and it's her voice that you hear on songs like "Secret Lovers" and "If Your Heart Isn't In It". By the time the group's 1987 release rolled around great things were a foregone conclusion and the ballad "Always" totally delivered.

I was in tenth grade and it was the song for every couple that I knew, especially the ones that only made it three months. Let's face it, in high school a few months seemed like proof that it would last forever, didn't it?  I suspect "Always" still finds its way onto plenty of wedding playlists to this day.