When is the last time you heard a saxophone on a Top 40 radio station? With the exception of maybe the Dave Matthews Band and the occasional song like The Heavy’s “How You Like Me Now?”, the sax has been all but forgotten over the past 20 years.
I’ve come up with a way for President Obama to create some new jobs in America: make all pop music artists hire a saxophone player for their next album! There must be hundreds of 80s sax players that are currently unemployed or playing “Careless Whisper” at the food court for a few laughs.
From Billy Joel to Billy Ocean, Wham to Wang Chung, the saxophone thrived in 80s popular music. Many hits throughout the decade used the saxophone for a bridge solo or to provide a catchy hook throughout the song. Since esaxophoneharmony.com has yet to materialize, I’m going to hook up some modern day bands with some 80s saxophone players that might be looking for a steady job:
Men At Work’s Greg Ham with Jet
The Australian band Jet hit it big in 2003 with “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.” They have seemed to disappear since then, so who better to saxify their career than fellow countryman Greg Ham of Men at Work? Greg’s memorable sax solos and other woodwind contributions helped Men At Work reach the top of the U.S. charts in the early 80s. “Who Can It Be Now“ was a #1 song for the band in 1981 and a couple years later, a great sax riff in “Overkill” helped them vault to #3. Ham helped the band earn a Grammy in 1983, so who’s to say he couldn’t help Jet do the same?
INXS’ Kirk Pengilly with Wolfmother
Wolfmother is another Australian band that has achieved some alternative rock success over the past 5 years with hits like “Woman.” Their self-titled album reached #22 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2005 and the follow up Cosmic Egg made it to #16 in 2009. But adding fellow countryman Kirk Pengilly of INXS to their lineup would definitely help push them to new heights. Kirk’s sax play was an intricate part to the success of INXS throughout the late 80s (and early 90s.) Hits like “What You Need”, “Never Tear Us Apart”, and “New Sensation” really showcase that Pengilly’s saxophone play and the potential he could bring to Wolfmother’s success in the US.
Charles DeChant of Hall & Oates with the Jonas Brothers
Here in the US, the Jonas Brothers have been “Burnin’ Up” the iPods of teenage girls over the last few years. They’ve had two songs that have cracked the top ten but adding a saxophone edge to their music could help them appeal to a wider audience. So let’s introduce them to Charles “Mr. Casual” DeChant, saxophone player for multi-platinum selling pop rock group Hall and Oates! DeChant has been with them since the band’s beginning in the early 70s and is the saxophone you hear on #1 hits “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” and “Maneater” from the early 80s. And since Hall and Oates have not had a top ten hit since 1988, I’d say DeChant is primed to give the Jonas Brothers an “Adult Education” in chart topping hits.
There are also some solo artists that could use some saxification. I think Beyonce could learn a thing or two from sax sounds in Tina Turner hits like “We Don’t Need Another Hero” and “The Best.” The saxophone really complements Tina’s soulful voice on these tracks. It also couldn’t hurt for these American Idol guys that are trying to have a music career (take your pick, they all sound the same) and look back at artists like Eddie Money and Glen Frey and how they incorporated the saxophone in their music. One artist I will commend is Lady Gaga because I think her popularity can be attributed to her willingness to go old school. Two tracks on her Born This Way album feature saxophone legend Clarence Clemmons from the E Street Band (plus, she’s even known to play the keytar in concert.) So there is at least one artist stimulating the economy in the present time. I never thought I’d say that today’s music can learn a lot from Lady Gaga, but her use of the saxophone is what top 40 radio needs!
Here are some of my other saxophone faves from the 80s. What are yours?
Foreigner “Urgent”, Duran Duran “Rio”, Spandau Ballet “True”, Corey Hart “Never Surrender”
Jason Gross is a child of the 80s and loves to subject his two sons to cartoons, tv, movies, and music from the decade. Currently promoting a M.A.S.K. live-action movie script (co-writer) and also enjoys freelance writing about 80s music & pop culture. Background includes radio broadcasting and B2B direct marketing. Follow Jason on Twitter @SockOfFleagulls and check out both awesome sites:
M.A.S.K. the Movie Rediscover the 80s
