The Scottish chanteuse Sheena Easton made a home in the American pop charts throughout the 80s. She progressed from a chipper purveyor of innocent pop to a sultry powerhouse who could handle edgier material.
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As it turns out, she knocked out seven Top 10 hits as a lead artist. (We’re not counting her collaboration with Prince on “U Got The Look” here, as she was a featured artist in that case.) Here are the five songs from Easton that made the biggest chart impact in the US.
5. “Strut” – No. 7 in 1984
Some artists let their career direction get away from them and can’t change their course before it’s too late. To Easton’s credit, she understood that she was getting pigeonholed as a singer of genteel ballads. For that reason, she fought to get material that was a bit more pop and young-skewing. “Strut”, from her 1984 album A Private Heaven, started her in that direction. Of course, it was up to her to adequately inhabit the material, which she did. The Prince-written “Sugar Walls”, released as the follow-up single, pushed even harder in an edgy direction.
4. “For Your Eyes Only” – No. 6 in 1981
It wasn’t all that common for James Bond themes to be recorded by artists as early in their career as Easton was at the time. She took full advantage of the opportunity, even showing up in the opening credits of For Your Eyes Only to lip-synch the song. That’s the only time a performer has done that in a Bond movie. Bill Conti wrote the music, and Mick Leeson handled the lyrics. Leeson had to rearrange the lyrics when producers wanted the song title up front to coincide with the opening credits.
3. “We’ve Got Tonight” (with Kenny Rogers) – No. 4 in 1983
Easton’s 1982 album Madness, Money & Music was the first one of her LPs to lack any big hit singles. Seeking course correction, her label looked for a duet with an established artist as a boost. The choice of Kenny Rogers was inspired, as the contrast in styles and vocal cadences proved unique. They also chose the song well. Bob Seger had a hit with the ballad as part of his monster 1978 album Stranger In Town. The late-night sweet-talking within the lyrics proved ideal for the he-said, she-said approach.
2. “The Lover In Me” – No. 2 in 1988
Easton was four years removed from her last significant US hit when she recorded this song in 1988. It’s easy to be cynical and say that the song succeeded because of the pedigree of its creators. L.A. Reid and Babyface produced and co-wrote it with frequent collaborator Daryl Simmons. But Easton also had to carry off the R&B moves without sounding out of place. This would be her last Top 10 splash in America. She did score minor subsequent hits with “The Arms Of Orion” (a duet with Prince from the Batman soundtrack) and “What Comes Naturally”.
1. “9 To 5 (Morning Train)” – No. 1 in 1980
The big break for Easton came when she appeared in a British documentary that took a look at up-and-coming pop singers. Easton had to endure criticism from some of the music industry powers that be, criticism that was then broadcast to the entire UK. Audiences watching the show, however, took to Easton’s personality and were ready to make her a star. Of course, none of that mattered much in the US, where her ebullient take on songwriter Florrie Palmer’s fun but slight “9 To 5 (Morning Train)” blasted its way right to No. 1.
Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
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