Monday, July 16, 2007

Second Singles By One-Hit Wonders, Part Three: Rockwell Needs To Fucking Relax

In 1984, Rockwell bravely overcame the considerable handicap of being the son of Motown founder Berry Gordy- not to mention the vocal assist from mid-"Thriller" Michael Jackson- to top the charts with "Somebody's Watching Me." The single was pure audio Monet: lovely and hooky from a distance, baffling up close. The not-quite-danceable beat? The paranoia? The pre-Tony Sinclair posh British faux-accent that comes and goes?

So it's no surprise that Rockwell came face-to-face with the Law of Diminishing Returns when he went back to the well for single #2, "Obscene Phone Caller." Though the video does illustrate the song's gender confusion nicely. Enjoy, Mister or Miss!

No comments: