Suddenly
by Billy Ocean
Released September 12, 1984
Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Leslie Sebastian Charles moved to England at age 10. By the end of the 1960s, he was playing in bands as Les Charles, and in 1976, he recorded his debut album with his new stage name, Billy Ocean. His first four albums yielded a single U.S. Top 40 hit. Then came Suddenly.
Suddenly integrated Ocean’s soulful voice with a danceable R&B sound on the fast numbers, but used minimal piano and strings on the title track. The result was three Top 5 hits in America. “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)” reached No. 1 and netted a Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Grammy. The title track, “Suddenly,” hit No. 4.
The real banger on this album is “Loverboy,” a No. 2 smash that was denied the top spot by the dominance of Wham!’s “Careless Whisper.” In addition to an incredible bag of ’80s instrumental weapons, Ocean went all out on the vocals for “Loverboy,” no doubt egged on by the track’s co-producer, “Mutt” Lange, who famously brought chart success to AC/DC and Shania Twain. For an added treat, head to YouTube for the bonkers Star Wars-inspired music video.
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