A Fifties pop simp whose time was fast receding, Holliday’s second shot at glory is gloopy but pleasant. The lullaby pace brings out the best in Holliday’s slow and low croon, but really this song belongs to the doo-wop girls backing him up: their immediately appealing “baa-bum-bum-bum” seesaw riff is the first sound you hear, the main hook, and surely the major reason anyone bought it.
Score: 5
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For me, this is the perfect link between pre-rock and the Brill Building. Which, in retrospect, often seems closer to the Jerome Kern school of writing than Lennon/McCartney – Neil Sedaka, for one, would be grinning at the comparison (anyone remember his guest hosting of Sounds Of The Sixties? Yuk).
Certainly Holliday wears better than saps like Mark Wynter and singing milkman Craig Douglas. He has integrity and belief, no matter how MOR the product. Let’s not forget The Runaway Train, a staple for the Junior Choice generation which is impossible to imagine without that sonorous delivery.
The word I’m looking for is innocence. Nothing sounds forced on Starry Eyed, and the melody and delivery are so much caramel. A 7 for me.
A secondhand vinyl turn-up from a little while ago revealed that this tune benefitted from the musical direction of Norrie Paramor, who contributed to a number of hits of the era. This production is relaxed, balanced and tunefully pretty, the arrangement’s gentle percussion and the Michael Sammes singers chiming in with the equally laid-back electric guitar behind Holliday’s assured delivery. It may be from one of pop’s less fashionable periods but it’s a real pleasure to listen to, this. I’ll go for a 7 as well.
prompted by the recent(ish) poll I’m jumping back to 1960.
I find this a charming performance with a wonderful arrangement. The rhythm skips along, the backing vocals cushion the lead and there’s a twangy guitar solo to add a little touch of modernity.
Doesn’t do too much for me this one, I’m afraid. 4/10.