Hooters and Eric Bazilian: Top 50 Songs

The Hooters/ Eric Bazilian Top 50 Songs

The Hooters were a rock group formed in Philadelphia in 1980. The two consistent members through the years have been Eric Bazilian (vocals/guitar) and Rob Hyman (vocals/keyboards). The group released five studio albums from 1983 to 1993 and a sixth in 2007. The two also collaborated on the 1998 Largo project which featured various artists including Taj Mahal, Levon Helm, Cyndi Lauper, and Joan Osborne. Bazilian and Hyman were arrangers and performers on Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 She’s So Unusual album, which included the #1 song “Time After Time,” written by Hyman. The pair also performed on Joan Osborne’s 1995 Relish album, which included the top 5 hit “One of Us” written by Bazilian. Bazilian also co-wrote “Kiss the Rain” (#15, 1997) for Billie Myers and wrote or co-wrote songs for Bon Jovi, Journey, Cyndi Lauper, Amanda Marshall, Ricky Martin, the Scorpions, Patty Smyth, Ronnie Spector, Robbie Williams, and others. Bazilian has released three solo albums – The Optimist (2000), A Very Dull Boy (2002), and Bazilian (2021). In 2012, he released an album with Mats Wester called What Shall Become of the Baby? Click here to see other best-of lists from performers and here to see other best-of lists from songwriters and/or producers. Spotify Podcast: Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The Best of Eric Bazilian and the Hooters based on this list. It debuts October 19, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. (Click for codes to singles charts.) DMDB Top 1%: 1. Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper, 1983) DMDB Top 2%: 2. One of Us (Joan Osborne, 1995) DMDB Top 20%: 3. And We Danced (1985) 4. Day by Day (1985) 5. All You Zombies (1983) 6. Where Do the Children Go (Hooters with Patty Smyth, 1985) 7. Kiss the Rain (Billie Myers, 1997) 8. Johnny B (1987) 9. Satellite (1987) 10. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (live, 1986) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 11. 500 Miles (1989) 12. Karla with a “K” (1987) 13. Blowin’ in the Wind (live, 1994) 14. Brother Don’t You Walk Away (1989) 15. Morning Buzz (2007) 16. Private Emotion (Ricky Martin, cover of Hooters’ song, 1999) 17. White Jeans (2007) 18. Hanging on a Heartbeat (1983) 19. I’m Alive (2007) 20. The Boys of Summer (2007) 21. Nervous Night (1985) 22. Twenty-Five Hours a Day (1993) 23. Give the Music Back (1989) 24. Bitter Sweet Symphony (Bazilian with Greg Gould & Tania Doko, 2020) 25. Graveyard Waltz (1987) 26. Private Emotion (1993) 27. Good Thing (Bazilian & Wester, 2012) 28. Help! (Bazilian, 2020) 29. Time Stand Still (2007) 30. Ella Fitzgerald (Bazilian, 2002) 31. U.G.L.Y. (Bazilian, 2000) 32. One Light in a Dark Valley (live, 1987) 33. A Very Dull Boy (Bazilian, 2002) 34. Bigger Than the Bossa Nova (Bazilian & Wester, 2011) 35. One Way Home (1987) 36. Freedom Ride (Largo, 1998) 37. Gimme a Stone (Largo, 1998) 38. Washington’s Day (1987) 39. Fightin’ on the Same Side (1981) 40. Until You Dare (Bazilian, 2000) 41. What Shall Become of the Baby? (Bazilian & Wester, 2011) 42. All I Really Want to Do (live, 1994) 43. One Light (Bazilian, 2011) 44. Back in the 80s (Bazilian, 2021) 45. South Ferry Road (1985) 46. Man in the Street (1980) 47. Blood from a Stone (1983) 48. Don’t Knock It ‘Til You Try It (1989) 49. Boys Will Be Boys (1993) 50. These Three Chords (Bazilian & Wester, 2011) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Hooters DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Eric Bazilian DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Rob Hyman DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Largo Dave’s Music Database: “Best-of Lists for Performers” Dave’s Music Database: “Best-of Lists for Songwriters and/or Producers First posted 6/16/2021; last updated 10/19/2021.

Hooters released Five by Five EP

Five by Five Hooters

Released: July 9, 2010 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: rock

Tracks: Song Title [time] Pissing in the Rhine [2:37] Silver Lining [3:54] One of Us [4:52] Time After Time [3:46] Really Fine Wine [3:12] The Players: Eric Bazilian (vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, saxophone) Rob Hyman (vocals, keyboards, accordion, melodica) John Lilley (guitar, mandolin, dobro, keyboards, backing vocals) Fran Smith Jr. (bass, backing vocals) David Uosikkinen (drums, percussion)

Rating: 3.767 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings)

About the Album: While this is only a five-song EP, it is a pretty important addition to the Hooters’ discography. The band achieved popularity in the 1980s after Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman both served as players and arrangers on Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 blockbuster She’s So Unusual. The album produced the #1 hit Time After Time, which was written by Hyman and Lauper. While the band have often performed the song and even included a live version on their Hooterization greatest-hits compilation, this is their first studio recording of the song. After gaining attention because of Lauper, the Hooters had three top-40 hits of their own from their 1985 Nervous Night album. Four of the five players from that album are featured in this, the 2010 lineup. The fifth player, Fran Smith, Jr., came on board in 1987. That lineup made three more studio albums with One Way Home (1987), Zig Zag (1989), and Out of Body (1993) before going on hiatus. Unlike so many reunions, however, when the band returned in 2007 for the Time Stand Still album, it was a genuine return of the same guys who’d made those aforementioned albums. That same quintet came back in 2010 to record this EP. In the interim, Bazilian released a pair of solo albums and wrote or co-wrote songs for a slew of artists. The most notable song from that era was One of Us, a song recorded by Joan Osborne for her 1995 album Relish. The clever lyrics mused about “what if God was one of us.” The song reached the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnered three Grammy nominations. Like “Time After Time,” the Hooters have often performed the song live. Bazilian recorded it as an unlisted bonus track on his 2000 album The Optimist. It makes its first appearance as a studio recording by the Hooters on Five by Five. While EP’s are typically placeholders to keep fans happy while prepping a full-fledged studio album, that wasn’t the case here. The Hooters did come back in 2012 to record the song If I Should Fall Behind, but as of this writing, they had yet to return to the studio to record a full-fledged album. However, the inclusion of “Time After Time” and “One of Us” on this set makes this an essential part of a Hooters library.

Resources and Related Links: WK Wikipedia First posted 6/16/2021.

The Hooters reunited for Time Stand Still

Time Stand Still Hooters

Released: September 14, 2007 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: rock

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] I’m Alive [4:08] (single, --) Time Stand Still [3:52] (single, --) The Boys of Summer (Don Henley, Mike Campbell) [4:58] Until I Find You Again [4:08] Until You Dare [4:47] Morning Buzz [3:38] Where the Wind May Blow [3:42] Catch of the Day [3:03] Ordinary Lives (Hyman, Bazilian, Lilley) [5:04] Free Again [6:54] White Jeans [4:08] Songs written by Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian unless noted otherwise. Total Running Time: 48:35 The Players: Eric Bazilian (vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, saxophone) Rob Hyman (vocals, keyboards, accordion, melodica) John Lilley (guitar, mandolin, dobro, keyboards, backing vocals) Fran Smith Jr. (bass, backing vocals) David Uosikkinen (drums, percussion)

Rating: 3.564 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: The Hooters got their start in Philadelphia in the early ‘80s. They “mixed a wide range of musical styles from pop, ska, folk and new wave” ACF through five studio albums, before going on hiatus. Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian, the pair of singer/songwriters at the core of the group, continued to write and play for other musicians including Mick Jagger, Bon Jovi, Journey, Ricky Martin, LeAnn Rimes, the Scorpions, and Patty Smyth. They even helmed a few projects of their own, Hyman spearheaded 1998’s Largo project with a slew of guest musicians. Bazilian released a couple of solo albums and wrote Joan Osborne’s 1996 Grammy Record of the Year nominee “One of Us.” 14 years later, they return with Time Stand Still. “For a moment, it sounds like time has done just that as the opening track, I’m Alive, jolts listeners back to the group’s heyday in 1985 when they had a multi-platinum album, top 40 hits like ‘And We Danced’…and the world at their feet.” MG Part of the reason for the seamless transition from then until now is the consistent lineup. Eric Bazilian, Rob Hyman, and David Uosikkinen were original members of the band. John Lilley joined in 1983 and Fran Smith Jr. in 1987. As Hyman says, “we took a long break and finally over various years and for various reasons, it became obvious that it’s time to make another record.” We had 10 or 12 years of stuff we were playing live, ideas we had accumulated – demos here and there.” ACF As Bazilian says, “‘When Rob and I got together in June of ‘06 to take stock of songs we had done separately and together, it was pretty obvious whatever creative blocks the two of us had we had gotten over…We have our – I wouldn’t even call them battles, we have our struggles. But it’s so clear now we have the same goal, the same vision.’” MG Hyman commented on what it’s like to take so much time between albums. “It almost feels like another debut, after that much time away from really writing…You have all these years to make your debut album. So you have all this music stored up, then all of sudden you have to crank them out faster.” ACF The reunion was sparked by a handful of tours in the new millennium and the VH1 Save the Music Foundation show in New York City. Groups from the ‘80s were asked to perform their own material and a song from the ‘80s they wished they’d written. As Hyman says, “Eric and I loved the invitation and we started scratching our heads trying to find a song we both liked and that we could do justice to…We landed on [Don Henley’s 1984] Boys of Summer…and we did a duo version at this gig. It was fantastic and over the years we started playing it live in the show. So when we went into the studio, enough people had been bugging us to record it and see what happened. And finding a different take on the song, a sadness, as a ballad worked for us.” ACF It turned into an “excellent acoustic cover” ACF that was “more haunting than Henley could have ever conceived.” ACF As Hyman says, “It also get in with the themes of the record. Time Stand Still is…about being a band for 25 years and being alive literally and time standing still. And ‘Boys of Summer’ had a whole nostalgic feel to it.” ACF That song and “their original Ordinary Lives showcases the softer side” ACF of the Hooters. Hyman describes it as “a simple song about books, music and experiences that feel your life, how art affects you and friendship affects you. Things that take you out of your ordinary world. There’s that line ‘extraordinary moments, ordinary lives.’ That one came together quickly, the good ones always seem to happen that way. Eric and I were playing acoustic guitars at his house one day, we were like ‘hey let’s record that.’ And the band enjoyed cutting it. That was really a live take. I don’t remember if it was a first take, it might have been. It felt so natural and easy in a way.” ACF “Most of the album is in full-on rock mode” ACF marked by “uplifting, positive songs and excellent musicianship that showcases their skills as a tight unit.” ACF “Unlike some artists who think staying relevant means running from what makes you unique, the Hooters weren’t afraid to make use of what they do best. Within reason. ‘There are times when we’ll do something and say, ‘That sounds too much like us. It sounds like us in 1986,’ laughs Bazilian. ‘It has to sound like us, but not sound like something we've done already.’” MG The Hooters previewed some of the songs during live shows in 2005 and 2006. WK One cut, Until You Dare, first surfaced on Eric Bazilian’s 2000 solo album The Optimist. “Even though time has passed, their music has stood the test of time and this release…solidifies them as a band that hasn’t lost touch both musically and spiritually to what made The Hooters one of the most interesting and hard-to-peg acts of the last 20 years.” ACF

Resources and Related Links: ACF A.C. Ferrante (3/6/2008). iF Magazine MG Michael Glitz (3/1/2008). New York Daily News WK Wikipedia.org Other Related DMDB Pages: Last updated 8/9/2021.

Hooters One Way Home charted

One Way Home Hooters

Charted: August 8, 1987 Peak: 27 US, -- UK, -- CN, 81 AU Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Genre: mainstream rock

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Satellite (8/22/87, 61 US, 13 AR, 26 CO, 22 UK) Karla with a K (12/26/87, 47 AR, 33 CO, 81 UK) Johnny B (7/11/87, 61 US, 3 AR, 24 CO, 74 AU) Graveyard Waltz Fightin’ on the Same Side One Way Home Washington’s Day Hard Rockin’ Summer Engine 999 Total Running Time: 42:45 The Players: Eric Bazilian (vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin, saxophone) Rob Hyman (vocals, keyboards, melodica) Andy King (bass, vocals) John Lilley (guitar) David Uosikkinen (drums)

Rating: 3.769 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)

About the Album: “Most of 80s pop fans remember Hooters only through… [1985’s] Nervous Night…that produced two top-20 hits ‘And We Danced’ and ‘Day by Day.’” S5 While that album “is an outstanding classic, if you really want to know Hooters, the second purchase might be this one.” S5 “The Hooters took a huge risk when it came time for their second album. One Way Home took a major stylistic leap away from the edgy new wave hybrids on their multi-platinum Nervous Night, forsaking what gave them MTV hits for a more rootsy sound. Mandolins and accordions added a tenor to the songs more on line with John Mellemcamp or Don Henley than the almost punky feeling of the debut.” TB “Eric Brazillan and Rob Hyman were stretching themselves as songwriters, even if the commercial rewards weren’t as immediate.” TB “One Way Home is a striking album because of that.” TB “Satellite, was a semi-political rant about televangelists” TB whose sound “well represents the album tinged with good-ol' American traditional music.” S5 “Karla with a K had Celtic undertones that made it a real standout.” TB The song came about from jamming on the road in Louisiana. It was inspired by an Irish street singer who the band met while in New Orleans. WK “Graveyard Waltz is written in 6/8 time.” TB The latter is a “well-structured, dynamic and melancholic masterpiece track which requires repeated listens.” S5 Fightin’ on the Same Side, which was first featured on 1983’s Amore, “in contrast, is upbeat one though themed with Civil War era America.” S5 “Should you be looking for songs more reflective of that initial fizzy pop explosion of the debut will find it on Hard Rocking Summer and Engine 999.” TB The former “is somewhat similar in style to John Cafferty, hard-crunching rock song” S5 while the latter is a “pure pop song extension of their debut album.” S5 “What they did, though, was add some grit to the slickness, and The Hooters were ahead of the curve on One Way Home.” TB

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Hooters TB Amazon.com customer review by Tim Brough S5 Amazon.com customer review by susumu-5 WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 2/15/2008; last updated 8/19/2021.

Hooters’ “All You Zombies” charted

All You Zombies Hooters

Writer(s): Eric Bazilian, Rob Hyman (see lyrics here) First Recorded: April 11, 1981 First Released: 1982 First Charted: May 11, 1985 Peak: 58 US, 11 AR, 12 CO, 8 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 13.0 video, 18.4 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Hooters first recorded “All You Zombies” live on April 11, 1981 at the Emerald City nightclub in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. WK Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman, the songwriters, considered it “too quirky to be a hit,” SF but when they did a live concert for Philadelphia radio station WMMR, the station was flooded with requests for the song. SF It was released as a single in 1982. Another version was included on their 1983 independent debut album, Amore. Two years later, a longer version appeared on their major label debut, Nervous Night. It was released as the first single in support of that album. It was a minor hit in terms of its Billboard Hot 100 appearance, but reached #11 on the album rock chart and #8 in Australia. It was also a top-20 hit in New Zealand and Germany. The song “mingles mentions of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments and Noah building his ark with warnings to people ‘sittin’ in high places’ that ‘the pieces gonna fall on you.’” CT Hyman said of the controversy created by the Bibilca images that “the spirituality of it wasn’t premeditated…There was no real agenda on our part.” SF We were “just combining those kind of icons and images with this reggae beat.” SF Bazilian said, “Even though we wrote it, I still feel very much on the outside of it…We’re still trying to really understand the song.” CT Hyman said it was the fastest song they had written “that was of any quality.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Hooters CT Chicago Tribune (9/6/1985). “Just What Does ‘Zombies’ Say?” by Tom Popson SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/13/2021; last updated 10/28/2022.

 

Hooters Nervous Night released

Nervous Night Hooters

Released: May 6, 1985 Peak: 12 US, -- UK, 39 CN, 12 AU Sales (in millions): 2.0 Genre: mainstream rock

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. And We Danced (8/3/85, 21 US, 23 CB, 21 RR, 3 AR, 6 CO, 51 CN, 6 AU) Day by Day (12/14/85, 18 US, 25 CB, 22 RR, 3 AR, 6 CO, 66 CN, 55 AU) All You Zombies (5/11/85, 58 US, 11 AR, 12 CO, 8 AU) Don’t Take My Car Out Tonight Nervous Night Hanging on a Heartbeat Where Do the Children Go (with Patty Smyth) (4/5/86, 38 US, 37 CB, 34 RR, 34 AR, 7 CO, 98 CN) South Ferry Road She Comes in Colors Blood from a Stone Total Running Time: 43:07 The Players: Eric Bazilian (vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin, saxophone) Rob Hyman (vocals, keyboards, melodica) Andy King (bass, vocals) John Lilley (guitar) David Uosikkinen (drums)

Rating: 4.136 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings) Quotable: “A defining record not only for the band, but for 1985” – Kenyon Hopkin, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: The Hooters released their first album, 1983’s Amore, independently. The 100,000 in sales they achieved with the album was enough to impress Columbia Records who signed the band to a multi-album deal. The group also gained exposure because members Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman were contributing musicians and writers to Cyndi Lauper’s mega-successful She’s So Unusual album. The album’s #1 song, “Time After Time,” was co-written by Hyman. With the power of a major label behind them for their sophomore outing, 1985’s Nervous Night, they scored a top-20, double-platinum album thanks to three top-40 hits. The lead single, All You Zombies, “refers to stories in the Bible.” AMG It did not reach the top 40 but “is the band’s most powerful moment.” AMG That song, Hanging on a Heartbeat, and Blood from a Stone were initially released on Amore but recorded for Nervous Night. Nervous Night “was a defining record not only for the band, but for 1985 itself. Filled to the brim with fun, danceable new wave-ish rock, the album is a wonderful representation of a lighthearted era. The peppy vocals of keyboardist Rob Hyman and guitarist Eric Bazilian give the band an assured, happy energy, while the sporadic use of the mandolin and melodica (a combination harmonica/keyboard) gives the group its distinctive sound.” AMG “And We Danced and Day by Day became instant pop hits, but the remainder of Nervous Night is almost as strong. Where Do the Children Go “showed that the Hooters could be serious and dramatic as well as upbeat.” AMG “Although the band wasn’t able to maintain its momentum with subsequent records, Nervous Night remains a noteworthy contribution to mid-‘80s rock and doesn’t sound quite as dated as the work of some of the band’s contemporaries.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Hooters AMG All Music Guide review by Kenyon Hopkin WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 2/15/2008; last updated 8/19/2021.

Cyndi Lauper hit #1 with “Time after Time”

Time After Time Cyndi Lauper

Writer(s): Rob Hyman, Cyndi Lauper (see lyrics here) Released: January 27, 1984 First Charted: March 24, 1984 Peak: 12 US, 11 CB, 13 RR, 13 AC, 10 AR, 1 CO, 3 UK, 13 CN, 6 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.5 US, 0.85 UK, 2.45 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 433.44 video, 409.07 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Cyndi Lauper won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1985. She landed the big four nominations that year – the others being for Album of the Year (She’s So Unusual), Record of the Year (“Girls Just Want to Have Fun”), and Song of the Year (“Time After Time”). “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” introduced the world to the quirky singer who Newsweek called “a new-wave Gracie Allen.” FB It was an “ebullient song that…branded her in the eyes of some as a clever novelty who would fade after one hit.” FB It was her second single, the “poignant ‘Time After Time,’” FB which made it clear that Lauper was an artist to be enjoyed and taken seriously. Slant magazine’s Sal Cinquemani said it may be “Lauper’s greatest moment.” WK Lauper’s producer, Rick Chertoff, was friends with the Philadelphia-based band the Hooters. He brought them in as Lauper’s backup band and, when he insisted the album needed one more song, tapped the band’s Rob Hyman to help Lauper write it. Both songwriters were struggling with their romantic relationships, but managed to craft what has been considered one of the best love songs of all time. WK Hyman said, “it’s a deceptively simple song. The verses are just a little repeating three-note motif – almost like a nursery rhyme…The mood of the lyrics came from both of us…We realized it wasn’t such a bouncy song, but it was a little more bittersweet and a little deeper in its feeling…so the music started to change.” SF Nerve said “Lauper’s most enduring masterpiece hits at the very essence of commitment…she captures real romance in the most simple and straightforward of lines.” WK Blogcritics’ Pam Avoledo speculated that in the song, Lauper views herself as “a difficult person, unworthy of love. She runs away and shuts people out. However, her devoted boyfriend who loves her unconditionally is willing to help her through anything. The relationship is given depth. The couple’s intimacy and history is apparent. They’ve been together for a long time. They love and have seen each through every tough part of their life.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Cyndi Lauper FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 589. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/2/2021; last updated 10/28/2022.