Jump to content

Strut (Sheena Easton song): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→Charts: added Aus EoY chart 85
No edit summary
 
(11 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|1984 single by Sheena Easton}}
{{Short description|1984 single by Sheena Easton}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox song
{{Infobox song
| name = Strut
| name = Strut
Line 9: Line 9:
| album = [[A Private Heaven]]
| album = [[A Private Heaven]]
| B-side = Letters from the Road
| B-side = Letters from the Road
| released = August 1984 (US)<br/>26 November 1984 (UK)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1984/Music-Week-1984-11-24.pdf|title=Music Week|page=44}}</ref>
| released = August 1984
| recorded = 1984
| recorded =
| studio =
| studio =
| venue =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|[[Synthpop]]|[[dance-pop]]}}
| length = 3:59
| length = 3:59
| label = {{hlist|[[EMI America Records|EMI]]|RT Industries}}
| label =
* [[EMI America Records|EMI]]
* RT Industries
| writer = {{hlist|[[Charlie Dore]]|Julian Littman}}
| writer =
* [[Charlie Dore]]
* Julian Littman
| producer = Greg Mathieson
| producer = Greg Mathieson
| prev_title = Back in the City
| prev_title = Back in the City
Line 24: Line 27:
}}
}}


"'''Strut'''" is a song recorded by Scottish singer [[Sheena Easton]] for her album ''[[A Private Heaven]]'' (1984). It was composed by singer-songwriter [[Charlie Dore]] and her longtime songwriting partner, Julian Littman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/strut-mt0011128346|title=Strut – Sheena Easton|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=24 August 2013}}</ref> Easton was sent the [[demo (music)|demo]] for the song by [[Christopher Neil]], who was Easton's first producer.<ref>''The Vindicator'' 6 May 1985 p.21</ref> "Strut" was released by [[EMI America Records|EMI America]] in August 1984 as the album's [[lead single]] and peaked that November at {{abbr|No.|Number}} 7 on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. In the UK—where the single was released in November 1984—the track became the first US top-40 single by Easton to completely miss the top 100 of the [[UK Singles Chart]].
"'''Strut'''" is a song by Scottish singer [[Sheena Easton]] for her fifth studio album, ''[[A Private Heaven]]'' (1984). It was composed by singer-songwriter [[Charlie Dore]] and her longtime songwriting partner Julian Littman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/strut-mt0011128346|title=Strut – Sheena Easton|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=24 August 2013}}</ref> Easton was sent the [[demo (music)|demo]] for the song by [[Christopher Neil]], who was Easton's first producer.<ref>''The Vindicator'' 6 May 1985 p.21</ref> "Strut" was released by [[EMI America Records|EMI America]] in August 1984 as the album's [[lead single]] and peaked that November at {{abbr|No.|Number}} 7 on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. In the UK—where the single was released in November 1984—the track became the first US top-40 single by Easton to completely miss the top 100 of the [[UK Singles Chart]].


==Background==
==Background==
While Easton had achieved success with singles over her career, ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' asserted in 1984 that "the old Sheena Easton was running into some identity problems" due to her management not knowing whether to promote her as a rock or pop artist.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lloyd |first=Jack |date=1984-08-03 |title=Here Comes Easton's Titled Tour |pages=F34 |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1820009914 |access-date=2022-09-06 |id={{ProQuest|1820009914}} |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref> EMI record executive Dick Williams noted Easton's concerns with being branded as a [[Middle of the road (music)|middle of the road]] artist, stating, "I think she felt, as did a lot of programmers, that her image was predominantly 'pop adult' and that limited her exposure to radio and television."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Jeske |first=Lee |date=1984-09-29 |title=Sheena Easton 'Strutts' to New Heights for EMI |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox47unse_15/page/n17/mode/2up |magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |page= |access-date=2022-09-06}}</ref>{{Rp|page=SE11}}
While Easton had achieved success with singles over her career, ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' asserted in 1984 that "the old Sheena Easton was running into some identity problems" due to her management not knowing whether to promote her as a rock or pop artist.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lloyd |first=Jack |date=3 August 1984 |title=Here Comes Easton's Titled Tour |pages=F34 |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1820009914 |access-date=6 September 2022 |id={{ProQuest|1820009914}} |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref> EMI record executive Dick Williams noted Easton's concerns with being branded as a [[Middle of the road (music)|middle of the road]] artist, stating, "I think she felt, as did a lot of programmers, that her image was predominantly 'pop adult' and that limited her exposure to radio and television."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Jeske |first=Lee |date=29 September 1984 |title=Sheena Easton 'Strutts' to New Heights for EMI |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox47unse_15/page/n17/mode/2up |magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |page= |access-date=6 September 2022}}</ref>{{Rp|page=SE11}}


After seeing the success of top 10 dance-pop single "[[Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)]]", Easton wanted to keep exploring that genre and move away from her image as a ballad singer.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1984-12-08 |title=Sheena Easton Fits in Honeymoon Time |pages=E17 |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/386515795 |access-date=2022-09-06 |id={{ProQuest|386515795}} |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hunt |first=Dennis |date=1984-10-14 |title=Sheena Easton Offers Younger Sound for Fans |pages=E6 |work=[[Kenosha News]] |agency=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://access.newspaperarchive.com/us/wisconsin/kenosha/kenosha-news/1984/10-14/page-42/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-09-06 |via=[[Heritage Microfilm, Inc.|NewspaperArchive]]}}</ref> She recalled in a 1984 interview that both she and producer Greg Mathieson "wanted to keep it young, spiky and aggressive" for ''A Private Heaven'', stating that Mathieson "fought in my corner to get me songs that normally wouldn't be sent to me, songs with a more adult lyric but a younger feel."<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Adelson |first=David |date=1984-09-29 |title=Sheena Easton Talks About Sheena Easton |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox47unse_15/page/n17/mode/2up |magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |access-date=2022-09-06}}</ref>{{Rp|page=SE9}} Finding such material proved difficult; Easton noted that songs with a harder edge would be first offered to artists like [[Pat Benatar]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Connelly |first=Christopher |date=1985-05-24 |title=Easton Struts to the Top with Punchy New Tunes |pages=42S |work=[[Sun-Sentinel|Sun Sentinel]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/389802953 |access-date=2022-09-06 |id={{ProQuest|389802953}} |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref> She eventually found a suitable single in "Strut", however, after being sent a demo of the song by her friend and former producer, [[Christopher Neil]]. Neil encouraged her to take the song to Mathieson, who liked it enough to produce the track.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=SE8}}<ref name=":1" />
After the success of the top-10 single "[[Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)]]", Easton wanted to keep exploring that genre and move away from her image as a ballad singer.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 December 1984 |title=Sheena Easton Fits in Honeymoon Time |pages=E17 |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/386515795 |access-date=6 September 2022 |id={{ProQuest|386515795}} |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hunt |first=Dennis |date=14 October 1984 |title=Sheena Easton Offers Younger Sound for Fans |pages=E6 |work=[[Kenosha News]] |agency=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/wisconsin/kenosha/kenosha-news/1984/10-14/page-42/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=6 September 2022 |via=[[Heritage Microfilm, Inc.|NewspaperArchive]]}}</ref> She recalled in a 1984 interview that both she and producer Greg Mathieson "wanted to keep it young, spiky and aggressive" for ''A Private Heaven'', stating that Mathieson "fought in my corner to get me songs that normally wouldn't be sent to me, songs with a more adult lyric but a younger feel."<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Adelson |first=David |date=29 September 1984 |title=Sheena Easton Talks About Sheena Easton |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox47unse_15/page/n17/mode/2up |magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |access-date=6 September 2022}}</ref>{{Rp|page=SE9}} Finding such material proved difficult; Easton noted that songs with a harder edge would be first offered to artists like [[Pat Benatar]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Connelly |first=Christopher |date=24 May 1985 |title=Easton Struts to the Top with Punchy New Tunes |pages=42S |work=[[Sun-Sentinel|Sun Sentinel]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/389802953 |access-date=6 September 2022 |id={{ProQuest|389802953}} |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref> She eventually found a suitable single in "Strut", however, after being sent a demo of the song by her friend and former producer, [[Christopher Neil]]. Neil encouraged her to take the song to Mathieson, who liked it enough to produce the track.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=SE8}}<ref name=":1" />


== Music and lyrics ==
== Music and lyrics ==
Line 35: Line 38:


== Reception and accolades ==
== Reception and accolades ==
It was nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female]] at the [[Grammy Awards of 1985|27th Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hilburn |first=Robert |date=1985-02-24 |title=Grammy Picks: Is it Tina's Turn to Grab the Grammys? |language=en-US |website=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-24-ca-24416-story.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906170417/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-24-ca-24416-story.html |archive-date=2022-09-06}}</ref> Like its parent album overall, the "Strut" single and accompanying video signaled Easton's shift towards a more sexually suggestive image.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Jim |date=21 July 1989 |title=Easton's Formulaic Pop Singer Delivers Same Old Fluff |work=[[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref>
It was nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female]] at the [[Grammy Awards of 1985|27th Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hilburn |first=Robert |date=24 February 1985 |title=Grammy Picks: Is it Tina's Turn to Grab the Grammys? |language=en-US |website=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-24-ca-24416-story.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=6 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906170417/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-24-ca-24416-story.html |archive-date=6 September 2022}}</ref> Like its parent album overall, the "Strut" single and accompanying video signaled Easton's shift towards a more sexually suggestive image.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Jim |date=21 July 1989 |title=Easton's Formulaic Pop Singer Delivers Same Old Fluff |work=[[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref>


==Charts==
==Charts==
Line 45: Line 48:
!Chart (1984–1985)
!Chart (1984–1985)
!Peak<br/>position
!Peak<br/>position
|-
! scope="row"|Argentina ([[CAPIF]])<ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NeJDAAAAIBAJ&q=EXITOS+EN%25LATINOAMERICA&pg=PA9&article_id=1315,5163279#v=onepage|title=Las canciones más populares en Latinoamérica|newspaper=[[La Opinión (Los Angeles)]]|language=es|access-date=3 November 2023|date=24 June 1985|page=9}}</ref>
| 3
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{Cite book|title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970–1992]]|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=[[St Ives, New South Wales|St Ives, NSW]]|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6 }}</ref>
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{Cite book|title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970–1992]]|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=[[St Ives, New South Wales|St Ives, NSW]]|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6 }}</ref>
Line 75: Line 81:
!Position
!Position
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Canada Top Singles (''RPM'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.9638&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.9638.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.9638|title=Top 100 Singles of 1984|magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref>
!scope="row"|Canada Top Singles (''RPM'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.9638&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.9638.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.9638|title=Top 100 Singles of 1984|magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|via=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref>
|60
|60
|-
|-
Line 85: Line 91:
!Position
!Position
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name="aus85">{{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/SN2evHp.jpg|title=Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985|publisher=[[Kent Music Report]]|via=[[Imgur]]|access-date=January 23, 2023}}</ref>
!scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/SN2evHp.jpg|title=Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985|publisher=[[Kent Music Report]]|via=[[Imgur]]|access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref>
|61
|61
|-
|-
Line 99: Line 105:


==Popular culture==
==Popular culture==
*In 1986 Easton, dressed as a [[geisha]], performed "Strut" in a Japanese TV commercial for [[shōchū]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Okabe |first=Marie |date=1986-06-14 |title=Ads in Japan: The Face is Familiar |pages=5 |work=[[Newsday]] |agency=[[United Press International]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/285375675 |access-date=2022-09-06 |id={{ProQuest|285375675}} |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref>
*In 1986 Easton, dressed as a [[geisha]], performed "Strut" in a Japanese TV commercial for [[shōchū]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Okabe |first=Marie |date=14 June 1986 |title=Ads in Japan: The Face is Familiar |pages=5 |work=[[Newsday]] |agency=[[United Press International]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/285375675 |access-date=6 September 2022 |id={{ProQuest|285375675}} |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 105: Line 111:


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcAJ9siMseA Strut] at YouTube.com
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSp0kO-NBWw Strut] at [[YouTube]]


{{Sheena Easton}}
{{Sheena Easton}}

Latest revision as of 01:01, 9 July 2024

"Strut"
Single by Sheena Easton
from the album A Private Heaven
B-side"Letters from the Road"
ReleasedAugust 1984 (US)
26 November 1984 (UK)[1]
Length3:59
Label
  • EMI
  • RT Industries
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Greg Mathieson
Sheena Easton singles chronology
"Back in the City"
(1984) 		"Strut"
(1984) 		"Sugar Walls"
(1985)

"Strut" is a song by Scottish singer Sheena Easton for her fifth studio album, A Private Heaven (1984). It was composed by singer-songwriter Charlie Dore and her longtime songwriting partner Julian Littman.[2] Easton was sent the demo for the song by Christopher Neil, who was Easton's first producer.[3] "Strut" was released by EMI America in August 1984 as the album's lead single and peaked that November at No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the UK—where the single was released in November 1984—the track became the first US top-40 single by Easton to completely miss the top 100 of the UK Singles Chart.

Background

[edit]

While Easton had achieved success with singles over her career, The Philadelphia Inquirer asserted in 1984 that "the old Sheena Easton was running into some identity problems" due to her management not knowing whether to promote her as a rock or pop artist.[4] EMI record executive Dick Williams noted Easton's concerns with being branded as a middle of the road artist, stating, "I think she felt, as did a lot of programmers, that her image was predominantly 'pop adult' and that limited her exposure to radio and television."[5]: SE11 

After the success of the top-10 single "Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)", Easton wanted to keep exploring that genre and move away from her image as a ballad singer.[6][7] She recalled in a 1984 interview that both she and producer Greg Mathieson "wanted to keep it young, spiky and aggressive" for A Private Heaven, stating that Mathieson "fought in my corner to get me songs that normally wouldn't be sent to me, songs with a more adult lyric but a younger feel."[8]: SE9  Finding such material proved difficult; Easton noted that songs with a harder edge would be first offered to artists like Pat Benatar.[9] She eventually found a suitable single in "Strut", however, after being sent a demo of the song by her friend and former producer, Christopher Neil. Neil encouraged her to take the song to Mathieson, who liked it enough to produce the track.[8]: SE8 [9]

Music and lyrics

[edit]

The song appears to be about the singer being upset with a man for wanting her to be like a previous lover, and about the sexism of men in general for wanting or expecting women to behave in a certain fashion ("Strut, pout/Put it out/That's what you want from women").

Reception and accolades

[edit]

It was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the 27th Grammy Awards.[10] Like its parent album overall, the "Strut" single and accompanying video signaled Easton's shift towards a more sexually suggestive image.[11]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

[edit]
  • In 1986 Easton, dressed as a geisha, performed "Strut" in a Japanese TV commercial for shōchū.[27]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 44.
  2. ^ "Strut – Sheena Easton". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  3. ^ The Vindicator 6 May 1985 p.21
  4. ^ Lloyd, Jack (3 August 1984). "Here Comes Easton's Titled Tour". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. F34. ProQuest 1820009914. Retrieved 6 September 2022 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ Jeske, Lee (29 September 1984). "Sheena Easton 'Strutts' to New Heights for EMI". Cash Box. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Sheena Easton Fits in Honeymoon Time". The Globe and Mail. 8 December 1984. pp. E17. ProQuest 386515795. Retrieved 6 September 2022 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ Hunt, Dennis (14 October 1984). "Sheena Easton Offers Younger Sound for Fans". Kenosha News. Los Angeles Times. pp. E6. Retrieved 6 September 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.
  8. ^ a b Adelson, David (29 September 1984). "Sheena Easton Talks About Sheena Easton". Cash Box. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  9. ^ a b Connelly, Christopher (24 May 1985). "Easton Struts to the Top with Punchy New Tunes". Sun Sentinel. pp. 42S. ProQuest 389802953. Retrieved 6 September 2022 – via ProQuest.
  10. ^ Hilburn, Robert (24 February 1985). "Grammy Picks: Is it Tina's Turn to Grab the Grammys?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  11. ^ Sullivan, Jim (21 July 1989). "Easton's Formulaic Pop Singer Delivers Same Old Fluff". The Boston Globe.
  12. ^ "Las canciones más populares en Latinoamérica". La Opinión (Los Angeles) (in Spanish). 24 June 1985. p. 9. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  13. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. ^ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide 1975–present. Mississauga: Music Data Canada. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9628." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Sheena Easton – Strut". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  17. ^ "SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Songs S". South African Rock Lists. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Sheena Easton Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Sheena Easton Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XLVII, no. 26. 1 December 1984. p. 4. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sheena Easton – Strut" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Top 100 Singles of 1984". RPM. Retrieved 13 February 2021 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  23. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles 1984" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XLVII, no. 30. 29 December 1984. p. 8. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 23 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  25. ^ "1985 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 52. 28 December 1985. p. T-21.
  26. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Sheena Easton – Strut". Music Canada. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  27. ^ Okabe, Marie (14 June 1986). "Ads in Japan: The Face is Familiar". Newsday. United Press International. p. 5. ProQuest 285375675. Retrieved 6 September 2022 – via ProQuest.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strut_(Sheena_Easton_song)&oldid=1233428938"