Raiders of The Lost Record Crate: ELECTRIC AVENUE by Eddy Grant (1983)

Workin' so hard like a soldier
Can't afford a thing on TV
Deep in my heart I'm a warrior
Can't get food for them kid, good God

One of the pivotal moments in the history of MTV involved the second single from Michael Jackson’s Thriller, “Billie Jean.”  While MTV had a black VJ in the late J.J. Jackson, they considered black music not ‘rock’ enough for their 'rock' video channel.  This didn’t sit well with the music industry--both Rick James and David Bowie were vocal in their criticism during 1982--and CBS Records President Walter Yetnikoff threatened to pull all CBS artists from the network if they didn’t run Jackson’s video.  MTV blinked, the video was put on heavy rotation, and history was made.

Of course, the immediate aftershock of “Billie Jean”’s phenomenal reception was that MTV was hungry for black artists who fit into their mold....which is why a Barbados-based reggae singer became a one-hit wonder in the United States, based probably on a rather engaging video.

Eddy Grant was a veteran of the music scene, and probably would have had a place in music history by being a member of The Equals, one of the first racially integrated pop bands in the UK.  You know that Clash hit “Police On My Back?” He wrote that.  In 1982, his sixth album, Killer on The Rampage, netted him two hits in England, “I Don’t Wanna Dance” and this track.  Looking at the success of “Billie Jean” on MTV and already having a great video for the song, CBS decided to release “Electric Avenue” here in the States...and ended up being number two on Billboard’s Hot 100 for five weeks.

The thing I love about this song (Hope you like solarization!) is that it’s true to its reggae roots but is its own thing.  It’s got a great riff, an even greater hook, and decent lyrics.  And it rocks.  It’s danceable, but has a grimy, almost punkish edge.  It is alien to mainstream pop ears--but it’s not so alien as to be a novelty, as Nena‘s “99 Luftballons” or Falco‘s “Rock Me, Amadeus” were.  It works as a thing all its own, which is pretty amazing, especially in a mainstream culture that wasn’t ready to embrace other genres.

Video courtesy of Hot Videos.