It took me a long time before I figured out how sexy a song The Pointer Sisters’ “Slow Hand” is. Hell, when this song was popular, I was 5 and had no idea what June, Anita and Ruth were singing about. I just knew that I liked the song. The rest of the American public liked it too, as it was the Sisters’ second single to reach the runner-up position on the singles chart. The song that held it off? “Endless Love” by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie. There should be a special wing in the Billboard chart hits museum (if there was one) for songs that got denied the #1 position by “event” records (charity songs, once-in-a-lifetime pairings), like whatever song got stuck at #2 behind “We Are the World” or Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna…”, which got held from the top spot by that awful Elton John Princess Diana tribute.
Did you know that Conway Twitty remade “Slow Hand” and turned it into a #1 country hit? For some reason, I feel a lot more comfortable with Anita Pointer singing it to me. Just saying.
This song generally doesn’t get mentioned when steamy slow jams are discussed, but it certainly should be.
3 comments
JUSIPER says:
Apr 11, 2011
You know, this is one of my most favoritest songs of all time. It took me a long time to find out what it was about, too.
Didn’t “I’ve Been Waiting For a Girl Like You” at one point hold the record for most weeks at #2? What was/were the record(s) that held it back?
blerd says:
Apr 11, 2011
“Physical” by Olivia Newton-John and “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” by Hall & Oates.
JUSIPER says:
Apr 11, 2011
Ouch. I do remember that that the culprit in the case of “Dancing in the Dark” was “When Doves Cry.”