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Someday... you'll appreciate this (song commentary)
7. Sunset People (Bellotte/Faltermeyer/Forsey), from Bad Girls, 1979, Casablanca (Disco Queen)
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| Sunset Strip in 2001 not far from where Casablanca's offices were located
(about five blocks to the left side of this photo). Images of the Material Girl had replaced those of The First Lady of
Love. |
The quintessential LA song. Call me partial, but I can certainly understand the allure of this track even if released as part of another album
completely. In its conclusive role on the double-album Bad Girls, Donna returns us full circle to where the story of the concept album all
began. Our heroine starts on the street, looks for love in all the wrong places with no
luck, and ends up right back where she started from, smarter for having made the journey and able to see behind the smoke and
mirrors, as well as underneath the tinsel. We have all heard how "Bad
Girls" the single became reality when a coworker at Casablanca records encountered the LAPD coming back from
lunch, in broad daylight, on suspicion of prostitution. While things may have changed on The Strip in 25
years, the offices of Casablanca were somewhat distant from the section of Sunset
Boulevard where most of the for-hire action takes place. Donna's flawless delivery of the incredibly vivid description is disco-star glamorous yet tinged with the grittiness of the underside of tinsel
town, so not as pure as "I Feel Love" or "Wasted." She brings the celebrity fantasy to life and keeps us cognizant of the
hookers, female and male ("smooth haired guys, thumbin' rides, lining up from side to side…), and the sacrifices that go along with stardom
("tinted glass to hide the scars…") through both her vocals and perhaps her personal
experience. Giorgio's synths again keep impeccable time and back beat an
excited, chest pounding heartbeat and energy that accurately conjures up the feeling of being on The Strip any night of the week while taking full advantage of the commerciality of harmonically ascending bass lines so characteristic of high disco in 1979. Released as a single in the
UK, this record peaked at #46. Rolling Stone acclaimed "Sunset
People" as "best bet" along with "Lucky" back in 1979. While it received club play in the US as well as radio, and thankfully is included on Anthology and The Ultimate
Collection, it is woefully unremembered or dismissed as plastic. Well, isn't that what Hollywood really is,
anyway? Brava, Donna et al.
(Written by David Thornton)
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK TO BUY THIS SONG AT iTUNES: Sunset People
