Hey Ricky
Encyclopedia
Hey Ricky is the title of the tenth album release by by Melissa Manchester
issued on Arista Records
in April 1982.
During the interim between the release of Hey Ricky and that of the precedent For the Working Girl
in September 1980 Manchester had attempted to extricate herself from her recording contract, filing suit in May 1981 for contractual release from Arista. However it was announced that October that the singer and label had reached terms and the track "Race to the End" - a vocal version of the Chariots of Fire
theme - was recorded for single release. The producer was Arif Mardin
who had previously collaborated with Manchester in 1979 on "Theme from Ice Castles".
Mardin proceeded to collaborate with Manchester on the tracks which would comprise the album Hey Ricky released in April 1982. The lead single "You Should Hear How She Talks About You
" radically invented Manchester as a synthpop
dance artist and was heavily promoted by the singer who displayed a new image complementing the track; "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" accrued gradual interest entering the Top 40 of the "Billboard" Hot 100
in July 1982 proceeding to the Top Ten that August with a career best peak for Manchester at #5. The single's popularity was reflected in that of its parent album which Billboard
ranked with a #19 peak.
The other cuts on Hey Ricky included the 1981 "Race to the End" single, a duet with David Gates
: "Wish We Were Heroes"; a new version of "Come in From the Rain" introduced by Manchester on her 1976 Better Days and Happy Endings album; and "Your Place or Mine" from the soundtrack
of the feature film A Little Sex
. The album's title cut - written with Bernie Taupin
- was issued as the followup to "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" but failed to chart. After a 1983 Greatest Hits album release Manchester would part company with Arista, retaining the dance artist focus of her "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" hit for two albums with MCA after which she seemingly retired as a career recording artist, with four subsequent album releases between 1989 and 2004.
Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Beginning in the 1970s, she has recorded generally in the adult contemporary genre. She has also appeared as an actress on television, in films, and on stage....
issued on Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
in April 1982.
During the interim between the release of Hey Ricky and that of the precedent For the Working Girl
For the Working Girl
For the Working Girl is the title of the ninth album release by singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester released by Arista Records.Recorded at Northstar Studios in Boulder, Colorado in the summer of 1980, For the Working Girl reteamed Manchester with Steve Buckingham producer of the singer's 1979...
in September 1980 Manchester had attempted to extricate herself from her recording contract, filing suit in May 1981 for contractual release from Arista. However it was announced that October that the singer and label had reached terms and the track "Race to the End" - a vocal version of the Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British film. It tells the fact-based story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice....
theme - was recorded for single release. The producer was Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco, and country...
who had previously collaborated with Manchester in 1979 on "Theme from Ice Castles".
Mardin proceeded to collaborate with Manchester on the tracks which would comprise the album Hey Ricky released in April 1982. The lead single "You Should Hear How She Talks About You
You Should Hear How She Talks About You
"You Should Hear How She Talks About You" is a 1982 Top Ten single performed by Melissa Manchester from her album Hey Ricky.First recorded by Charlie Dore for her 1981 Listen! album, "You Should Hear..." was written by Dean Pitchford and Thomas R. Snow...
" radically invented Manchester as a synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
dance artist and was heavily promoted by the singer who displayed a new image complementing the track; "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" accrued gradual interest entering the Top 40 of the "Billboard" Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in July 1982 proceeding to the Top Ten that August with a career best peak for Manchester at #5. The single's popularity was reflected in that of its parent album which Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
ranked with a #19 peak.
The other cuts on Hey Ricky included the 1981 "Race to the End" single, a duet with David Gates
David Gates
David Gates is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group Bread, which reached the tops of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame...
: "Wish We Were Heroes"; a new version of "Come in From the Rain" introduced by Manchester on her 1976 Better Days and Happy Endings album; and "Your Place or Mine" from the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the feature film A Little Sex
A Little Sex
A Little Sex is a 1982 comedy film by MTM Enterprises and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Bruce Paltrow and written by Robert De Laurentiis...
. The album's title cut - written with Bernie Taupin
Bernie Taupin
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
- was issued as the followup to "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" but failed to chart. After a 1983 Greatest Hits album release Manchester would part company with Arista, retaining the dance artist focus of her "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" hit for two albums with MCA after which she seemingly retired as a career recording artist, with four subsequent album releases between 1989 and 2004.
Track listing
- You Should Hear How She Talks About YouYou Should Hear How She Talks About You"You Should Hear How She Talks About You" is a 1982 Top Ten single performed by Melissa Manchester from her album Hey Ricky.First recorded by Charlie Dore for her 1981 Listen! album, "You Should Hear..." was written by Dean Pitchford and Thomas R. Snow...
- 4:18 (Dean Pitchford, Tom Snow) - Slowly - 3:31 (Ken Bell, Terry Skinner, Gerry L. Wallace)
- Hey Ricky (You're A Low Down Heel) - 4:15 (Melissa Manchester, Bernie TaupinBernie TaupinBernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
) - I'll Always Love You - 3:32 (Snow, Eric Kaz)
- Race To The End - 3:52 (VangelisVangelisEvangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
, Jon AndersonJon AndersonJon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
) - Wish We Were Heroes (feat. David GatesDavid GatesDavid Gates is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group Bread, which reached the tops of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame...
) - 4:12 (Austin Gravelding) - Come In From The Rain - 4:20 (Manchester, Carole Bayer-Sager)
- Looking For The Perfect Ahh - 3:15 (Manchester, Bayer-Sager, Robbie Buchanan)
- Your Place Or Mine - 3:50 (Manchester, Allee Willis, David Paul Bryant)
- Someone to Watch Over MeSomeone to Watch over Me (song)"Someone to Watch Over Me" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin from the musical Oh, Kay! , where it was introduced by Gertrude Lawrence...
- 3:52 (GeorgeGeorge GershwinGeorge Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
& Ira GershwinIra GershwinIra Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
)
Personnel
- Melissa Manchester: Vocals, Keyboards, Piano
- Robbie Buchanan, Bob Christianson, Stuart Elster, Arif Mardin: Keyboards, Synthesizers
- Larry Williams: Synthesizer, Alto Saxophone
- David Gates: Guitars, Vocal
- Jim Henken, Michael LandauMichael LandauMichael Landau is a prolific session musician and guitarist who has played on a large number of albums since the early 1980s with artists as varied as Seal, James Taylor, Helen Watson, Richard Marx, Steve Perry, Pink Floyd and Miles Davis...
, Steve LukatherSteve LukatherSteve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
, Hugh McCracken, Dean ParksDean ParksDean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...
, David SpinozzaDavid SpinozzaDavid Spinozza is an American musician , who worked with former Beatles Paul McCartney and John Lennon during the 1970s, and had a long collaboration with singer-songwriter James Taylor, producing Taylor's album Walking Man....
: Guitars - Dennis Belfield, Nathan EastNathan EastNathan Harrell East is a jazz, R&B and rock bass player and vocalist. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of California, San Diego...
, Cliff Hugo, Abe Laboriel Sr., Will LeeWill LeeWill Lee was an American actor best known for playing the store proprietor Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street, from the show's debut in 1969 until his death in 1982.-Early career:...
: Bass - Ed Green, Sinclair Lott, Jeff PorcaroJeff PorcaroJeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
: Drums - Sammy Figueroa: Percussion
- Don Brooks: Harmonica
- David Manchester: BassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
- Millie Whiteside, Tom Snow, Ula Hedwig, Lani Groves, Robin Beck: Vocal Backing
- Strings Arranged & Conducted By Steve Cagan & Cengiz Yaltkaya