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Loverboy (Loverboy album)

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Loverboy
Image
Barbara Astman self portrait based on the Untitled, I was Thinking About You series of art works.
Studio album by
Loverboy
ReleasedJuly 1980[1]/November 1, 1980 (US)
Recorded1979–Spring 1980
StudioLittle Mountain Sound (Vancouver)
Genres
Length40:13
LabelColumbia
ProducerBruce Fairbairn
Loverboy chronology
Loverboy
(1980)		 Get Lucky
(1981)
Singles from Loverboy
  1. "Turn Me Loose"
    Released: February 7, 1981
  2. "The Kid Is Hot Tonite"
    Released: June 20, 1981
  3. "Lady of the 80's"
    Released: 1981

Loverboy is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Loverboy. It was released in July 1980 by CBS Records Canada and Columbia Records in the United States the following November.

Release

[edit]

Originally rejected by all the major record labels in the United States,[4] the band signed with CBS Records Canada. On March 20, 1980, Loverboy went into the studio with producer Bruce Fairbairn and engineer Bob Rock to record their debut.[5]

Over that summer, Loverboy became a huge hit, eventually selling over a million records in Canada. Its success convinced Columbia Records to release it in the United States that November.[6] It went on to sell over two million copies in the US. Their debut single, "Turn Me Loose", went on to hit No. 7 on the Canadian charts and No. 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1981. Follow up single "The Kid Is Hot Tonite" reached number 20 in Canada and number 55 in the United States.[7]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[3]
Billboard(unrated)[8]

Linda Romaniak of the Beaver County Times compared Loverboy to The Cars and The Babys, calling "Turn Me Loose" and "Teenage Overdose" rocking tunes, while also praising "The Kid Is Hot Tonite" and "Lady of the 80's".[6] AllMusic gave the album a rave retrospective review, making particular note of the hybridization of musical styles on most of the songs, and picking out "The Kid Is Hot Tonite" and "Turn Me Loose" as especially strong tracks.[3] Record World stated that "The Kid is Hot Tonite" had "winning guitar/synthesizer strains and a smashing chorus hook."[9]

Artwork

[edit]

Fellow Canadian photographer Barbara Astman was commissioned to create the album cover,[10] and was sent a copy along with lyrics. She created the cover by typing the lyrics to "Little Girl" onto a self-portrait Polaroid as it developed. It is based on her Untitled, I was Thinking About You series of photos.[11]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Kid Is Hot Tonite"Bernie Aubin, Paul Dean4:24
2."Turn Me Loose"Dean, Mike Reno5:35
3."Always On My Mind"Dean, Reno3:31
4."Lady of the 80's"Dean, Reno, Doug Johnson, Vernon Wills5:05
5."Little Girl"Dean3:55
6."Prissy Prissy"Dean, Matt Frenette4:21
7."Teenage Overdose"Dean, Johnson, Reno4:14
8."D.O.A."Dean, Johnson, Reno3:38
9."It Don't Matter"Dean, Reno4:56
Total length:39:39

Personnel

[edit]

Loverboy

Additional musicians

  • Wayne Kozak – saxophone
  • Nancy Nash – backing vocals on "Turn Me Loose" and "Always On My Mind"

Production

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1980–1981) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[12] 5
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[13]17
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14]12
US Billboard 200[15]13

Certifications

[edit]
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[16] 7× Platinum 700,000‡
United States (RIAA)[17] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "Loverboy – Loverboy". Discogs. Blackwood Music (Canada) Ltd.
  2. ↑ Guarisco, Donald (n.d.). "Loverboy: Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Loverboy at AllMusic
  4. ↑ Wardlaw, Matt (November 14, 2017). "The History of Loverboy's First Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media, Inc.
  5. ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 774. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  6. 1 2 Romaniak, Linda (March 25, 1981). "Canada's Loverboy Trying to Win Over U.S. Hearts". The Beaver County Times. p. D-2.
  7. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990. ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  8. ↑ "Review: Loverboy – Loverboy" (PDF). Billboard. 11 October 1980. p. 75. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
  9. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. May 30, 1981. p. 1.
  10. ↑ "Loverboy Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Self-titled Debut Album With Red-Vinyl LP Reissue". Hubbard Radio Seattle, LLC.
  11. ↑ "Loverboy Album Cover". Barbara Astman Official Site.
  12. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ↑ "Top Albums/CDs. Volume 34, Issue 6 (1980-12-20)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  14. ↑ "Charts.nz – Loverboy – Loverboy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  15. ↑ "Loverboy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  16. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Loverboy – Loverboy". Music Canada.
  17. ↑ "American album certifications – Loverboy – Loverboy". Recording Industry Association of America.
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