Everyone gets songs stuck in their heads that just won’t go away. They sneak into your subconscious. They are epic earworms that you find yourself humming uncontrollably, singing in the shower, or tapping the beat to with your foot or ballpoint pen when you should be working. Sometimes they even keep you awake at night. Whether they are current hits, one-hit wonders, movie soundtrack gems, holiday favorites, or songs from your youth, their catchy vocals, riffs, hooks, and choruses seem to linger for days.
Here, those songs find a home, no matter the genre. Here, those epic earworms are revisited, explained, and celebrated. Here, you may find the song that haunts you tomorrow. Here is today’s unescapable song of the day…and the story behind it.
Today’s Epic Earworm: Howard Jones — “No One Is to Blame”
One of the acts associated with music’s Second British Invasion in the 1980s, English synth-pop act Howard Jones had nine Top 40 hits in the United States. Perhaps his biggest U.S. hit was 1986’s “No One Is to Blame.” Off his second album, entitled Dream into Action, the song topped Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at Number Four on the Hot 100. The song about the ironies of life and love might not have been such a huge success, though, without a little boost from a fellow English musician.
…With a Little Help from My Friends
Photo courtesy of Michael Chow/The Republic-Imagn Content Services, LLC.
With the success of the singles “Things Can Only Get Better” and “Life in One Day,” Jones and his handlers decided to rerecord “No One Is to Blame” to make it a little more radio-friendly before releasing it as a single. Who was called in to help with the song’s makeover? That’s right, none other than fellow Brits Phil Collins and his long-time producer and collaborator, Hugh Padgham.
Collins and Jones had met at the Prince’s Trust Rock Gala concerts in the ’80s and had become friends. Collins helped Jones rework the mood of the song and also added in his own drum work and backing vocals. Padgham and Collins co-produced the song, and the end product was the epic earworm that fans all know and love today. The reworked version of the song was included on Jones’ 1986 EP titled Action Replay, as well as the CD version of Jones’s third studio album, One to One, later that year.
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