[Western Music Notebook #1] Repeat Offender / Richard Marx

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Hello. This is Okada🌅EVERGREEN.

The rainy season has ended in the Kinki region. When summer comes, I get an irresistible urge to listen to rock music.

It is said that the music you listen to in your late teens stays with you for life. I spent my late teens in the late 1980s. While rock is no longer the mainstream of pop music, it was the absolute mainstream back then.

The album I am introducing this time, "Repeat Offender", is the second album (released in 1989) by the American singer-songwriter Richard Marx.

As a high school student at the time, I heard the first single from this album, "Satisfied", on ROCK KIDS 802, and I was instantly hooked by the edgy guitar riff in the intro. I also loved his clear, high-pitched voice that seemed to reach endlessly.

The follow-up second single, "Right Here Waiting", is a legendary ballad. I was drawn to the lyrics, which carefully expressed the feelings I had for the person I was dating at the time (though we couldn't meet often due to our respective work schedules).

Wherever You Go,
(Wherever you go)
Whatever You Do
(Whatever you do)
I Will Be Right Here Waiting
(I will be right here waiting for you)

Coincidentally, I had just learned about compound relative pronouns in my high school English grammar class, so I often hummed the song and savored the meaning of the lyrics.

Six songs were released as singles from this album. Of those, two reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, one reached the Top 10, and two ranked in the Top 20. Without a doubt, this is his signature work.

Of course, the songs that weren't released as singles are also wonderful; there isn't a single throwaway track.

Personally, I like the second track on the album, "Heart On The Line" (the mid-tempo, stirring melody tugs at my emotions), and the sixth track, "That Was Lulu" (the bass and saxophone in the interlude are fantastic).

I didn't know it at the time, but looking it up now, the backing musicians include such a stellar lineup as Randy Jackson (Bass; worked as a session musician for Journey), Michael Landau (Guitar), Steve Lukather (Guitar; member of TOTO), Bill Champlin (backing vocals; member of Chicago), and others.

Having served as a backing musician for other artists himself, I suppose these people he had worked with in the past gathered to help him produce his solo work...

While he hasn't had any major hits recently, it seems he still releases albums every few years. Also, interestingly, he is set to serve as a coach on the Australian TV series "The Voice" (starting in 2025).

He is one musician who should not be forgotten.

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In regions where the rainy season has ended, some places are experiencing intense heat. Please be careful of heatstroke.

May you have a wonderful day today as well!