Richard Marx - Hazard

Michael Bolton and Celine Dion are in THAT category.

This = occasionally make a single you don't actually mind.
That = Never happens.

Now, "Into The Night" by that guy whatsisname...THERE was a goddam song. "She's just 15 years old..." is still the best way to start a song as far as I'm concerned.

I dislike Richard Marx but this song was awesome. and I was only a kid when it came out so I barely knew what it was about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazard_(song (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazard_%28song)) was an interesting read to learn the backstory. this inspired me to buy the album off of Amazon cuz it was like less than 3 bucks.

so...WHO KILLED MARY?

Got an average score of 5.44 in the Spring '92 issue of Radio On, placing it at #31 out of 40 pop songs in that issue. (#1 was Kym Sims's "Too Bling To See It," 7.24; #6 the KLF featuring Tammy Wynette's "Justified And Ancient," 7.00; #7 Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy," 6.92; #18 Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," 6.15; #40 Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven," 3.96.)

In the comments section, people compared it to Springsteen's Nebraska and "The River," Toto's "Stranger In Town," Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street," and George Michael's "Hand To Mouth."

I gave it a 9.0, and voted for it on my Pazz & Jop singles list later that year. (May or may not have been its only vote.) Here's my review, which I may or may not still agree with: "Not only better than 'Endless Summer Nights,' but better than 'Knoxville Girl' by the Louvin Brothers, which it reads like, and better than anything on Nebraska, which is where the howl at the end comes from. (From 'State Trooper,' to be exact, I think, and Bruce stole it from 'Frankie Teardrop' by Suicide.) The production is stained-glass, a better rock approximation of French Freedberg-rock chicks Mylene Farmer and Jeanne Mas than U2 (or just about anybody else) has managed. And the video is a real movie -- River's Edge, to be exact. I love it when Rich gets his hair cut at the end. (I won't say it's better than 'Ode To Billie Joe,' but I kind of want to.)"

WHO KILLED MARY?

Ben Stiller's later career showed a darkening of theme and performance

hahaha

I don't love this song, but I admit it was a shock at the time, considering its source (and I liked "Should've Known Better" and "Don't Mean Nothin'").

weird, i was just thinking about this song two days ago. couldn't bring myself to openly like it a the time either - just too tainted by the rest of his career, but it did make me secretly go... "huh".

Relistening to it now, the production has all kinds of dissonant touches: that humming synth in the first few bars, the way the chorus never resolves.

Got an average score of 5.44 in the Spring '92 issue of Radio On, placing it at #31 out of 40 pop songs in that issue. (#1 was Kym Sims's "Too Bling To See It," 7.24; #6 the KLF featuring Tammy Wynette's "Justified And Ancient," 7.00; #7 Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy," 6.92; #18 Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," 6.15; #40 Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven," 3.96.)

In the comments section, people compared it to Springsteen's Nebraska and "The River," Toto's "Stranger In Town," Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street," and George Michael's "Hand To Mouth."

I gave it a 9.0, and voted for it on my Pazz & Jop singles list later that year. (May or may not have been its only vote.) Here's my review, which I may or may not still agree with: "Not only better than 'Endless Summer Nights,' but better than 'Knoxville Girl' by the Louvin Brothers, which it reads like, and better than anything on Nebraska, which is where the howl at the end comes from. (From 'State Trooper,' to be exact, I think, and Bruce stole it from 'Frankie Teardrop' by Suicide.) The production is stained-glass, a better rock approximation of French Freedberg-rock chicks Mylene Farmer and Jeanne Mas than U2 (or just about anybody else) has managed. And the video is a real movie -- River's Edge, to be exact. I love it when Rich gets his hair cut at the end. (I won't say it's better than 'Ode To Billie Joe,' but I kind of want to.)"

so glad this dude isn't around here any more. what a bore.

well, actually some of what he says there is smart. but i hate his writing style.

i now regret saying any of this. sorry guys.

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/xx_factor/2014/TheAssault.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.web.1280.1280.jpeg

this is a great song

it is a great song! or at least a very good one.

I haven't actually heard this song since roughly 1992 or whenever it was out, but I still remember exactly how the song goes. Weird. I remember this getting a lot of airplay at the time.

I thought the single before this one, "Keep Comin' Back," was good too: an acoustic R&B strummer in the vein of Bill Withers (and with backing vocals by future collaborator Luther Vandross). Too long but pretty

if you’re richard marx, it’s a bad idea to have luther vandross sing backup on your songs, since he just shows up marx’s limited instrument

Producer Marx keeps Luther at a discreet distance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09TPa8dKV0s

turns out it's electric not acoustic.

he waits a long time before luther drops in, but when he does, marx's voice suddenly sounds harsh and unsubtle

marx has some good stories about luther, including that a room in luther's house had *cashmere* wallpaper & luther told marx NOT to touch it

Still enjoy this song. If i wanted to create a "dark pop" playlist for similar songs what would i add (excluding those tunes already compared to it up thread)

I somehow never saw the climactic version of this video. The suggestion all along had obviously been that Marx's character was innocent, but for all I know the finale might've been nothing more than the shaky camcorder footage some passing kid shot of Marx drowning Mary in the river.

That melancholic lack of closure is on par with having missed out on the fifth and final Gremlins book and record set from Hardees. How will I ever know how the story (adapted from a movie I've seen thirty times) ends?

There's a thematically similar song and video from the mid 80s by French Canadian group,The Box, called L'affaire Dumoutier

http://youtu.be/4A3gcDg5M3M

This song is hard.

I heard this track playing on the radio in some store I went to while buying lunch recently. First time I'd heard it for decades.

I listen to this more than any other Marx song. it rules.

it is my favorite

Acoustic version of this is even better IMO <rockist>

I listen to this more than any other Marx song. it rules.

Acoustic version of this is even better IMO

If it doesn't have that flutey, bubbly synth, I'm out

^^ dis

The whole Rush Street album is great imo

I still love this song to pieces, but admittedly I like more and more of this dude's pop songs as I get older.

like I will admit to liking or loving

"Shoulda Known Better"
"Endless Summer Nights"
"Hazard"
"Hold Onto the Night"
"Take This Heart"

fuckin hate most of the rest

"Hazard" was just the kind of dark that my childhood self could get into. with implied, non-explicit violence

the one I would add to that list (which may fall into your "fuckin hate" category) is "Angelia" - a near perfect version of that style of 80s/90s melancholy guitar ballad

I don't know if I know that one!

ok listening to it now, and I do remember this, but haven't heard it in decades!

this one will go on my 'good' list

when I rediscovered it about ten years ago, I also hadn't heard it since the 80s - radio has pretty much forgotten this song in favor of the bigger hits. but it was a #4 single!

“Keep Coming Back” (where he is chanelling El DeBarge with backup by Luther Vandross) is great.

(so is “Right Here Waiting” of course, but I doubt me saying that is going to soften Neanderthal’s hardened heart)

The whole Rush Street album is pretty good imo, i like a lot of tracks on that as well as Hazard, like Take This Heart, Love Unemotional, Hands in Your pocket etc - Billy Joel plays piano on I Get No Sleep, Steve lukather & Jeff Porcaro are on a bunch of songs, Terry Bozzio, lots of cool session cats

i am deeply biased tho :)

I NEED TO MAKE IT TO THE RIIIIIVER

Acoustic version of this is even better IMO

Above I said if it doesn't have the synth I'm out, but I broke my word and saw him do a mostly acoustic show last year. "Hazard" was a big highlight, beautiful even without the synth I must admit. And dear God, he's in his 60s but his voice still sounds exactly like it did in the 80s era

Wonderful song.

And a pretty good video too.