Everyone loves gourmet meals. But sometimes all you want is a burger and fries — good comfort food that may not be fancy, but still satisfies. Music often works the same way, particularly when it comes to pop. A particular tune may be unsophisticated and a guilty pleasure, but you never fail to turn it up whenever it plays on your iPod. Like comfort food, it just makes you feel good. I had this experience recently when stumbling upon a one-hit wonder from the '80s: "Sweetheart" by Franke and the Knockouts.
When I heard this upbeat song, I was instantly transported back to 1981. During that time I listened to WLS AM in Chicago, when the legendary team of Larry Lujack and Tommy Edwards ruled the radio. Established bands like Styx, REO Speedwagon, and Journey scored big hits, but among these acts was an obscure band named Franke and the Knockouts. Their one top ten single, "Sweetheart," still ranks as one of my favorite pop singles of the '80s.
Written by lead singer Franke Previte and guitarist Billy Elworthy, the song sports a catchy chorus, rocking piano, a smooth synthesizer solo and, of course, Previte's soaring vocals. Critics often compare the song to Toto's "Hold the Line," which it resembles in terms of tempo and the piano's dominance in the tune. The lyrics hardly contain poetry, referring to Kojak's line "who loves you baby" and assuring that the singer will be around to "help you dry your eyes." The chorus contains these simple lines: "Sweetheart/Who loved you from the start/Who treats you like a star/Sweetheart." Sure, the "I'll be there to pick up the pieces" theme is nothing new or profound, but the overall groove of the song rescues it from complete banality.
After hearing "Sweetheart," I decided to research Franke and the Knockouts's history. Unfortunately little information exists on the Internet; Allmusic, Wikipedia, other music blogs, and even the band's own website (it's unclear who maintains that page, the band or a fan) contain the most perfunctory of entries about the group. Their albums are even hard to find — an Amazon search turned up a few long out-of-print greatest hits collections and vinyl. Independent sellers were asking for $85 and up per album! Still, Franke and the Knockouts has an interesting history, even though the group was short-lived.
Based in New Jersey, the original group consisted of five members: Previte, Elworthy, Blake Levinsohn (keyboards), Leigh Foxx (bass), and Claude LeHenaff (drums). Previte toiled in various local rock and metal acts before meeting Elworthy; shortly thereafter they were signed to Millennium Records. In 1981, the band released their self-titled debut, bursting out of the gate with the surprise success of "Sweetheart." Franke and the Knockouts played various shows, most notably ABC's infamous Fridays program. A second single, "You're My Girl," cracked the top 40, but did not experience the popularity of the first song.
Article comments
1 - Jim Ryan
"...fans will hear the tune and instantly remember where they were back in 1981."
Let's see: Reagan gets shot by Hinckley, John Paul II gets shot by Agca, Bobby Sands starves himself to death in Maze Prison, major league baseball goes on strike for a few weeks, Jaruzelski cracks down on Solidarity in Poland...
Funny, this milkshake isn't going down as well as it did the first time...
2 - MarkSaleski
i saw them open for The Tubes (Completion Backward Principle tour) in cleveland. the crowd wasn't too nice to them.
3 - Kit O'Toole
Thanks for commenting!
Mark--Interesting that they would open for the Tubes. Was this pre-"She's a Beauty?"
Jim--Well, when you're 9 years old, still playing with Barbies and reading Dynamite magazine, major news events just don't register as much (I do remember Reagan's attempted assassination, though). In any case, you're more concerned with who you'll sit next to on the bus for the next field trip than anything else. ;)
4 - MarkSaleski
yep, Outside Inside came out a couple of years later.
5 - John
Kit,
Perfect timing! I had my Sirius tuned to the 80's station today and heard "Sweetheart" for the first time in decades. I have a vast collection of 80's music so when I hear a song that suprises me it is pure bliss! This was one of those songs. I quickly did a wiki search and was shocked to see there was no entry for this group. I tried again tonight via google and found your article--yes! Thanks for satisfying my curiosity. Now I have to see if there is somewhere I can download this sublime pop gem. Thanks so much!
John
6 - Kit O'Toole
Thanks for commenting, John! It was pretty hard to find information about Franke & the Knockouts, so I understand your difficulty in finding any wikis. As for downloading the song, I wish I could tell you where to get it--their albums seem to be out of print, and only a few 80s compilations include it. It's just one of those lost gems!
7 - jen
how do i buy this song? i've looked for it for years and itunes doesn't have it
8 - RD
I love this song. It is very very hard to find. After looking all over the internet I found a clue. Amazon.com in the past sold a CD called Rock 'n Roll memories of the 70's and 80's, this CD contained the song sweetheart. To my horror the CD was discontinued by the manufacturer. I did not give up and I found it on Walmart.com. The CD cost 5.88 with shipping and tax little over eight bucks. Besides sweetheart the CD contains the following songs:
Everytime You Go Away- Paul Young
Missing You- John Waite
Angel Of The Morning- Juice Newton
Lady-Little River Band
Promises,Promises-Naked Eyes
Only The Lonely-The Motels
You Can Do Magic-America
I've Been In Love Before-Cutting Crew
Waiting For A Star To Fall-Boy Meets Girl.
You may not like all the songs above I do not like all of them but sweetheart was worth it.
Jen and anyone else who wants to own the song sweetheart I hope this helps.