Lead Me On (Maxine Nightingale song) explained

Lead Me On
Cover:Lead Me On - Maxine Nightingale.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Maxine Nightingale
Album:Lead Me On
B-Side:Love Me Like You Mean It
Released:May 1979
Recorded:1978
Genre:Pop, R&B, soul
Length:2:48
Label:Windsong
Producer:Denny Diante
Prev Title:Right Now
Prev Year:1977
Next Title:(Bringin' Out) The Girl in Me
Next Year:1979

"Lead Me On" is a popular song which was a hit single for Maxine Nightingale in 1979.

Overview

The song was written by Allee Willis and David Lasley: (Allee Willis quote:) "David and I were just writing all the time, and there was a song out called 'Emotion' by Samantha Sang that we both really loved. So we said: 'Let’s write something in that spirit.' I was going through a huge breakup at the time, so for me ['Lead Me On'] was just a completely autobiographical song."[1]

"Lead Me On" was introduced on Love Lines which was Nightingale's third album for United Artists Records. Love Lines was issued in 1978 in the UK and Europe and "Lead Me On" was the second of two non-charting singles from the album, the first being "(Bringing Out) The Girl in Me").

Although United Artists did not release "Lead Me On" or its parent album in the US, Al Teller, who had been president of United Artists when Nightingale recorded her breakout hit "Right Back Where We Started From", made the US release of "Lead Me On" the debut single on Windsong Records shortly after assuming that company's presidency in January 1979;[2] the track began to accrue interest that spring particularly in the easy listening market with the #1 position on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart attained that July.[3]

In all, "Lead Me On" spent seven weeks atop the AC chart (for the weeks of July 7, 14, and 21; August 4, 11, and 18; and September 1). On the Billboard Hot 100, "Lead Me On" peaked at number five, while reaching number 37 on the R&B chart.[4] [5] Despite the fact that it was an AC song, it enjoyed better success in Canada, where it reached number three on the CRIA singles chart[6] and spent 4 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the RPM Dance Music Chart.[7]

Nightingale herself would describe "Lead Me On" as (Maxine Nightingale quote:) "[a] sweet, simple little song", adding that its being chosen as a single was a decision with which she had disagreed.[8]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1979)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 58
Canada RPM Top Singles[10] 2
Canada (CRIA)[11] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 5

Year-end charts

Year-end chart (1979) Rank
Canada (RPM Top 200 Singles)[13] 4
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[14] 24

Other versions

"Lead Me On" has also been recorded by the Nolans (album Making Waves/ 1980) and Sharon Cuneta (album Isn't It Romantic? Vol 2/ 2007).[15]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Allee Willis 2016 Interview - Hit Pop Songwriter. 13 December 2016.
  2. Billboard 21 July 1979 p.4
  3. Web site: Maxine Nightingale: Lead Me On (Hot 100). Billboard. billboard.com.
  4. Web site: Maxine Nightingale: Lead Me On (Hot 100). Billboard. billboard.com.
  5. Web site: Maxine Nightingale: Lead Me On (Hot 100). Billboard. billboard.com.
  6. Book: Nanda Lwin. Nanda Lwin. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. 1999. 1-896594-13-1.
  7. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.6847&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=jonr3hpe9l7ubdcs4i0r9jp7d3 Top 20 Dance Music Chart (October 13, 1979)
  8. Los Angeles Times (Calendar) 2 September 1979 "Unlike Peers, Singer Blasts Big Business" by Dennis Hunt p.74
  9. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian)

    . David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 218.

  10. Web site: Collectionscanada.gc.ca .
  11. Book: Nanda Lwin. Nanda Lwin. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. 1999. 1-896594-13-1.
  12. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 -
  13. 1979 Top 200 Singles . 32 . 13 . December 22, 1979 . . . March 3, 2018 .
  14. December 22, 1979 . 1979 Talent in Action – Year End Charts : Pop Singles . TIA-10 . Billboard . 91 . 51 .
  15. Web site: Cover versions of Lead Me on written by David Lasley, Allee Willis | SecondHandSongs. SecondHandSongs.