Device Was a One-Hit Wonder Band Worth Having a Heart Attack Over

I believe the world of pop music would be rice cake bland were it not for the presence of that crop of artists known as one-hit wonders. These no less gifted musicians burst onto the scene with their Andy Warhol styled 15 minutes of fame and then mysteriously (or not) vanished back into the ozone never to be heard from again. A well performed one-hit wonder song brings a smile to the face. It can bring sweet tears to your eyes. Best of all it can help us all overlook the corporate monopoly certain artists decade by decade have had on the charts. The 1980s were pretty much dominated by the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Hall & Oates and Phil Collins. Musical trends shift. The decade started out focused on New Wave/New Romantic styles and then, by the time 1989 rolled to its conclusion every hard rock/glam metal band with a sensitive guy ballad orchestrated to bring teen girls into its core audience managed at least one big smash single. One-hit wonders are the quiet calm in between waves of corporate playlist makers telling you what you're going to like whether you really want to or not. In 1986 Whitney Houston was the supernova star on the rise. Madonna had already surged from the launch pad. Bands from other time periods like The Rolling Stones, Heart, and Starship (fka Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship) were still managing to score hit songs. New wave had essentially crested and Bon Jovi was propping open the hard rock/metal door that Def Leppard would kick in the following year. Buried under all that tumult was Device, a power trio which achieved its hour of glory with "Hanging on a Heart Attack". Thanks toYouTube I got the chance to heard this forgotten gem over again. I'm on the side of all those people who feel this song should have received a warmer reception at radio. It only peaked as high as #35 in Billboard. Nothing on the radio at the time sounded that intense. It really does sound like part of the soundtrack to cardiac arrest. Skull pounding drums are only one of the song's assets. Lead singer Paul Engemann who would later go on to replace Paul Wadhams as lead male singer in Animotion ("Obsession") is neither hard on the eyes (the video for "Hanging") proves my point nor lacking in the skills needed to carry a tune. Another indescribably cool element in this group was Holly Knight, who earned no small measure of credibility either writing or co-writing songs for a plethora of top '80s artists. Tina Turner owes her a debt of gratitude for "Better Be Good To Me", one of the songs which allowed her "Private Dancer" comeback album to soar.It takes a singular writing talent to fuse rock teeth with mainstream sheen. Holly also had a hand in writing Heart's "Never", which allowed the Wilson sisters to avoid teetering off the brink of musical irrelevance. That track peaked at #4, one of 4 songs to hit the top 10. As "Hanging's" vid shows Holly is a vision and knew how to gyrate and sprinkle facial expressiveness with the best of them. Gene Black was Device's guitarist. His guitar solo at the bridge made the song tingly exciting. True to the times of '80s videos the hair was well teased, the fashion was ridiculously overdramatized, and the goofiness of the camera angles and shot selections were chuckle worthy. However, "Hanging on a Heart Attack" was a roaring clap of thunder that was necessary at that juncture to quiet the commotion at the locus point between Dream Academy year New Romanticism and Cinderella year glam metal. Sometimes brilliant art doesn't get its due until many years have passed. Device crafted a one-hit wonder for the ages. The adrenaline surges on and on and on. If you listen to this song often enough those tiresome extra pounds will flop to the floor like shed hair follicles. If you like music that races up and down your spine "Hanging on a Heart Attack" is a fine place to drop anchor.