Hear & Now (Billy Squier album)
Hear & Now is the sixth studio album by American rock musician Billy Squier, released on June 14, 1989. It features his last Billboard Hot 100 hit, "Don't Say You Love Me", as well as popular fan favorites and radio hits "Don't Let Me Go", "Stronger" and "Tied Up", the latter two being co-written with Desmond Child.
| Hear & Now | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 14, 1989 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, AOR, pop rock | |||
| Length | 43:34 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer |
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| Billy Squier chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Hear & Now | ||||
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The disc's lead single, "Don't Say You Love Me”, reached #4 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks and #58 on the Billboard Hot 100. Aided by a popular MTV music video, it became his best charting song since 1984's "Rock Me Tonite" and the last one to chart in Billboard Hot 100.[1] The album marked a return to Squier's rougher hard rock sound following synth-heavy Signs of Life (1984) and polished Enough Is Enough (1986), with his arena rock slightly updated to late 1980s standards. On Billboard 200, the album had the second best chart debut of his career at #71, but ended up peaking only at #64, even lower than his previous album.[2]
Hear & Now was and still is regarded as one of Squier's better albums by his fanbase, with most of them calling it his best since 1981's Don't Say No.[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Billy Squier, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock Out/Punch Somebody" | 3:09 | |
| 2. | "Stronger" | Squier, Desmond Child | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Don't Say You Love Me" | 4:28 | |
| 4. | "Don't Let Me Go" | 5:14 | |
| 5. | "Tied Up" | Squier, Child | 3:56 |
| 6. | "(I Put a) Spell on You" | 4:32 | |
| 7. | "G.O.D." | 5:29 | |
| 8. | "Mine Tonite" | Bobby Held, Jim Klein, additional lyrics by Squier | 3:46 |
| 9. | "The Work Song" | 3:56 | |
| 10. | "Your Love Is My Life" | 4:46 | |
| Total length: | 43:34 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Too Much" | 5:07 |
| Total length: | 48:42 | |
- "Too Much" was recorded during the sessions, but wasn't included on the original album. It was originally issued as a b-side for "Don't Say You Love Me" and is nowadays available to purchase from Squier's website, either alone or as a part of Hear & Now.
Personnel
- Billy Squier - lead vocals, lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Bobby Chouinard - drums
- Anton Fig - drums on tracks 3,4,6 & 10
- John McCurry - guitars
- Mark Clarke - bass
- Alan St. Jon - keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Mars Williams - saxophone ("Stronger")
- Eric Wessberg - mandoline ("Don't Let Me Go")
- Rob Hardin - synthesizer, additional arrangements ("Mine Tonite")
- Godfrey Diamond and Steven Scales - miscellaneous percussion
- The Uptown Horns - horns ("The Work Song")
- Doug Lubahn - additional backing vocals
- Godfrey Diamond - "Keith couldn't make it" vocal ("Stronger")
- Curtis King, Tawatha Agee, Brenda White-King - backing vocals ("The Work Song")
References
- "Billy Squier discography", Wikipedia, 2019-09-28, retrieved 2019-11-29
- "Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
- "Hear & Now - Billy Squier | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-11-29.