Tuesday Two-Fer, V: White Lion
From our friend HIM.
Readers of this site know that several of us treat the fate of White Lion like a Dan Brown mystery: what the hell stopped them, besides themselves, from being as great as we predicted? Why aren’t they in the pantheon alongside other favorites of the 80s and 90s? What evil forces lurked behind the pillars, manipulating the masses to neglect such a talented band? I am going to blame it on Tom Hanks.
First Pick: “All You Need Is Rock 'n' Roll,” Pride (1987)
Picking one song off of a near-flawless album is difficult. And surely others would point to songs like “Wait.” But this ditty captures how adept the band was at constructing good time, sing-a-long, songs. Is it about politics? No. Is it a moody reflection on a life gone wrong? Nope. It is an ode—a joyous, rollicking love letter—to the awesomeness of rock. And what could be wrong with that? At this point, Tramp, Bratta, LoMenzo, and D’Angelo could do no wrong.
Second Pick: “Broken Heart,” Mane Attraction (1991)
A bright spark (one of several) during the last days of White Lion. Internal squabbles, changing musical tastes, and a lack of studio backing all contributed to the band’s implosion the very same year this song was released. But this song, like others from earlier albums, showed just how close White Lion was to being the heir’s to Def Leppard’s legacy of crafting perfectly memorable pop-metal songs that lingered long after you ejected the tape or the CD.
Honorable Mention: “Broken Heart,” Fight To Survive (1985). Interesting to hear a good song before it became a great one.