Song #305: "Charm The Snake"--Christopher Cross (1985)

When you think of Christopher Cross, your mind normally goes to "Sailing", "Arthur's Theme", or maybe you're cool enough to give him props for the more upbeat "Ride Like The Wind", which, in 1980, was actually his first hit.

But by 1985, Cross, and some other successful artists of the early part of the decade, were struggling as "The MTV Effect", for lack of a better term, had taken hold. It was Madonna, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Huey Lewis now. And due to early ballad success, Cross' name became something he had to overcome rather than utilize.

Which is a shame, because my favorite Christopher Cross song came out in the aforementioned year from his "Every Turn Of The World" LP. But it only reached #68 on the Billboard Top 100, and he would only see the Adult Contemporary Top 40 once more the following year with the song "Loving Strangers" from the movie soundtrack to "Nothing In Common".

Some of you probably have never heard this song, and a few of you may have the recesses of your musical mind jarred today. Take four minutes, and enjoy a hidden gem in "Charm The Snake".