Paul Anka: “Hold Me ’Til The Morning Comes”
LP: Walk A Fine Line, 1983 | BUY

Mega-successful ’80s producer David Foster might be the least likely person on earth to undergo an ironic hipster resurgence — admiring his work is something akin to finding Laura Ashley dresses hot and sexy. Just keep it to yourself, weirdo. But I have to admit that his production on Chicago’s “Hard to Say I’m Sorry’ still raises goosebumps, and it’s safe to say that this style of music never really went away. Tune into American Idol and you’ll find the Power Ballad (which Foster was the architect of) very much alive and well. So I’m gonna go ahead and share a couple of numbers which may have had your Mom rocking on the drive to the mall. Foster’s production on the impossibly lush St. Elmo’s Fire love theme fairly screams “Class of ’86 Senior Prom last dance”. He also twiddled the dials on Paul Anka’s comeback single “Hold Me Till The Morning Comes,” notable for having duet partner Peter Cetera’s voice mixed in more prominently than Anka’s. Both pieces showcase Foster’s unnerving way of making synthesizers and drum machines sound warm and organic.