AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sheena Easton

Artist:Sheena Easton

Song:Sugar Walls

Album:Classic Masters

Sheena Easton was very successful in the 80s. Though it wasn't her biggest hit, the 1984 single Sugar Walls marked a change to a sexier image. And it was the first song that Prince wrote for her. She was pretty wholesome up to that point. She was born Sheena Orr Apr. 27, 1959 in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland the youngest of six children. Her father died in 1969. Sheena was inspired to become a singer after watching Barbra Streisand in the 1973 film The Way We Were. In the late 70s she went to school during the day and performed with a band in local clubs at night. She married Sandi Easton in 1979. And though the marriage lasted only eight months, she kept the Easton name. Sheena auditioned for the BBC show The Big Time. Show producer Esther Rantzen was planning a documentary chronicling an unknown's rise to pop stardom. Sheena was chosen for this. She signed with EMI and was assigned to producer Christopher Neil. Sheena was followed by cameras in 1980. After the doc aired, the single 9 to 5 was a big hit in England. Capitol changed the title to Morning Train when they released it in the US so there was no confusion with Dolly Parton's 9 to 5. The song topped the charts worldwide. Sheena's other hits included the theme from the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only and a duet with Kenny Rogers We've Got Tonight. For the 1984 album A Private Heaven, Sheena had already worked with her new producer jazz pianist Greg Mathieson. And he brought in his buddies like Lee Ritenour on guitar, Abraham Laboriel on bass, Carlos Vega on drums, Lenny Castro on percussion and Jerry Hey and the Seawind horns. The idea was to aim the album at the dance and R&B market and give Sheena a sexier image. It was very successful. Strut reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Sugar Walls reached #9. Prince wrote Sugar Walls using the pseudonym Alexander Nevermind. The song would have been a bigger hit but many radio stations refused to play it due to suggestive sexual content. Sheena's next album was hampered by corporate delays in EMI. Sheena continued to work with Prince on the duet U Got the Look and the Prince concert film Sign o' the Times. Sheena moved to MCA in 1988. She wasn't as successful there and she got into acting. Sheena last recorded in 2001 but she still tours and does voiceover work in films. This budget comp covers her Capitol recordings. Here's the video for Sugar Walls by Sheena Easton.