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Writer's pictureMichael Cook

Born to Ne Alive - Patrick Hernandez (1979) 5/24/23

What can I say? When a song tops the charts in FOURTEEN countries, and reaches the Top 10 in SEVEN more, it's pretty obvious that there's some "greatness" therein.


In this case, 1979;s "Born to Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez was one of the best European Electronic Dance Songs of the entire decade, and a harbinger of what Top 40 radio would sound like well into the '80s.


Although Patrick's last name was Spanish, he was actually French/Italian. Nor surprisingly, the song became a hit in France and Italy first. but after a bit of remixing, it caught fire all over the planet.


In the US, it easily reached #1 on the Disco Chart, and in Canada, it was a Triple Top 10: #1 on the Top 40 and Dance Charts, and #10 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.


And Yet, after all that, Patrick Hernandez ended up a worldwide one-hit wonder. That's a shame, but still, in 1979, he was on top of the world--pretty much literally--with "Born to be Alive!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP3nev7KWUY


Tomorrow: It's all in the translation! Coming June 1: Great Songs of the '80s!

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