Lead Me On - Maxine Nightingale (1979) 9/11/21

For Alee Willis, it was (to slightly misquote Charles Dickens): "the best of times and the worst of times."

After a short and somewhat unsuccessful, career as a singer came to an end, the University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate was just beginning to find success as a songwriter.

In fact, a long, successful streak as a "go-to" writer for everyone from Patti LaBelle and Bonnie Raitt to Earth, Wind & Fire and Gladys Knight was just around the corner.

But at the same time, her personal life was a mess. She was in the middle of a horrible relationship and the stress was almost unbearable.

One day, she sat down with her collaborator, David Lasley, and while spit-balling song ideas, they discovered they were both fans of the hit song "Emotion" by Samantha Sang--written by the Bee Gees. (You can bet we'll be highlighting THAT song before too long.)

Anyway, they decided to write something that had the same "feel" to it, and that's when Allie's creativity collided with her personal life...and with David's help, she wrote the autobiographical "Lead Me On." Maxine Nightingale recorded the song with Alee singing backup, and here's where it gets interesting: Maxine didn't think it was a hit, and was against releasing it as a single. She couldn't have been more wrong! In 1979, "Lead Me On" went to #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart--THREE TIMES--for a total of 7 weeks! Quite the rarity! To be specific, it was #1 during the following weeks: July 7, 14 & 21; August 4, 11 & 18; and September 1. It also reached #5 on the Hot 100. It certainly made Alee feel better, and for the next 3 decades, the hits just kept on comin'--peaking in 1995 with "I'll Be There for You," the theme from "Friends," which was nominated for an Emmy! Alee passed away in 2019 at the age of 72. "Lead Me On" by Maxine Nightingale: A "Great Song of 1979!"

And just because: "I'll Be There for You" by the Rembrandts (1995):