[Four Decades in the Zone] -- Forty years ago this week, Billy Ocean released his sixth studio album, Love Zone. Ocean had already topped the charts with previous releases, but this album cemented his global dominance as well as his pop and R&B crossover appeal. Love Zone reached into the top 25 of charts around the world, even peaking at #2 in the UK, #6 on the US Billboard 200, and #1 on Billboard's US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
The album's three singles – "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going", "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)", and "Love Zone" – were all top ten hits. "When the Going Gets Tough..." reached the #1 spot in the UK and #2 in the US in addition to being a single from the soundtrack to The Jewel of the Nile, the 1985 sequel to the popular Romancing the Stone.
All told, Love Zone was a critical and commercial success, receiving largely favorable reviews, a Grammy Award nomination (Best Male R&B Vocal Performance), and two 1987 American Music Award wins, one for "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)", as Favorite Pop/Rock Song, and the other naming him Favorite Pop/Rock Male Video Artist.
Flashback: Love Zone (May 6, 1986)
And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.
See you in seven!
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