Apr 10 2025 12 mins
Ok, folks, we’ve got an unlikely pairing of unrequited torch anthems with an almost 40 year time span between them, featuring points of view which diverge 180 degrees. The first, from Cock Robin, showcases synthesized sounds which seem like they were caught in amber in 1985, and the second, an astounding display of songwriting and vocal pyrotechnics from prodigy of the moment, Olivia Rodrigo.
COCK ROBIN / WHEN YOUR HEART IS WEAK
The Europeans understand love…it’s Amore in Italy, L’amour to the French, In German it’s Die Liebe, and it’s Liefde to the Dutch. Perhaps this is why Europe is where Cock Robin’s music made its biggest impact. This song, “When Your Heart Is Weak” which only made it to #35 in the US, was a top 20 hit across the European continent.
Singer-songwriter Peter Kingsbury croons insinuatingly that he’ll patiently wait for his love object’s moment of weakness so he can pick the lock to her heart, and he clearly means business. (With an obsessiveness that borders on harassment, the song insists that her conquest is inevitable). As the synths swell in an oceanic tidal wave, the lover, who’s been waiting in the shallows for his moment, will swim over to his drowning muse, life preserver in his teeth, and rescue the maiden in distress - and she, eternally grateful, will be his forever.
OLIVIA RODRIGO / VAMPIRE
In the next scenario things have gone horribly wrong. Whatever strategy the “Vampire” of the title used to seduce this seething innocent, he left her wanting to eviscerate him publicly - which she has done in spades. This world wide chart topper, which started life as a plaintive piano ballad, was expanded, under Dan Nigro’s production, to become an operatic, pop rock anthem. Even the use of the epithet “fame fucker” did not deter the public’s monumental thirst to hear this song over and over again on repeat. (Although there is a clean version with the substituted “Dream Crusher” - which doesn’t quite compare, does it?)
Olivia is 22, model gorgeous, and has amassed an army of pre-teen followers (Ala Taylor Swift). Her outspoken opinions and free use of sexual language have alarmed some parents, but, Ms. Rodrigo is a nice, well brought up lady who only wants to be a good role model, and gifted with a prodigious talent that promises to carry her the distance, expect more musical revelations in the years to come.