Music |

Remembering Tony Lewis: 10 great Outfield songs besides ‘Your Love’

Tony Lewis, the front man for the British rock band the Outfield, has died at the age of 62.

“It is with great sadness and sorrow to announce that Tony Lewis has unexpectedly passed away,” reads a post from Oct. 20 on Lewis’ Twitter page. “He was a beautiful soul who touched so many lives with his love, his spirit, and his music. He loved his fans dearly and enjoyed every opportunity he had when meeting all of you.-Team TL.”

It is with great sadness and sorrow to announce that Tony Lewis has unexpectedly passed away. He was a beautiful soul who touched so many lives with his love, his spirit, and his music. He loved his fans dearly and enjoyed every opportunity he had when meeting all of you.-Team TL pic.twitter.com/Wiif4Ldt8v

— Tony Lewis from The Outfield (@TonyLewisMusic) October 20, 2020

Lewis and his band are, by far, best known for the terrific hit single “Your Love,” which hailed from the 1985 album “Play Deep” and reached the top 10 in 1986.

Yet, the Outfield deserves to be remembered as more than just a one-hit wonder (and, indeed, the band did have many other songs that charted in the top 40 of both the pop and rock charts).

Thus, as our tribute to vocalist-bassist Lewis, it seemed only right to remind the public of this underrated band’s many other worthy accomplishments.

So turn up these 10 great Outfield songs not named “Your Love.” They are listed chronologically, not in terms of ranking.

1, “Say It Isn’t So” (1985)

The band’s debut single from 1985 is a finely polished slice of power-pop-rock, which hit the top 20 of the mainstream rock charts and nicely set the stage for the smash follow-up — “Your Love.” Like every song on this list, it was penned by John Spinks, the Outfield songwriter who died in 2014.

2, “All the Love” (1985)

Well, the public really liked “Your Love” — a lot. So, as a follow up, the band went with even more love — “All the Love” (alternatively known as “All the Love in the World”). And it worked, taking the band right back to the top 20.

3, “Everytime You Cry” (1985)

The fourth (and final) single from “Play Deep” helped the band’s debut album live up to its title. This was indeed a deep album, offering far more than just “Your Love,” and that was a major reason why “Play Deep” ended up being certified triple-platinum in the U.S.

4, “Since You’ve Been Gone” (1987)

Not to be confused with similarly titled Rainbow classic cover from the ’70s, or the Kelly Clarkson offering from 2004, this was the strong lead single from the band’s sophomore album, “Bangin’.” It reached No. 11 on the rock charts and helped propel the parent album to gold certification.

5, “No Surrender” (1987)

The Outfield showcases a different side of its game with this heartfelt, midtempo, power ballad, which also hails from the band’s second album but is anything but “Bangin’.” “No Surrender” didn’t really make a dent on the charts, but it did receive some spins on rock radio as well as attention from MTV.

6, “Voices of Babylon” (1989)

The shiny title track from the band’s third album married New Wave synth-rock with late-’80s-era pop-prog. And people loved what they heard, pushing the single to No. 2 on the U.S. rock chart’s — the highest position the Outfield would reach in its career.

It also climbed to No. 78 in the U.K., which — as bizarre as it may sound — is the highest the group would reach in its homeland. For some reason, the Outfield never experienced the same type of success in the U.K. during its ’80s heydays as it did in the U.S. Perhaps it had something to do with the band’s name, which references America’s pastime of baseball. Maybe the fortunes would have been reversed if Lewis and company had gone the cricket route and called themselves the Wicket instead.

7, “For You” (1990)

The lead single from the band’s fourth album, 1990’s “Diamond Days,” turned out to be the last sizable hit for the Outfield — reaching No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also was the band’s sole hit on the adult contemporary chart, where it also peaked at No. 21.

8, “Take It All” (1990)

While “For You” was the hit, the best track from “Diamond Days” was actually this amazing slice of power-pop. It was released as the second single from the album, yet failed to make a dent on the charts. But just because the record-buying public missed a real gem doesn’t mean you have to do the same. Spend some time with “Take It All” and I think you’ll agree that it stands as one of the finest offerings from the band’s entire catalog.

9, “Closer to Me” (1992)

The record-buying public had stopped paying attention to the Outfield by the early ’90s, but that didn’t stop the band from releasing worthwhile albums such as “Rockeye,” which highlights include this driving rocker.

10, “Winning It All” (1992)

Another “Rockeye” offering,” this winner of an anthem ended up being featured in telecasts for the NBA finals in the ’90s. Put it on the same mixed tape as Survivors’ “Eye of the Tiger” and enjoy your workout.