The Hooters — “Where Do the Children Go”

Entered Top 40: May 24, 1986
1 week 
Peaked at: 38

One of those regional-hero acts that gets a moment or two, Philadelphia’s The Hooters blew up suddenly in 1985–86. They started getting some national attention when founders Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian collaborated on Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual LP. They ended up arranging about half the album, and Hyman co-wrote “Time After Time” with Lauper. The Hooters put out their major-label debut Nervous Night in May 1985, just before opening the July 13 Live Aid concert in Philadelphia. The local promoters added them to the bill to Bob Geldof’s dismay, who didn’t think they were big enough (Wiki tells me Geldof ended up opening for them in 2004).

Nervous Night’s first single, “All You Zombies,” had been kicking around for a while; first as a live single in 1982, then a studio version on their indie-debut album the next year, Amore. The Nervous Night version missed the Top 40, but was all over MTV. “And We Danced” and “Day by Day” ended up being their big breakthrough singles, reaching #21 and #18, respectively. “Where Do the Children Go” was the fourth single; that’s Patty Smyth from Scandal chipping in vocals. Their trademark melodica doesn’t kick in until the 3-minute mark.

And after Nervous Night, the Hooters never reached the US Top 40 again, but got bigger in Europe. They went on hiatus in 1995, and got back together in the early aughts. They’re back recording and touring, mostly in Germany and in the Eastern US.