We can sum up the look and sounds of certain decades, talking about vibrant colors and sharp angles, funky architecture and stylish cars. But the fastest way to sum up the very best of the ’80s to someone would be with the song “Tell It to My Heart” by Taylor Dayne; nothing else needs to be said once they listen to that.
That catchy beat might be enough to concisely show why the 1980s produced the best music, but for Dayne herself, that song represented only the beginning—the beginning of her platform to share more great tracks with us eager fans. It’s no wonder “Tell It to My Heart” is at once the ultimate nostalgia rush and the start of something great.
“Tell It to My Heart” was the start of Taylor Dayne giving us great, funky hits
Songwriters Seth Swirsky and Ernie Gold, who worked for Chappell Music, are the brains behind the composition of “Tell It to My Heart.” While today, we know that the track would land in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, back then, the dynamite duo nearly ditched the song altogether. Because Swirsky and his girlfriend thought the song wasn’t good enough, he came very close to not delivering it to his publisher.
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That’s exactly the kind of underdog energy Dayne was looking for when she reached out to Chappel with a very specific, unique request: send over demos that had been overlooked.
Technically, “Tell It to My Heart” didn’t qualify, because it had been recorded by Louisa Florio in ’87, but once she heard it, Dayne and that song drifted together like magnets. Of the many things that stood out to her, Dayne specifically noted, “I thought there was something about the hook – it’s a happy hook.”
The sound of the ’80s that everyone keeps coming back to
Today, nobody can still get enough of “Tell It to My Heart,” as performed by the talented, upbeat, melodious Taylor Dayne. Upon release for Dayne’s 1988 debut album, Tell It to My Heart, the track moved around in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, starting at 92 before nestling comfortably in the top 40, peaking at 39, and settling back to 43, before rocketing to number 7.
It stayed on the Hot 100 for a whopping 25 weeks, but hundreds of thousands of fans are still listening to it like no time has passed at all. Just one posting of it on YouTube has over 122 million views. They come from all backgrounds, all walks of life, places, and experiences—and they are all united in their love of this song as the perfect, representative sound of the ’80s.
“This is literally the 80’s in one video,” one viewer noted of the overall performance in the music video. “Distressed Denim, primary colors blocking, big crimped hair, and synthesizers galore. I love it.”
Another dubbed it the ultimate “Top 10 ‘this is what the 80’s sounded like’ song.” Another listener got sent on a trip down memory lane, reminiscing, “Why is it that once you start listening to these fire 80’s hits, you end up binging on all 80’s music for hours on YouTube? Nothing and I mean straight up nothing will ever dominate the music, culture and fads of the 80’s! So blessed to have lived and experienced the enlightening 80’s. This 54 year old will always be an 80’s child!”
Even Dayne, today , returns to “Tell It to My Heart,” which not only made her a household name and a regular of the airwaves, but established her as someone you could count on to provide a catchy beat that’s easy to dance to no matter the decade. Just last autumn, Dayne teamed up with electronic dance music trio Cash Cash to perform the song on Good Morning America. This was part of a bigger plan to give the song a modern remix, with Dayne telling co-host Lara Spencer, “This is the 35-year anniversary of ‘Tell It to My Heart,’ and if you’re going to remix it, you’re gonna do it. You’re gonna do it right.”
As for Cash Cash, they’re just as hooked as the rest of us have been all these years, with the band proudly sharing, “This song was always blasting in our parents’ cars when we were growing up, and hope you guys do the same with this version.” But there’s always something special about the original, so bring on the nostalgia and give it a listen or two or three!
