28. Pretending
Artist: Shaun Cassidy
Album: Wasp (1980)
Todd's role(s): producer, writer, guitar, bass, saxophone
Writer(s): Todd Rundgren
The song: Yes, THAT Shaun Cassidy, the Hardy Boy and coverer of "Da Doo Ron Ron". After the failure of his 1979 album
Room Service signaled the end of Cassidy's run as a teen idol, the actor/singer decided to try to recast himself as a new wave artist and recruited Todd Rundgren to mold him in that way. Half the songs on
Wasp were written by Rundgren, sometimes in conjunction with his Utopia bandmates, and the best of these is "Pretending," a ballad that could have fit on Todd's
Hermit of Mink Hollow (1978) or Utopia's
Adventures in Utopia (1979). It sounds like it was written for Rundgren's voice or that of Utopia bassist Kasim Sulton, and is given an arrangement similar to what we hear on those records, so likely it was a leftover that Rundgren decided not to use in his own work. There are also similarities to Rundgren's work with another actor, Meat Loaf.
The song has a strong melody driven by Roger Powell's piano, and features an impassioned if a bit rough vocal by Cassidy in the guise of a man who is fed up with his lover's fake behavior.
And while you cry, I'll be laughing inside
'Cause I know you're pretending
Look me straight in the eye
When I tell you goodbye
'Cause I won't be pretending
You could beg me and fall down on your knees
But you'd just be pretending
Maybe someday you'll have something to say
And you won't be pretending
I wish we could have been treated to a version with Rundgren or Sulton singing, but this will do.
Note: This song has saxophone in it (played by Todd), but I presume shuke did not pick it for his list.
The album: It's a tale as old as time: When a teenybopper hitmaker has their hits dry up (or they get bored with what they were doing), they try to remake themselves as a "serious artist". This is where Cassidy found himself in 1980, putting his career in the hands of Rundgren and his Utopia bandmates for
Wasp in a bid to return to relevance (the album had a sticker prominently touting the Rundgren/Utopia connection).
The process was basically making a Utopia album with a guest singer. Rundgren played guitar, bass and sax, Utopia's Powell played keys and Utopia's John "Willie" Wilcox played drums (Sulton showed up on one track). Half of the songs were written by Rundgren, sometimes in collaboration with Powell and Wilcox (and Cassidy has one co-writing credit), and the other half were covers. The latter mostly didn't go well, but if you are fascinated with the idea of Shaun Cassidy singing Bowie and Talking Heads songs, then dive in. This record also made me question my assessment that The Who's "So Sad About Us" is one of those songs that is impossible to screw up. The originals are more successful, as they are basically just Utopia songs with a different singer.
Like its predecessor, the album failed to chart, and marked the end of Cassidy's pop career (at age 22!), except for a standalone single released in Europe in 1989. He returned to acting, concentrating on the stage until the mid-90s, when he returned to TV as a writer and producer.
Note: This album was marketed as a new wave record. Whether you think it actually qualifies is up to you.
You Might Also Like: The verses of "Cool Fire," written by Cassidy, Rundgren, Powell and Wilcox, sound like what would happen if you tried to incorporate power chords into reggae, but the chorus is all power pop and features the kinds of harmonies Rundgren liked to employ with Utopia:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5G0O4YDPWbLOcxLOvT7wgz?si=5b147160593e45c6
At #27, one of those geography-named bands that were all the rage in the '70s.
MAC_32 - songs to play during (and after) a funeral
