From around 1983 to 1989 I was a huge fan of Exile. I'd grown up on country music, and after the former rock group--led by songwriting talent J.P. Pennington--redirected itself toward the country charts following a string of artists including Alabama scoring big hits with covers of their songs, I jumped on the bandwagon. I even saw them perform live at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo in 1984. They simply wrote good, catchy music, and would continue to do so until an awkward single "Super Love" broke a string of half a dozen consecutive no. 1 hits. Shortly thereafter, most of the core lineup left the group, the ensuing albums flopped and by the early 90s Exile disbanded.
None of those songs are featured on today's installment of Friday Night Videos. Instead, we're going to enjoy their first--and biggest--hit from the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a disco-era power ballad that was a no. 1 hit for four weeks in 1978. The band actually re-recorded a country version for their 1986 greatest hits album, but for my money the original is still the best.
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