Once upon a time, Christopher Cross was a contender. The pop-rock musician/singer dropped his debut, self titled album in 1979 which became one of the biggest selling debut albums of all time and a bona fide smash. Christopher Cross sold five million copies, and produced four Top 40 Billboard hits, including the hit “Sailing”, which reached number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. If you were there (I was. I was seven years old, but my parents loved Cross’s music. And so did much of the country), you remember how real Crossmania was.
The potential legend of Cross grew with his stunning 1980 Grammy success. He won four major awards: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. He was the first new artist to win all four of the major categories in the same year.
Cross had some post 1979 success. He released the (amazing) single "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" in 1981 for the movie Arthurwhich hit the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. He released a follow up album in 1983 to less success than his debut. He had a hit single with “Think of Laura” in 1984, and then…that was it. With the explosion of MTV, by the mid 1980’s Cross’s music and vibe wasn’t a fit for the channel. As fast as he hit, he was gone. A tragic casualty of the shifting tectonic plates of American pop culture.
Below is a television commercial for Cross’s first album. It's a cool reminder of what his album was, a bolt of lightning that gave us all a wonderful jolt. Rock on, Chris. I still play your music on my smartphone.
Did you buy Christopher Cross in 1979? If you did, talk to me at grgsmmsjr@gmail.com.
