80's Ladies

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I do write from a personal point of view. I see what my friends are going through . . . how they react to relationships. I learn from watching people and try to put it in terms that music fans would find interesting

—K. T. Oslin on the lyrics. [8]

Release and promotion

80's Ladies was released on June 30, 1987 by RCA and BMG Music. [13] The album debuted on the US Billboard Top Country on August 8, 1987, peaking at the top spot for one week on February 27, 1988. [14] The album debuted at number 145 on the US Billboard chart on December 12, 1987, [15] before peaking at number sixty-eight on March 26, 1988 during Oslin's career peak, [16] making her album the highest spent on the country chart for 148 weeks and her second-highest on the main chart behind her proceeding This Woman , spending for 32 weeks, [14] and by March 22, 1988, it had been certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies in the US, before eventually certified platinum on May 23, 1989 for 1,000,000 copies. [13] Despite the album having only charted in the US, it was eventually certified gold in Canada for selling over 50,000 in that country. [17] In retrospect, Oslin has become "the oldest breakthrough artist in country music history." [18]

"Wall of Tears"/"Two Hearts" (titled as "Two Hearts Are Better Than One") was released as the first single in December 1986 and reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for fifteen weeks [19] but failed to penn itself to become a major hit. Her second and most successful single, "80's Ladies" was released on April 25, 1987, and reached number seven on Billboard Country Singles, charting for twenty-one weeks on that chart, [19] and number four on RPM Canadian Country Tracks, becoming her smash hit that won Oslin her first "Song of the Year" at the Country Music Association Awards [20] and nominated at the Academy of Country Music Awards [21] as well as becoming the first female artist to receive one. She was also brought honors for winning the title of Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1988. [22]

"Do Ya" was also released in August 1987 and peaked at the top spot on Billboard Country Singles [19] as well as number three in Canada. It was Oslin's longest-charted single at that time for twenty-five weeks. [19] The song also received numerous nominations at the CMAs, notably on single and song accolades. [20] "I'll Always Come Back" was also released on January 30, 1988, and again earned the top spot for both the United States [23] [19] and Canada.

Music videos were produced for "80's Ladies" and "I'll Always Come Back", both produced by Marc W. Ball and directed by Jack Cole and John Lloyd Miller, [24] which the "80's Ladies" video had won for ACM's "Country Music Video of the Year", while "I'll Always Come Back" has been nominated for that same accolade. [21]

Track listing

80's Ladies
80sLadies.jpg
Studio album by
K. T. Oslin
ReleasedJune 30, 1987 (1987-06-30)
StudioThe Music Mill, Nashville, TN
Genre Country
Length33:51
Label RCA
Producer Harold Shedd
K. T. Oslin chronology
80's Ladies
(1987)		 This Woman
(1988)
Singles from 80's Ladies
  1. "Wall of Tears"
    Released: December 1986
  2. "80's Ladies"
    Released: April 25, 1987
  3. "Do Ya"
    Released: August 1987
  4. "I'll Always Come Back"
    Released: January 30, 1988
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wall of Tears" Richard Leigh, Peter McCann 3:45
2."I'll Always Come Back" K. T. Oslin 4:08
3."Younger Men"Oslin3:06
4."80's Ladies"Oslin4:12
5."Do Ya"Oslin4:05
6."Two Hearts" Rory Bourke, Oslin4:10
7."Dr., Dr." Jerry Gillespie, Oslin3:28
8."Lonely But Only for You" Charlie Black, Bourke, Oslin3:10
9."Old Pictures"Gillespie, Oslin4:13

Personnel

Credits are adapted from liner notes. [9]

Musicians
Technical
  • Harold Shedd – production
  • Jim Cotton – recording, engineering, associate producer
  • Joe Scaife – recording, engineering, associate producer
  • George W. Clinton – assistant engineer
  • Paul Goldberg – assistant engineer
  • Milan Bogdan – digital editing
  • Hank Williams – mastering
Design
  • Mary Hamilton – art design
  • Beverly Parker – photography
  • Charlie McCallen – hand tinting
  • Letha Rodman – make-up

Charts

Chart performance for 80's Ladies1987 weekly chart performance for 80's Ladies
Chart (1987-1988)Peak
position
US Billboard Top Country Albums [14] 1
US Billboard 200 [14] 68

Certifications

Certifications for 80's Ladies
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [17] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [13] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release formats for 80's Ladies
RegionDateLabelFormatCatalogNotes
North AmericaJune 30, 1987 LP, cassette, CD 5924-1-R
1990
  • RCA
  • BMG
Cassette, CD2193-2-RReissue contains 1990 Love in a Small Town version of "Two Hearts"
Worldwide2014Streaming

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r93449
  2. ↑ Blum, Joe (March 1988). "K. T. Oslin: 80's Ladies" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 38. High Fidelity. p. 70.
  3. 1 2 3 Oermann, Robert K. & Bufwack, Mary A. 2003, p. 447.
  4. ↑ Boehm, Mike (11 October 1991). "SINGER MAKES HITS BY BUCKING CONVENTIONAL NOTIONS". Sun-Sentinel . Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hurst, Jack (July 7, 1987). "K.T. Oslin tries another kind of commercial success". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Kirby, Kip (October 23, 1982). "Ray Twins Two from SESAC". Billboard . Vol. 94, no. 42. p. 64.
  7. 1 2 Huey, Steve. "K.T. Oslin's biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Hunt, Dennis (30 October 1988). "K.T. Oslin's a late Bloomer". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 80's Ladies (CD booklet). K.T. Oslin. RCA Records. 1987. 5924-4-R.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r93449
  11. ↑ Moore, Addie (7 December 2020). "Revisit The Rise of Unlikely '80s Megastar K.T. Oslin". Wide Open Country. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  12. ↑ Shelburne, Craig (5 December 2011). "Catching Up With K.T Oslin". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 "American album certifications – K.T. Oslin – 80s Ladies". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "K.T. Oslin Billboard Chart History". Billboard . Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  15. ↑ "Billboard 200 Chart - Week of 12 December 1987". Billboard . Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  16. ↑ "Billboard 200 Chart - Week of 26 March 1988". Billboard . Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  17. 1 2 "Canadian album certifications – K.T Oslin – 80's Ladies". Music Canada . Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  18. ↑ Coyne, Kevin John (21 December 2020). "In Memoriam: K.T. Oslin (1942-2020)". Country Universe. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 "K.T. Oslin - Hot Country Songs History". Billboard . Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  20. 1 2 "CMA Past Winners & Nominees: K. T. Oslin". Country Music Association . Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  21. 1 2 "Search winners: K. T. Oslin". Academy of Country Music . Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  22. ↑ "K. T. Oslin: Artist". Grammy Awards . 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  23. ↑ "Hot Country Singles chart for April 23, 1988". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  24. ↑ Love In A Small Town (VHS booklet). K.T. Oslin. RCA Records. 1990. 2366-3-R.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

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