"Too Much Time on My Hands" | ||||
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Single by Styx | ||||
from the album Paradise Theatre | ||||
B-side | "Queen of Spades" | |||
Released | March 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1980 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 4:31 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | Tommy Shaw | |||
Producer(s) | Styx | |||
Styx singles chronology | ||||
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"Too Much Time on My Hands" is the second single released from Styx's 1981 triple-platinum album Paradise Theatre . It was written and sung by Tommy Shaw, who also plays the lead guitar solo during the break in the song. The inspiration for its lyrics came from Shaw's experiences in a bar in Niles, Michigan, U.S. [1]
It reached #9 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in May 1981, [2] No. 2 on the Top Rock Tracks chart, and No. 4 on the RPM Top Singles chart of Canada.
The song enjoyed a small revival when The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon started talking about the music video after hearing the song on the radio in April 2016. [3] [4] This culminated with the episode on April 29, 2016 when Fallon showed a shot-by-shot reenactment of the video with him and guest Paul Rudd on the show. [5] In this video Fallon plays the part of Dennis DeYoung and Rudd plays Tommy Shaw, with A.D. Miles as James Young, Seth Herzog as John Panozzo, and Gerard Bradford as Chuck Panozzo. [6] [7] Tommy Shaw has commented positively and said he was impressed with Fallon's vocals. [8]
The song was heard in the Close Enough episode "Snailin' It".
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [9] | 67 |
Year-end chart (1981) | Rank |
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US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [10] | 54 |
Styx is an American rock band from Chicago that formed in 1972 and is best known for melding hard rock guitar balanced with acoustic guitar, synthesizers mixed with acoustic piano, upbeat tracks with power ballads, and incorporating elements of international musical theatre. The band established itself with a progressive rock sound in the 1970s, and began to incorporate pop rock and soft rock elements in the 1980s.
Cyclorama is the fourteenth studio album by Styx, released in 2003. This was the first studio album with Lawrence Gowan, following the departure of group co-founder Dennis DeYoung in 1999. It was also the latter of two albums to feature Glen Burtnik, and the only album released by the Lawrence Gowan/Tommy Shaw/James "JY" Young/Glen Burtnik/Chuck Panozzo/Todd Sucherman lineup, and as such the only original Styx album to feature four different singer-songwriters as opposed to the usual three. The album peaked significantly higher on the Billboard album charts than Styx's previous release, Brave New World (1999), ending up 48 slots higher at #127.
"Mr. Roboto" is a song written by Dennis DeYoung of the band Styx, and recorded on the Styx album Kilroy Was Here. It was also released as a 45 RPM single in a 4:44 single edit, which has the synthesizer intro and a bar at the finale removed, with the song "Snowblind" as the B-side. In Canada, it went to #1 on the RPM national singles chart. In the U.S., it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1983.
Cornerstone is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Styx, released in 1979. Styx's third straight multi-platinum selling album, Cornerstone was Styx's first album to earn a Grammy nomination, which was for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. Like the four previous Styx albums, the band produced the album themselves. Styx recorded the album at Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Paradise Theatre is the tenth album by the rock band Styx, released in January 1981. It was the most successful album by Styx, peaking at #1 for 3 weeks on the Billboard Album Chart in April and May 1981 (non-consecutively).
Caught in the Act is a live double album by Styx, released in 1984. It contains one new song, "Music Time", which was released as a single, reaching #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Return to Paradise is a live album by Styx, released in 1997. It features songs from their successful reunion tour with Tommy Shaw, but without John Panozzo, who died in July 1996. It includes three new studio tracks, including "Dear John", which Shaw wrote as a tribute to Panozzo.
Brave New World is the thirteenth studio album by Styx, released in 1999. It is the band’s first studio album to feature drummer Todd Sucherman, replacing John Panozzo, who died in 1996 and the last album to feature keyboardist/vocalist Dennis DeYoung. This is the last album that bassist Chuck Panozzo is credited as a full-time member, he would continue with the band as a part-time member. The album peaked at #175 on the Billboard 200 and reached the top 10 on the Top Internet Albums chart. However, its position on the Billboard charts was the lowest from a Styx album of new material since 1973's The Serpent Is Rising.
Big Bang Theory is the fifteenth studio album and the first covers album by the band Styx, released in 2005. It consists of cover versions of classic rock songs.
"Don't Let It End" is the third track and the second top 10 single on the 1983 album Kilroy Was Here, by Styx.
"Fooling Yourself " is the second single released from Styx's The Grand Illusion (1977) album. On the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in the U.S., the single peaked at #29 in April 1978. It also hit no. 20 on the Canada RPM Top Singles chart the week of May 6, 1978.
"Blue Collar Man " is the first single that Styx released from the Pieces of Eight (1978) album. Released in 1978, the single came in two 7" vinyl formats: one with the b-side "Superstars" and a second single with the instrumental album track "Aku-Aku" as the b-side. Some printings of the single were also issued in a translucent blue vinyl, which are now highly sought after collectors items.
"Sing for the Day'" is the second single that Styx released from their album Pieces of Eight. It reached #41 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in February 1979. It was later the B-side of their next single “Renegade”. Tommy Shaw used the name ‘Hannah’ in the song, to represent his fans. Several years later, he named his newborn daughter Hannah. The album version that lasts 4:57, was edited down to 3:40 for the single version.
"Borrowed Time" is a single release from Styx's album Cornerstone.
"The Best of Times" is the first single release from Styx's 1981 triple-platinum album Paradise Theatre. It reached No. 1 in Canada on the RPM national singles chart, their second chart topper in that country, and No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in March and April 1981. In the UK, the song peaked at No. 42 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Music Time" is the sole studio track released on the live Styx album, Caught in the Act. It peaked at #40 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of June 2, 1984.
"Paradise" is the only single release from Styx's 1997 live double album Return to Paradise. The song was originally written and recorded by Dennis DeYoung for his musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The song was re-recorded by Styx for inclusion as one of three new studio tracks on the live album.
Styx - Classics, Volume 15 is a greatest hits compilation for the band Styx, released in 1987 by A&M Records as part of A&M's classics series of greatest hits albums for artists on its label.
Styx: Hits from Yesterday and Today: Recorded Live is a compilation album containing songs by the band Styx. It was released in 2001. It takes four songs from Styx's previous studio album, Brave New World and two of the three studio tracks from Styx's previous live double album, Return to Paradise, and combines them with four live tracks from the previously released Arch Allies: Live at Riverport.
Regeneration: Volume I & II is a compilation album by the band Styx released in 2011. It consists of re-recordings of classic Styx songs, one new track entitled "Difference in the World" and two Damn Yankees covers. The album was released first as two separate EP releases, Regeneration: Volume 1 in 2010 and Regeneration: Volume 2 in 2011. The EPs were sold on every date of Styx's The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight tour, which began October 14, 2010 in Evansville, Indiana, and they were sold at some of their concerts since July 2010, as well as on their website. The album would be the last Styx studio release with longtime producer Gary Loizzo before his passing in 2016.
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