| Sports | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Huey Lewis and the News | ||||
| Released | September 15, 1983 | |||
| Recorded | Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California; The Plant Studios, Sausalito, California |
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| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 37:46 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Producer | Huey Lewis and the News | |||
| Huey Lewis and the News chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sports | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Robert Christgau | (B+)[2] |
| The Daily Vault | (A-)[3] |
| Rhapsody | (favorable)[4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
Sports is the third album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, released in 1983 (see 1983 in music). This was the album that made the band famous, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 on June 30, 1984, and making the band internationally known. The album has been certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA. Sports was ranked number 2 on Billboard's 1984 year-end album chart, after Michael Jackson's Thriller, and spawned four top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and a fifth that went top 20. It also did very well internationally, with most of its singles reaching chart peaks in various countries.
The album's biggest hit, "I Want a New Drug", was certified gold with sales of 500,000 copies in 1989, and was also the center of a lawsuit against artist Ray Parker Jr. who was accused of plagiarizing the song for his 1984 hit "Ghostbusters". The case was eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.[7]
Another single, "The Heart of Rock & Roll", a top 10 hit for the group, was later ranked at #6 in Blender magazine's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever", with its worst moment coming in "the second verse, when that cheeky Huey almost uses the word 'ass'".[8]
The cover photo for the album was shot at the 2 A.M. Club, a popular bar located in Mill Valley, California.
Contents |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Heart of Rock & Roll" | Johnny Colla, Huey Lewis | 5:03 |
| 2. | "Heart and Soul" | Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn | 4:13 |
| 3. | "Bad Is Bad" | Alex Call, John Ciambotti, Sean Hopper, H. Lewis, John McFee, Schriener | 3:48 |
| 4. | "I Want a New Drug" | Chris Hayes, H. Lewis | 4:46 |
| 5. | "Walking on a Thin Line" | Andre Pessis, Kevin Wells | 5:11 |
| 6. | "Finally Found a Home" | B. Brown, C. Hayes, H. Lewis | 3:43 |
| 7. | "If This Is It" | J. Colla, H. Lewis | 3:54 |
| 8. | "You Crack Me Up" | Mario Cipollina, H. Lewis | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Honky Tonk Blues" | Hank Williams | 3:26 |
A remastered "Expanded Edition" of Sports was released on June 29, 1999, and included the following session takes and live versions of their hit singles as bonus tracks.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "The Heart of Rock & Roll" (Session Take) | 5:12 |
| 11. | "Walking on a Thin Line" (Session Take) | 5:39 |
| 12. | "If This Is It" (Live in San Francisco, 2/21/85) | 4:25 |
| 13. | "Heart and Soul" (Live in San Francisco, 2/21/85) | 4:25 |
| 14. | "I Want a New Drug" (Live in Los Angeles, 1/15/84) | 5:27 |
| Chart (1984)[10] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart | 3 |
| German Albums Chart | 29 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 19 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 6 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 40 |
| UK Albums Chart[11] | 23 |
| US Billboard 200[12] | 1 |
Singles - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Heart and Soul" | Top Rock Tracks | 1 |
| 1983 | "Heart and Soul" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 8 |
| 1983 | "I Want a New Drug" | Top Rock Tracks | 7 |
| 1984 | "I Want a New Drug" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| 1984 | "The Heart of Rock & Roll" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| 1984 | "If This Is It" | Adult Contemporary | 5 |
| 1984 | "If This Is It" | Top Rock Tracks | 19 |
| 1984 | "If This Is It" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| 1984 | "Walking on a Thin Line" | Top Rock Tracks | 16 |
| 1984 | "Walking on a Thin Line" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 18 |
| Preceded by Footloose (soundtrack) by Various artists |
Billboard 200 number-one album June 30, 1984 - July 6, 1984 |
Succeeded by Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen |
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