This Week's Forgotten Gem of the '80s - Michael Morales' "Who Do You Give Your Love To?"

OK, so maybe "gem" is a slightly strong word in this case, but let me warn you: I'm about to get personal again. I remember hearing this impossibly catchy, moderately cheesy, gramatically questionable pop/rock tune at a movie theater, waiting for the forgettable feature to start during the summer prior to my senior year in high school. I secretly dug the song even then and associated it directly with the romantic wounds I was nursing at the time. Having broken up with my longtime high school girlfriend, I clung futilely to the fading possibility that my pathetic obsession with an unattainable college girl three years my senior would somehow blossom into an actual romance. Too much information yet? Yeah, I thought so.

Anyway, the song itself is quite a melodic treat, trapped somewhere between hair metal and Bryan Adams-styled driving pop/rock. Very dated drums, goofy vocal effects, and some thump-happy bass-playing aren't particularly welcome, but Morales offers a convincingly passionate vocal performance that perfectly fits his lovelorn subject matter. And although this snappy tune broke into the Top 20 on the pop charts during the summer of 1989, it seems like something out of some kind of mullet-friendly, personal time capsule when heard today. Maybe that's because it's almost impossible to hear it anymore on anything but glorious satellite radio. Oh well, with my memory now refreshed, I'll take my leave to wallow in what I thought was long-buried heartache. Heavy sigh: "And why... can't... it... be me?"

• Sample a generic version of "Who Do You Give Your Love To" here.
• Compare prices on some apparently scarce Michael Morales CDs here.