Favorite "Strange" Songs #8 - "Eyes of a Stranger"

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WHOO HOOO! Today is the first time in a few years that I get to watch the Raiders without going to a sports bar, so let's get this out of the way. #8 in my Favorite "Strange" Songs series, which is songs with "strange," or a variation, in the title, is "Eyes of a Stranger" by Vancouver, Canada's Payola$. Led by vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Paul Hyde and guitarist/bassist/pianist Bob Rock, Payola$ were popular in Canada, but never quite achieved the international success that they deserved. Much in the vein of The Police, Payola$ combined elements of punk, new wave, reggae, and pop into their sound. They did gain exposure when their big hit, Eyes of a Stranger," was featured in the 1983 movie, Valley Girl (one of the best soundtracks of the 80's, as far as I'm concerned.) I made the Police comparison earlier, and this is a perfect example (the guitar, in particular, sounds straight out of the Andy Summers songbook.) (Bonus: The album, No Stranger to Danger, and song, were produced by the late Mick Ronson, David Bowie's one-time guitarist.) "Eyes of a Stranger" should have propelled the band into stardom. It won the Juno (Canada's Grammy's) Award for Best Single, Rock and Hyde won for Best Songwriting, and the band picked up an award for Most Promising Group. The tune reached #4 in Canada, and hit #22 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Payola$ had other, minor hits, but never again reached the heights attained by "Eyes of a Stranger." The video features footage from Valley Girl. Dig how young Nicholas Cage was! (Info verified by Wikipedia)