Throwback Video: Glass Tiger - "Someday"

In the summer of 1984 Alan Frew, Sam Reid, Al Connelly, Wayne Parker and Michael Hanson, going by the band name Tokyo, launched their career at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens opening for Boy George and Culture Club. Their dynamic, original sound perfectly captured the essence of the mid 80’s and led them to signing a deal with Capitol Records. At that time Tokyo officially became Glass Tiger.

With Producer Jim Vallance (Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne) at the helm, Glass Tiger quickly got to work on their first album, The Thin Red Line.

The Thin Red Line set a record for being the fastest selling debut record in Canadian history, going gold within weeks of its release and earning the band a Grammy nod for ‘Best New Artist’ in 1986. To date, the album has been certified 4x Platinum in Canada and Gold in the United States.

The first single from The Thin Red Line, “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” – featuring backing vocals by Bryan Adams – was released in January 1986 and won Single of the Year at the 1986 Juno Awards. Glass Tiger also took home Junos for Album of the Year for The Thin Red Line along with Most Promising Group of the Year.

“Someday” was the catchy second single from the album. It was released on November 24,1986 and peaked at #7 on the Billboard chart.

Fun Fact: Glass Tiger made history in Canada when they won Single of the Year at the Juno Awards in 1987 for “Someday”. It was the first time that the same artist won the award in two consecutive years for singles from the same album.

In 2017 Glass Tiger released a new album, the aptly titled 31 – 31 years after they debuted with The Thin Red Line. While 31 years seems an odd milestone to celebrate, the band missed the 30-year mark when lead singer Alan Frew suffered a stroke in 2015 and underwent an intense year of rehab.

31 isn’t your typical anniversary release anyway. It’s a completely new album featuring 11 of the band’s songs “re-imagined with traditional acoustic instruments”. So while “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone” and “Someday” were classic feel-good pop rock party tunes in their original forms, the 2018 versions are more Adult Contemporary with a Celtic feel – a nod to Frew’s Scottish roots.

However, on this Throwback Thursday, we’re taking a moment to enjoy the original “Someday” in all of its ‘80s era glory.