The Return of Bruno (album)
Encyclopedia
The Return of Bruno is the debut album by actor Bruce Willis
. Released by Motown
in 1987, this album is an eclectic gathering of R&B
music sung by Willis, with backing musicians including Booker T. Jones
, Ruth Pointer
and The Temptations
. Every song is a cover
with the exception of "Jackpot (Bruno's Bop)", for which Willis receives a co-writing credit with producer Robert Kraft.
The album peaked at #14 on the Billboard
200 album chart.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=6029&model.vnuAlbumId=18494 Leadoff single "Respect Yourself" received considerable airplay, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 7 in the UK. Follow-up singles "Young Blood" and "Under the Boardwalk
" did not fare nearly as well, peaking at #68 and #59, respectively. However, in Britain "Under the Boardwalk" was a massive success, reaching #2 in the charts and becoming the UK's 12th best-selling single of 1987.
The album is a companion piece to an HBO special of the same name
which aired shortly after the record's release. A re-issue was distributed by Razor & Tie
in 1997.
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
. Released by Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
in 1987, this album is an eclectic gathering of R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music sung by Willis, with backing musicians including Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...
, Ruth Pointer
Ruth Pointer
Ruth Pointer is an American R&B singer, best known for being the eldest member of The Pointer Sisters.-Early life:Pointer was born in Oakland, California. She began her vocal training as a director of a junior choir in her father's church.-The Pointer Sisters:Joining her sisters in 1972, the...
and The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
. Every song is a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
with the exception of "Jackpot (Bruno's Bop)", for which Willis receives a co-writing credit with producer Robert Kraft.
The album peaked at #14 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
200 album chart.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=6029&model.vnuAlbumId=18494 Leadoff single "Respect Yourself" received considerable airplay, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 7 in the UK. Follow-up singles "Young Blood" and "Under the Boardwalk
Under the Boardwalk
"Under the Boardwalk" is a hit pop song written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick and recorded by The Drifters in 1964.-Premise:The lyric describes a tryst between a man and his beloved in a seaside town, who plan to privately meet "out of the sun" and out of sight from everyone else under a...
" did not fare nearly as well, peaking at #68 and #59, respectively. However, in Britain "Under the Boardwalk" was a massive success, reaching #2 in the charts and becoming the UK's 12th best-selling single of 1987.
The album is a companion piece to an HBO special of the same name
The Return of Bruno (film)
The Return of Bruno is a 1987 comedic film, originally aired as a one-hour special on HBO and later released on VHS. It is a mockumentary starring Bruce Willis as his fictitious alter ego "Bruno Radolini", a legendary blues singer...
which aired shortly after the record's release. A re-issue was distributed by Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie is a New York-based corporation founded in 1990 by Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam. The company encompasses a record label with major label distribution , a home video company, a media buying company, a music publishing business, a marketing, promotion and sales team, and a direct...
in 1997.
Track listing
- "Comin' Right Up" (Brock Walsh) – 3:30
- "Respect YourselfRespect Yourself"Respect Yourself" is the name of a classic soul song by American R&B/gospel group The Staple Singers. Released in late 1971 from their album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, the song became a crossover hit. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and reached #2 on the Hot Soul...
" (Luther IngramLuther IngramLuther Ingram was an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter.-Career:Born Luther Thomas Ingram in Jackson, Tennessee, his early interest in music led to him making his first record in 1965 at the age of 28. His first three recordings failed to chart but that changed when he signed for KoKo...
, Mack RiceMack RiceMack Rice , is a American songwriter, whose compositions have been performed by many well-known artists, including The Staple Singers, Ike and Tina Turner, Albert King, Johnnie Taylor, Shirley Brown, Rufus Thomas, Etta James, Billy Eckstine, Eddie Floyd, Buddy Guy, The Rascals, Wilson Pickett,...
) – 3:53 - "Down in Hollywood" (Ry CooderRy CooderRyland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
, Tim DrummondTim DrummondTim Drummond is an American bass guitarist who has toured and recorded with many notable artists including Conway Twitty, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Ry Cooder, J. J. Cale, Lonnie Mack, Miles Davis, B.B...
) – 5:20 - "Young BloodYoung Blood"Young Blood" is a song written by the songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, together with Doc Pomus, in 1957.The song was included in the musical revue Smokey Joe's Cafe.-Structure:...
" (Jerry LieberJerry Leiber and Mike StollerJerome "Jerry" Leiber and Mike Stoller were American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Stand By Me" Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)...
, Doc PomusDoc PomusJerome Solon Felder, better known as Doc Pomus , was a twentieth-century American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lyricist of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the category of non-performer in 1992. He was also inducted into...
, Mike StollerJerry Leiber and Mike StollerJerome "Jerry" Leiber and Mike Stoller were American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Stand By Me" Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)...
) – 4:08 - "Under the BoardwalkUnder the Boardwalk"Under the Boardwalk" is a hit pop song written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick and recorded by The Drifters in 1964.-Premise:The lyric describes a tryst between a man and his beloved in a seaside town, who plan to privately meet "out of the sun" and out of sight from everyone else under a...
" (Kenny YoungKenny YoungKenny Young is an American songwriter who has been an active writer, artist, and producer from 1963 to the present. His most famous song was "Under the Boardwalk," co-written with Arthur Resnick and recorded by The Drifters in 1964 and by The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and many other artists;...
, Arthur Resnick) – 3:03 - "Secret Agent ManSecret Agent Man (song)"Secret Agent Man" is a song written by Steve Barri and P. F. Sloan. The most famous recording of the song was made by Johnny Rivers for the opening titles of the American broadcast of the British spy series Danger Man, which aired in the U.S. as "Secret Agent" from 1964 to 1966...
/ James Bond Is Back" (Steve BarriSteve BarriSteve Barri is an American songwriter and record producer.Early in his career Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He frequently collaborated with P.F. Sloan, and the partners were responsible for the success of The Grass Roots and contributed largely to the band's first album...
, P.F. Sloan) / (John BarryJohn Barry (composer)John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
) – 4:48 - "Jackpot (Bruno's Bop)" (Robert Kraft, Bruce WillisBruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
) – 4:12 - "Fun Time" (Allen ToussaintAllen ToussaintAllen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
) – 3:38 - "Lose Myself" (Larry John McNally, Jon LindJon LindJon Lind is an American songwriter and performer.- Biography :Jon Lind was raised in New York City. He studied classical guitar at the Mannes College of Music. His first break was in the 1970s where he worked with Bob Cavallo. At this period he met Maurice White who recorded two of his songs. He...
) – 3:56 - "Flirting with Disaster" (Brock Walsh, Jeff LorberJeff LorberJeff Lorber is an American Grammy Award-nominated keyboardist, composer, and record producer.After leading his own group, The Jeff Lorber Fusion, he went on to pioneer the smooth jazz genre....
) – 4:33