Margriet Eshuis and Anita Pointer

In the last days of 2022 death made a sprint and took with him two female singers and an emeritus pope (and no doubt many other lesser and unknown people).

 

Margriet Eshuis (1952-2022)

She was a Dutch singer who broke big here in 1975 with a band called Lucifer. For a while in the 1980s and 90s the best known fact concerning the band, long after it disbanded, was that its drummer was tv personality Henny Huisman. Before he broke big on tv of course.

This is all irrelevant, as Lucifer is all about that one big hit: 'House For Sale". Not that I particularly liked the song at the time as a teenager. The topic was as far removed from my adolescent brain condition as possible. Perhaps it even was for Margriet Eshuis at 22 or 23. The song never left my life and that of everybody of my generation, as it can be heard on a very regular basis. Up to this day I will not tell you I truly like the song, but what gets to me is the emotion the singer puts into it. This quality is what makes the song a hit forever. She means this alright. You can feel the pain of being in the house for the last time into your marrow.

After Lucifer Margriet Eshuis started the Margriet Eshuis Band and once again scored one major hit, the somewhat jazzy 'Black Pearl'. Again a song that stands out and is special. More time constrained, in sound, than 'House For Sale', which is a genre on its own. An extremely forceful ballad. 'Black Pearl' has a laidback laying at the beach with a cocktail in hand kind of atmosphere.

There must be many more songs. Either they passed me by or I simply have no recollection of them. I liked her voice but no enough of the music is the conclusion.

Anita Pointer (1948 - 2022)

One of the four Pointer Sisters, with now only Ruth left alive. They came into my life with the funky 'Yes, We Can Can', in 1974. A funky track, sung by four sisters, totally alien music to me. I found I have the album, bought at an extremely low price. Probably played not even once as a whole.

For years that remained it for the Pointer Sisters. Somewhere Bonny Pointer decided to go it solo and was never heard of again, by me. Her three sisters though became a regular staple in the Dutch charts. Looking back on the last few decades, it is easy to see the trio has become something of a guilty pleasure. The first single charting was the biggest hit, a number 1, with Bruce Springsteen's 'Fire'. The sisters put some sex into the the song, not unlike Karen Jonas did recently with 'I'm On Fire'.

From there on a string of hits was released over several years. The ones I like best are, the steamy, rocking 'I'm So Excited'. One of the true party songs of the early 1980s. If there ever was a song with the exactly correct title, it is this single. The three sisters give it their all vocally, lifting the song up and beyond control. There's only one thing left to do: dance.

The other two that stick out for me, show another, deeper side to The Pointer Sisters' music. The first is 'Automatic'. Totally 80s in sound, in its disco tinged mood. That mood is mysterious and makes all the difference. For the rest it could have been any band of the time. And the differences in the voices of course. The contrast of deep, eldest sister Ruth, and high works really well here.

Finally there's 'Slow Hand'. A ballad, again so 80s in sound, with Anita singing lead. The song touched a soft spot within me, making an instant impression. The kind of song that has nothing to do with my musical taste in general but effortlessly coming on board and staying there, also over forty years later.

The trio scored several other hits between 1979 and 1985, but it is these three that stand out for me. Had I been able to point out Anita before today? No, I could not. I have never known. This was about the music only.

 

And that pope, Benedictus XVI? It appears he played piano. For the rest, let's not waste too much time on him.

Wout de Natris