Once Upon a Time in the Top Spot: Tommy Page’s “I’ll Be Your Everything”

We’re not trying to dismiss an entire gender and several age demographics with the statement we’re about to make as much as we’re trying to zoom in and speak straight to the people who’ll care most about this post, but…if you were a teenage girl in 1990, you may be interested to know that Tommy Page’s “I’ll Be Your Everything” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 24 years ago today.

Again, we’re not suggesting that there aren’t guys out there who also thrilled to Page’s work, because clearly there are, nor do we think that it was only teenagers who have fond memories of “I’ll Be Your Everything,” which proved to be the singer’s only chart-topper. We’re only looking at the pop culture history of the time in question, and the fact that the song was co-written by Jordan Knight and Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block. Given all the teenage girls who were clamoring for anything and everything connected to NKOTB at the time, turning “I’ll Be Your Everything” into a hit in 1990 was like shooting fish in a barrel.

It’s worth noting, though, that although Page was quickly painted into a corner and trapped as a teen heartthrob for the remainder of his career, he actually had a few more shades to him than the average pop star. It’s probable that our effort to change your mind about Page won’t work, but still consider giving this playlist a spin: not only does it include his fun title track to the 1989 film Shag, but also a cover of Eric Carmen’s “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again.” If only the soundtrack to Dick Tracy were in print, we’d also have thrown in his contribution to that album, a track called “Blue Nights.” (Say, now there’s something to consider for future digital release…)