80's Flashback

Nick Kamen, Each Time You Break My Heart, 1986. When Madonna got a look at British model Nick Kamen in a very hot Levi's commercial, she went all Jesus Luz on him, co-writing and co-producing this, his first hit single - even adding her own vocals to the end of the track. The single went Top Ten in most of Europe, reaching #5 in the UK, but failing to dent the U.S. pop chart. That's when Madonna sicced her then-favorite remixer, legendary Salsoul veteran Shep Pettibone, on the track, resulting in a 12" version that zoomed to #5 on the Billboard dance chart. (Aided in no small part by Madge's gay fans who were lapping up anything she touched.) Kamen scored a couple more minor hits in the UK, but it was in Italy where he saw his greatest success, notching eight Top Ten hits there, including two #1's, before retiring from music in 1992. Like any male dance artist, Kamen battled rumors about his sexuality during his brief career, at one time exclaiming in an interview, "I'm not gay! I dated Madonna!" Not exactly the most convincing defense, but whatevs. Trivia: Shep Pettibone now owns the popular Paradise/Empress, a gay nightclub/hotel complex in Asbury Park, New Jersey.