With Every Beat of My Heart, I Can't Fight Fate

[First of all, let me address the elephant in the room: I know that Taylor Dayne performed at a largely mask-free party at Mar-a-Lago on New Year’s Eve, 2020, six days before the January 6 riot. Dayne was criticized for the appearance and apologized, claiming that she’s not political and it was just another gig for her, but her reputation was justifiably tarnished. I am not really one for “cancelling” people per se, though I would certainly not go see Taylor Dayne live now, which is something I might have considered doing before the Mar-a-Lago gig. But I’m telling you this because, even though I’m writing about an album that was released 31 years before New Year’s Eve 2020, I wanted to give you the choice upfront about whether you want to read this entry or not.]

As someone who cherishes subtlety and understatement in pop music and elsewhere, it pains me to say this, but I can’t fight fate: I love every single one of Taylor Dayne’s huge, ridiculous hits. I love the dance floor bangers (“Tell It To My Heart", “Prove Your Love”), the anthemic pop tracks (“Don’t Rush Me,” “I’ll Be Your Shelter”), and the slow dance classics (“I’ll Always Love You”, “Love Will Lead You Back”). Every damn one of them.

Can’t Fight Fate (1989) was the enormous follow-up to her explosive 1987 LP, Tell It To My Heart. These two monster albums produced eight Billboard Top 40 hits, seven of which hit the Top 10, all between 1987 - 1990. And, to reiterate, I love every damn one of these songs. Loved them then, love them now, will love them in the future.

I didn’t think I loved superstar songwriter Diane Warren all that much, but, wow, she wrote “I’ll Be Your Shelter”, “Love Will Lead You Back,” and “You Can’t Fight Fate”, all vehicles custom-made for Dayne’s enormous voice. Again, no nuance whatsoever, but the “Wow!” factor is off the charts.

So, yeah. I love Taylor Dayne songs.