Hanging On A Heart Attack - Device

Groovy!

Device was a short-lived pop-rock trio formed by keyboardist, bassist and vocalist Holly Knight, vocalist Paul Engemann and guitarist Gene Black.

Device's only album, 22B3, was released in the spring of 1986. It produced a Top 40 single in the U.S. with "Hanging on a Heart Attack," which peaked at #35 on the Hot 100. The band's second single, "Who Says," peaked at #79. Both of these songs were promoted by music videos which garnered MTV rotation, and both were released as 12" singles with remix and dub versions which received club play. A third single was released, while the album peaked at #73 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. Mike Chapman produced the album.

Better known as a songwriter, Knight started her career with the band Spider during the early 1980s. She wrote hit songs for Pat Benatar, Scandal, Heart, Cheap Trick, Tina Turner and many others. Turner had covered Spider's "Better Be Good To Me" for her Private Dancer album and had a major hit with the song in 1984.

After Device disbanded, Holly Knight released a 1988 self-titled solo album featuring her own version of "Love Is a Battlefield", which she had written for Benatar, and continued writing songs for other performers. She released an additional solo album during the late '80s.

Paul Engemann, who previously sang on soundtrack cuts produced by Giorgio Moroder, joined Animotion. He took over for the original lead singer, Bill Wadhams, and sang opposite Cynthia Rhodes on Animotion's 1989 Top Ten hit "Room to Move." Coincidentally, Knight had recorded the original version of Animotion's biggest hit, "Obsession", as a duet with Michael Des Barres; the two co-wrote the song, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1983 film A Night in Heaven.

Gene Black continued to be involved in session work, including a similarly themed '80s band, Wild Blue, best known for the aggressive dance-rock singles "Fire with Fire" and "International Language of Dance".

22B3 was re-released on CD by Renaissance Records in 2007 with the same track list as the original release, and is currently in print.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• hanging
• on
• heart
• attack
• device
• groovy
• retro
• 80s
• 80's
• '80s
• rock
• one
• hit
• wonder
• holly
• knight
• paul
• engemann
• gene
• black
• 22B3
• 1986
• Animotion

[nccvball]

WOW!!!! Great quality video... I never saw this one before. Holly Knight, yes.

You just gotta love that 80's hair and the post-apocalypse wardrobe.

[Elconquistador69too]

@nccvball Thank you, Happy Holidays!

[gal80s]

@nccvball Indeed this song is one of many underrated tunes of the 80s -- many people do not know it even exists! Just about 16 thou views and I think that by now it should have at least ten times that many. But slowly people will discover it.  Also, you are right, the quality of the video is superb. Elconquistador did a great job with this one!

[Elconquistador69too]

@gal80s .... Thank you for your kind words!

[SurfingTrucker]

Love this tune! I'm featuring it on my Alternative 80's podcast this week. Look for Alternative80s on Mevio (dot) com

[Elconquistador69too]

@SurfingTrucker... Right On!

[xxxpartydog]

Oh. My. God. I haven't seen this video in over 20 years. I wore this tape out back in the day. I don't think there was a bad song on it.

[TheGiannispanatha13]

I love 80s

[riskybusiness83]

Freakin' AWESOME quality video and audio!!!

[hubbaman9885]

Cool, one of the very few bands of this style that used synth drums (the hexagon shaped drums are Simmons drum pads, discontinued in the early 90's). I love synth drums, very defining of the decade. I thought they sounded better then real drums to a certain extent.

[OceanbornAngel]

I haven't heard this song since the 80's when MTV used to play videos! Thanks for the memories.

[furthurcat]

!!!! I'VE BEEN TRYING TO REMEMBER THIS SONG!!! thanks sooo much for it!

[billboardnumber1]

Rock 102 WBEN-FM Buffalo New York used to play this back in 1986 when Hank Nevins was Programme Director.

[freshin888style]

I have this CD!!!

[dsukenick]

This is a lost song but a song that's even more hard to find is Souvenir by Rubber Rodeo. I can't find it anywhere on YouTube.

[crispublicity2007]

QUÉ BUENA CANCION !!!

[Sabeenbeen]

I saw this video on VH1 Classic. Didn't write the name down but thankfully just came across it again....amazingly good.