Song of the Day: 'Don't Give Up' by Chicane Featuring Bryan Adams

   I've always been a closet Bryan Adams fan. I don't buy his albums or anything, but his singles -- and there have been many of them -- are remarkably good. From "Straight From the Heart," "Cuts Like a Knife" and "This Time" to "Run to You," "Heaven" and  "Summer of '69," his greatest hits album is one of the most consistent ever released. (Ironic that someone who should have been an '80s relic had his biggest success in the 1990s, with the inferior soundtrack ballads he became famous for. Today he's an acclaimed photographer!) The last time I remember Bryan having a new song was when I was in a hotel room in Dublin back in 2000. My friend Ken had MTV Europe on, and this hypnotic dance beat was playing, yet the voice was wonderfully familiar. Turned out it was British composer, songwriter and record producer Chicane, with Bryan Adams on vocals. I was instantly hooked, so ran out and bought the CD single when I got back to New York. I wasn't surprised when the song topped the chart in the UK, as well as becoming a Top 10 hit around Europe and Australia. But by then Americans had moved on, so the song didn't even make the Hot 100. It did reach No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play list, however, and would have hit the top if my plays had counted. I would listen to all four mixes on auto repeat for weeks on end -- thank God I was single!