I was an MTV baby. I watched the nascent network incessantly, from the day I moved in to Weinstein Dorm at N.Y.U. in the summer of 1983, until it ceased being an outlet for music sometime in the 1990s. I can say, therefore, with a modicum of confidence, that in the annals of music video production there are few pieces as utterly bereft of merit as the clip for Lime’s dance hit “Babe, We’re Gonna Love Tonight.” The Montreal Canadian native’s 1982 video seems to embody more negative qualities than any video I’ve ever seen: the production values, (there are none); performances that seem like you plucked two random people out of a supermarket check out and started filming; and, most especially, the lo-fi special effects which make Xanadu look high tech. In short, “Babe, We’re Gonna Love Tonight” is completely essential viewing for Stargayzers and anyone who appreciates how very good bad art can be.
I should also add that despite whatever the music video lacked, I always was partial to the song itself. Though the group’s female singer Denyse LePage was actually no singer at all—she sounds like a mouse sucking on a can of Reddi-whip—the song is catchy and her performance, though awful, has a certain charm. But as you’re about to see, her acting and performance chops make her singing seem proficient. In other words, just try to avert your eyes. The song was a big dance hit and got some pop radio play as well. It was also featured in the 1982 Randall Kleiser film Summer Lovers, which starred Peter Gallagher and Daryl Hannah.
The group’s other singer was husband Denis LePage. There are rumours that today he is a transgendered performer called Nini Nobless, but I found it rather hard to substantiate. Prior to “Babe, We’re Gonna Love Tonight,” the duo had a few other major dance hits, including the #1 “Your Love” (which served as the theme song to cable’s The Nikki Haskell Show).
In the end, both the song and the video have, sadly, been lost to time. Hopefully this blog post will be the beginning of a movement to restore “Babe, We’re Gonna Love Tonight” to its proper place in the pantheon of good/bad art. See for yourself:
Lisa
November 13, 2014 at 7:13 pmLove the song. But really is a horrible video! If you had to shoot a new video for this great classic. What would you do?
David Munk
November 14, 2014 at 5:05 pmI’d begin by hiring actors to play the singers!
kurt
November 14, 2014 at 10:43 pmThis is brilliantly terrible. I find it hard to judge the song because the production and Minnie’s voice is laughable.
For best song/worst video, I’d nominate “Don’t Look Any Further” by Dennis Edwards & Siedah Garrett.
David Munk
November 15, 2014 at 12:14 amFunnily enough my friend Franne Golde co-wrote the Dennis Edwards song. I’m not familiar with the video but I can tell you the song itself has been sampled enough times to buy a house! I’ll check out the video and thanks for reading, Kurt!
Johnny Stanwyck
August 18, 2019 at 8:34 pmI know it’s been some time since this was published, but I think I can clear a few things up. Denis does indeed perform as Nini Nobless, and had come out as transgender. It’s been a while since she’s posted anything online, and lives quite a modest life these days. The comment about hiring actors to portray the couple did indeed happen! The real singers only appear in a couple of their clips, with singers Joy Dorris and Chris Marsh “portraying” them in other videos and live performances (singing live, I should add, so it’s not a Milli Vanilli situation). Nini really is a genius with the synth. I’ve always liked Lime, and for whatever reason, this video makes me love them more. While popular, this song isn’t their best. “Unexpected Lovers” is a Hi-NRG classic. Denyse sings in a lower register on that track, and they both sound great. Lime’s catalog is worth exploring.
David Munk
September 9, 2019 at 11:15 amHi Johnny. Thanks so much for taking the time to share this information and for expressing your enthusiasm for Lime. I hope you’ll come back and visit Stargayzing.