Song of the Day: 'Lay Down Your Arms' by the Graces

With the exception of David Letterman, I was never a big late-night TV guy. So it's no surprise I missed this -- what I consider unimaginable now -- performance by the Graces on "The Arsenio Hall Show"! Go-Go's guitarist Charlotte Caffey looks like a deer in the headlights singing lead alongside Gia Ciambotti and future Grammy winner (and total "Bitch") Meredith Brooks, but they sound great. This single actually reached No. 56 on the Billboard 100, placing third Charlotte behind Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin on the "solo" success ladder. (Not that it was a competition.) 

The followup, "Perfect View," was even better, but failed to chart, as did the two after that. I wonder what Charlotte was thinking at this time. She was still very much working with Belinda on her solo projects -- but as a prolific songwriter I'm sure she was itching to have an outlet for more. I wonder if she thought this would be her next big success, or if she really considered more of a lark. The Graces' one album, 1989's "Perfect View," was awfully good. What a shame it tanked and the band would never record again, despite carrying on for a couple years after Brooks left to (again) pursue her solo career. 

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