For My Sunday Song #354, we are talking another ballad by Aldo called “Ball And Chain” off his debut 1982 album ‘Aldo Nova’. The album came out on April Fool’s Day in the States but it was no joke. The double platinum selling album was huge for Aldo. His song “Fantasy” made the Top 40, but that wasn’t necessarily the best song on the album. One thing Aldo can do is ballads and “Ball And Chain” was one I gravitated towards almost immediately. Aldo wrote and played guitars and keyboards on it as well.

Lyrically, the song is about a love gone dead. The guy sits around waiting for the girl to come back to him. That love he feels weighs him down like a ball and chain as he can’t get over her and he just wants to hear her voice one more time. He wants to hear her say that she still loves him and so he sits, painfully, by the phone waiting for her and yet she never calls. How miserable must he have been to wait so long…he needs some help!!

Musically, it is saturated with keyboards/piano as Aldo loves those synths, but it fits the song so well. The keyboards are almost wailing at times as if they are crying as the hurt so much not hearing from the woman he loves. It is pretty cool effect. Aldo’s guitar solo matches the sound of the keyboards and he just wails away on those notes and makes them cry as well. Aldo sings as if he is feeling the loneliness of his situation and he captures the lyrics so well. And that last “Ball & Chain” vocal sees Aldo hold out the note as long as he can and it ends the song perfectly.

Give the song a listen and let me know what you think. Is it a good ballad and should it have been released as a single? I think it would’ve done well and better then the song they did release which was “Foolin’ Yourself” (which is still a good song). Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful and Happy Sunday.

“Ball And Chain”

How many nights, how many days do I wait here for you
Have you long forgotten all the things wed said
And how many times must I let the phone ring, just to get you
Could it be that now this love has long gone dead

[Chorus:]
No oh No – Thought it hasn’t been so long
No oh No – I’m sure you’re feelins gone and then

Love, Love feels like a ball and chain
What a fool I’ve been to fall in love again
Love, Love when will it ever end
I don’t think that I can ever love again

Well how many nights, have I stayed by the phone just to hear from you and
Could it be that I just wanna hear you say
That all of this time you’d been thinkin alone
Wonderin what to do
And that I love you is all you wanna say

[Chorus]

Written by Aldo Nova