88 Lines About 44 Women is the name of a hit single by the new wave band The Nails. Originally recorded for their EP Hotel for Women, the song was re-recorded and released to critical and commercial acclaim on the band's 1984 album Mood Swing. Along with the track, “Let It All Hang Out”, “88 Lines About 44 Women” peaked at number forty-six on the US dance chart in March 1985. (More from Wikipedia)
The trouble with introducing yourself to the public as a novelty act is that no one tends to take your follow-up recordings seriously. One of the best new wave albums I have acquired in recent years is Dangerous Dreams by the Nails; and Allmusic (specifically Whitney Z. Gomes) states the problem well in their review of the album: “Now a new wave novelty, and forever burdened with a ‘one-hit wonder’ albatross because of the monolithic ‘88 Lines About 44 Girls’, the Nails demonstrate on Dangerous Dreams that this Boulder, CO band still held some clever moves in their repertoire. . . .” However, with all of that praise, the album still merited only a 2½-star rating.
I caught their hit “88 Lines About 44 Girls” on YouTube, and it really is a hoot.
(March 2013)
