Object Of My Desire

Album: Restless (1985)
Charted: 96 25
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Songfacts®:

  • Starpoint was a Maryland-based funk/soul band consisting of the four Phillips brothers - George Jr, Ernesto, Gregory, and Orlando - who shared vocal and instrument duties, along with family friend Kayode Adeyemo on bass and lead singer Renee Diggs.

    When the group signed to Elektra in the early '80s, they adopted a pop-leaning R&B sound and landed their sole Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 in 1985 with "Object Of My Desire." The upbeat track finds Renee singing her heart out to a guy she can't stop fantasizing about.
  • The real object of Diggs' desire was her bandmate and longtime companion Ernesto Phillips. Ernesto co-wrote the track with Kayode Adeyemo and Starpoint's manager, Keith Diamond (one of the songwriters behind Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)"). Diamond also co-produced the album with Lionel Job, whose other production credits include Keith Sweat and Atlantic Starr.
  • This was also the group's first Top 10 hit on the R&B chart, where it peaked at #8. They notched two more Top 10 entries before their breakup in 1990: "What You Been Missin'" and "He Wants My Body."
  • This was Starpoint's second-highest entry on the US Dance chart, where it reached #12. They outdid themselves in 1990 when "I Want You - You Want Me" hit #9.
  • In 2005, American DJ Dana Rayne released a Eurotrance cover that went to #7 in the UK.
  • This features the Fairlight CMI digital synthesizer/sampler, which became a fixture in '80s pop music after Kate Bush used it for her Never For Ever album in 1980.
  • The Restless tour was cut short when Diggs was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system. Diggs continued to perform and even launched a brief solo career after Starpoint disbanded. She died of complications from MS in 2005 at age 50, a year after Ernesto Phillips passed after suffering a stroke.
  • This was featured in Stranger Things' season 4 opener, "The Hellfire Club," when Steve and Robin discussed their complicated love lives during the drive to a pep rally.

    It was also used on the TV series Moonlighting in the 1986 episode "North By North DiPesto."

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