"Come Back" is a song by

the J. Geils Band The J. Geils Band was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard "Magic ...

, appearing on their 1980 album '' Love Stinks''. "Come Back" was the first single from the album, and reached the US

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

, peaking at No. 32 and remaining in the Top 40 for five weeks. It peaked at No. 19 for two weeks in Canada. It also made Billboard's

Club Play Singles Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart, peaking at No. 69. The song remains in the rotation of

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...

radio stations.

Seth Justman Seth Justman (born January 27, 1951) is the keyboard player for the U.S. rock band, The J. Geils Band. Biography Justman was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Atlantic City, and is Jewish. He co-wrote many of the band's songs with singer ...

provides extensive keyboards, which

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critic James Simon feels gives the song "a little extra zing." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' critic Dave Marsh praised "Come Back" as a "full-scale showcase" for the band, claiming that it came "very close to the topnotch hard rock Geils has always threatened to make and too rarely delivered." On the other hand, in the 4th edition of ''

The New Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'', critic Rob Sheffield calls the song a "failed

Eurodisco Eurodisco (also spelled as Euro disco) is the variety of European forms of electronic dance music that evolved from disco in the late 1970s, incorporating elements of pop and rock into a disco-like continuous dance atmosphere. Many Eurodisco ...

experiment." ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' critic Steve Morse describes the song as " discoish." Bill Flanagan, writing in the ''

'' remarked that although "Come Back" has an "upbeat surface," the song conveys the anxiety that lurks below. Craig Allen of NJ 101.5 describes the song as an "overlooked 1980 J. Geils gem." '' Cash Box'' said it has "an insistent dance beat is surrounded by rapid-fire electronics," but still retains "a hard ‘n’ heavy guitar sound." '' Record World'' said that the song "has an exciting dance beat" and that "vocals & surging keyboards are tops." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Michael Gallucci rated it to be the band's 10th greatest song, saying that was "

-inspired" and loaded with "contemporary-sounding eyboards" Subsequent to its initial appearance on ''Love Stinks'', "Come Back" was released on several J. Geils Band compilation albums, including ''Flashback: The Best of the J. Geils Band'', ''Centerfold'', ''The Very Best J. Geils Band Album Ever'' and '' Best of The J. Geils Band''. In the Netherlands, it was also released as the B-side of the 12"

maxi-single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

Centerfold The centerfold or centrefold of a magazine is the inner pages of the middle sheet, usually containing a portrait, such as a pin-up or a nude. The term can also refer to the model featured in the portrait. In saddle-stitched magazines (as opp ...

." Full House, a band that includes former J. Geils Band bassist Danny Klein, covers "Come Back" in concert.

Chart performance

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1980 singles The J. Geils Band songs EMI Records singles Song recordings produced by Seth Justman Songs written by Seth Justman Songs written by Peter Wolf 1980 songs