Lawyers in Love

Jackson Browne’s seventh studio album surfaced following “Somebody’s Baby,” the hit he wrote for the soundtrack to *Fast Times At Ridgemont High*, so it’s not too strange that the title-track from 1983’s *Lawyers In Love* plays with the same style of power-pop perfection mixed to suit early-‘80s radio rock. But unlike the boy-wants-girl of “Somebody’s Baby,” this tune was riddled with stinging social commentary about how the advent of young urban professionals brought about a popular desire for material wealth and status symbols, which overshadowed concern for more imperative topics. Doug Vito and Rick Vito helped sharpen the hooks here, the former with a *Phantom of the Opera*-inspired organ riff and the latter with some stellar skinny-necktie guitar pop that was indicative of the time. “Tender Is the Night” proved to be another success while “For a Rocker” is another standout building on the power-pop blueprint.

Jackson Browne's messages had always seemed so important that one tended to overlook the sheer songwriting craft that went into his work, craft that was apparent, for example, on his 1982 single "Somebody's Baby," which became his biggest hit ever (and which appears on none of his albums, only being available on the soundtrack to Fast Times at Ridgemont High), and on songs like "Downtown," a street-life portrait on his seventh album, Lawyers in Love.