Party All the Time

A hit song by Eddie Murphy? Yes, Beverly Hills Cop Eddie Murphy? Well, it was the middle of the '80s, and Eddie was just that hot. Eddie Murphy actually has had an extensive singing career, it's just not his biggest claim to fame. He had another Billboard Hot 100 hit single in 1989 with the cringe-inducing title "Put Your Mouth On Me," which reached #27. Besides two solo music albums, he's also done some of the songs in films he's appeared in, such as the Shrek franchise and 1988's Coming to America. He's also provided vocals in odd places like Saturday Night Live sketches ("Wookin' Pa Nub," anyone?), backing for The BusBoys, and hey, even appeared in Michael Jackson's video "Remember The Time." The first time Murphy was taken seriously for his music by the critical masses came when he starred in the 2006 movie Dreamgirls. Regarding his musical aspirations, he told Rolling Stone in 2011, "I never stopped recording music - I just stopped putting it out. Because when you see actors singing, it's like, 'Hey, don't come in here in my f--king music section, stay over there. Don't do your actor s--t over here."

"Party All the Time" now stands as a prime example of cheesy '80s music, all synthesizer-ed to death and repetitive. It's been ranked by both VH1 and AOL Radio on their "worst songs" lists. It's seen some remixes and covers in the late 2010s, as well as having gotten a nod in "Weird Al" Yankovic's Polka Party!

Understandably, Murphy had a hard time convincing people to take this song, and his music career, seriously. In 1982, he released a novelty song called "Boogie In Your Butt" and was known for his acting and comedy. His secret weapon was Rick James of "Super Freak" fame, who wrote, produced and arranged the song. James gave the song musical credibility, and he was featured in the video, which MTV put in heavy rotation. Murphy would promote the song by exclaiming, "How come every time I open my mouth I'm supposed to say something funny!"