‘Jeopardy’ is a song released by the Greg Kihn Band, from their 1983 album Kihnspiracy. It was the band's only Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, reaching number 2 in May 1983 (behind Michael Jackson's "Beat It"), and also hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot Club Dance Play chart for two weeks a month earlier. The song also reached number 63 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's only charting song in the UK.
Don't look for hidden meanings and opaque references in this or any other Greg Kihn Band Song. Kihn explained to Creem magazine in 1984 that he sticks to simple themes and tends to write about relationships and his girlfriend. ‘Jeopardy’ was a bit of an anomaly for the band, as it had more of a pop sound and was kind of quirky - qualities that made it a hit, but not typical of the rock sound that band stuck with even when Van Halen was breaking out keyboards in the '80s.
A parody of the song, titled ‘I Lost on Jeopardy’, was released by "Weird Al" Yankovic on his 1984 album "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D. Kihn made a cameo appearance in the song's music video, driving the car into which Yankovic is thrown after being "ejected" from the Jeopardy! game show, parodying the end of his own video. The car's license plate reads "LOSER" instead of "LIPS". The bride still pops the cork of the champagne bottle and the video ends. Art Fleming and Don Pardo—host and announcer, respectively, of the original version of Jeopardy!—also make cameo appearances.
This was the biggest hit for Greg Kihn Band, and it was a slow build: The group released nine albums between 1978 and 1986, and didn't have a hit until "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)," which appeared on album number six. "Jeopardy" came on their eighth album. As for Kihn, he went on to write several novels and became the morning DJ at K-Fox FM in San Jose, California. He continued to perform live at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California well into the '00s.
Label – Beserkley
Songwriters – Greg Kihn, Steve Wright
Producer – Matthew King Kaufman
SONG LYRICS
Oh, oh, oh, ohWhere were you when I needed you?
Well, you could not be found
What can I do?
Oh, I believed in you
You're running me around
Well, you can take it as a warning
Or take it any way you like
It's the lightning, not the thunder
You never know when it's going to strike-ike-ike
Our love's in jeopardy, baby
Ooh
Our love's in jeopardy, baby
Ooh
Don't be cute, don't be funny now
It's later than you think
Oh, what's the use?
Oh, save your money now
It's hanging on the brink
Don't let go while I'm hangin' on
Cause I've been hangin' on so long
It's so hard to be all alone
I know you're not that strong, yeah, yeah
Our love's in jeopardy, baby
Ooh
Our love's in jeopardy, baby
Ooh
Don't let go
While I'm hanging on
Cause I've been hanging on so long
It's so hard to be all alone
I know you're not that strong, yeah, yeah
Our love's in jeopardy, baby, ooh
Our love's in jeopardy, baby, ooh
Our love's in jeopardy, baby, ooh
Our love's in jeopardy, baby, ooh
Our love's in jeopardy (jeopardy), baby, ooh
Our love's in jeopardy (jeopardy), baby, ooh
Love in jeopardy, baby, baby