“Too Much is Not Enough”
The Bellamy Brothers with The Forester Sisters
Written by David Bellamy and Ron Taylor
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
November 14, 1986
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
December 20, 1986
Getting the leading brothers duo together with the hottest sister group was a no brainer in 1986.
The template for such collaborations goes way back, and is best exemplified by those super cool collaborations between the Supremes and the Temptations in the sixties. It’s fun to hear familiar male harmonies mixed together with familiar female harmonies and hear them create something new.
That doesn’t really happen here, but it was still a good idea on paper. “Too Much is Not Enough” is a catchy song, though if you listen to it closely, you’ll hear the very strong influences of the Supremes (“You Can’t Hurry Love”) and Hall & Oates (“Maneater.”) I was so convinced this was the Hall & Oates hit at first that I double checked to see if Spotify had queued up the wrong song.
As derivative as the backing track is, the record is still entertaining because of the novelty of the two sibling acts singing together. That novelty would wear off very quickly, but it works enough magic here to get them past the finish line.
“Too Much is Not Enough” gets a B.
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I think the maturation and rise of the Bellamy Brothers is one of the coolest side-bars of the ’80s country music story.
I also like being able to revisit the brief window in which the Forester Sisters held sway at the top of the charts.
This song is catchy and fun as all hell.