"Lay It On The Line" by Pointer Sisters

Most people know the Pointer Sisters from their string of hits in the 80s - they were in fact the 16th most successful artist of the decade. The sisters who initially started recording in 1969 were June and Bonnie, joined later by Anita and Ruth. Their music was all over the map, starting with jazz and R&B, even venturing into country territory. 

With some modest hits under their belt by 1978, Bonnie decided to leave the group for a solo career. She scored two top 40 hits on her own, but probably wishes she stuck with her sisters, who went on to reformulate their sound towards rock and pop, achieving monumental success.

The first album that solidified their sound was 1978's "Energy." The Pointer Sisters brought in some heavy hitting songwriters, including Donald Fagen (Steely Dan), Bob Welch, Loggins & Messina, and Bruce Springsteen. With Springsteen's song "Fire," the Pointer Sisters obtained their first monster hit, taking it to #2 for two weeks in 1979.

The group was a mainstay in the top 10 for years to come, with hits like "He's So Shy" (#3), "Slow Hand" (#2), "Automatic" (#5), "Jump (For My Love)" (#3), "I'm So Excited" (#9), "The Neutron Dance" (#6), and "Dare Me" (#11). Despite this impressive list of hits, the Pointer Sisters never hit #1 on the Top 100.

"Lay It On The Line" was the lead off track for the successful 1978 album, "Energy." A great rocker that set the stage for the new direction that took the ladies to global fame.