LeRoux - "Nobody Said it Was Easy (Lookin' For the Lights)"

(Debuted February 13, 1982, Peaked #18, 13 Weeks on the Chart)

LeRoux were formed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1976. Originally called Louisiana's LeRoux -- a nod to their home state and region, as roux is a gravy used in making gumbo -- they scored a minor hit in 1978 with "New Orleans Ladies." Further hits by the band stiffed, and they were dropped by Capitol Records in 1980. A year later, they reemerged simply as LeRoux and embraced a more adult-friendly AOR sound. That  would show itself in "Nobody Said it Was Easy (Lookin' For the Lights)," the band's only Top 40 single.

The song's lyrics are obtuse enough to be applied to a wide variety of situations, from a search of brighter pastures to a breakup, but the song mentions a situation where somebody is off looking for whatever is calling him (or her) away. It featured a delicate melody and a blend of the group members' voices on the chorus.

Once again, further hits failed to generate and interest, and the band split for the first time in 1984. Last Safe Place, the album that contained "Nobody Said it Was Easy," would be the final set from the original lineup before the inevitable shake-up.