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When I first heard E.G. Daily’s song “Say It, Say It” on the radio (later to become a #1 Club Hit, #4 Dance, only #70 Pop?!), I initially thought this was a Madonna song. But her voice is too raspy; so, it’s not Madonna. Turns out that it sounded like a Madonna song because E.G. was working with Madonna collaborators Stephen Bray and Jellybean Benitez who helped craft a lot of Madge’s early hits. It was E.G.’s one and only hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Say It, Say It” was super catchy, but I was much more of a fan “Mind Over Matter” and when I heard her faster version of Donna Summer’s “Sunset People”, it jumped to the top of my E.G. Daily songs and then came her fast and dancey version of “Angel of the Morning” – all workout playlist songs! I’m really looking forward to her upcoming 2024 album of Go-Go’s covers.
Other than the records of hers that I collected, I really didn’t know much about her. And although I saw her in “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”, it didn’t click for me until much later, that it was the same person.
I met her in person at a Hollywood Collector’s Show in Burbank and there are just a few things that I remember of my interaction with her:
Something about her appearance was altered or enhanced, and it was slightly distracting, especially under the harsh fluorescent lights of the Courtyard Marriott Ballroom. No hate: I understand it’s a part of “the business” and many people embrace doing whatever makes them feel confident in their body and skin. Maybe it was just her make-up. IDK. It just altered her recognizability a bit for me.
I told her that my favorite song of hers was “Sunset People” and you’ll have to forgive my lack of exact recall here, but I remember her anecdote about the song left me puzzled. Did she say the song was offered to her first? Hmmm - that can’t be it because she would have been too young. Or perhaps it was that Moroder/Bellotte either worked with her (uncredited) on it, asked her to specifically sing it or complimented it as an outstanding version. Whatever the story was, it just made me say “Huh. Well, I love it!”
She was talkative and interactive until I asked the price for an autograph and found that she was asking for more than better known stars. Not wanting to pay that much, I said “Thanks” and continued to look at stuff on her table briefly. Once she saw that I wasn’t going to purchase anything; her window shades were drawn! Smile gone; looking elsewhere; zero further interaction. We always remember how we felt when we met someone, even if we remember nothing else. And I felt OUCH - dismissed! (But I do understand she was there to sell stuff and I wasn’t buying anything.)
It wasn’t until years later that I realized she was also the voice of Tommy Pickles from “Rugrats” AND that she was dating Jon-Erik Hexum at the time of his death. Oh and she joined the ranks of Pamela Anderson and Shannen Doherty as one of Rick Salomon’s wives – the high stakes poker player also known for the Paris Hilton sex tape.
What an interesting life from cartoons, to Pee Wee, to pop and dance music to marrying a legendary gambler and dating an up-and-coming star right before his untimely accidental death.
E.G. Daily is a living, walking example of the fully rounded Hollywood starlet. I think an autobiography is overdue.
Check out her extra fun version of “Angel of the Morning”
