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Friday, October 9, 2020

"Don't You Want Me" by Jody Watley

Top 10 Alert!
Song#:  3282
Date:  10/03/1987
Debut:  80
Peak:  6
Weeks:  23
Genre:  R&B, Dance-Pop



Pop Bits:  Watley's self-titled solo album started out with a bang with lead single "I'm Looking for a New Love" reaching #2 Pop/#1 R&B/#1 Dance. A second single, "Still a Thrill," did well at R&B (#3) and Dance (#8), but it fizzled at Pop only getting to #56. Hoping for better overall results, this third single was released. It did much better at Pop becoming Watley's second solo Top 10 while getting to #3 at R&B and #1 at Dance. The album had already peaked at #10 at Pop and had been descending the chart, but this hit turned the LP around and it moved back up. By the end of the year it would be certified platinum.

ReduxReview:  "Still a Thrill" was a cool jam of a track, but it really wasn't suited for Pop radio. This tune was a much better fit and indeed it got Watley back into the Pop Top 10. While the track may not have been as funky and powerful as "I'm Looking for a New Love," it was still a solid, hooky song with good production provided by Bernard Edwards. In my book, Watley was three-for-three in the singles department.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Watley's vocal performance on this track was sampled and used in the 1990 song "Don't You Love Me" by the Italian house/Eurodisco outfit the 49ers. Released as a single, it would get to #1 on the US Dance chart while becoming the group's only song to make the US Pop chart at #78. The 49ers were made up of a quartet of DJs and producers. After releasing a couple of singles, they hired on Dawn Mitchell to provide vocals and be the face of the group. Their first big hit came in 1990 with "Touch Me," which contained a sample of Aretha Franklin's "Rock-A-Lott." It would reach #1 on the US Dance chart while making the Top 10 in several countries. "Don't You Love Me" would be the follow-up single and it did even better. However, the group's success was short-lived with further singles failing to replicate the same success. They would split in 1998.

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