Friday Night Party • 1986

Clockwise: Robbie Nevil; Nu Shooz; Stacy Q; and Prince & the Revolution.

I am not sure why, but I just felt like hearing a couple of songs, and it occurred to me they were from around the same time. Next thing you know, I am writing about some songs I was dancing to in 1986, and loving what I am hearing. Now, it would be easy for me to pull some music by Whitney Houston, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys or Janet Jackson, but that would be far too easy, and a bit expected. I was single, and living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and more likely to be dancing in my apartment than in a club. I will begin with the song that inspired this whole thing, by an artist I thought was so damn hot. I thought "C'est La Vie" was a sexy song, and singer/songwriter Robbie Nevil was yummy, too. And I loved the way he combined Pop and R&B, and used that voice of his.



Of course, it might be hard to go out in New York in the mid 80s, and not hear at least one or two songs by Prince. But I will focus on the flirty and fun "Kiss" by Prince & the Revolution, which certainly turned some heads back then. Of course, those were the days when Prince was living to shock people, and ready to do the unexpected.



I will admit I had a bit of a crush on John Smith and wasn't the slightest bit bothered by the fact that he paired with his wife, Valerie Day, to make music. They called themselves Nu Shooz, and were making electronic Pop and R&B music. They were based out of the Pacific Northwest, and making fun songs like "I Can't Wait".



Really, the final entry in this post belongs to someone who might be considered a one-hit-wonder, although she had a successful career making dance music. Stacey Q was making born Stacey Swain, but started making music in a band with her then-boyfriend. The band was called "Q", and so they all just adopted "q" as their last name, in that 1980s-aren't-we-clever way. So by the time "Two of Hearts" hit the airwaves, Stacey Q was a solo act, making great Hi-N-R-G music, like this...



Have a great night, and keep dancing!

Worth Another Listen - Robbie Nevil

With a self-titled debut album in 1986, Robbie Nevil broke onto the music scene with a bit bang in the for a a single that took him to #2 on the Billboard Pop chart, C'est La Vie. The Los Angeles native had been playing in band in the late 70s and early 80s, as well as writing music that was covered by groups like the Pointer Sisters, El Debarge and Earth, Wind & Fire. But the single, with it's hooky chorus and sexy drive, flew up the charts and made him an artist to keep an eye on. And like his music, I thought Robbie was a sexy beast.



The second single, Dominoes, also broke into the Top 20 with a #14 on the Pop chart, as well as making inroads on the Dance charts and in the clubs across the country.



Wot's It To Ya was the third single, and it to made it on to the charts, topping out at #10 on the Billboard Pop chart. It was another song with a catchy chorus that hooked listeners and the more it played on the radio, the more it sold.



Being busy as a songwriter and producer for other artist's, Nevil had a four-year wait before his next album, A Place Like This. The first single, out in 1989 prior to the album release, went to #34 on the Pop chart, somewhat disappointing after the Top 20 feast from the first album. Back on Holiday didn't have the legs of the other songs, but still did decently. The landscape of music was changing, ushering in the Seattle-based grunge of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, leaving the slick pop of Nevil behind.



Just Like You was the second release from the third album, Day 1. The 1991 release knocked on the door of the Top 20, coming up to #25, and marked the last time Nevil was on the charts.



Since then, Nevil has been working as a songwriter, producer and musician for some of the top acts in the business. As well as working with the top pop acts like Destiny's Child, he started working with Disney acts like High School Musical, as well as artists Destiny's Child, David Archuleta and Jordin Sparks. However, C'est La Vie remains one of my favorites from that period of music.