Released #OTD August 10, 1987 Jody Watley 3rd Top Multi-Chart Top 10 Single
Billboard Chart History:
#1 Dance, #3 Hot R&B, #6 Hot 100
Written by: Jody Watley, Franne Golde, D. Bryant
Produced by Bernard Edwards (CHIC, Power Station, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross)
Album: “Jody Watley” Multi-Platinum Solo Debut!
36th anniversary February 23 1987.
“Best New Artist 1987 GRAMMY winner” receives the award in 1988.
Looking For A New Love – GRAMMY nominated debut single spent three weeks at number-one on the Billboard R&B chart and The song also reached number-one on the RPM Singles Chart in Canada.
Looking For A New Love was held at the Number 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for an unprecedented 4 weeks behind mega rock band U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
Looking For A New Love – One of the song’s key phrases became a popular saying: “Hasta la vista, baby.” It wound up on innumerable answering machines and was used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day (see Hasta la vista, baby).
Looking For A New Love – Billboard Success
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play No.1
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles No.1
US Hot Crossover 30 (Billboard) No.1
Canada Top Singles (RPM) No.1
US Billboard Hot 100 – No. 2
Still A Thrill – T-Boz of TLC cited this song as an example setting her vocal tone for her singing career. In a personal video, she sent to Watley (and was given permission to share on her YouTube channel) T-Boz thanked Watley for this song during her teenage years citing she was “hitting them notes” and helping her sing at a lower register to better suit her vocal range.
Still A Thrill – a major hit on both the R&B and dance charts in 1987. “Still a Thrill,” whose video was the first (and as yet unmatched) time a pop star flexed their skills at waacking, the underground Los Angeles dance that is a sibling to both breakdancing and voguing.
Don’t You Want Me – was one of the biggest crossover singles of 1987, reaching the Top Ten of the Billboard pop and R&B charts. The single was also popular in nightclubs, reaching the top spot of the Billboard dance chart.
Don’t You Want Me – was sampled extensively on the 49ers’ 1990 hit “Don’t You Love Me”. Remixed Eurodance versions have appeared on the Dancemania series of albums, including Dancemania SPEED 2 issued in 1999.
Some Kind of Lover – was Jody’s third top 10 pop single from the album, and third number-one of the US dance chart. The music video premiered in January 1988 and was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards, for Best Female Video and Best New Artist in a Video, she also performed “Some Kind of Lover” at the award show that year.
Most Of All – was a success on the Dance Club Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, where it reached numbers eight and eleven, respectively.
The multi-platinum seller also featured a duet with George Michael.
Watley co-wrote the bulk of the songs on the album with production by Andre Cymone w David Z., Bernard Edwards (CHIC, Power Station), and Patrick Leonard.
Jody Watley had many door opening fashion editorials of VOGUE, Harper’s Bazaar, Rolling Stone among others laying the template for future R&B/Pop crossovers superstars to come signaling a new era of music and style artist branding and cross promotion.
For me it always feels like 10 million.
When my self-titled debut album “Jody Watley” was released in 1987, I would go to different record stores and various areas in LA county to see how it looked in-store (I’d also call stores around the country to see how I was doing in the market beyond MCA reports to my management in my excitement. Most of the time my album was sold out, out of stock. No one anticipated it would do so well right away which resulted in modest manufacturing-the stores would tell me they had been requesting restock & more inventory and as a result there were lags of unavailability. Sales were lost despite the success. I’d see with stacks and stacks of paid prime placement for other artists I was neck & neck on charts with and it would make me so frustrated (was still learning how this biz works). Big promotional budgets, politics are always at play, alleged attempts to blackball me from a heavyweight label owner in the black music game, bigger artists paying to keep my records out of rotation from what I’ve learned over the years – the playing field is never even.
To this day I still look at it all as God’s plan, I succeeded and still succeeding no matter what the obstacles and forces against me that exist.
Anyway, all good. Time flies my music and career continues with occupational stamina and longevity, healthy and happy.
This is a very awesome notification and update – solo debut album – Happy 36th Anniversary “Jody Watley“.
Despite most thinking I’d fail .. it was a success for me regardless because it is me doing ME coming into my own personally and professionally. I will forever remind everyone ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. no matter what, Do YOU! People are going to talk trash no matter what, at the end of the day to success is in living without fear toward the life you choose to live. Your calling is not a conference call and neither is mine – Carry On!
Thanks to all who continue to buy my music (not just my classics like this) and support me, the music, concerts, online store and beyond.
#OTD March 7, 1987
“Looking For A New Love”
by GRAMMY® winner Jody Watley
Debuted on the @billboard Hot 100 chart peaking at #2
✍️🏾 Written by: J. Watley, A. Cymone
Chart Note➡️ #1 Dance, #1 Hot R&B
Grammy and American Music Awards Nominated
👉🏾 The smash hit no one saw coming!
#JodyWatley #Icon #35thAnniversary
Soulbounce – Excerpt – “Every day is Jody Watley Appreciation Day here at SoulBounce, but earlier this week was the official day designated for the world to celebrate the living legend that is Jody Watley. She commemorated the occasion on Monday with an appearance on Nick Cannon‘s syndicated daytime talk show to kick off his Classic Jams Week…..Jody performed her iconic debut single “Looking For A New Love” from her iconic album Jody Watley. She was in her element singing the hit that had everyone in the studio up on their feet dancing. No one was having more fun than Nick, though, who found a buddy in the audience to carry on and cut up with him…” Read full feature and watch the performance in case you missed it.
Written by Peter Piakowski
Thirty-five years ago, Jody Watley’s debut album kickstarted the career of one of dance-pop’s most entertaining and consistent performers.
In the mid-1980s, MTV largely defined pop music, so the charts were ruled by telegenic singers who often acted as spokesmodels for their albums. So the charts were ruled by telegenic singers who often acted as spokesmodels for their albums. Dance hits were churned out like products on an assembly line, many quickly forgotten after their fleeting moments in the spotlight. But there were also real stars who made their mark (primarily due to a combination of charm, talent, and charisma).
One of the most significant figures to emerge from this period was Jody Watley, who inarguably announced her reign as a dance-pop queen with 1987’s self-titled first record. Her smokey yet supple voice, unerring pop instincts, and supermodel looks made her the perfect pop star, and Jody Watley was a fantastic introduction to .. Read full feature on PopMatters
*Singer, producer, songwriter and virtuoso guitarist Andre Cymone gives huge props to iconic singer Jody Watley.
Cymone talked about Watley’s impact and influence on female artists such as Rihanna, Beyoncé, Selena, and future generations during a sit-down interview backstage at her recent sold-out 35th-anniversary blockbuster self-titled album and birthday celebration at Sycuan Casino and Resort in San Diego.
Cymone says, “Her music and incomparable style is pure and stands the test of time still today, 35 years later.”
Read the interview and watch the video interview:
Jody Watley and Andre Cymone collaborated as songwriters on 4 albums including her breakthrough Grammy winning solo debut with Andre on production on many of the songs including singles – “Looking For A New Love” (released January 6, 1987) “Still A Thrill” “Some Kind Of Lover” “Real Love” “Everything” “Friends” I Want You” “Precious Love”. The eponymous self-titled debut “JODY WATLEY” went multi-platinum around the world, spawned several must-chart Top Ten Hits and Number 1’s, and nominations for American Music Awards, Soul Train and NAACP in fields dominated by King of Pop Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston in many instances.
Jody Watley’s style influence remains everlasting, as does her music and unabashed determination and desire to keep her authenticity to who she is as an artist, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur. On the evening of her 35th Solo Debut Anniversary Concert January 28, 2022 and two days before her birthday January 30, Andre Cymone shares a few thoughts on the woman, music, influence and the legacy of Jody Watley. For more on Andre Cymone visit: https://andrecymone.com