"Dancing in the Sheets" by Shalamar

Song#:  1835
Date:  03/17/1984
Debut:  81
Peak:  17
Weeks:  18
Genre:  R&B, Dance, Soundtrack



Pop Bits:  This trio became fractured after the release of their seventh album The Look. The LP did well thanks to the #10 R&B/#22 Pop hit "Dead Givaway," but some members were not happy with the group or the label and two of them (Jody Watley and Jeffery Daniel) decided to depart, which left Howard Hewitt on his own. Instead of calling it a day, Hewitt found two new members and carried on. The trio's first venture was this song that made it to the soundtrack of the hit film Footloose. It would be the third single released from that album. It was a moderate hit at Pop and R&B (#18) while getting to #9 at Dance. The song would also be included on the trio's album Heartbreak, which would be released later in the year.

ReduxReview:  I thought for sure this would be a Top 10 hit. I'm not sure why it missed that mark. It's a well-written tune with a good hook, solid 80s production, and a nice vocal performance from Hewitt. It did lean a bit more towards pop than R&B, so I'm not surprised it stalled a bit early on that chart. Perhaps the lack of R&B support played out on the Pop chart as well. Not sure. Whatever happened, this song's destiny was cut a bit short.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  After leaving Shalamar, Jeffrey Daniel moved on to stage work and originated the role of Electra in the original West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express. Later in 1987, Daniel began an association with Michael Jackson that led to him being a co-choreographer on such videos as "Bad" and "Smooth Criminal." He continued to work with Jackson on videos and tours. In 2002, Daniel joined up with Howard Hewitt for a reformed Shalamar. He also was a judge for three seasons on the show Nigerian Idol (a country-specific version of American Idol).

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