"Wild and Crazy Love" by Mary Jane Girls

Song#:  2396
Date:  07/20/1985
Debut:  71
Peak:  42
Weeks:  10
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  Rick James' protégée group the Mary Jane Girls grabbed their first (and only) Pop Top 10 hit with "In My House" (#7), the first single from their second album Only Four You. For a follow-up, this next track was selected. The song would do well at Dance (#3) and R&B (#10), but at Pop it halted just shy of the Top 40 mark. However, the strength of the two singles was enough for the album to become their second to go gold.

ReduxReview:  This is not too far off from the sound of "In My House" and it certainly has that Rick James flare. It's actually a worthy follow-up. James did a solid job on the production and the song is a fun n' funky workout. It may not be as hooky, meaty, and immediately memorable as "In My House," but it should have done better at Pop. The album version of the song goes on far too long, but the edited single is pretty tasty.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Following her time in the Mary Jane Girls, singer Cheri Wells ended up in another protégée group. This time it was one spearheaded by The Time's lead singer Morris Day. Wells would be one of five women that made up the group. However, unlike the Mary Jane Girls or other formed vocal outfits, the Day Z's played all their own instruments. Wells was the one chosen to be the lead singer. The band's name is, of course, a cute play on Morris Day's name. Day and a collaborator of his, Freeze (aka Rickey Smith), co-wrote and co-produced all the songs for the band's self-title debut album. The LP was issued on Reprise Records in 1990 and it featured the single "Certainly." Unfortunately, neither the single nor the album did anything and that was it for the Day Z's.

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