"Point of No Return" by Nu Shooz

Song#:  2783
Date:  07/05/1986
Debut:  97
Peak:  28
Weeks:  22
Genre:  Synthpop, Dance-Pop



Pop Bits:  This Portland, Oregon, group caught a break with "I Can't Wait," the first single from their third album Poolside. The quirky tune would reach #1 at Dance, #2 at R&B, and #3 Pop. The song did well enough to earn a gold certification. For a follow-up, this next track was selected. It would be another major hit at Dance reaching #1. Elsewhere, it didn't do as well as their previous single and stopped inside the Pop Top 30 while getting to #36 at R&B. The tune stayed on the Pop chart for quite a long time (most #1's last about 18 weeks on the chart), which showed that it was highly successful in some markets while in others it just couldn't catch on.

ReduxReview:  I think this was a solid follow up to the groovy "I Can't Wait." The stop-action video with all the shoes was fun as well. I wasn't sure if it would make the Top 10, but I did think it would do better than a paltry #28. While perhaps not as quirky or fun as "I Can't Wait," it was just as hooky and had terrific 80s synthpop production. For me it is memorable for the way singer Valerie Day sings the song title a second time and she goes "I'm at the point of no retur-ur-HERN!" Always makes me chuckle a little.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  The leaders of Nu Shooz, Valerie Day and John Smith, revisited their big hit "I Can't Wait" for its 20-year anniversary. They recorded a new version in a chamber pop/jazz style. It led them to doing a whole album of pop/jazz originals that included a couple of pop standards. Among the songs they recorded was also a new version of "Point of No Return" titled "(The Return Of) The Point of No Return." The album would be given the title Pandora's Box and would be credited to the Nu Shooz Orchestra. It was released in 2010.

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