"For Tonight" by Nancy Martinez

Song#:  2879
Date:  10/04/1986
Debut:  98
Peak:  32
Weeks:  21
Genre:  Dance-Pop



Pop Bits:  This Canadian singer started gaining experience as a background vocalist before stepping out on her own. She had a couple of singles under different stage names (Nancy Martin and Jade) that got a little bit of notice. Then under her given name Martinez signed with an indie label and pushed out a debut album in 1983 titled Lay It Down. Her singles did fairly well in Canada and in Europe and a couple more post-album singles were released including a duet with her husband Allen Harris, "Sunshine Reggae/La Vie en Rose," which did well in Canada. She finally got a bigger break when Atlantic records picked her up and release her new single, "For Tonight," in the US. The song became popular in the clubs and it would eventually get to #2 on the Dance chart. The single would then crossover to Pop where it debuted low on the chart. It floated around the chart for quite a long time before finally peaking inside the Top 40. An album, Not Just the Girl Next Door, would follow and it would reach #178. A second single, "Move Out," would get to #12 at Dance, but failed to reach the Pop chart. "For Tonight" would end up being her only song to reach the US Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  I had forgotten about this Latin-tinged, Hi-NRG track. It's a solid piece of dance-pop and Martinez had a voice that rose above the typical thin-voiced dance divas. The balance of material on her album wasn't too bad, but beyond this song there wasn't another that could break her further into the mainstream. It's a shame that after this she just didn't get paired with the right material as she had the goods to be a bigger star.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Following the album, it seems Atlantic gave Martinez another shot at getting a big hit. She recorded the song "Can't Wait" and it was issued out as a single. While it was able to reach #17 at Dance, it failed to get on the Pop chart and that ended Martinez's days at Atlantic. It took a couple of years, but she was able to sign with the A&M subsidiary Vendetta. Her third album, Unpredictable, was issued out in Canada. Singles from the LP didn't do much and that ended her time with A&M. Martinez was fluent in French and in 1990 signed with Quebec label ISBA. She would record three francophone albums for the label. Martinez would continue to perform and record over the years, but her peak of popularity came with "For Tonight."

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