"Wot's It to Ya" by Robbie Nevil

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3141

Date:  05/30/1987
Debut:  76
Peak:  10
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  Nevil's solo career got kicked off with the #2 hit "C'est la Vie," the first single from his self-titled debut album. A second single, "Dominoes," would also do well but miss out on the Pop Top 10 (#14). This third single would end up reversing the trend. It would be able to crack the Top 10 while also reaching #10 at Dance and #69 R&B.

ReduxReview:  I preferred Nevil's previous two singles over this reggae-influenced one, but it really was a solid follow-up. Between his three singles, Nevil showed off different styles that didn't paint him in a specific corner. If he had a radio-ready ballad on the album, that would have the icing on the cake, but one wasn't there and no further singles from the LP were released. Still, the three hits set his career in motion. Out of the three singles, I don't hear this one anymore. It has kind of disappeared over the years.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  This song was co-written by Nevil and Brock Walsh. Like Nevil, Walsh's career in the music biz began as a songwriter. He started to gain attention in the early 80s with artists like Barry Manilow, Marty Balin, and James Ingram recording his songs. Walsh's career got a significant boost when a track he wrote with Mark Goldenberg titled "Automatic" became a #5 Pop hit in 1984 for The Pointer Sisters. Other artists like Bette Midler and Earth, Wind & Fire then came knocking for tunes. Nevil and Walsh ran in the same songwriting circles and the pair ended up working together and co-writing with Melissa Manchester her 1985 track "Mathematics" (#74 Pop). When Nevil got his recording contract, he hooked up with Walsh and the pair co-wrote three songs for Nevil's debut album including this hit. Walsh did attempt a solo career a couple of times over the years. He recorded a promo single for Arista in 1979, but nothing came from it. In 1983, he signed with WEA and recorded the album Dateline: Tokyo. The LP was only released in Japan. Again, it didn't do much to kickstart a solo career. Walsh would continue to write songs for other artists including ones for Christina Aguilera and Celine Dion.

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