"You and Me Tonight" by Déjà

Song#:  3336
Date:  11/21/1987
Debut:  94
Peak:  54
Weeks:  12
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  This duo consisted of vocalists Curt Jones and Starleana Young. The pair had already experienced success as members of the Ohio funk outfit Slave and its offshoot group Aurra, who had their biggest hit with 1981's "Make Up Your Mind" (#6 R&B/71 Pop). Sometime around '84/'85, Aurra was experiencing internal issues that resulted in two different Aurra bands, one of which consisted of Jones and Young. That Aurra released the 1985 album Bedtime Story. Of course legal issues ensued and when the dust settled, Jones and Young chose to go by the name Déjà. They signed on with Virgin Records and recorded the album Serious. This first single was released and it became a hit at R&B reaching #2. It then crossed over to Pop and got near the halfway point. It also peaked at #20 on the Dance chart. A follow-up single, "That's Where You'll Find Me," got to #16 R&B, but failed to make the Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  This is one of of those odd songs where the title is nowhere to be found in the lyrics. Listening to it, I would think the title would have been "All Night" or "All Night Long," but perhaps the writers didn't want to use it due to the Lionel Richie hit of the same name. Not using the title in the song didn't seem to hinder its hit potential at R&B as the tune sailed up the chart. It didn't do as well at Pop, but I'm not surprised. It was an average R&B/dance groove that didn't have that extra spark to make it a mainstream hit. The song is fine and a good listen. It just wasn't all that memorable.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  After the Serious album, Starleana Young left Déjà for a solo career. She stayed on with Virgin Records and released a debut solo album in 1991 under the single moniker of Starleana. A track on the album was produced by Starleana's husband, former Kool & the Gang lead singer James J.T. Taylor. The album didn't make much of an impression and that ended her solo career. Curt Jones would move forward with Déjà and hire on new vocalist Mysti Day. In 1989, they would released the album Made to Be Together. The title track would get to #23 R&B. It seems the duo dissolved after that.

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