"My Girl" by Suavé

Song#:  3441

Date:  03/12/1988

Debut:  91

Peak:  20

Weeks:  15

Genre:  R&B, New Jack Swing

Pop Bits:  The story goes that a teenage Waymond Anderson, later known as Suavé, was at a New Edition concert in L.A. and one of the group members invited Anderson on stage to sing. This somehow led to him being discovered and getting signed to Capitol Records sometime in 1985. Over the next couple of years, Suavé would be groomed by the label while writing and producing his debut album. By spring of '88, I'm Your Playmate would be ready and this first single issued out. The New Jack take on the song became a hit at R&B getting to #3. It was able to make some waves over at Pop as well where the track just barely cracked the Top 20. The hit helped the album get to #26 R&B and #101 Pop. A follow-up single,"Shake Your Body," got to #22 R&B, but failed to make the Pop chart. Suavé would return in 1991 with his second album To the Maxx, but it failed to generate a charting single and quickly disappeared along with Suavé's recording career.

ReduxReview:  This is just a guess on my part, but I'm thinking that when the album was done the label didn't hear a hit single and pushed him to do this remake, a la Club Nouveau's "Lean on Me." I disliked that song a lot and I'm not too fond of this one either. I will say it is slightly less annoying than Club Nouveau's awful remake, but I don't think a New Jack version of this classic was necessary. Suavé sounded like a capable singer, but there was nothing about his voice that made him stand out and he practically got overrun by the track's effects and production. Indeed it seems his own songs were not all that great as his second single didn't to that well and anything further from him failed. Any talent he did have was soon squashed due to some unfortunately life choices (see below).

ReduxRating:  2/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This is a remake of a song written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, and originally recorded by The Temptations. Their 1964 version would reach the tops of both the Pop and R&B charts in 1965. It was their first #1 on both Billboard charts. Many artists would cover the song with three other artists besides The Temptations and Suavé getting a version on the Pop chart. In 1968, singer Bobby Vee would pair the tune with "Hey Girl" and get to #35. In 1980, disco/soul singer Amii Stewart would do a duet with Johnny Bristol that paired the song with "My Guy." It would get to #63 Pop (#76 R&B). Then Daryl Hall & John Oates would release a live medley that included the song. Two members of The Temptations guested on the track. That version would get to #20 Pop (#40 R&B). Since those three singles were medleys, that makes Suavé the only artist to-date to have a full, complete remake of the song reach the Pop chart.  2) After Suavé's time on charts, his life went downhill fast. He apparently got involved in using and selling drugs. His spiral culminated in his arrest in 1993 for arson and murder. It was alleged that Waymond Anderson (aka Suavé) entered a house near the USC campus looking for a couple of drug users who owed him money and when he didn't find them or wasn't able to get what he wanted, he doused the house with gas and set it on fire. Unfortunately, one person didn't get out of the house and died as a result. Based on witness IDs, Anderson was arrested for the crime. He would end up going to trial and found guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison. Anderson has maintained his innocence over the years and has claimed he was out of town the day of the incident. The witnesses that ID'd him at the scene later recanted their testimony citing police pressure and a couple of other people came forward saying they saw Anderson in Jackson, MS, on the incident date. His case has still yet to be fully reviewed and as of this posting, he is still in prison. Anderson also was involved in the 1997 murder case of the Notorious B.I.G. He made a statement that implicated a police officer, but later admitted it was a lie that he told because he was offered money from B.I.G.'s family to do it.

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