"Yo Ne Sé" by Pajama Party

Song#:  3902

Date:  05/20/1989

Debut:  91

Peak:  75

Weeks:  10

Genre:  Latin Freestyle

Pop Bits:  This Brooklyn-based female vocal trio was assembled by producer/songwriter Jim Klein along with his co-writer Peggy Sendars. Klein got involved in the new Latin freestyle sound and decided to put together a female vocal group to front his productions; not unlike producers/writers behind groups like Exposé. He and Sendars wrote a set of songs and hired on Jennifer McQuilkin, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Suzi Ranta to provide the vocals. The new trio would get signed to Atlantic Records and to test the waters out, this debut single would get issued out early in '89. It would peak at #34 on the Dance chart the last week of March. That interest led Atlantic to push the single further at pop stations and it was finally able to crack the Pop chart in mid-May. Although it would spend two-and-a-half months on the chart, it couldn't quite get out of the bottom quarter. Still, that seemed to be enough for Atlantic to green light a full album, which would be released later in the fall along with a second single.

ReduxReview:  This tune wasn't all that different from other freestyle singles of the day. It was nicely produced and had a catchy chorus. The trio's voices were a bit stronger than some of their competition, which gave them a boost. And although it was only the title, it was nice to have some Spanish lyrics included in the Latin freestyle. This song should have been able to crack the Top 40, but a bit of a lengthy rollout kept it floundering near the bottom of the chart.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Although she had some success with Pajama Party, group member Daphne Rubin-Vega would have better success on the Broadway stage. She would originate the role of Mimi in the 1996 Tony-winning musical Rent. Rubin-Vega was one of only two cast members who had their roles in the 1994 workshop version of the musical and was able to keep their roles when the show moved to Broadway. The role would earn Rubin-Vega a Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. She would stay with the show for a year. She would earn a second Tony nod in 2004 for her work in the Broadway play Anna in the Tropics. Rubin-Vega would go on to do more stage work along with appearing in films and on TV. She would appear in the 2021 film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-winning musical In the Heights.

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