"You Better Dance" by The Jets

Song#:  3979

Date:  07/29/1989

Debut:  92

Peak:  59

Weeks:  7

Genre:  Dance-Pop

Pop Bits:  The Wolfgramm siblings, aka The Jets, earned a gold record with their second regular studio album Magic. It got a boost thanks to a pair of Pop Top 10 hits including the #6 Grammy-nominated "Rocket 2 You." Originally consisting of eight brothers and sisters, for their next effort they would be down one with Eugene (under the name of Gene Hunt) taking off to form the duo Boys Club ("I Remember Holding You," #8, 1988). The remaining band stayed in their Minneapolis hometown and began to work on a third album with Prince/Paisley Park associate David Z. along with Don Powell. The pair had worked on The Jets' debut album. Once the new effort, Believe, was set to go, this first single was issued out. Unfortunately, it didn't attract much of an audience. The tune would fail to make the top half of the Pop chart while only reaching #28 Dance and #73 R&B. The result didn't bode well for sales of the album.

ReduxReview:  This seemed to be an attempt to retain the urban feel of "Rocket 2 You." Written by Michael Jonzun and produced by David Z., it had the pedigree to become a hit. Yet it didn't. I think it was because the song just wasn't all that catchy or memorable. David Z.'s production was solid, but the tune offered little in the way of hooks or melody. With not much for listeners to grab on to, it got ignored. Its failure on the chart pretty much brought an end to The Jets as hitmakers.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Included on the Believe album was the song "Under Any Moon." Written by hitmaker Diane Warren, the tune was recorded for the soundtrack to the sequel film The Karate Kid Part III. It was performed as a duet between The Jets' Elizabeth Wolfgramm and singer Glenn Medeiros. It was not issued out as a single in the US. The soundtrack album would fail to chart. The film would do modestly well at the box office though most critics panned the sequel. It would receive five Golden Raspberry Award nominations including Worst Film.

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