"Puss N' Boots/These Boots (Are Made for Walkin')" by Kon Kan

Song#:  4017

Date:  09/02/1989

Debut:  93

Peak:  58

Weeks:  8

Genre:  Dance-Pop, Synthpop

Pop Bits:  This Canadian duo's first single, "I Beg Your Pardon," got picked up by Atlantic Records and ended up doing well getting to #3 Dance and #15 Pop. With that result, Atlantic tapped the duo for a full album. Titled Move to Move, the LP was ready for release in the summer of '89 and the track "Harry Houdini" was selected as the next single. While it would get to #39 in Canada, the tune failed to reach the US charts. Atlantic then went ahead and released this third single. It ended up grabbing a little bit of attention, but could only manage to reach #25 at Dance while stopping shy of the halfway mark on the Pop chart. The album's title track would be the next single, but it would not reach the charts. The results didn't do anything to promote sales of the album and it would fail to make the chart.

ReduxReview:  This probably should have been the second single. It might have done a bit better. However, it may not have mattered as the momentum built up by "I Beg Your Pardon" was lost when it took months before the duo could get the album done and out. This track was similar to their first hit with various samples and interpolations included such as riffs from Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song" and Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." It was an interesting listen, but it wasn't as catchy or fun as "I Beg Your Pardon." Still, it probably should have gotten inside the Top 40.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Later in '89, lead vocalist Kevin Wynn would choose to switch careers and leave Kon Kan. That left songwriter/producer Barry Harris to carry on. He would release the album Syntonic in 1990. Harris would take over some lead vocal duties while also hiring in others to also take a turn at the mic. Unfortunately, singles failed to chart in the US and the album quickly disappeared. Kon Kan would then be left off the Atlantic roster. Harris would then sign on with the Canadian label Hypnotic and in 1993 issued out a third Kon Kan album Vida!... in Canada only. The album failed to gain any attention and quickly disappeared. Harris would then close up Kon Kan and move on. He would collaborate with other artists and DJs for a while before teaming up with Chris Cox to form the remix/production team Thunderpuss. They would remix a long list of singles for many A-list artists including tracks by Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Whitney Houston. Along the way, Harris would release some singles under his own name. Two of them would become Dance hits. 2000's "Dive in the Pool" and 2001's "I Got My Pride" would both reach #2 on the US Dance chart. Both featured vocals by session singer Pepper Mashay.

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