Songoftheday 9/17/17 - It's been so long since we've been friends in need, and how the love we share in our hearts to try to keep us apart...
from the album Together Forever (1991)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 4
Today's song of the day comes from Latin freestyle dance music artist Lisette Melendez, who comes from the East Harlem section of New York City. Melendez, a former backup singer, released her debut album in 1991, and the title track, "Together Forever", became one of the biggest hits of the genre. With the frenetic tempo and Latin flourishes throughout, the single was huge in the tri-State area, and gained popularity nationwide eventually. It was written by her producer Carlos Berrios along with Frankie Malave (aka Frankie Cutlass) and Frank Reyes...
"Together Forever" became Lisette's sole top-40 pop hit in April of 1991. The single also climbed to #31 on Billboard's Dance Club Play list. Her follow-up single, "A Day In My Life (Without You)", was also a major regional hit in the Northeast, but stalled right under the top-40 at #49. A third release from Together Forever, "Never Say Never", slipped on to the Dance Club Play chart at #45.
By 1994, freestyle had been retired by the wayside, and Lisette changed her sound on the first single from her second album, "Goody Goody", which featured rapper Greg Nice. It landed at #53 on the pop chart, slipped on to the R&B chart as her first and last entry at #95, and hit #45 on the dance chart. After a third album stiffed, Melendez changed again to concentrate on the Latin music market, with a well-received salsa album. She continues to tour in various flashback freestyle shows.
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Here's Lisette performing at Live at the Apollo to promote the single...
Up tomorrow: Austrian DJs and a New Yorker give some directions.
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