Songoftheday 4/11/16 - Give up to the ghost that's haunting you now, shout it out don't let it stay inside and eat you alive...

"Dance Little Sister" - Terence Trent D'Arby
from the album Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 5

Today's song of the day comes from American-born R&B/pop singer Terence Trent D'Arby, who after leaving America (and its Army) and making a name for himself in Europe as a singer, saw his second single "Wishing Well" top the U.S. pop chart in the spring of 1988, followed by the top ten success of "Sign Your Name". His next single (the fourth from his debut Introducing The Hardline...) was one that would stoke the comparisons to James Brown, as he growls his way through "Dance Little Sister". Written by the artist, the track gave D'Arby a chance to show a more non-serious side to himself...

"Dance Little Sister" became Terence's third and so-far latest top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in October of 1988. The single climbed all the way to #9 on Billboard's R&B chart, while the remixed version made it to #7 on their Dance Club Play list. Internationally, the record climbed to #3 in the Netherlands, and #20 in Britain. His whole debut album ended up earning him a deserved Grammy Award for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance in 1989.

With all the attention his first album gave him, it was difficult to overcome the pressure of a follow-up release. His sophomore effort, Neither Fish Nor Flesh, failed to produce another pop hit, though the single "To Know Someone Deeply Is To Know Someone Softly" reached #47 on the American R&B chart in 1989. After a four year break, he returned with this third album Symphony Or Damn was a small "comeback" of sorts, with the edgy guitar-led track "She Kissed Me" going to #5 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart, and a collaboration with fellow alt-soul artist Des'ree on "Delicate" popping into the pop chart in America at #74. Those two songs as well as two more from the album all made the top-20 on the British singles chart, while the album peaked at #4 there. Two years later, with his album Vibrator, the single "Holding On To You" reached #20 in the UK, with the title track following at #57. He would again disappear for several years to re-emerge using the name "Sananda Maitreya", releasing albums and singles that haven't gotten as much notice as his earlier work, but still pull in a loyal bank of fans.

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Here's the Shep Pettibone remix of the single that made it to the top ten on the Dance Club chart...

...and Terence kickin' it live in London in 1995...

Up tomorrow: A Miami freestyle dance act mashes up two rock classics for a #1 hit.