Robbed hit of the week 9/21/20 - Livin' Joy's "Don't Stop Movin'"...

 

 

"Don't Stop Movin'" - Livin' Joy

from the album Don't Stop Movin' (1996)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #67

 

This week's "robbed hit" comes from the Italian dance act Livin' Joy, formed by siblings Gianni and Paolo Visnadi. The brothers had previously (and for a while concurrently) been a part of the group Alex Party, who had a #2 hit single in the UK and Ireland with the club track "Don't Give Me Your Life" in 1995. Not long after, the pair started Livin' Joy, hiring singer Janice Robinson for the single "Dreamer". The track that bridged the gap between techno/rave and Eurodance originally went to #18 on the British singles chart, before being re-released in 1995 and going all the way to #1 there. The song also topped Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play list and made the pop Hot 100 chart at #72. Despite the success, Robinson left after that to go her own, having a better go at songwriting than her own recording career. (She had a #1 club hit with David Morales in 2015 with "There Must Be Love", though.)

Bringing on another American, Tameka Carter, the group recorded their debut (and only) album Don't Stop Movin', with more of a house music groove instead of the rave beginnings. The title track, "Don't Stop Movin'", was written by Carter with the Visnadis, who produced the joyful anthem to dancing at the club, perpetually...

While "Don't Stop Movin'" proved to be a big hit on the dancefloor, climbing to #3 on Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the song stopped short at #67 on the pop Hot 100 in March of 1997, though it spent a hefty 20 weeks on the list. Internationally, the single spent two weeks at #1 in Italy, and reached the top ten in the UK (#5), Australia (#6), Finland (#7), and Sweden (#8). The Don't Stop Movin' album didn't place on the American chart, but just missed the British top-40 at #41.

The next single from the set was "Follow The Rules", which scored another top ten placing in Italy (#2) and the UK (#9). That was followed by "Where Can I Find Love", which rose to #12 in Britain. Lastly, "Deep In You" scored a fifth top-20 hit in the UK at #17. Unfortunately, due to label troubles in the time of the "big mergers", a second album along with single "Just For The Sex Of It" in 1999 was pretty much scrapped. In 2005, Robinson revived "Dreamer" for a #5 club hit in the U.S..

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Here's the extended remix of "Don't Stop Movin'" like it was heard in the clubs...

and Tameka performing the song live...

And finally, a version from the homegrown "House Gospel Choir" to lift spirits during the pandemic...