Songoftheday 2/15/22 -And I like to think that she'll be coming home with me, so I slowly move closer let her know that I want her...

 

 

"Dancin'" - Guy

from the album Guy III (2000)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 4

 

Today's song comes from the R&B group Guy, led by producer/singer/musician Teddy Riley. Riley, a big part of the "new jack swing" sound, assembled the group with singers Aaron Hall and Timmy Gatling. Signed to MCA, the group released their self-titled debut album in 1988, but by that time Gatling had left to be replaced by Aaron's brother Damion. Their first taste of success was when their single "Groove Me" became their first hit on Billboard magazine's R&B Singles chart, rising to #4, while going to #33 on their Dance Club Play list. Half of the album's ten tracks were released as singles and made the R&B chart, with three reaching the top ten. However with radio at the time being very segregated against black R&B acts, only "I Like" made the pop Hot 100, and then only at #70, while getting to #2 on the R&B list. The Guy album did sell enough to make the top-40 on the Billboard 200 sales tally at #27, while topping the R&B Albums list for five weeks. The following year, a contribution to the movie Do The Right Thing, "My Fantasy" (credited as Teddy Riley with Guy), went all the way to #1 on the R&B chart, yet again stalled down at #62 on the pop Hot 100. 

The trio returned in 1990 with their sophomore set The Future, which also hit #1 on the R&B Albums chart for three weeks, while reaching #16 on the Billboard 200, selling over a million copies. Four of its five singles made the top ten on the R&B Singles chart, with two of them, "I Wanna Get With U" and "Let's Chill", nearly making the Hot 100 top-40 at #50 and #41 respectively. 

 

Despite the success of those two records, disputes with their manager Gene Griffin caused the group to call it quits, with Aaron and Damion going off on solo careers and Teddy forming a new group Blackstreet. That act, formed in 1993, had the mainstream radio success that eluded Guy, scoring five top-40 pop hits, with "No Diggity" reaching #1 in the autumn of 1996. However, after their third album Finally relatively stiffed, with the "event" collaboration "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" with Janet Jackson (deservedly) not even making the pop top-40, Riley closed shop and went to reunited with the Hall brothers for a third Guy album.

That record, Guy III, came with Riley's name recognition as a producer and artist was at its peak,and Aaron Hall had scored a top-40 pop hit in 1994 with "I Miss You", and radio and fans were ready to get back on board. The lead single from the set, "Dancin'", was written by Riley with co-producers Eddie Farrell an Darren Lighty. Instead of retreading the dated new jack swing sound that made them, Riley updates their production to a slick neo-soul sheen with a lot of harmonies that ride the groove...

"Dancin'" finally put Guy into the pop top-40 in January of 2000. The song climbed to #4 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart, and rising to #12 on the older-skewing Adult R&B radio list, while reaching #17 on their Rhythmic format chart. The Guy III album, released as the single was cresting in January, peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200 sales tally (their highest rank there), and #5 on the R&B Albums list, but ended up selling less than their other two sets.

A second single from Guy III, "Why You Wanna Keep Me From My Baby", written by Riley with R&B Artist Tony Rich (of "Nobody Knows" fame), stopped down at #50 on the R&B chart, and #22 on the Adult R&B list. The group again split, with Riley returning to Blackstreet, though the group has periodically reunited for live shows.

(6/10)

Up tomorrow: Industrial rock band rides the Kodachrome to the top-40.