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Looking for a new love: the Jody Watley appreciation thread

By request from the Pebbles thread.

by Anonymousreply 95January 27, 2018 9:27 PM

I loved her. I wish she lasted a little longer, but she had a pretty good run anyway.

by Anonymousreply 1October 27, 2013 4:50 PM

"Still A Thrill" - that's the slinky jam

by Anonymousreply 2October 27, 2013 4:52 PM

Jody had Voguing in her video's way before Madonna stoled the idea.

by Anonymousreply 3October 27, 2013 4:54 PM

"Everything" was the fucking JAM.

Sing out gurl!

by Anonymousreply 4October 27, 2013 4:54 PM

"Friends"!!

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by Anonymousreply 5October 27, 2013 4:56 PM

I love her single of "When man loves a woman" with those mixes "when a man loves a man" and "when a woman loves a woman" - funky grooves and maybe quite brave to put out back then. Her track "Ecstasy" also on that cd single is ace too.

by Anonymousreply 6October 27, 2013 4:57 PM

I loves me some Jody! All of her late 80's/90's albums are so underrated. I listen to all of them from start to finish and its still a thrill"! And no on gives Jody credit for that "hasta la vista,baby" line that Arnold totally stole from her song,complete with the same inflection!

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by Anonymousreply 7October 27, 2013 5:00 PM

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

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by Anonymousreply 8October 27, 2013 5:02 PM

"Some Kind Of Lover" is really innovative.

by Anonymousreply 9October 27, 2013 5:06 PM

Jody with her kids. I think her son is by Andre Cymone. I believe she had her daughter before they met.

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by Anonymousreply 10October 27, 2013 5:07 PM

Listening to Jody makes one realise what crap today's lot like Rihanna are putting out.

by Anonymousreply 11October 27, 2013 5:07 PM

Ive always wondered about that Howard Hewitt guy from Shalamar... anyone got stories to tell?

by Anonymousreply 12October 27, 2013 5:40 PM

Wasn't Howard married to Nia Peeples for a hot minute?

by Anonymousreply 13October 27, 2013 5:42 PM

Does she still perform? Club PAs etc?

by Anonymousreply 14October 27, 2013 5:50 PM

Just say Jody Whatley earrings and everybody knows which kind.

by Anonymousreply 15October 27, 2013 6:00 PM

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

by Anonymousreply 16October 27, 2013 6:03 PM

Watley

by Anonymousreply 17October 27, 2013 6:03 PM

How come she was in the "Do They Know It's Christmas" video? Was she doing promo in London at the time?

by Anonymousreply 18October 27, 2013 6:04 PM

Still a Thrill is great.

I'm leaving now. Where are my keys.

by Anonymousreply 19October 27, 2013 6:04 PM

Some of her songs sound good, but they are hurt by the cheesy 80s synthesizers and her very thin voice.

by Anonymousreply 20October 27, 2013 6:06 PM

[quote] How come she was in the "Do They Know It's Christmas" video? Was she doing promo in London at the time?

Shalamar were quite popular in the UK at the time.

by Anonymousreply 21October 27, 2013 6:06 PM

Where's the Dixie Whatley appreciation thread?

by Anonymousreply 22October 27, 2013 6:07 PM

R18--she lived in London at the time.

Jeffrey Daniel of "Shalamar" also moved there and performed in "Starlight Express" on the West End.

The video of "Dead Giveaway", the last hit with the original lineup intact, was filmed in London.

by Anonymousreply 23October 27, 2013 6:10 PM

Thank you OP! I can't believe DL is only now getting a Jody thread.

I loved her style and songs.

"Looking For A New Love"

"Don't You Want Me?"

"Still A Thrill"

"Some Kind of Lover"

"Real Love"

"Friends"

"Everything"

"Precious Love"

I love all these songs...she had 2 #2 singles on the hot 100-it's a shame she never got to #1.

I also love her songs when she was in Shalamar.

R12 Hewitt was hot and a great singer but also a jerk. Jody hates him.

by Anonymousreply 24October 27, 2013 6:12 PM

I want to be Jodybot!

by Anonymousreply 25October 27, 2013 6:21 PM

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

by Anonymousreply 26October 27, 2013 6:33 PM

Her first two albums were great, then after that her music went to shit because she went down that "I want to be a deep artist" route a la Prince and steered away from what made her popular. She also seemed to become very stubborn and was more concerned with doing music she wanted to do rather than what her fans wanted.

My favorite was "Whatcha Gonna Do For Me?".

by Anonymousreply 27October 27, 2013 6:36 PM

Her Shalamar songs were better than her solo stuff. Jody has been approached numerous times to do a reunion with Shalamar but refuses to because she can't stand Howard Hewitt.

by Anonymousreply 28October 27, 2013 6:38 PM

[quote]Her Shalamar songs were better than her solo stuff.

Completely disagree.

by Anonymousreply 29October 27, 2013 6:42 PM

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

by Anonymousreply 30October 27, 2013 6:43 PM

Was f-ing John Taylor of Duran Duran for a while in the 80s.

by Anonymousreply 31October 27, 2013 7:01 PM

What's the story with her and Howard? And wasn't Jeffrey Daniels married to Stephanie Mills for a second?

by Anonymousreply 32October 27, 2013 7:02 PM

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

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by Anonymousreply 33October 27, 2013 7:05 PM

Wasn't she a cokehead?

by Anonymousreply 34October 27, 2013 7:08 PM

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

by Anonymousreply 35October 27, 2013 7:10 PM

"Don't you want me" is still my jam.

by Anonymousreply 36October 27, 2013 7:11 PM

I always preferred the remixed video version of "Don't You Want Me" over the album version.

by Anonymousreply 37October 27, 2013 7:12 PM

"Some Kind of Lover" was my jam in college, it was really well done. For a pop-dance song the lyrics are semi-intelligent and feeling.

"We'll light a candle, as a symbol of our love..."

by Anonymousreply 38October 27, 2013 7:13 PM

Didn't the Shalamar boyfriend beat her?

by Anonymousreply 39October 27, 2013 7:16 PM

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

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by Anonymousreply 40October 27, 2013 7:20 PM

[quote]"We'll light a candle, as a symbol of our love..."

That's your idea of a good lyric?

You must be Catholic.

by Anonymousreply 41October 27, 2013 7:20 PM

R39 the rumor is he wanted to get with Jody, she said no, so he tried to rape her but I guess she got out of that and he also allegedly attacked her.

Watch the Unsung episode on youtube AND Jody's 3 part reaction videos to it.

Hewitt screwed himself. He had the looks and talent but a horrible personality.

I'm glad Jody succeeded as a solo artist after leaving the group with all the hell she had to put up with.

by Anonymousreply 42October 27, 2013 7:32 PM

R37, I completely agree about the remix...that's the version I have on my phone. I love that song so much...it just reminds me of high school and one guy I was obsessed with at the time.

R38, Love that song!

I still can watch the "Real Love" video like it came out yesterday. I fucking loved her style...my high school girlfriends and I wanted to dress like Jody. She was too cool for school!!

One of my fav's is "Still a Thrill"... the deepness of her voice on the record is so sexy!

by Anonymousreply 43October 27, 2013 7:35 PM

Jody's best friend from the 80s, Jermaine Stewart's 'Word is out'. I love this song. My friend did costume design for this video.

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by Anonymousreply 44October 27, 2013 7:48 PM

I agree,r43! Just watched 'Thril' and it looks like it was shot yesterday. Who was her competition for 'Best New Artist' Grammy?

by Anonymousreply 45October 27, 2013 7:48 PM

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

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by Anonymousreply 46October 27, 2013 7:56 PM

Jermaine also wrote and recorded the song "Jody" about Jody. It's FIERCE. I love the beat. Unfortunately the extended version isn't up on youtube but here's the video:

R44 was your friend a gay male? If so, did he ever hook up with Jermaine?

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by Anonymousreply 47October 27, 2013 8:01 PM

What was the falling out that her and Jermaine had about?

by Anonymousreply 48October 27, 2013 8:04 PM

R47, Oh my goodness!! Jermaine's jacket is CRAZY!! Shoulder pads for DAYZ!!!

by Anonymousreply 49October 27, 2013 8:08 PM

I saw Jody Watley perform 2 or 3 years ago at BB Kings in NYC. It was a good show. She still has great presence. She did a mix of her current indie dance/trance material, her 80s hits (fun, but the sound is very dated) and a Shalamar medley in which she spoke at length about the TVOne Unsung Documentary about the group in which Jody appeared and talked about her dissatisfaction with the group, though admitting they did record a few good songs like For the Lover in You.

I agree her chart success decline in the early 90's due partly to wanting to become a more serious artist and due to sudden shift in the pop music scene, but there are some good songs to be found on her albums Affairs of the Heart and Intimacy.

by Anonymousreply 50October 27, 2013 9:50 PM

Why doesn't she record anymore? Her last album was 7 years ago, and that was just a covers/remake album.

by Anonymousreply 51October 27, 2013 9:55 PM

I remember watching a story in 1990 on"20/20" concerning the then pervasive influence of MTV. They featured the then thought to be future superstars Jane Child and Allanah Myles, and then talked to 80's stars who were suddenly having trouble getting their followup singles play on the channel. They focussed on Belinda Carlisle and Jody Watley. I think Jody expressed surprise that they refused to play the followup to "Everything" because the song did not "fit in to the playlist" of the period.

by Anonymousreply 52October 27, 2013 9:56 PM

Slight clarification for some here - Jody's solo debut came when she was London based in 1984 - two singles ('Where The Boys Are' and 'Girls Night Out' - the most notable thing about either was that the latters b-side, 'My House', was covered later by Paul Lekakis).

Like Janet Jackson, Jody had a 'secret marriage' (to Andre Cymone) for a number of years.

Biggest reveal of the Shalamar 'Unsung' to me? The Jeffrey/Jody relationship.

And I was a HUGE Jody/Shalamar fan.

by Anonymousreply 53October 27, 2013 10:05 PM

Was Where The Boys Are the old Connie Francis song?

by Anonymousreply 54October 27, 2013 10:08 PM

The late 80s and early 90s were a volatile time in the industry. From 1987 to 1992, here are the various female solo acts who all had some success and fought for supremacy in the pop and r&b world (Note-only considering the ones who had more than 1 album):

Whitney Houston-survived past 1992

Madonna-survived

Cyndi Lauper-RIP

Janet Jackson-survived

Sheena Easton-RIP

Pebbles-RIP

Jody Watley-RIP

Karyn White-RIP

Paula Abdul-life support in mid 90s then RIP

Taylor Dayne-RIP

Vanessa Williams-thrived/peaked in mid 90s

Mariah Carey-dominated the 90s

Celine Dion-very successful throughout 90s

and on top of that, there were of course the groups such as En Vogue, TLC, Wilson Phillips, SWV, Xscape...there was SO much competition that after 1992 most of the top women flopped which is unfortunate. I'm a fan of most of the acts I just mentioned.

The sad part is you don't see hardly any successful female black singers these days. Beyonce and Rihanna are really the only ones, and Beyonce hasn't put out new music she might flop too. Nicki Minaj isn't a singer so I don't count her. Other than that, it's all white girls. I'd like to see the nice mix we had in the late 80s/early 90s come back.

by Anonymousreply 55October 27, 2013 10:13 PM

Nope. It was a meandering hookless mess of originality.

by Anonymousreply 56October 27, 2013 10:15 PM

oh and I forgot Mary J Blige-she started in 1992 but her success was very streaky (up and down) throughout the 90s.

I didn't include Toni Braxton because her first album didn't come out until 1993, when the dance craze was over. She did have a moderate first single in 1992 off the Boomerang soundtrack though.

by Anonymousreply 57October 27, 2013 10:18 PM

Embarrassed to admit how much I liked "Some Kind of Lover."

by Anonymousreply 58October 27, 2013 10:19 PM

Autotune is to blame for a lot. And the fact that branding has taken over alongside the decline of people actually buying music.

People attending Beyonce concerts tweet about her lipsyncing but they still go. It's about working the aspirational angle (beauty, fashion, sex) more than ever.

If you want to work the music angle (Emeli Sande, Adele), you better write your own songs, so vocalists only are screwed.

by Anonymousreply 59October 27, 2013 10:24 PM

R55, you forgot to mention Brandy, Aaliyah and Monica. They were pretty successful in the late 90's, after that the invasion of the white girls happened. Britney, Christina, Jessica Simpson and Pink happened and these black female singers have been dying out ever since. Only Rihanna and Beyonce are left standing, barely.

by Anonymousreply 60October 27, 2013 10:29 PM

Rihanna is barely standing? Not talking about talent here, but she's probably the premiere female hitmaker of her time.

by Anonymousreply 61October 27, 2013 10:33 PM

Rihanna is barely standing because she is quickly being replaced by Miley Cyrus. This is how it always goes in the music industry with black artist being replaced by whites.

by Anonymousreply 62October 27, 2013 10:40 PM

Who replaced Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey? Celine Dion? Psh.

by Anonymousreply 63October 27, 2013 10:46 PM

Actually it was Mariah who was Whitney's replacement. Sony and Tommy Motolla groomed Mariah to be the white Whitney even though she is biracial.

by Anonymousreply 64October 27, 2013 10:50 PM

R60 no I didn't include Brandy, Monica and Aaliyah because they came out after 1992. I was only talking about the overcrowded number of top female acts who were around either before or during 1987-1992.

by Anonymousreply 65October 27, 2013 10:52 PM

and of course add in Belinda Carlisle, who actually was RIP at the beginning of the 90s, much to Madonna's joy.

by Anonymousreply 66October 27, 2013 10:58 PM

Howard Hewitt ('s fine ass) was married to Nia Peeples and they have a son. He was supposedly hard to work with (his ego was out of control), and even though he was the last to join Shalamar, he wanted to always be the lead.

Jeffrey Daniel went on to choreograph for Michael Jackson. He was married to Stephanie Mills for some time. There was a rumor that he once pushed her out of a moving car.

by Anonymousreply 67October 27, 2013 11:11 PM

A lot of it also had to do with radio station mergers, and Soundscan changing the way airplay and a "hit" was calculated.

When a lot of radio stations merged there was a big focus back to male singers and male bands, both in pop/R&B as well as rock. Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan knocked a lot of other women out in the mid-to-late 90s because those stations had slots for, like, three women performers, and that was IT.

by Anonymousreply 68October 28, 2013 1:54 AM

Damn I miss videos. I remember you couldn't commit to liking a song until you saw the video. LOL Here she is in Still a Thrill. One of my all-time favorite songs. She was everything Janet Jackson wished she could be.

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by Anonymousreply 69October 28, 2013 2:05 AM

[quote]She was everything Janet Jackson wished she could be.

I don't think so

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by Anonymousreply 70October 28, 2013 2:08 AM

I remember some casual talk on radio and in general at the time suggesting Jody as a possible Catwoman in Batman Returns. Jody has seriously leonine eyes.

by Anonymousreply 71October 28, 2013 2:14 AM

[quote] I remember some casual talk on radio and in general at the time suggesting Jody as a possible Catwoman in Batman Returns.

That explains it. Jody Watley is tied up in Sean Young's basement.

by Anonymousreply 72October 28, 2013 2:17 AM

Porn star Midori is her younger sister.

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by Anonymousreply 73October 28, 2013 2:22 AM

You can't have an Jody thread without posting the epic REAL LOVE.

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by Anonymousreply 74October 28, 2013 2:25 AM

MOST OF ALL is another fave of mine off her first CD. It was written and produced by Patrick Leonard.

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by Anonymousreply 75October 28, 2013 2:27 AM

One more favortie of mine off her first album is the awesome and woefully overlooked duet with George Michael, LEARN TO SAY NO. Why it wasn't released as a single is a mystery.

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by Anonymousreply 76October 28, 2013 2:29 AM

They were crazy not to release Learn to Say No.

by Anonymousreply 77October 28, 2013 2:34 AM

Her sister was a PORN ACTOR? Did this received much coverage in the press? Is the sister a drug addict?

by Anonymousreply 78October 28, 2013 2:37 AM

Jody was fierce without the army of back-up dancers and over-the-top costumes today's acts require. She could bust a jam and rock those heels/earrings solo. Rihanna/Katy/Gaga/Miley take note, please.

by Anonymousreply 79October 28, 2013 2:38 AM

[quote]Her sister was a PORN ACTOR? Did this received much coverage in the press? Is the sister a drug addict?

I don't think there was much coverage or mention about it at all. The two women favor a great deal though. I don't think she's one of those "tragic" porn stories, either.

by Anonymousreply 80October 28, 2013 2:42 AM

I only know her from the Cole Porter "red hot and blue" album, she sang "after you, who?" wonderfully.

by Anonymousreply 81October 28, 2013 2:43 AM

The youngest daughter on "Family Matters" was also a porn star.

by Anonymousreply 82October 28, 2013 2:44 AM

How did she die??

by Anonymousreply 83October 28, 2013 2:54 AM

R79 that's because Jody was a dancer first and had plenty of practice coming up with dances to match whatever beats she heard while on Soul Train. Being a dancer on there really prepared her for Shalamar and her solo career. Jody could just go on stage and sing while improving dance moves. She didn't need anyone else to make her look good.

by Anonymousreply 84October 28, 2013 3:03 AM

There was a lot of drama in Shalamar. A lot of things they didn't go into on their Unsung. In the early eighties Jody had her first child which caused a lot of tension. It was never revealed who the father was. The suspects were Howard Hewitt, Leon Sylvers (their producer) and Dick Griffey (head of SOLAR records). Jody definitely has a juicy book inside of her if she decides to write it.

by Anonymousreply 85October 28, 2013 3:48 AM

Howard Hewitt was hot.

by Anonymousreply 86October 28, 2013 4:34 AM

No way is Howard Hewett the father of Jody's oldest kid. She never liked his ass despite his good looks. He was a real jerk and Jody didn't care how good looking or talented he was-she wasn't going to let him get it.

by Anonymousreply 87October 29, 2013 10:22 PM

Jody is back with new music! Here is her latest song "Nightlife":

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by Anonymousreply 88October 31, 2013 4:54 AM

Jody's interview on access hollywood from tuesday:

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by Anonymousreply 89October 31, 2013 4:56 AM

The lyrics of Nightlife are Ian Curtis level deep.

by Anonymousreply 90October 31, 2013 1:20 PM

been bumpin' "Everything" on repeat! a nice ballad from her

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by Anonymousreply 91December 25, 2014 10:32 PM

What the hell, let’s bump it.

Her dance moves in ‘Looking for a New Love’ are such infectious fun. She always looked so cool in the weirdest attire.

There’s really no-one like her around now.

by Anonymousreply 92January 27, 2018 7:37 PM

Love her. The first album is the best. The rest of her albums had one or two good songs at the most

by Anonymousreply 93January 27, 2018 8:54 PM

The ending of Jody's "Still a Thrill" spoke the question for many of us of at the time:

" . . . I'm going home now . . . Where are my keys?"

(Jody's original CD debut is still a part of my CD collection.)

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by Anonymousreply 94January 27, 2018 9:19 PM

Loved her debut music video of "I'm Looking for a New Love." She was jumping around crimped hair, a crinoline, and never-seen-before large-ass gold hoop earrings, which today are known as "Watleys."

Because she was not achieving the exposure she'd desired as a solo artist in the US, she'd taken off for the EU to achieve it. Smart girl.

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by Anonymousreply 95January 27, 2018 9:27 PM
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