Just Wanna Dance
Encyclopedia
"Just Wanna Dance" is a single by American singer La Toya Jackson
. It is taken from her yet-to-be-released album Startin' Over. It peaked at #13 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
chart, making it her highest charting single.
.
Jackson began work on the song by visiting night clubs to hear what sort of music people were dancing to. To accomplish this, Jackson disguised herself as a male alter-ego named "Toy." As a result, the song's sexually ambiguous
lyrics describe a ribald night out at a club where the party-goers "don’t know if I’m a he or a she".
The single was initially released under Jackson's nickname Toy, so disc jockey
s would give the record a fair chance before tossing it aside. To Jackson's satisfaction, the strategy worked. Jackson phoned DJs who had played her track to reveal "Toy's" true identity saying, “One phone call at a time, I am letting them know all about Toy. While some of them knew that Toy was me, others were surprised. The overall response has been rewarding and encouraging.”
The single includes mixes by Vibelicious and Jason Randolph. About.com
praised Randolph's "Extended Vocal" mix saying it had a "a running synth line that could move anyone to the dancefloor." Jackson's vocals were complimented as "suit[ing] the sing-songy verses quite well." Outword Magazine called the track "energetic" and "infectious".
Although the single reached the #13 position on the United States dance chart in October 2004, a commercial release never followed, mostly because Jackson's record company, Ja-Tail Records, had not yet secured a distribution deal. A follow-up single, "Free the World
", was released 5 months later. On the back of the singles' success, Ja-Tail obtained a distribution deal with Universal
-Bungalo Records
. A music video
was reportedly planned, but during rehearsals Jackson's toe was broken when a microphone fell on it.
La Toya Jackson
La Toya Yvonne Jackson is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, television personality, actress, businesswoman, philanthropist, activist and former model. She is the fifth child of the Jackson family...
. It is taken from her yet-to-be-released album Startin' Over. It peaked at #13 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart, making it her highest charting single.
Song information
After six years in seclusion after escaping an abusive relationship with late former husband and manager Jack Gordon, La Toya Jackson returned to the studio to record an autobiographical album entitled Startin' Over. "Just Wanna Dance" was recorded in 2002, but it wasn't until 2004 that it was released as Startin' Over's lead singleLead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
.
Jackson began work on the song by visiting night clubs to hear what sort of music people were dancing to. To accomplish this, Jackson disguised herself as a male alter-ego named "Toy." As a result, the song's sexually ambiguous
Androgyny
Androgyny is a term derived from the Greek words ανήρ, stem ανδρ- and γυνή , referring to the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics...
lyrics describe a ribald night out at a club where the party-goers "don’t know if I’m a he or a she".
The single was initially released under Jackson's nickname Toy, so disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s would give the record a fair chance before tossing it aside. To Jackson's satisfaction, the strategy worked. Jackson phoned DJs who had played her track to reveal "Toy's" true identity saying, “One phone call at a time, I am letting them know all about Toy. While some of them knew that Toy was me, others were surprised. The overall response has been rewarding and encouraging.”
The single includes mixes by Vibelicious and Jason Randolph. About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
praised Randolph's "Extended Vocal" mix saying it had a "a running synth line that could move anyone to the dancefloor." Jackson's vocals were complimented as "suit[ing] the sing-songy verses quite well." Outword Magazine called the track "energetic" and "infectious".
Although the single reached the #13 position on the United States dance chart in October 2004, a commercial release never followed, mostly because Jackson's record company, Ja-Tail Records, had not yet secured a distribution deal. A follow-up single, "Free the World
Free the World
"Free the World" is a single by American singer La Toya Jackson. Jackson spent six years in seclusion after divorcing her abusive late ex-husband and manager, Jack Gordon, in 1997. After her years in exile, the September 11th attacks inspired Jackson to write "Free the World". She recorded and...
", was released 5 months later. On the back of the singles' success, Ja-Tail obtained a distribution deal with Universal
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
-Bungalo Records
Bungalo Records
Bungalo Records is an American independent record label established in 2000 and distributed through Universal Music Group Distribution. -Current Artists:*Nikki Bates*Bam Rogers *Big Gov*Boondock*Agnes Chan...
. A music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was reportedly planned, but during rehearsals Jackson's toe was broken when a microphone fell on it.
Official remixes
- "Just Wanna Dance (Radio Edit)" (3:54)
- "Just Wanna Dance (Vibelicious Radio Remix)" (4:38)
- "Just Wanna Dance (Randolph's Tribal Radio Remix)" (3:48)
- "Just Wanna Dance (Randolph's Dirty Radio Mix)" (3:55)
- "Just Wanna Dance (Vibelicious Club Mix)" (6:59)
- "Just Wanna Dance (Vibelicious Cyber Club Mix)" (8:08)
- "Just Wanna Dance (Randolph's Tribal Club Mix)" (9:41)
- "Just Wanna Dance (Randolph's Tribal Alternative Remix)" (9:54)
- "Just Wanna Dance (Randolph's House Dub)" (9:46)
- "Just Wanna Dance (Toy's Extended Vocal)" (9:54)
- "Just Wanna Dance (Toy's Dub)" (9:46)
Chart
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | 13 |