Livin' Joy
Encyclopedia
Livin' Joy was a house music
group
from Italy
who released two successful dance
hits
in the 1990s, "Dreamer" and "Don't Stop Movin'". The group consisted of Italian brothers Paolo and Gianni Visnadi (previously members of Alex Party
) and singer Tameka Starr.
lead singer
Janice Robinson
and reached number one on the U.S.
Hot Dance Club Play
chart
with "Dreamer
". The song turned out to be a mild sleeper hit
on pop
radio
, finally entering the Billboard Hot 100
in early 1995. It peaked at number 72 and spent seventeen weeks on the chart. The song had a more successful run on the UK Singles Chart
, hitting the number one spot after being re-issued (its original run in late 1994 had taken it to #18).
In mid 1996, "Dreamer" re-entered the Hot 100, this time climbing to number 95.
, "Don't Stop Movin'" peaked at number 6 on the national ARIA
singles chart.
Plans for a widescale commercial release of a single entitled "Just for the Sex of It" in 1999 were scrapped, due to lack of interest. It only received a limited club
run, but was released as a single in Australia and proved popular in the nightclub
s. In 2008, recordings for the ill-fated follow-up were leaked online: "Love Yourself", "Lookin' Fine", "I Only Wanna Dance", "U R My Livin' Joy", "You Don't Love Me", and "Bump This".
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
who released two successful dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the 1990s, "Dreamer" and "Don't Stop Movin'". The group consisted of Italian brothers Paolo and Gianni Visnadi (previously members of Alex Party
Alex Party
Alex Party is an Italian dance music project of the electronic dance or house music genre. The band consisted of the Italian brothers Paolo and Gianni Visnadi , DJ Alex Natale and vocalist Robin 'Shanie' Campbell....
) and singer Tameka Starr.
"Dreamer"
In 1994, Livin' Joy were fronted by the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lead singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Janice Robinson
Janice Robinson
Janice Robinson, born and raised in Garfield, New Jersey, gained worldwide success in the early-mid 1990s with the Eurodance/Hi-NRG/Italo House group Livin' Joy as the lead singer before going solo in 1999. After Robinson left, Livin' Joy scored more hits during the 1995-1996 period with another...
and reached number one on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
with "Dreamer
Dreamer (Livin' Joy song)
"Dreamer" was the first track released by Italian house group Livin' Joy in 1994. It was a number-one dance hit that year. The following year, it entered the UK chart at No. 1. "Set You Free", the dance anthem from N-Trance, could only reach No. 2 the same year.The song was first released in the...
". The song turned out to be a mild sleeper hit
Sleeper hit
A sleeper hit, a.k.a. surprise hit , refers to a film, book, single, album, TV show, or video game that gains unexpected success or recognition...
on pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
radio
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, finally entering the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in early 1995. It peaked at number 72 and spent seventeen weeks on the chart. The song had a more successful run on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, hitting the number one spot after being re-issued (its original run in late 1994 had taken it to #18).
In mid 1996, "Dreamer" re-entered the Hot 100, this time climbing to number 95.
"Don't Stop Movin'"
By 1996, Robinson had left the group and been replaced by American vocalist Tameka Starr. With Starr on lead vocals, the follow-up single "Don't Stop Movin'" peaked at number five in the UK and was number one in Italy in 1996. It hit number three on the U.S. dance chart in early 1997 and became another modest, although long-lived, hit in the mainstream - climbing to number 67 on the Hot 100, spending twenty weeks on the chart. In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, "Don't Stop Movin'" peaked at number 6 on the national ARIA
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
singles chart.
The album and other singles
"Don't Stop Movin'" was followed by another Top 10 single in the UK in 1996 ("Follow the Rules") and two Top 20 hits in 1997, "Where Can I Find Love" and "Deep In You". The parent album, also called Don't Stop Movin, grouped together the hits, including "Dreamer" with new vocals by Starr (although the original version with Robinson was a hidden bonus track). Robinson subsequently re-released 2005 remixes of "Dreamer", credited as a solo release, which charted in the American dance charts.Plans for a widescale commercial release of a single entitled "Just for the Sex of It" in 1999 were scrapped, due to lack of interest. It only received a limited club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
run, but was released as a single in Australia and proved popular in the nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s. In 2008, recordings for the ill-fated follow-up were leaked online: "Love Yourself", "Lookin' Fine", "I Only Wanna Dance", "U R My Livin' Joy", "You Don't Love Me", and "Bump This".
Singles
- "DreamerDreamer (Livin' Joy song)"Dreamer" was the first track released by Italian house group Livin' Joy in 1994. It was a number-one dance hit that year. The following year, it entered the UK chart at No. 1. "Set You Free", the dance anthem from N-Trance, could only reach No. 2 the same year.The song was first released in the...
" (1994) UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#18 - "Dreamer" (re-issue) (1995) UK #1 / U.S.Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
#72 / AustraliaARIA ChartsThe ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
#90 - "Don't Stop Movin'" (1996) UK #5 / Australia #6 / U.S. #67 / Italy #1
- "Follow the Rules" (1996) UK #9 / Australia #73
- "Where Can I Find Love" (1997) UK #12
- "Deep in You" (1997) UK #17
- "Just for the Sex of It" (1999) (Australia and U.S. only release) Australia #76