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Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam

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Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
Lisa Lisa during a group performance in 1987
Lisa Lisa during a group performance in 1987
Background information
OriginNew York, New York, United States
Genres
Years active1984–1991
Labels
Past membersLisa Lisa
Alex "Spanador" Moseley
Mike Hughes

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam were an urban contemporary band and one of the first freestyle music groups to emerge from New York City in the 1980s. Cult Jam consisted of vocalist Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez), guitarist/bassist Alex "Spanador" Moseley, and drummer/keyboardist Mike Hughes. They were assembled and initially produced by Full Force.[1]

History

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam was formed after Velez auditioned with Full Force, a production team from East Flatbush, Brooklyn, at the age of 14.[2] The group released their debut album Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force in 1985.[3] The group was signed by Columbia Records and the label released their single "I Wonder If I Take You Home" to the European division of CBS Records in 1983 for the compilation album Breakdancing. Stateside club DJs began playing the single from the import LP during 1984, and thus the U.S. division of CBS, Columbia Records, released the record. It quickly became a chart-topper on Billboard's Hot Dance/Disco chart. It then crossed over to the R&B chart where it peaked at No. 6, and then to the pop chart, peaking at No. 34 in summer 1985. The single eventually went gold.

"I Wonder If I Take You Home" was followed by another club hit, "Can You Feel the Beat", which also went to No. 40 on the R&B chart in late 1985. A sampling of the lyrics of this song would later be used by Nina Sky for their hit single "Move Ya Body" in 2004. Their third single, the ballad "All Cried Out", also went gold, going to number No. 3 R&B and No. 8 pop in summer 1986. "All Cried Out" was later recorded by Allure in 1997 and was a hit in 1998. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force went platinum.[4]

Their second album, Spanish Fly, was a success in 1987.[3] It spawned two No. 1 pop hits, "Head to Toe" and "Lost in Emotion",[3] both of which went gold. "Head to Toe" also parked at No. 1 R&B for two weeks and stayed in the pop top 5 nearly three months, while "Lost in Emotion's" video became the fourth most played of 1987 on MTV. Spanish Fly went platinum, peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart.[3] Other singles from the album were the ballad "Someone to Love Me for Me" (No. 7 R&B), and "Everything Will B-Fine" (No. 9 R&B).[4]

In between albums they recorded "Go for Yours", which was featured in the movie Caddyshack II.

Their third album was titled Straight to the Sky and was released in 1989.[3] It featured the single "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star". Their fourth and final album, Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen, was less of a success, though it did include a hit with "Let the Beat Hit 'Em", which was a No. 1 hit on both the R&B and club charts. The group disbanded in 1991.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[5] 		US
R&B
[5] 		AUS
[6] 		CAN
[7] 		UK
[8]
1985 Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
  • Release date: August 2, 1985
  • Label: Columbia
 52 16 — — 96
1987 Spanish Fly
  • Release date: April 8, 1987
  • Label: Columbia
 7 7 — 18 —
1989 Straight to the Sky
  • Release date: April 12, 1989
  • Label: Columbia
 77 18 — 63 —
1991 Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen
  • Release date: August 20, 1991
  • Label: Columbia
 133 29 125 — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

  • Head to Toe (1995, Sony Music)
  • Lisa Lisa and Friends (1995, Sony Music)
  • Past, Present & Future (1996, Thump)
  • Super Hits (1997, Sony Music)
  • Playlist: The Very Best of Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force (2010, Columbia/Legacy)

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[5] 		US
R&B
[5] 		US
Dance
[5] 		AUS
[11][6] 		BEL
[12] 		CAN
[7] 		IRE
[13] 		NL
[14] 		NZ
[15] 		UK
[8]
"I Wonder If I Take You Home" 1985 34 6 1 — — — 24 41 — 12 Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
"Can You Feel the Beat" 69 40 6 — — — — — — 97
"All Cried Out" 1986 8 3 — — — 96 — — — —
"Head to Toe" 1987 1 1 1 52 15 1 — 16 9 82 Spanish Fly
"Lost in Emotion" 1 1 8 83 — 7 — — 15 58
"Someone to Love Me for Me" 78 7 — — — — — — — —
"Everything Will B-Fine" 1988 — 9 22 — — — — — — —
"Go for Yours" — 19 — — — — — — — — Caddyshack II
"Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star" 1989 29 3 — 153 16 98 — 6 10 90 Straight to the Sky
"Just Git It Together" — 16 7 — — — — — — —
"Kiss Your Tears Away" — 26 — — — — — — — —
"Let the Beat Hit 'Em" 1991 37 1 1 72 27 — 27 30 — 17 Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen
"Where Were You When I Needed You" — 65 — — — — — — — —
"Forever" 95 — — — — — — — — —
"Let the Beat Hit 'Em Part 2" — — — — — — — — — 49 Non-album single
"Something 'bout Love" 1992 — — — 194 — — — — — — Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hur, Michael (July 25, 2014). Shadows of the Music Industry. Lulu.com. pp. 216–217. ISBN 9781312306059.
  2. ^ Group, Vibe Media (June 1, 2002). Vibe. Vibe Media Group. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 1491/2. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  4. ^ a b "Biography - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c d e "US Charts > Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Lisa Lisa ARIA chart history 1988 to 2022, received from ARIA in 2022". ARIA. Retrieved December 2, 2023 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  7. ^ a b "CAN Charts > Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam". RPM. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "UK Charts > Lisa Lisa". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "American certifications – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Canadian certifications – Lisa Lisa And Cult Jam". Music Canada. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  11. ^ Peaks in Australia:
    • All except noted: David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
    • "Let the Beat Hit 'Em": Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 167.
  12. ^ "BEL Charts > Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam". VRT Top 30. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  13. ^ "IRE Charts Search > Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  14. ^ "NL Charts > Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam". MegaCharts. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  15. ^ "NZ Charts > Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
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