(Today’s prompt is “Boogie/Rock/Rolling Stone”, thanks to Jim at A Unique Title For Me)
Claudja Barry is a Jamaican singer who moved to Ontario, Canada when she was young. After high school, she moved to London and starred in musicals like AC/DC and also the German production of Catch My Soul.
She started her semi-successful music career around the same time with the release of her debut album Sweet Dynamite. She had a handful of hits during her musical career: “Dancin’ Fever” (#72 on the Billboard charts, 1977), “Boogie Woogie Dancin’ Shoes” (#37 on the R&B charts and #56 on the Pop charts, 1978), “Born To Love” (#14 on the Hot Play/Club Play charts, 1985), “Down and Counting” (#1 on the Hot Play/Club charts, and #98 on the R&B charts, 1986), ” Can’t You Feel My Heartbeat” (#33 on the R&B charts, 1987) and “Secret Affair” (#60 on the R&B charts, 1987).
I never heard of Barry’s original version of “Boogie Woogie Dancin’ Shoes” until now. I knew about the song when I first discovered Tokyo Performance Doll about ten years ago. You see, one of the members (Satomi Kihara) covered the song in Japanese on one the group’s many albums. The group covered a lot of dancing songs within their six years of being together.
The lyricists, according to Discogs.com, where Claudja, German musician Jörg Evers, Claudja now ex-husband Jürgen S. Korduletsch, Keith Forsey, and Mats Björklund. Out of all these names, any listener of 80s’ rock will recognize Keith Forsey’s name as he co-wrote Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” (which, if you didn’t know, it was originally intended by Billy Idol) and Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff”, and Glenn Frey’s “The Heat Is On”. He also won an Academy Award in 1984 for co-writing “Flashdance….What a Feelin” with Irene Cara.
Keith Forsey with Irene Cara
Jürgen S. Korduletsch is somewhat well-known in the underground dance scene as he remixed and produced songs for artists like trf and 2 Unlimited.
“Boogie Woogie Dancin’ Shoes” is a funky disco song but it is enjoyable. How about you, what do you think about this song? Let me know in the comments below!
