Song of the Day Apr 16

April 16, 2024

This month I’m focusing on One Hit Wonders of the 90s.

Today our song is:  Pump Up the Jam 

Wikipedia tells us this about the song:

Belgian musician, songwriter, and record producer Jo Bogaert had previously had a few successes in his native Belgium, but struggled with exporting the music to other countries. Since some of his previous dance records had experienced popularity in American clubs, he was therefore determined to have a hit in the US. He told in an interview with Los Angeles Times, "It was very difficult for us to export music to other countries. But some of my dance records were popular in U.S. dance clubs and I knew that if I hooked up with the right people, I could make a record that would be a hit in the U.S." After meeting Congolese–Belgian singer and songwriter Ya Kid K (a.k.a. Manuela Barbara Kamosi Moaso Djogi) and British rapper MC Eric (a.k.a. Eric Martin), Bogaert used Ya Kid K's lyrics and vocals and they constructed what would become "Pump Up the Jam", a fresh, compelling fusion of hip hop and deep house elements.

On the unexpected success of the song, Bogaert commented, "I knew, yeah, this was a good track, but my farthest expectation was that it would be a club hit." Martin later told, "The hairs on my arms stood up and I knew that it was history." On the release, Bogaert is credited as producer (as Thomas de Quincey). The song was picked up for US release by SBK Records. Although it used Ya Kid K's lyrics and voice on the track, it was Congolese model Felly Kilingi who was pictured on the album and in the accompanying music video. The reason was because the Belgian ARS record company, who bought the rights to the song, wanted a face fronting it. Ya Kid K was in a hip-hop band at the time, still going to school and did not want to do the promotion and video. ARS then came up with the idea of having Felly promoting the record, and being on the record sleeve.

Enjoy!