Lost in the ’70s: Andrea True Connection, “N.Y., You Got Me Dancing”

Nothing frustrates me more than watching shows like VH1’s Top 100 One-Hit Wonders and seeing Michael Ian Black or Frangelinellica (or whatever) struggle to toss off witty bon mots about artists like A Flock of Seagulls (three-hit wonders, thank you!) or Spandau Ballet (another three-fer, gracias) – I mean, sure, conventional wisdom dictates that these bands had one really big hit everyone knows, but facts are facts, people.Á‚  Just because the majority of Americans don’t remember “Pop Goes The World” doesn’t mean Men Without Hats are one-hit wonders.Á‚  Ask a hosehead!Á‚  They’ll tell you.Á‚  This is serious business.Á‚  Research!Á‚  Journalistic standards!Á‚  If we can’t get something simple like chart history correct, what hope do we have in finding out the truth behind Goldman Sachs?

Okay, maybe not that serious.Á‚  But, still.

Andrea True is one of those artists always unfairly singled out as a one-hit wonder.Á‚  But illuminating those forgotten follow-ups is the mission of the Lost in the… series, so I cannot shirk my duty.Á‚  A former adult film entertainer, in 1976 True found herself in Jamaica filming a television commercial when an attempted coup kept her in the country longer than she anticipated.Á‚  Being resourceful, she had disco writer/producer and former Jobriath sideman Gregg Diamond fly down to her, where they created the monster smash “More, More, More.”Á‚  A full-length album of the same name soon followed, along with a second single, “Party Line,” which quickly flopped.

A short year later True’s sophomore effort, White Witch was released, and while the album as a whole is much weaker than her debut, she was savvy enough to corral Diamond to provide another song, “N.Y., You Got Me Dancing,” (download) which was worked as the first single.Á‚  Bearing no small resemblance to their earlier success, the single actually got pretty far up the Top 40 chart, an impressive feat for such a blatantly unabashed disco tune.Á‚  Its success is even more impressive when you consider the, shall we say, uncertain vocal performance from Ms. True.Á‚  A follow-up single, “What’s Your Name, What’s Your Number,” got to #56 as well, but both singles were huge in the clubs.Á‚  Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to make White Witch a big seller.

A third album, the new wave attempt War Machine sank without a trace, and Andrea True soon found herself returning to porn.Á‚  Vocal problems soon caused her to retire from the public eye for good, but she’ll always be remembered for her one huge smash hit.

And in my world, her second, too!

“N.Y., You Got Me Dancing” peaked at #27 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart and at #4 on the Club Play Singles Chart in 1977.

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