We Cast Music: Don't Want to Fall in Love

90's Week

Song: Don't Want to Fall in Love
Artist: Jane Child
Album: Jane Child

I wanted to re-cap 90's week with one of my favorites, and since this turned into an unplanned female artists of the 90's week, I thought I'd keep the trend going...

Jane Child is a Canadian-born singer-songwriter and producer who released her self-titled debut album in 1989. After her first single, "Welcome to the Real World" failed to chart well, she released her second song, "Don't Want to Fall in Love" in 1990. The song connected with pop radio where it peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks. Teddy Riley did a "New Jack Swing" remix of the song, which won a Juno Award in 1991 for "Dance Recording of the Year."

Her 1993 follow-up "Here Not There" didn't match the success of her debut, possibly due to a change in musical direction. (It's way more Alanis, before Alanis was Alanis.) She went on a hiatus for a couple years working as a session player before releasing her third and final album "Surge" in 2002.

I have fond memories of "Don't Want to Fall in Love" from High School where Ms. Child's nose-ring to earring look got a lot of talk. As a DJ I've found this is the type of song that everyone seems to know but hasn't listened to, or thought about, in some time. It's a great piece of nostalgia and one that will either start or keep a retro dance floor moving. Excellent.

This week has been a reminder how varied the 90's were, as my female-lead, mostly dance-pop week is such a small subset of what was going on in the 90's. While looking at Jane, and other R&B/New Jack Swing artists at the time I was reminded of the urban sound invading the 90's charts and making an undeniable stamp on the decade. Not to mention the entire "Alternative" era, as well as the Lilith Fair set of female acts that really flourished during that time. Where is our next Alanis? When will female-fronted music have it's day again? Or are we in it? It's just a more dance-pop, Gaga, Katy, Rihanna era? But does it have the same impact?

The 90' were an interesting decade, and while musically it isn't looked at with the same winning nostalgia the 80's might have, I think it'll change in time. There was too much going on and too much that was really popular, married with the pre-millennium tension... to ignore. Thom York may have insisted "I wish it was the 60's" in 1995, but I think time will be kinder to the 90's as things march on.

Enjoy.

Don't Want to Fall in Love