Hey Mr. D.J.

"Hey Mr. D.J." is a song by American R&B group Zhané recorded for their debut album, Pronounced Jah-Nay (1994). The song was released as the group's debut single in August 1993 and featured a rap from Rottin Razkals member Fam. It samples the song "Looking Up to You" by singer Michael Wycoff. The single peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] The single was certified gold by the RIAA for selling 500,000 copies domestically.[2][3] In Australia, it peaked at number 9 and in New Zealand, the song peaked at number 20. Originally, the song was recorded and released on the 1993 compilation album, Roll Wit tha Flava.[4]

For other uses, see Hey Mr. DJ (disambiguation).
"Hey Mr. D.J."
Single by Zhané
from the album Pronounced Jah-Nay
ReleasedAugust 12, 1993
Recorded1992–1993
Genre
Length4:11
Label
  • Motown
    49 77121
Songwriter(s)
  • A. Bahr
  • V. Brown
  • A. Criss
  • K. Gist
  • R. Neufville
  • J. Norris
Producer(s)
Zhané singles chronology
"Hey Mr. D.J."
(1993)		 "Groove Thang"
(1994)
Music video
"Hey Mr. D.J." on YouTube

"Hey Mr. D.J." was certified gold in the US by October 1993,[5] and was also certified gold in Australia in 1994.[6]

Critical reception
"I wrote that song in my bedroom while sitting on the floor. I remember presenting it to Kay Gee. I told him I had this song called “Hey Mr. D.J.” I told him it reminded me of when I had block parties on my block back in Brooklyn. When I sang it to him, he laughed at me. [laughs] He thought it was a joke. But we recorded it, and everyone seemed to love it. So imagine that “Hey Mr. D.J.” was a hit, there’s this group that no one has ever seen before, there’s no video for the song, the album isn’t done, and we hadn’t sign to a record label for a full length album yet. There was a bidding war for us."

—Renee Neufville talking to WaxPoetics about how the song was made.[7]

Daryl McIntosh from Albumism stated that Kay Gee’s beat "provided a sound reminiscent of late ‘70s disco band Chic, that, together with the perfectly complementary vocals, created a euphoria of modern funk."[8] In his review of Pronounced Jah-Nay, Allmusic editor Jose F. Promis described the song as a "sleek slice of earthy, sophisticated soul that stands as one of the best R&B/pop hits of the '90s."[9] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the female act "earns points for not succumbing to the temptation of being just another bunch of new fill swingers. Instead, they choose to conjure memories of the Emotions by laying pretty vocal into the context of shimmying R&B bassline and subtle disco strings. The song itself is a bit thin, but engaging nonetheless—thanks mostly to a charismatic new act with the potential to lure more than a few DJs to the fold."[10] Brendan Frederick from Complex called it "a simple ode to dancing the night away to your favorite song", adding it as a "summertime party anthem".[11]

James Bernard from Entertainment Weekly said "Hey Mr. D.J." "caught fire with its prancing bass line and anthemic chorus."[12] Music & Media noted that the Original Mix is a "jazzy soul laden jam, flexing rhythm and blues muscle. Its warmth harks back to the '70s."[13] John Kilgo from The Network Forty commented that "sultry and smooth, Zhane' brings a fresh tasting low groove that's nicely reminiscent of a relaxing, flavorful '70s summer tune. Jean Norris and Renee Neufville comprise the duo of Zhane', while their voices blend together like a shake from an ice cream parlor. Produced by superstar Kay Gee of Naughty By Nature fame, Zhane' proudly sing their tribute record-spinners the world over. They do so without missing a beat on this exciting debut."[14] People Magazine stated that "with a funky, old-school groove and light-as-air harmonizing", the song "jumps to the joys of getting down and having fun."[15]

Impact and legacy

In 2006, the song was voted number 9 on website Slant Magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Dance Songs.[16] And in 2011 it was voted number 86 in their list of The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s, adding: "Straight-up, no-bullshit dance music. The duo pronounced “Jah-Nay” let the slack groove thang take you away to a place where the DJ will keep playing that song all night."[17]

BuzzFeed listed the song number 45 in their The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s list in 2017. They wrote: "Great harmonies, chill vibe, rap bridge; all the things you needed to make a perfect early-‘90s R&B dance song."[18]

In 2020, Slant Magazine ranked the song at number 22 in their list of The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time.[19]

Accolades
Year Publisher Country Accolade Rank
2006 Slant Magazine United States "100 Greatest Dance Songs" 9
2005 Süddeutsche Zeitung Germany "1020 Songs 1955-2005"[20] *
2011 Slant Magazine United States "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s" 86
2012 Complex United States "The Best 90s R&B Songs"[21] 44
2017 BuzzFeed United States "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s"[22] 45
2020 Slant Magazine United States "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" 22

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

Music video

The music video for "Hey Mr. D.J." was directed by Peter Allen.[23] It features Zhané performing the song at a club party with a D.J. playing the music for a dancing crowd. In between the group is also seen performing the song in a park.

Track listings

12" 33​1⁄3 RPM vinyl

  1. "Hey Mr. D.J." (Maurice's Club Mix) – 6:37
  2. "Hey Mr. D.J." (Maurice's Club Mix w/ Rap) – 6:37
  3. "Hey Mr. D.J." (Original Mix) – 4:20
  4. "Hey Mr. D.J." (Mo's Hey D.J. Work This Dub) – 6:25
  5. "Hey Mr. D.J." (UBQ's Underground Dub) – 6:45
  6. "Hey Mr. D.J." (Moapella) – 2:38

CD maxi-single

  1. "Hey Mr. D.J." (Original Mix) – 4:20
  2. "Hey Mr. D.J." (7" Remix) – 3:54
  3. "Hey Mr. D.J." (7" Remix w/ Rap) – 3:52
  4. "Hey Mr. D.J." (Maurice's Club Mix) – 6:39
  5. "Hey Mr. D.J." (Maurice's Club Mix w/ Rap) – 6:39
  6. "Hey Mr. D.J." (Mo's Hey D.J. Work This Dub) – 6:25

Chart performance

Notes
  1. "Zhane Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  2. "American certifications – Zhane – Hey Mr. D.J." Recording Industry Association of America.
  3. "Best-Selling Records of 1993". Billboard. BPI Communications. 106 (3): 73. January 15, 1994. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  4. Bush, John. "allmusic ((( Zhané > Overview )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  5. "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - April 12, 2010 : Search Results - Zhane". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
  6. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1994". Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the original on 2015-10-25. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  7. "Nineties R&B group Zhané celebrates twentieth anniversary of debut album, Pronounced Jah-nay". WaxPoetics. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  8. McIntosh, Daryl (2019-02-13). "Zhané's Debut Album 'Pronounced Jah-Nay' Turns 25: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
  9. "allmusic ((( Pronounced Jah-Nay > Review )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
  10. "Billboard: Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  11. Frederick, Brendan (2019-10-08). "The Best 90s R&B Songs". Complex. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  12. "Pronounced Jah-Nay". Entertainment Weekly. 1994-02-11. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  13. "New Grooves" (PDF). Music & Media. 1993-08-28. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
  14. "Mainstream: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. 1992-09-17. p. 20. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  15. "Picks and Pans Review: Pronounced Jah-Nay". People. 1994-03-21. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  16. "100 Greatest Dance Songs – Music – Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
  17. "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  18. "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  19. "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  20. "Zhané - Hey Mr. DJ". Acclaimedmusic.netaccessdate=27 July 2020.
  21. "The Best 90s R&B Songs". Complex. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  22. Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (11 March 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  23. "Zhané: Hey Mr. D.J. (1993)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  24. "Australian-charts.com – Zhané – Hey Mr. D.J.". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  25. "Austriancharts.at – Zhané – Hey Mr. D.J." (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  26. "Canadian dance peak". Archived from the original on 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2015-02-12.
  27. "Music & Media: Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  28. "Lescharts.com – Zhané – Hey Mr. D.J." (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  29. "Offiziellecharts.de – Zhané – Hey Mr. D.J.". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  30. "Zhané - Hey Mr. D.J." (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
  31. "Zhané - Hey Mr. D.J." (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
  32. "Charts.nz – Zhané – Hey Mr. D.J.". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  33. "Swisscharts.com – Zhané – Hey Mr. D.J.". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  34. "Zhane: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  35. "Zhane Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  36. "Zhane Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  37. "Zhane Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  38. "Zhane Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  39. "Canada Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1993". RPM. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  40. "Billboard Top 100 - 1993". Archived from the original on 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
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