90's DANCE PARTY!!!

Every time I watch the video for Technotronic's "Pump up the Jam" I can't help but think how unbelievably ahead of it's time it was.  I don't actually remember it playing on MTV when it came out because I didn't have cable (and I was 8), but I know it was wildly popular.  The song was a number one hit on the Billboard club charts, and probably played nonstop on MTV.

A few things you should know about "Pump up the Jam":

The girl in the video, a Congolese model by the name of Felly, was not the actual vocalist.  Like many bands of the 90's, C + C Music Factory, Black Box, Milli Vanilli... they used a pretty face for their live shows, and someone else in the studio.  Actually (as stated in an earlier post), all three bands I just mentioned used Martha Wash as the ghost singer.  Poor Martha.  I'm sure the ridiculous royalty checks she received (and still does) helped the blow to her ego.

In fact Ya Kid K did the original vocals.  Watching the video below, I don't understand why they didn't use her.  She does comes across a bit too hip hop/afrocentric, which isn't the sexiest look, compared to Felly gyrating around, but she was pretty and she definitely has stage presence.  But would she have worked in the music video?  Probably not. 

 

The reason why Felly works so well in the video is because she gives off that feeling of having no idea what's going on.  Look at her expression.  Those eyes.  There's nothing going on there.  Reminds me of a Russian I dated one summer.  She knew very little English, and when we would go out dancing she would sing along to the songs (this was 2002), but it never really looked like she knew what she was saying.   It was just her repeating familiar sounds with that same look in her eyes.  Must be  foreign thing.

Plus, Felly had probably never seen, let a lone heard of a blue screen.  So there she is on set, some director telling her to dance and that there's going to be all these crazy shapes superimposed behind her when the video is done.  All she can do is try her hardest to look sexy.  You almost feel sorry for her.