"A Watcher's Point of View (Don't 'Cha Think)" is a song by American musical group P.M. Dawn, released in May 1991 as a single from their debut album, '' Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience'' (1991). The song peaked at number 36 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and number 44 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1991. Writing credit is given to Attrell Cordes (Prince Be of P.M. Dawn) and Tom Johnston of the

Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

as the song contains a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

of the Doobie Brothers' "Feelin' Down Farther".

Todd Terry Todd Norton Terry (born April 18, 1967) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer in the genre of house music. Musical career Todd Terry was influential in moving House music beyond the early Chicago house sound of 1984–86. He crossed ...

's "Hard

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

Mix" of the song appeared on P.M. Dawn's 2000 compilation, ''

The Best of P.M. Dawn ''The Best of P.M. Dawn'' is a 2000 compilation album by P.M. Dawn. Along with the group's most successful recordings, it includes remixes of some of their minor hits, and "Gotta Be...Movin' on Up" from the 1998 Marlon Wayans and David Spade com ...

''. The song references "Pleasant Valley Sunday" by

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You L ...

and

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one o ...

, as performed by the

Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conce ...

in 1967.

Critical reception

Steve Huey from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

stated that the song is "surprisingly funky and driving". Another editor, Hal Horowitz, noted the "edgy hip-hop".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote, "

Rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

act deftly intermingles elements of raw hip-hop, Beatles-esque

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

, and '70s-era funk. Icing on the cake is intelligent, well-paced rhymes; which makes this simply irresistible. Already hailed by U.K. critics and consumers, cut deserves immediate attention at

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

and

pop radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

." Andrew Smith from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' declared it as "a loping, breezy piece, replete with subtly locomotive guitar, sub-doo wop backing vocals and articulately unintelligible lyrics."

Charts

References

1991 singles 1991 songs Island Records singles P.M. Dawn songs Songs written by Tom Johnston (musician) Songs written by Attrell Cordes {{1990s-single-stub