"Watchin' U" is a song by New Zealand music group
Ardijah
Ardijah is a music group from Auckland, New Zealand, that formed in 1979.
History
Ardijah formed in 1979 and spent the early part of the eighties playing the Auckland pub and club scene honing their skills as a covers band. They released th ...
, released through
WEA
The Wea were a Miami–Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as being either closely related to the Miami tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami.
Today, the descendants of th ...
in 1988.
It served as the lead single from ''Take A Chance'' (1988), the group's
reissue
In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions.
Reasons for reissue
New audio formats
Reco ...
of their self-titled 1987 debut album, and became a No. 3 hit in New Zealand.
Background and development
In the aftermath of the release of ''Ardijah'', their 1987 debut album, Ardijah experienced internal tensions that culminated in the departure of keyboardist Simon Lynch and guitarist Tony Nogotautama.
Following this, the group's musical director Ryan Monga made the decision to reissue the album with a new cover, the title ''Take A Chance'', and the inclusion of three bonus tracks: "Watchin' U," its
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
"
Which Way Is Up" (a
Stargard
Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; ) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In 2021 it was inhabited by 67,293 people. It is situated on ...
cover), and the reissue's title track.
"Watchin' U" was recorded at Mascot Studios in
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
.
Though Ardijah is primarily a
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
group, the song was described by New Zealand journalists upon its release as a
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
song with some underlying funk elements,
with ''
The Press
''The Press'' () is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand, owned by media business Stuff (company), Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday t ...
'' referring to the track as the group's "most commercial release yet."
Track listing
7-inch New Zealand single
# "Watchin' U" (Ryan Monga)
# "
Which Way Is Up" (
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter, composer, and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s. allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators ...
)
Personnel
Credits adapted from single sleeve.
* Trevor Collings – backing vocals, guitar
* Victor Grbic –
engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
* Betty-Anne Monga – lead vocals
* Ryan Monga – arrangements, backing vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards,
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stat ...
,
programming
Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to:
Business and management
* Program m ...
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{reflist
1988 songs
1988 singles
New Zealand pop songs