By Mark Nobes and Hannah Johnson
"Crush On You" was actually the band's second single release, and was the follow-up to "Curiosity", which had failed to become a hit on the main Billboard charts, but reached #8 on the U.S. R&B chart and #21 on the U.S. Dance charts.
"Crush On You" reached #3 in the U.S. during 1986 and #5 in the UK in March 1987, and was taken from The Jets self-titled debut album, which achieved platinum sales in the U.S. However, in the UK, the album stalled at #57, and no other albums by the band charted.
You can view the lyrics to the song at the end of this post.
The single version was edited down to 3 minutes 40 seconds, and is around 50 seconds shorter than the original version, which featured on the band's debut, self-titled album.
U.S. 12 inch vinyl sleeve
"Crush On You" was produced by Don Powell, David Rivkin, Jerry Knight and Aaron Zigman. The B-side "Right Before My Eyes" was produced by Don Powell and David Rivkin.
The Jets were a family band (formed in 1985) consisting of eight members, and
who had a handful of hits during the 1980s. However, the band's line-up
had changed considerably by 1990. In 2022, the band were performing as two separate acts, with different family members in each one.
As already mentioned, the band went on to have further hits in their home country, and these were;
You Got It All (1986) #3
Cross My Broken Heart (1987) #7I Do You (1987) #20
Rocket 2 U (1988) #6
Make It Real (1988) #4
The band were also quite successful in Canada, achieving five top 20 hits here.
The UK 12 inch, which features all of the band members on the front sleeve. who are LeRoy, Eddie, Eugene, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Elizabeth and Moana Wolfgramm.
A cover of the song by Aaron Carter became a big European hit in 1997, reaching No.9 in the UK (No.1 on the Indie Chart), and No.7 in the Scottish Singles Chart. Aaron sadly passed away on November 5th 2022, aged just 34. R.I.P.
The electronic dance act Nero sampled the song for their 2011 dubstep version. It basically features higher pitched vocals with lots of silly sound effects. We're definitely not a fan of this one!
In the video, we see the band members singing and dancing in colourful 80s attire. Indeed the whole production of both the song and video is unmistakably 80s, and we love it for that alone here at Simply Eighties!
The band had a great stage presence and give an energetic and enthusiastic performance, with plenty of nicely choreographed dance moves. The energy here is so positive and joyful, and it definitely entices you into getting out of your chair and rediscovering those 80s dance moves you once had, although, now with the added risk of being hospitalised with a nasty fracture!
The UK 7 inch vinyl sleeve
The Jets self-titled debut album
Lyrics for "Crush On You"