Nu Shooz - "Point of No Return"

(Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted July 5, 1986, Peaked #28, 22 Weeks on the Chart)

Nu Shooz was a Portland, Oregon-based duo made up of the husband-and-wife team of John Smith and Valerie Day. Their brand of electronic dance music caught quickly, with a #3 pop hit in their first major-label single "I Can't Wait." Their follow-up was called "Point of No Return," which returned them to the Top 40 and went to #1 on the Billboard dance chart.

A catchy single, "Point of No Return" was one of those songs that stood out even at a time where radio was becoming inundated with synthesized pop-dance tunes. Its video (shown below) featured a stop-motion film where hundreds of pairs of shoes "crawled" out of a closet and stampeded over Day. The video (like the song itself) is a relic today, but had its charm at the time.

Fads and trends being what they are, the duo lost favor when the casual fans turned their attention elsewhere. Their third single just missed the Top 40 in 1988, and they were soon cut free from their obligations with their label. Despite the long time away from the charts, Smith and Day are still performing today.