C+C Music Factory, Gonna Make You Sweat | DANCE GEMZ

In the 12^th edition of DANCE GEMZ (2023), we get down with C+C Music Factory performing “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).” 

PPrepare to take it to the dance floor, folks! DANCE GEMZ is a column that celebrates awesome dance songs from the past and present.  The records that grace DANCE GEMZ aren’t merely limited to music explicitly characterized as dance.  That means all genres of music – electronic, pop, rock, disco, etc. – are welcome as long as the particular song is associated with dance. In the 12th edition of DANCE GEMZ (2023), we totally get down with C+C Music Factory performing the danceable gem, “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).”

Three words: “EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!” WOO! That is all you need to know!  Even three decades after “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” arrived, those repeated lyrics remain iconic – instantly recognizable. C+C Music Factory had a gargantuan dance smash on their hands with this groovy AF, no. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Besides the multiplatinum single, the 1990 album, Gonna Make You Sweat, was also certified multiplatinum.

Notably, rapper Freedom Williams is credited as a featured guest on “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).”  He should be, as his two verses are an integral part of the record beyond the memorable, titular lyrics (“And I’m here to combine / Beats and lyrics to make you shake your pants”). Perhaps more memorable from Freedom: “It’s your world and I’m just a squirrel / Tryin’ to get a nut to move your butt.” Gah-day-ummm – a nut , huh ? However, one of the biggest stories with the record is the robust sung vocals which went uncredited – an absolute travesty. “Come on let’s sweat, baby,” Martha Wash (NOT Zelma Davis) sings in the chorus, continuing, “Let the music take control / Let the rhythm move you / Sweat, sweat.” Yes ma’am! Wash is responsible for the best parts of the song yet didn’t receive her just due.  Why? She didn’t look the part, basically. Ain’t that some shit ? Regardless, “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”, one of the best and biggest club-, dance-, and gay anthems wouldn’t be anything without Wash’s epic pipes fueling the fire.  More could be said, but this dance joint speaks for itself.  It’s been kicking ass and taking names since 1990 – NO CAP!

C+C Music Factory • Gonna Make You Sweat • Sony BMG Music Entertainment • 1990

C+C Music Factory, “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”: Dance Gemz No. 12 (2023) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony BMG Music Entertainment; Beatriz Braga, Dhemer Gonçalves, Niko Twisty, via Pexels]