Flashback: The Story Behind C+C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat”

CHART REWIND. WelcheMusic takes a trip down memory lane and honors C+C Music Factory in this blog post. “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” was initially released back in 1990, but didn’t break until 1991. It eventually became a Billboard Hot 100 No.1, and reached the top spot in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The track peaked at No.5 in Sweden.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCTBD4ZWuRM

The men behind the C’s were actually producers David Cole and Robert Clivillés. Little did they know about the controversy that they were going to cause. Vocalist Martha Wash was replaced in the video by Zelma Davis. Let’s just say that one looks like a supermodel, the other doesn’t. Wash was one of the members of The Weather Girls (“It’s Raining Men”) and this wasn’t the first time she was replaced by a model. Back in 1989, Italian Katherine Quinol fronted Black Box on hits such as “Everybody Everybody” and “I Don’t Know Anybody Else.” It’s important to stress that she did not sing the vocals on “Ride on Time,” which was based on Loleatta Holloway’s “Love Sensation.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehib674Fg4U

“Gonna Make you Sweat” did not only launched the career of C+C Music Factory, it also made the producers the talk of the town. In 1992, the team produced Whitney Houston’s Chaka Khan cover “I’m Every Woman” from The Bodyguard and they also produced Mariah Carey’s “Anytime You Need a Friend” and “Now that I Know.” Throughout their career they produced artists such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Deborah Cooper.

The track was followed by “Here We Go (Let’s Rock’N’Roll)” and “Things That Make You Go Hmmm…” Sadly, David Cole passed away in 1995, only 32 years old. Cole’s death inspired Mariah Carey to record “One Sweet Day” with soul group Boyz II Men.