The group formed in Los Angeles, California, and originally consisted of Janice Marie Johnson (vocals, bass), Hazel Payne (vocals, guitar), Perry Kibble (keyboards) and Donald Johnson (drums).
Their first single, "Boogie Oogie Oogie," from their self-titled debut album A Taste of Honey, tapped into the popular disco style and spent three weeks at number one (#1) on the Hot 100 in 1978.
The group were awarded a platinum record for this single and went on the win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist (as was previously mentioned).
Their subsequent disco releases, such as "Do It Good" (#79 in 1979) from Another Taste and "Rescue Me" (1980) failed to attract attention, and by 1980 the group had reduced to a duo consisting of Janice Marie Johnson and Hazel Payne.
When recording their cover version of the Kyu Sakamoto song "Sukiyaki" (from their third album- Twice As Sweet, released in 1980) they resisted suggestions to turn it into a dance tune, and as a soft and simple ballad it brought them the second and final major hit of their careers in 1981, when it reached number one (#1) on the Billboard R&B and Adult Contemporary charts and number three (#3) on Hot 100. The group were awarded a gold record for this single.
A Taste of Honey released their final major album, Ladies of the Eighties in 1982. It featured their final Billboard Hot 100 charting single "I'll Try Something New" (#41).
Although their popularity waned in the early 1980s and beyond, both Janice Marie Johnson and Hazel Payne have remained periodically active in the music business and each of the two released solo albums after their group's success.
She's a Dancer
A Taste of Honey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Written-By – C. Rankin*, H. Payne*, J. Johnson*, T. Kimori*
Jet stream slowly fading
Into grey New-York skies
You're all alone
Somebody take my hand and lead me
Take my hand and lead me away
To lose the hassles of the day
Somebody groovy will probably
Move me to dance
Give her some room she′s a dancer
Give her some room she's a dancer
Give her some room she's a dancer
Watch her dance
Better look out ′cause she′s hot tonight
She's gonna dance you through to
Broad daylight
Everybody′s sayin' she′s a real live wire
She's gonna set your soul on fire
She′s gonna take your breath away
'Cause she's movin′ and a groovin′ and
She's here to stay
Boy that girl can really swing
Won′t you step aside
While she does her thing
Give her some room she's a dancer
Give her some room she′s a dancer
Give her some room she's a dancer
Watch her dance
People have come from miles around
′Cause this is the hottest place in town
They know they'll see one hell of a show
They've come to watch her rock′n′roll
She is live and live in living color
I believe she's a dance froor lover
The word is out that she′s number one
And she's inviting you to have some fun
She′s movin' to the music
She′s cruisin' to the music
She's groovin′ to the music, oh yeah
Give her some room she′s a dancer
Give her some room she's a dancer
Give her some room she′s a dancer
Watch her dance
The lyrics of "She's a Dancer" by A Taste of Honey paint a scene of a person watching a woman dancing in a club. The song starts off with a vivid image of a jet stream slowly fading into grey New York skies, setting a somber tone. The listener is urged to take the singer's hand and be led away, indicating that this new environment is a much-needed respite from the stress of everyday life. As the night goes on, the club becomes livelier, and the singer observes a woman dancing. She's described as somebody groovy who will move the singer to dance, and the lyrics let the listener know that this dancer is someone special.
The song's central focus is on the dancer, who is said to be hot tonight and able to dance until broad daylight. Her energy and enthusiasm are so infectious that people from miles around come to watch her perform. All eyes are on her as she moves to the music, cruising and grooving to the beat. The singer is in awe of her talent and urges the crowd to give her some room to dance, allowing her to take their breath away.
Overall, "She's a Dancer" is an upbeat, joyous song that captures the feeling of being swept away by music and the joy of watching someone who is gifted at moving to it.
Line by Line Meaning
Jet stream slowly fading
Into grey New-York skies
You're all alone
The sky is changing color as the sun sets and you find yourself alone in New York City.
Somebody take my hand and lead me
Take my hand and lead me away
The singer is feeling lost or overwhelmed and hopes to find someone to help guide them away from their troubles.
Early evening makes it easy
To lose the hassles of the day
Somebody groovy will probably
Move me to dance
The peacefulness of early evening allows for relaxation and forgetting about the stresses of the day. The singer is hoping to find someone with a good vibe to inspire them to dance.
Give her some room she′s a dancer
Give her some room she's a dancer
Give her some room she's a dancer
Watch her dance
The artist is urging those around them to give the dancer some space and let her do her thing. They are excited to watch her dance.
Better look out ′cause she′s hot tonight
She's gonna dance you through to
Broad daylight
The dancer is on fire tonight and will keep dancing until the early morning hours.
Everybody′s sayin' she′s a real live wire
She's gonna set your soul on fire
She′s gonna take your breath away
'Cause she's movin′ and a groovin′ and
She's here to stay
Everyone is talking about how amazing the dancer is and how she will captivate and impress with her moves. Her spirit and energy are here to stay.
Boy that girl can really swing
Won′t you step aside
While she does her thing
The singer is in awe of the dancer's abilities and encourages others to give her space to shine.
People have come from miles around
′Cause this is the hottest place in town
They know they'll see one hell of a show
They've come to watch her rock′n′roll
The event is buzzing with excitement and people have traveled from far away to see this remarkable dancer.
She is live and live in living color
I believe she's a dance froor lover
The word is out that she′s number one
And she's inviting you to have some fun
The artist is emphasizing how vibrant and exciting the dancer is. She is known to be the best and is inviting everyone to come and enjoy her performance.
She′s movin' to the music
She′s cruisin' to the music
She's groovin′ to the music, oh yeah
Give her some room she′s a dancer
Give her some room she's a dancer
Give her some room she′s a dancer
Watch her dance
The dancer is completely lost in the music and the artist is once again urging everyone to give her space and to simply enjoy watching her dance.
Writer(s): Janice Marie Johnson, Hazel P Payne, Toshiyuki Kimori, Casey Rankin
Contributed by Kaylee M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.