The guys auditioned for the seminal music team of Leiber and Stoller, who gave the group its name in 1960. In the manner of the time, Leiber and Stoller wanted to extend this to "Binky Jones and the Americans", but Traynor declined to be known as "Binky Jones" his whole career. He instead offered up "Jay", a family nickname, and it suited everyone.
They first hit the Billboard charts in 1962 with the tune "She Cried". Later covered by several other artists, the track's highest charting was #5, inspiring the group. The next two singles didn't fare nearly as well, however, and John Traynor left the band. David Black (né David Blatt) of The Empires took his place (after first agreeing to adopt the name Jay Black), and Empires guitarist Marty Sanders also joined. Black sang lead for the rest of the group's existence.
They returned to the charts in 1963 with "Only In America", a song originally meant for The Drifters. Other notable hits for the Americans were "Come a Little Bit Closer" in 1964, which hit #3, and "Cara Mia" in 1965, which hit #4. The Americans also recorded a commercial for H.I.S. Slacks, and a public service announcement for the Ad Council, featuring a backing track by Brian Wilson and Phil Spector.
In 1968, they recorded an album of their favorite oldies remade fresh, called Sands of Time, and its single was "This Magic Moment", which also came through the Drifters. That track proved to be the last Top Ten record for the group. However, the band's follow-up album, titled 'Wax Museum', yielded the #19 hit "Walkin' In The Rain". First recorded by The Ronettes, the emotive love song has remained a classic on oldies themed stations along with the group's earlier work.
Their next singles failed to chart, nonetheless, and the band grew apart. The demand for live appearances remained. While the other members moved on to solo musical careers in 1973, Jay Black continued to perform as "Jay and the Americans" or "Jay Black and the Americans" until the 1980s, with a variety of musicians, including Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, who would later found Steely Dan. ."
The group reunited in the 1990s for special performances, most notably the 45 Years of Motown special on PBS.
in 2006, Jay Black filed for bankruptcy due to gambling debts, and his ownership of the name "Jay & The Americans" was sold by the bankruptcy trustee to Sandy Deanne (Yaguda), Black's former band mate and original member of Jay & The Americans for $100,000 to pay Black's debts. With the name purchase, former members Deanne, Howard Kane, and Marty Sanders reunited, and recruited a sound-alike singer from Chicago, coincidentally nicknamed "Jay." Thus, John "Jay" Reincke became the third "Jay" and the band returned to playing both national and international music venues. Their show covers the history of Jay and The Americans, acknowledging all three Jays and featuring all of the top hits in their original arrangements.
David Blatt still tours under his stage name, "Jay Black". Kenny Vance is currently the lead singer of Kenny Vance and the Planotones, a neo-doo wop band that he formed in the 1970s. After leaving the group, John Traynor recorded a handful of songs on the Coral label, including "I Rise, I Fall" in 1964. None were hits, but "I Rise, I Fall" became a minor hit for Johnny Tillotson. The label billed Traynor as "JAY formerly of Jay and the Americans." Traynor now tours with Jay Siegel's Tokens.
Come Dance With Me
Jay & The Americans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do like I say, don't you go tell him no and dance with me
He may have walked you through the door
And he may be planning a whole lot more
But I'm gonna swing you around this floor come dance with me
Look him straight in his eyes, put him wise and come on and dance with me
I'll sit and wait till you do when you're through, come dance with me
And 20 bucks for the time he's shown ya
That doesn't give him the right to own ya, dance with me
I'm not the kind of guy who'd steal a fella's girl
But baby, your feet I need
And after taking just one look at you
I've turned into an ever-loving deed, aye!
You come into my arms, say goodbye to the guy and dance with me
Leave all your charms in my care, take your dare and dance with me
He may have brought you here, all right
Thinking he'd get to hold you tight
But you're gonna leave with me tonight, come dance with me
The lyrics of "Come Dance With Me" by Jay & The Americans tell the story of a man who has fallen for a woman at a dance, but she is already there with another man. He encourages her to leave her date and dance with him instead. He acknowledges that the other man may have brought her there and spent money on her, but that doesn't give him the right to own her. The singer tries to convince her to look the other man in the eye and tell him she's dancing with him instead. He assures her that he's not the kind of guy who would steal another man's girl, but he just can't help himself when it comes to her.
Overall, the song is about seizing the moment and taking a chance on love. The singer is confident in his ability to show the woman a good time and wants her to take a chance on him. He recognizes that there may be consequences to her leaving her date and dancing with him, but he also knows that they could have a great time if she does.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't turn away put him down, turn around and dance with me
Don't ignore me and reject me to stay with him, choose to dance with me instead
Do like I say, don't you go tell him no and dance with me
Follow what I'm suggesting, don't say no to him and dance with me
He may have walked you through the door
He may have brought you here
And he may be planning a whole lot more
He may have bigger plans for you
But I'm gonna swing you around this floor come dance with me
I will dance with you and make you feel special
Look him straight in his eyes, put him wise and come on and dance with me
Look at him directly, let him know you're not interested and dance with me
I'll sit and wait till you do when you're through, come dance with me
I'll be patient and wait for you to finish your current interaction, then dance with me
Just 'cause he spent the dime to phone ya
Just because he called you on the phone and spent money on it
And 20 bucks for the time he's shown ya
And spent twenty dollars on the time he's spent with you
That doesn't give him the right to own ya, dance with me
That doesn't mean he has the right to control you, dance with me instead
I'm not the kind of guy who'd steal a fella's girl
I'm not the type of person who would take someone else's partner
But baby, your feet I need
But I really want to dance with you
And after taking just one look at you
And after seeing your beauty for the first time
I've turned into an ever-loving deed, aye!
I've turned into an ever-loving dancer, yes!
You come into my arms, say goodbye to the guy and dance with me
You should come into my embrace, let go of the other guy and dance with me instead
Leave all your charms in my care, take your dare and dance with me
Trust me with your heart, take a chance and dance with me
He may have brought you here, all right
He may have brought you here, that's true
Thinking he'd get to hold you tight
Thinking he would get to hold you close
But you're gonna leave with me tonight, come dance with me
However, you're going to leave with me tonight and dance with me instead
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, MAUBRO MUSIC CO., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MAT MAURER, TONY POWERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind