"Rocket 2 U" by The Jets

            What's up everybody! Thanks for tuning in to the latest installment of the blog which makes your memory jog! Tonight, we fine tune our signal for the utmost clarity to bring you a true guilty pop pleasure, The Jets with “Rocket 2 U” !

“Baby, baby, when I called you on the phone today… you sounded frantic when you said ‘Come over right away' “

Hailing from the South Pacific island of Tonga, (by way of Minneapolis, Minnesota), The Jets comprised of eight siblings of the Wolfgramm family; Elizabeth, Haini, Moana, Eddie, Rudy, Kathi, LeRoy, and Eugene. Founding member Eugene appeared on early albums with the group, but left before the release of “R2U” (and its 1987 parent LP Magic), to form the R&B group Boys Club, best known for “I Remember Holding You” (US #8, ’89).

The Jets were interesting in that they traded lead vocals among themselves, however, most listeners considered Elizabeth to be the family ensemble's true lead because of her gentle and sweet voice on their biggest hits, the memorable ballads “You Got It All” (US #3 ’86), and “Make It Real” (US #4 ’88).

However, brother Haini (real name Heinrich, also The Jets bass guitarist) took the lead on “R2U”, giving a the group their only top 10 pop hit (US #6, early '88) sung from a male point of view. It also earned the group high marks on the R&B singles chart (#5), and the Hot Dance Music chart (#3). Not too shabby.

“Don’t call me when your car just won’t go into second gear… or when your kitchen sink is shooting water in your ear…”

“R2U” is a dance floor stomper with a dash of funk and a quirky sense of humor, as Haini's character rejects a young woman's constant requests to perform appliance maintenance. This girl has issues with her TV, her sink, her car, her radio... either she just has the worst luck with... well, everything, or she's making it all up just to get Haini over to her place for some ulterior motive. But nobody would be that deceitful just to earn romance, would they? Nahhh... even in a pop song, that would never happen.

If that is her “M.O.”, it seems Heine sees right through it, as he asserts he's of no use as a handyman, but he can serve nicely as her lover.

“I’m not the one to call when you need a handy man… unless whatever needs fixing girl, is you.”

“R2U” is so unquestionably tied to the era from which it came, and as such, it feels like a blueprint for 80s r&b dance pop, especially as it highlights all the influences (and cliches) of the genre. 

Tongue-in-cheek sexual euphamism in the chorus... CHECK.

Rap break...CHECK.

Synthesizers... CHECK.

Name dropping a then-current cultural phenom (TV's “All My Children”)... CHECK.

Wacky sound in place of a word (“bubbling” effect for her busted shower)... CHECK.

Deep voice effect saying “RAWK IT” (think of the outtro on Prince's “1999”)... CHECK

Closing the song acapella style... CHECK.

There's also a Michael Jackson-like “whooo” near the end adlibs, and the whole production suggests a funkier DeBarge, as if Rick James had produced their work. There's also the Prince-styled spelling of the title that acts as the cherry on top of this pop sundae.

Yep, the whole thing is a guilty pleasure, to be sure. But it's one that is sure to get your feet moving and maybe provide a chuckle at the self-aware campiness of the whole affair. Blow off those chores and give it a spin!

“Baby, I can rocket 2 U… honey, the only thing I can do… baby, I can rocket all night… one thing I know I can do.”