Fresh off her Best New Artist win at the 1988 Grammy Awards, Jody Watley scored a #10 hit with “Some Kind Of Lover,” the fourth single from her eponymous debut. But the follow-up, “Most Of All,” didn’t even crack the top 40. Twenty-five years ago this month, the song stalled out at #60 on the Billboard Hot 100.

That it didn’t fare better on the chart still surprises me to this day as “Most Of All” was the purest pop song Watley had released. Co-written and produced by Patrick Leonard, who was very much intertwined with Madonna’s career at that point (“Live To Tell,” “Open Your Heart,” “Who’s That Girl,” etc.), “Most Of All” is a charmingly infectious tune, very much of a piece with his other work if decidedly less funky than Watley’s previous singles. But then “Most Of All” did manage to reach #11 on the R&B chart. Life really is a mystery.

The video for “Most Of All” was directed by David Fincher. On the single’s silver anniversary, let’s celebrate what is still one of the best bridges in the history of pop music. Maybe we can find a way to bring back all the yesterdays…

Over on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, “Most Of All” made it to #8, securing Watley her fifth consecutive Top 10. The extended mix was created by legendary DJ Francois Kevorkian (Yaz, Pet Shop Boys), who’d also remixed “Don’t You Want Me.”

Just a few days ago Watley debuted her new collaboration with Brooklyn duo French Horn Rebellion, “Dancing Out,” a fabulous slice of summery synthpop. It’s just what I needed most of all.

Purchase Jody Watley – “Most Of All” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.