Point of No Return (Exposé song) explained

Point of No Return
Cover:	Point of No Return (Exposé single) coverart.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Exposé
Album:	Exposure
Released:	March 11, 1985 April 1987 (re-recording)^[1]
Recorded:	December 1984February 1985 January 1987 (re-recorded)
Genre:	Freestyle^[2]
Length:	5:40 (single version) 3:26 (1987 single version) 6:40 (dub version) 6:07 (album version)
Label:	Arista, Pantera
Producer:	Lewis Martineé
Next Title:	Exposed to Love
Next Year:	1985

"Point of No Return" is a single by the American pop group Exposé. Written and produced by Lewis Martineé, the single was originally released in 1984 on the Pantera label with Alejandra Lorenzo (Alé) as the lead singer. The single was re-recorded in 1987 with Jeanette Jurado as the lead vocalist and included on the group's debut album, Exposure (1987), when it was finally released on compact disc in 1989.

Background

"It's just a little song about loving somebody to the point of no return," said songwriter Lewis Martineé when asked if there was a deeper meaning to the song. "I just liked the title 'Point Of No Return,' so I decided to write a song around that. Then I started coming up with the beats and the synthesizer lines and then both melody and words. I wrote that song so fast it was crazy, like, literally 15 minutes. But then I didn't like the bridge and I changed it. I'm glad I did because the bridge actually came out really good at the end."^[3]

Reception

The original vocal mix of the song, featuring Lorenzo, reached the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in spring 1985.^[4] The re-recorded vocal version with Jurado reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1987.^[5]

Music video

The music video for "Point of No Return" features Exposé performing in front of an energetic audience. As of December 2022, it has been well-received on YouTube, with the release featuring over fourteen million views.^[6]

Track listings

United States 12" single – 1984 edition

United States 12" single – 1985 edition

United States 7" single – 1987 edition

United States 12" single – 1987 edition

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1987)! scope="col"

Peak position
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles^[7]	7

Year-end charts

Chart (1985)! scope="col"

Position
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[8]	28

Chart (1987)! scope="col"

Position
US Billboard Hot 100^[9]	80
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles^[10]	48

Covers

• In 1997, the group MerenBooty Girls released its version on the album X-Tra Hot.

See also

• List of number-one dance singles of 1985 (U.S.)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Exposé - Point of No Return.
2. Web site: Tom . Breihan . The Number Ones: Exposé’s "Seasons Change. . April 16, 2021. ["Point of No Return"] came out just as Latin freestyle was coming into its own, and you can hear that freshness and immediacy in the track.. November 10, 2023.
3. Web site: Exposé Creator-Songwriter-Producer Lewis Martineé . Wiser. Carl. Songfacts. February 4, 2022 . February 21, 2022.
4. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 94.
5. Web site: The Hot 100 Chart.
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v8YragSIuI "Point of No Return"
7. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending July 25, 1987 . . May 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220510031126/https://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19870725.html . May 10, 2022 . live.
8. Web site: Dance Club Songs – Year-End 1985 . Billboard . May 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191006194143/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1985/dance-club-songs . October 6, 2019.
9. Web site: Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 1987 . Billboard . May 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200217161831/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1987/hot-100-songs . February 17, 2020.
10. Web site: The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1987 – Top 50 Pop Singles . Cash Box . December 26, 1987 . May 10, 2022.