Valerie Day 11/1/25 Valerie Day 11/1/25

When We Played for 40 Million People (and Didn't Know It)

In 1986, Atlantic Records sent Valerie and me on a promotional tour of Europe. We were jet-lagged, shell-shocked by sudden fame, and completely unprepared for what we would find across the pond. We appeared on over a dozen radio and TV shows in England, France, and Italy, including a little BBC thing called…TOP OF THE POPS.

Welcome to the pre-Internet era of rock stardom, where you could conquer Europe and have no clue you were doing it.

Valerie Day 6/17/25 Valerie Day 6/17/25

Everything About The Making Of I Can't Wait

Did you know 'I Can't Wait' was originally much faster? When we slowed it down to 104 BPM in the studio, the band thought John was crazy! But that slower groove, combined with some engineering magic and creative percussion (including wine bottles!), helped create the sound y’all know and love.

Valerie Day 5/31/23 Valerie Day 5/31/23

Carlos And Should I Say Yes en Español

One of our favorite songs we recorded during our years at Atlantic was 'Should I Say Yes.'

We were so pleased with the result that we decided to record a version in Spanish. Here's the story of that record and the remarkable man who helped us with the translation, Carlos Camus. It's a little snapshot of the vibrant music scene in Portland, Oregon, in the 1980s.

Valerie Day 7/22/22 Valerie Day 7/22/22

CHOONS: FROM PORTLAND TO THE WORLD; The Story of Nu Shooz' "I Can't Wait."

Host Diego Martinez from CHOONS takes us back to the Mid-70s and the incredible series of events that led to “The Bassline Heard’ Round the World.” It’s one of our favorite interviews ever. Enjoy!

Valerie Day 6/13/22 Valerie Day 6/13/22

Perennial Interview Question #3: How’d You Get The Band Name?

Ever wonder how the band got its name? Well, wonder no more! John answers the perennial interview question, How’d You Get The Name?

Valerie Day 10/25/20 Valerie Day 10/25/20

Song Stories: Should I Say Yes

We’re kicking off a nu series called “Song Stories” about the birth of the Nu Shooz Sound. First up, a story about the creation of Should I Say Yes.

Valerie Day 3/4/16 Valerie Day 3/4/16

'How Two “Jazz Hippies” (and a Dutch DJ) Made Portland’s Biggest Song Ever'

by Matthew Singer/Willamette Week

For a song to achieve immortality, it's going to need an especially sharp hook.

Sometimes it's a riff. Sometimes it's a melody. In the case of Nu Shooz's "I Can't Wait," it's the sound of Donald Duck scatting through a vocoder.

God knows what the keyboard preset is actually labeled. But you'd recognize it before the prominent bassline, or even the title. It wasn't even the band's idea—a Dutch DJ threw it on a remix—but it was the missing piece that, in 1986, propelled a regional Portland hit into a global smash.

Valerie Day 11/19/13 Valerie Day 11/19/13

I Can’t Wait: The Video…What IS It All About?

Since it first appeared in 1986 during the heyday of MTV, people having been asking us about the video for “I Can’t Wait”. What is the meaning behind it all? Why is Valerie pulling a shark out of a coffee pot? Is the dog wearing sunglasses a part of the band?