Strike It Up (Sensitive Mix) – Black Box | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#8) & R&B (#16); 1991
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Groove Groove Melody – made up of club DJ Dabiele Davoli, computer expert Mirko Limoni, and clarinetist Valeric Semplici – was the driving force behind Italian house music in the 1990’s.
The trio of musicians/songwriters/producers made up the core of a number of “groups,” including Black Box. The first release by Black Box, Ride On Time, crossed over to the U.K. market, where it hit #1 in the Fall of 1989.
Their second single moved Black Box on to the U.S. charts for the first of several hits, all of which featured the distinctive vocals of Martha Wash.
However, just as with the C&C Music Factory videos, Martha was not in sight. Instead, GGM hired French model Katrin (Catherine Quinol) to perform as lead vocalist for the Black Box videos.
This content and the Song Meaning article was created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2025 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Groove Groove Melody
Lyrics Written by:
- Daniele Davoli
- Mirko Limoni
- Valerio Semplici
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).