A Watcher's Point of View (Don't 'Cha Think)

"A Watcher's Point of View (Don't 'Cha Think)"
Single by P.M. Dawn
from the album Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience
Released	May 27, 1991 (1991-05-27) [1]
Genre	Hip hop pop funk
Label	Gee Street Island
Songwriter(s)	Tom Johnston Attrell Cordes
Producer(s)	P.M. Dawn
P.M. Dawn singles chronology
"Ode to a Forgetful Mind" (1989) "A Watcher's Point of View (Don't 'Cha Think)" (1991) "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" (1991)

"A Watcher's Point of View (Don't 'Cha Think)" is a song by American musical group P.M. Dawn, released in May 1991 by Gee Street and Island Records as a single from their debut album, Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience (1991). The song peaked at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart and number 44 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1991. Writing credit is given to Attrell Cordes (Prince Be of P.M. Dawn) and Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers as the song contains a sample of the Doobie Brothers' "Feelin' Down Farther".

Todd Terry's "Hard House Mix" of the song appeared on P.M. Dawn's 2000 compilation, The Best of P.M. Dawn . The song references "Pleasant Valley Sunday" by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, as performed by the Monkees in 1967.

Critical reception

Steve Huey from AllMusic stated that the song is "surprisingly funky and driving". ^[2] Another editor, Hal Horowitz, noted the "edgy hip-hop". ^[3] Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "Rap act deftly intermingles elements of raw hip-hop, Beatles-esque pop, and '70s-era funk. Icing on the cake is intelligent, well-paced rhymes; which makes this simply irresistible. Already hailed by U.K. critics and consumers, cut deserves immediate attention at urban and pop radio." ^[4] Andrew Smith from Melody Maker described it as "a loping, breezy piece, replete with subtly locomotive guitar, sub-doo wop backing vocals and articulately unintelligible lyrics." ^[5] Russell Brown from Record Mirror named it a "smooth, pulsing single", adding, "Layered like a rock record and lean like a rap record, 'A Watcher's Point of View' will attract comparisons like flies, but in spirit there's as much in common with Lenny Kravitz than with any "new age" rap group you could name." ^[6]

Charts

Chart performance for "A Watcher's Point of View"

Chart (1991)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC) [7]	36
UK Dance ( Music Week ) [8]	9
UK Club Chart ( Record Mirror ) [9]	32
US Hot Dance Music/Club Play ( Billboard ) [10]	44

References

1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . May 25, 1991. p. 21.
2. Huey, Steve. "P.M. Dawn – Of the Heart, Of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience". AllMusic . Retrieved November 7, 2020.
3. Horowitz, Hal. "P.M. Dawn – The Best of P.M. Dawn". AllMusic . Retrieved November 7, 2020.
4. Flick, Larry (August 31, 1991). "Single Reviews: New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard . p. 69. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
5. Smith, Andrew (June 1, 1991). "Singles". Melody Maker . p. 31. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
6. Brown, Russell (May 18, 1991). "DJ Directory: PM Dawn" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 5. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
7. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
8. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week . June 15, 1991. p. 22. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
9. "The Record Mirror Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). June 1, 1991. p. 8. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
10. "Dance Club Songs: Week of November 30, 1991". Billboard . Retrieved July 29, 2022.