21 April 1995 After Take That and East 17 had already released a few self-penned songs, here's Boyzone finally getting around to original material. 'Key To My Life' is their first non-cover single, and includes co-writing credits for Ronan, Stephen and Mikey. Suffice it to say that, on the evidence here, none of those three … Continue reading Boyzone – ‘Key To My Life’
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Take That – ‘Back For Good’
31 March 1995 Gary Barlow understood being taken seriously as doing 'Back For Good' and no longer jumping around singing uptempo pop. Robbie Williams understood being taken seriously as jumping around singing uptempo pop and no longer doing 'Back For Good', or at least not seriously. This tells us a lot about the two personalities … Continue reading Take That – ‘Back For Good’
The Outhere Brothers – ‘Don’t Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)’
24 March 1995 Oh, I know why this went to number one, in Ireland and the UK. Put it this way, it wasn't because of the hi-NRG remix with just the chorus, or the version with the verses blanked, or even the version with cleaner words instead. The outlaw glamour of its smutty, sexually explicit … Continue reading The Outhere Brothers – ‘Don’t Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)’
Celine Dion – ‘Think Twice’
20 January 1995 What is singing, and what is merely shouting in tune? So far, most of our power ballad divas have been fine singers - technically and in that unquantifiable sense of bringing a song to life. Bonnie Tyler gives 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart' its kitschy, wild-eyed fun. Whitney Houston, '80s edition, charmed … Continue reading Celine Dion – ‘Think Twice’
East 17 – ‘Stay Another Day’
16 December 1994 Anyone putting money on the 1994 Christmas number one being a slow ballad by a boyband would surely have had Take That and Gary Barlow's piano-driven singer-songwriter aspirations in mind. But no: it's East 17 who take pop's most coveted prize in the UK as well as here in Ireland, holding off … Continue reading East 17 – ‘Stay Another Day’
Dustin – ‘Spanish Lady’
18 November 1994 How did the softly-spoken Dustin of Zig and Zag's 'Christmas No. 1' turn into the harsh cackling Dustin of his solo 'Irelande Douze Pointe'? The answer is in the question. Once the alien twins decamped to London and Channel 4, Dustin was over-promoted from amusing sidekick to lead player. Not having any … Continue reading Dustin – ‘Spanish Lady’
Bon Jovi – ‘Always’
4 November 1994 One of my hopes when setting out on this exercise was that I'd be pleasantly surprised by a number one hit that at the time I may have dismissed too hastily or ignored unfairly - or at least find it not as bad as I had remembered. In this case, I'd heard … Continue reading Bon Jovi – ‘Always’
Boyzone – ‘Love Me For A Reason’
21 October 1994 So here it begins: the Irish boyband era. I almost feel silly trying to give this close attention as a piece of music. Boyzone records were really just items of Boyzone merchandise, on the same level as Boyzone posters, Boyzone concert tickets and Boyzone T-shirts; the actual music on them was secondary, … Continue reading Boyzone – ‘Love Me For A Reason’
Whigfield – ‘Saturday Night’
23 September 1994 I'm stuck in the overcrowded stairway of a dangerously heaving city-centre basement nightclub at a freshers' disco, trying to wriggle a square inch of room to slip off my coat before I pass out from the heat. It's September 1994. The song playing is Whigfield's 'Saturday Night'. That's it; that's the anecdote. … Continue reading Whigfield – ‘Saturday Night’
Perez ‘Prez’ Prado & His Orchestra – ‘Guaglione’
9 September 1994 Right after 'Riverdance', here's more music from dancing. Just as the 1994 Eurovision winner was upstaged by the intermission floor show, the 1994 World Cup on Irish TV made its biggest cultural impact not through the football but with one of the half-time ads. For those of you who weren't around in … Continue reading Perez ‘Prez’ Prado & His Orchestra – ‘Guaglione’
