4 July 1997 I recall reports of his death in 1997, but I don't recall the Notorious B.I.G. being as much a star name here in Ireland as he clearly was in the US. If my own mid-'90s circle is indicative, we were more into the Wu-Tang Clan, but that's as much a narrow awareness … Continue reading Puff Daddy and Faith Evans ft. 112 – ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ →

13 June 1997 If I told you a number one single was an original track speeded up and given cartoonish record scratches, all with a chorus of gibberish scat vocalising and sung by three cutesy floppy-haired American siblings, you'd assume it was a novelty hit, right? Hanson's 'MMMBop' is that single. I see a lot … Continue reading Hanson – ‘MMMBop’ →

23 May 1997 Here's the first Irish number one we can attribute to German boxing. 'Con te partirò' had already been a solo hit across Europe for Andrea Bocelli. In November 1996 Henry Maske, a former Olympic champion boxer, was coming to the end of an illustrious pro career that had made him one of … Continue reading Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli – ‘Time To Say Goodbye (Con te partirò)’ →

11 April 1997 Whenever Irish social media talks about the Irish language, which is taught as a compulsory subject in Irish schools, you invariably get a reply guy who claims they finished school with a poor level of Irish but a "strong" level of French, German, Spanish or whatever. I happen to be a fluent … Continue reading Sash! – ‘Encore Une Fois’ →

14 March 1997 This is a double-A-sided single of two halves. 'Who Do You Think You Are' is a down-the-line disco banger that plays to the Spice Girls's strengths: it allows them to be energetic, fun, smart and assertive, without too many demands on the singing front. Notably, it's their first single where one member … Continue reading Spice Girls – ‘Mama’ / ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ →

21 February 1997 The song is about Gwen Stefani's break-up with the band's bass player. The video is about the band, including bass player ex, resenting all the attention on Stefani at their expense. The song's co-writer, Stefani's brother Eric, had left the band after the song and its parent album had been recorded. Tell … Continue reading No Doubt – ‘Don’t Speak’ →

31 January 1997 Was Bryan Adams now the '90s go-to person for a sure-fire movie theme hit? La Streisand hadn't been in the charts for a while, so she and her people probably figured they needed a contemporary act to see their soundtrack single over the line. Bryan Adams previously had movie tie-in synergy number … Continue reading Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams – ‘I Finally Found Someone’ →

24 January 1997 Uh-oh: I see the name of Frank Farian lurking here. Farian was the German producer behind Boney M, in which two members weren't actually singing on the records, and Milli Vanilli, in which the only two members weren't actually singing on the records. There's no suggestion that Marty Cintron, the lead No … Continue reading No Mercy – ‘Where Do You Go’ →