18 June 1992 I've always thought I should like Erasure more. Some of their songwriting is really good: 'Oh L'Amour' and 'A Little Respect' are solid pop tunes. It's just that their finished product is bland and boring: a single Casio hi-NRG setting let gallop across fields of astroturf. And now they're taking on the … Continue reading Erasure – Abba-esque (EP)
Kris Kross – ‘Jump’
11 June 1992 Would this have got to number one if the two lads had worn their jeans the right way around and were old enough to shave? You'd have to suspect not. By this stage in 1992, rap singles only got to number one in Ireland and the UK as some sort of novelty … Continue reading Kris Kross – ‘Jump’
Guns N’ Roses – ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’
4 June 1992 With due respect to Linda Martin's Eurovision win, the major live music happening of 1992 was the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley that April. The concert was billed as an AIDS awareness event, with proceeds going to AIDS charities, and it was the Live Aid-style all-star shindig of its time, broadcast … Continue reading Guns N’ Roses – ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’
Linda Martin – ‘Why Me?’
28 May 1992 A Eurovision This or That question for you: an Irish entry that's good but unsuccessful, or one that's bad but wins? In 2021 and 2022 we had the former, with neither Lesley Roy's energetic 'Maps' nor Brooke Scullion's smart 'That's Rich' even making it out of the semi-final. In the '90s we … Continue reading Linda Martin – ‘Why Me?’
Right Said Fred – ‘Deeply Dippy’
30 April 1992 The English taste for mildly saucy end-of-the-pier humour, as evinced by Carry On films and 'Deeply Dippy', leaves me cold. There's also an English strain of male, white, middle-aged, entitled "anti-woke" celebrity, and like the pair of buttocks they resemble, the Right Said Fred brothers now squeeze out the dribbliest, whiniest diarrhoea … Continue reading Right Said Fred – ‘Deeply Dippy’
Eric Clapton – ‘Tears In Heaven’
19 March 1992 I've not experienced the tragic death of a loved one, as in the sad story behind this Eric Clapton song, nor have I needed to work out or express what must be awful and overwhelming feelings. Also, I'm not religious or spiritual; I don't believe in life after death and I'm not … Continue reading Eric Clapton – ‘Tears In Heaven’
U2 – ‘One’
5 March 1992 The further along we go from 'The Fly', the more New U2 reverts to Old U2. 'One' could definitely have fitted onto The Joshua Tree or The Unforgettable Fire. No funk basslines or dance beats, no alter-egos or natty shades: it's U2 back to their earnest, serious selves. Whatever way you slice … Continue reading U2 – ‘One’
Shakespears Sister – ‘Stay’
27 February 1992 What are the most influential tracks of the '90s? 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Unfinished Sympathy', 'The Drowners', 'Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang', 'Wannabe' and '...Baby One More Time' are in there for sure. To those, I'll add Mariah Carey's 1990 debut single, 'Vision Of Love'. I don't even mean the entire track, … Continue reading Shakespears Sister – ‘Stay’
Wet Wet Wet – ‘Goodnight Girl’
30 January 1992 For the good of my health I've checked ahead, and the more notorious Wet Wet Wet hit doesn't get to number one in Ireland. (It happened to coincide with a homegrown event release and months-long chart-topper.) Still, though, any '90s Wet Wet Wet single is reliably dreadful. In the '80s this band … Continue reading Wet Wet Wet – ‘Goodnight Girl’
Queen – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ / ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’
18 December 1975 and 19 December 1991 I wasn't born when it was first a hit, and I hadn't developed any interest in Queen since then, so I knew very little of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' when it came around again after Freddie Mercury's untimely death. I reckon today you wouldn't even fill a taxi with the … Continue reading Queen – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ / ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’
