21 January 1994 Can you imagine the amount of corporate conference-calling and your-people-faxing-my-people and he-doesn't-do-mornings that went into putting together this all-star movie soundtrack juggernaut? The pitch was probably: Bryan Adams had a huge hit with a song from the Robin Hood movie, The Three Musketeers is kinda like Robin Hood set in France, there … Continue reading Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting – ‘All For Love’
Tag: 90s
East 17 – ‘It’s Alright’
14 January 1994 Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel? Who subjects East 17's 'It's Alright' to any sort of rigorous analysis? You can't fault it for energy; once the beat kicks in there's a tidal wave of bounce and verve. Nor can you fault it for sincerity; however anodyne or vague it may seem … Continue reading East 17 – ‘It’s Alright’
Take That – ‘Babe’
19 December 1993 By the time Take That get to number one in Ireland, they're no longer Robbie Williams' Take That—cheeky dance routines and disco bops—but instead Gary Barlow's Take That: "classic" songwriting and Gary at the piano with four bored-looking backing singers. As it happens, the lead vocal on 'Babe' is by Mark Owen, … Continue reading Take That – ‘Babe’
U2 – ‘Stay (Faraway, So Close!)’
5 December 1993 Wim Wenders must really be a great director if he can make me believe a U2 song is dreamy and lovely. Back in my mid-teens, when I was impressionable in many things but not impressionable enough to buy a U2 album, I consumed 'Stay (Faraway, So Close!)' through its Wenders-directed video, and … Continue reading U2 – ‘Stay (Faraway, So Close!)’
Bryan Adams – ‘Please Forgive Me’
28 November 1993 If your favourite part of 'Everything I Do (I Do It For You)' was the droning, dreary middle section, have I got another Bryan Adams song for you! But wait: what has our Bryan done to you that he has to ask you to "Please forgive me" here? Left the toilet seat … Continue reading Bryan Adams – ‘Please Forgive Me’
Meat Loaf – ‘I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)’
17 October 1993 The '90s resurgence in power balladry was in part the US music industry's way of sweeping the Milli Vanilli lip-syncing scandal under the carpet: they lucked onto Mariah Carey, saw how her debut single caused a sensation and a flurry of record-buying, then lumped in on her strain of loud, technically impressive … Continue reading Meat Loaf – ‘I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)’
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – ‘Boom! Shake The Room’
10 October 1993 In 1993 Will Smith was not yet an Oscar-winning actor, an Oscar-host-slapping stage-crasher, or even Will Smith. Much in keeping with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince made rap and hip hop records that were generally either goofy ('Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble'), sentimental ('Summertime') or … Continue reading DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – ‘Boom! Shake The Room’
Pet Shop Boys – ‘Go West’
3 October 1993 You can write songs as brilliant as 'West End Girls', 'Suburbia', 'Love Comes Quickly', 'Rent', 'Being Boring' and 'What Have I Done To Deserve This?', but wear designer traffic cones as hats (for 'Can You Forgive Her?') and then cover a Village People hit and all that gets forgotten. 'Go West', for … Continue reading Pet Shop Boys – ‘Go West’
Culture Beat – ‘Mr. Vain’
29 August 1993 There's a sad story behind this number one single. Culture Beat was the project of German producer Torsten Fenslau. In November 1993, a mere two months after 'Mr. Vain' topped the charts across Europe, he was in a car crash and died, aged only 29. That said, there's no hidden depth or … Continue reading Culture Beat – ‘Mr. Vain’
Freddie Mercury – ‘Living On My Own’
22 August 1993 Our second posthumous Irish number one of 1993: however, I'm pretty sure that this wasn't from the momentum of the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert that has already given us two other Irish chart-toppers. If you don't recall the original 1985 release of 'Living On My Own' you're not alone; I only … Continue reading Freddie Mercury – ‘Living On My Own’
