4 August 1995 If Take That and East 17 were the Beatles and the Stones of '90s boyband pop, Boyzone were its Herman's Hermits. All five of them are co-writers on 'So Good' and it's almost unfair to point out that, on the evidence of this, none of them had a 'Back For Good' or … Continue reading Boyzone – ‘So Good’
Tag: 90s
Take That – ‘Never Forget’
28 July 1995 This isn't the final Take That single, but it feels like it. There's a valedictory air to the lyrics, from the clunky "We've had success / We've had good times" to the better and more evocative "Soon this will all be someone else's dream", the latter being an excellent subtext to the … Continue reading Take That – ‘Never Forget’
The Outhere Brothers – ‘Boom Boom Boom’
30 June 1995 "Boom boom boom / Everybody say way-oh! (way-oh!)" That was the sound of summer 1995, with the occasional burst from Hill 16 of a Jayo version. I hadn't realised the source of that ambient noise was the house of the moronically sexist 'Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)'. Since I couldn't remember anything of … Continue reading The Outhere Brothers – ‘Boom Boom Boom’
U2 – ‘Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me’
9 June 1995 A glam rock U2 record is... actually not a bad idea, especially at this point in time. Alter-egos and crunchy guitars were already part of the Zoo TV aesthetic. Their long-time co-producer was part of glam-era Roxy Music, whose first two albums are essential glam artefacts: surely Eno would be able to … Continue reading U2 – ‘Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me’
Scatman John – ‘Scatman’
26 May 1995 U.S. jazz vocalist John Larkin is here sharing his experience of having a severe stammer since childhood, how he used scat to manage it and give himself some confidence, and what lessons he feels others can learn from this. That part of 'Scatman' isn't up for discussion or analysis; after all, it's … Continue reading Scatman John – ‘Scatman’
Boyzone – ‘Key To My Life’
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’
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’
