Eh. I like his voice and the 1999 album had some interesting drum and bass songs. I'll give them that much.
The 90's US One-Hit Wonders Rate: WINNER REVEALED - Goodbye, farewell and amen
- Thread starter Ironheade
- Start date
I actually scored a few of your other 'choices' higher than Deee-Lite, but that was the one that made me dig up the GIF!
You get your wish!
62. BARELY BREATHING
Average score: 5.113
Highest scores: 2 x 10 (@pop3blow2 , @Andy French )
Lowest scores: 2 x 0 (@Sprockrooster , @Ana Raquel )
Chart positions: #16 Hot 100, #7 Radio Songs, #10 Mainstream Top 40, #2 Adult Top 40, #19 Adult Contemporary
Year-End Hot 100: #18 (1997)
Who? Oh yeah, them...
Let us return, once more, to the salad days of adult alternative. In other words, if you're a 90's baby like me, the station that your mum probably listens to. And one of the primary styles populating those airwaves was the sensitive, confessional singer-songwriter, carrying on the tradition of their forebears from the 70's. Those were good times to be a guy with a guitar, nothing more and nothing less than that. In other words: to be Duncan Sheik.
There's not much to tell about Duncan's backstory, even less so than with others I've said that about really. He was born in New Jersey, but raised in Hilton Head, South Carolina, by his grandparents. While attending Brown University studying semiotics (wow, who knew Duncan Sheik and Umberto Eco would have degrees in the same discipline?), he was a friend of Lisa Loeb of “Stay (I Missed You)” fame, playing lead guitar in her band Liz and Lisa. At some point, he also became a practising Buddhist – that's something he is very serious about, and it's been quite influential on his music and lyrics over the years, as we'll see later.
After graduating and shopping around his demo tape, he got signed to a $100,000 contract with Immortal Records, and here's where he ran into some problems. According to his biography on IMDB (of all places), Duncan ended up trapped in label limbo for two years, unable to put a record out while the executives did nothing with his contract. Atlantic Records ended up intervening and buying Duncan's contract from Immortal, eventually releasing his self-titled debut album in 1996. I have to imagine that he was pretty glad to be freed from label hell – especially when the lead single “Barely Breathing” took off. And it had some serious longevity too: it stuck around on the Hot 100 for 55 weeks, which at the time was the fourth-longest run on the chart in history, and Duncan received a BMI Award for Most Played Song of the Year in 1997. He even got a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance! And all that, from what Duncan says was just a throwaway track to complete the record, and one that even he got sick of:
So what do I think?
6. Well, it's nothing awful, certainly. “Barely Breathing” does have a pretty decent chorus on it, and the lyrics aren't bad either, reflecting bitterly on an emotionally manipulative former paramour. The thing is, it's just... well, it's quite bland. In the musical realm, there's really not much of interest that I can pick out, except for maybe the piano in the bridge. The acoustic strumming combined with delay-pedal electrics is pleasant enough and goes down smooth on the radio. But that's all it ever aspires to be, pleasant and unobtrusive, to the point that it utterly fades into the background. Duncan's voice, too, falls into this dead zone: he's not terrible, but his slightly congested delivery and habit of overly elongating words to fit the meter (e.g. “you really haaaaaaaaad me going”) don't do him any favours. It's a shame, because from my digging, he actually does have some more interesting stuff in his arsenal... too bad this undeniably catchy but decidedly vanilla effort was the big hit.
Where Are They Now?™
Unfortunately for Duncan, “Barely Breathing” was all that the public seemed to want from him. The second single “She Runs Away” only got minor play on adult contemporary radio, with Top 40 radio not getting on board with it at all, and while a remixed dance version of “Reasons for Living” got it to #3 on the dance charts, it didn't become a pop hit either. His only other song to even bubble under was “Wishful Thinking”, a soundtrack single for Great Expectations, which tapped out at #103. And it's not like Duncan just repeated the sound of his breakthrough hit in the hope of making lightning strike twice, either – not like some others we've met here (lookin' at you, Rednex). His follow-up album Humming, which came out in 1998, was more experimental in style, included string and flute arrangements on several tracks, and made reference to his spiritual beliefs in the lyrics. But the public didn't bite, as sales were absolutely dismal, with the album getting to a mere #163 on the Billboard 200. Meanwhile, on the Nonesuch label, he released Phantom Moon in 2001, a Nick Drake tribute of sorts, and on which he worked with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and co-writer Steven Sater. (More on the latter's further contributions to Duncan's career later.) I can't confirm this with anything, but considering the stylistic changes he underwent (which proved him to be a more versatile artist than I would have thought), I'm not so sure Duncan wanted to be a mainstream pop star after “Barely Breathing”. But while the impulse is perhaps admirable, it probably didn't look that way to the record executives when he just could not get another hit no matter what he tried.
He got dropped by Atlantic after 2002's Daylight, but ironically enough, that album provided a small glimmer of hope for Duncan, when “On a High” became a surprise #1 hit on the dance charts and also got some play on adult-pop radio. It didn't cross over to the Hot 100 though, and sales were almost as poor as those of Humming, so that was the end of his getting any mainstream notice in music. Duncan's never stopped recording or gone on a major hiatus, having released four more albums after that, but none of them met with any success. One thing of note, actually: the very same day his 2011 album Covers 80's was released, he entered rehab for alcoholism. By all accounts, he's been clean and sober ever since. Good for him!
Recording albums is more of a sideline for him these days, though. For you see, Duncan is one of that class of one-hit wonders who has found far more success in another venture (as with Linda Perry in songwriting, or Gerardo as an executive for Interscope). In his case, it's as a composer of Broadway musicals, in which field he began working in 2002 – that year, he was hired to compose music for the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of Twelfth Night, and it took off from there. He's kept working steadily there ever since, as well as scoring a couple of independent films. His best-known work by far is Spring Awakening, the original Broadway production of which won eight Tonys after its premiere in 2006. Duncan himself took home two of those – one for Best Original Score (shared with his collaborator Steven Sater) and one for Best Orchestration – and also won himself a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. His Broadway career never quite reached those dizzy heights again, but at least he's no one-hit wonder in a non-musical sense. Other projects include Whisper House, a staged version of his 2009 concept album of the same name, and the musical adaptation of American Psycho, which premiered in 2013 in London; next up for him, an adaptation of The Secret Life of Bees. Anybody close enough to New York reading this, make sure to be at the Atlantic Theatre Company in May to catch its world premiere!
Yeah, enjoy your little trophies or whatever, Duncan. You didn't win the big prize: getting far in a PopJustice rate! So there.
OVER TO THE PEANUT GALLERY
Worth the price that I would pay
chanex (8): I saw Spring Awakening on Broadway and was happy for him but that "taste the saline" line always took away from the amazing poignant chorus for me, its just so cheesy. (Why does it make me imagine him chugging out of an IV saline drip?)
WowWowWowWow (9): “Barely Breathing,” the sound of every dentist’s office waiting room in the last 15 years. At least he had that minor renaissance with Spring Awakening.
CasuallyCrazed (6.5): His strongest work is all in Spring Awakening. (Can't disagree with you there.)
AshleyKerwin (6): I like the bridge/middle 8 more.
berserkboi (6.9): Pleasant fare but nothing I can really get into.
saviodxl (6.6): He looks cute in the video and the song would be perfect for the soundtrack of a romantic dramedy. These days the track would be a filler of Ed Sheeran's or Charlie Puth's album though. (...Hey, Duncan! A songwriting opportunity knocks!)
Untouchable Ace (7.1): This just sounds like other songs from the era and it did seem familiar, but then I realized I'd never heard it before. (Ouch. Poor Duncan just got burned.)
Seventeen_Days (9.5): This is my karaoke staple. Any time I am going out to do karaoke, this is the first song I search for. The melody is amazing, and Duncan’s voice sounds fantastic. Plus, he’s cute, so yeah. (And he's aged damn well, too!)
pop3blow2 (10): So, I’m a huge Duncan fan until this day. It started here. I love this song. This was always the companion song to Natatlie’s Imbruglia’s Torn to me. So much going on in this song. I love the tag ‘I’m thinking it over anyway’. So relatable for so many people in bad situations they know they should get out of… yet the littlest thing makes you overthink staying. His debut’s highlight was ’She Runs Away’ which was decent AC hit in the States.
Don't know who you're kidding, imagining we care
Ganache (5): Meh.
unnameable (3): Meh. (Great mins think alike?)
Filippa (4): Very beige.
iheartpoptarts (5): The 90s had a lot of average guitar songs. (Every decade does.)
DJHazey (1): I loved and hated these kind of bands in the late 90s. This was the latter.
DominoDancing (2): Bla bla bla boring slick pap, no.
4Roses (3): Not my cup of tea.
ModeRed (5): More 'meh' slightly rock guitar led pop - not too bad, but so dull.
Auntie Beryl (5.2): On the Hot 100 for 55 weeks!!!!! (Just five less than the Macarena!)
yuuurei (6): I used to like it quite a lot but it's kind of ... eh, now.
Empty Shoebox (1): Can't find anything to like here, but there are worse songs and performances. (It's... sort of positive?)
Hudweiser (2): I'm barely listening. (And so said the public afterwards...)
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he/him
FUCK Y'ALL. Barely Breathing is great and Duncan's work after is even better.
I first heard of Mr Shiek via his collaboration with Howard Jones, around 2002-ish? "Someone You Need".
I've got a couple of his CDs around somewhere....
I've got a couple of his CDs around somewhere....
UGH.
I did't expect Duncan to go far (after the beating he took in the plug.dj session I was in), but wow.
I really like a lot of his music & always found him compelling. He's been an interesting guy to follow as a music fan & I've loved seeing him succeed outside of 'one-hit-wonderland'. Is Barely Breathing a bit beige? Maybe. But I really like some well-done beige-pop from time-to-time... and this song is.
Great write-up by @Ironheade, though... which is what he deserves.
Like @Andy French said, the work after his debut was great. Humming is my favorite album by him & 'That Says It All' is my favorite song. White Limousine was also solid & I also really liked his 80's covers album. (and of course Spring Awakening.)
I did't expect Duncan to go far (after the beating he took in the plug.dj session I was in), but wow.
I really like a lot of his music & always found him compelling. He's been an interesting guy to follow as a music fan & I've loved seeing him succeed outside of 'one-hit-wonderland'. Is Barely Breathing a bit beige? Maybe. But I really like some well-done beige-pop from time-to-time... and this song is.
Great write-up by @Ironheade, though... which is what he deserves.
Like @Andy French said, the work after his debut was great. Humming is my favorite album by him & 'That Says It All' is my favorite song. White Limousine was also solid & I also really liked his 80's covers album. (and of course Spring Awakening.)
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she/her
I admit I've never heard any of his other work so maybe it's great and he's a genius, but this song on its own is just a little too beige, I think. Still, I'm surprised it's out this early. There are much worse tracks that could have gone before it. Like, why is Sex and Candy still here?
He/Him
Relatability! Who doesn't want Sex & Candy?
she/her
Okay, but does anyone really want either of those from Marcy Playground???
he/him
It's the kind of stuff played in mine, maybe I should change dentists!
she/her
I'm so glad my Mom listens to fun music.
he/him
I played a snippet from every song in this rate for my Mom over the holidays and she instantly knew like 95% of them. I should've had her vote! She said her 11 would've been between One of Us, Lovefool, and You Get What You Give. Two of those three were 11 contenders for me as well.
Your mum? She's got good taste!
she/her
There's a YES, a yes, and a no there - guess which one is which!
OK, um. Bit of a problem here, guys. The format I'm doing, at this point, more or less demands long and detailed writeups, plenty of background information on the artist and stuff about where they are now, that sort of thing. But with the next artist up (writeup should be up tomorrow), I can find virtually nothing on the Internet. I'm serious, the trail goes almost completely cold after their hit, and there's really very little I can say in those sections. So, would you be happy with a format similar to that of the 90's #1's rate, where I mostly just talk about the musical elements in a bit more detail, plus a short intro paragraph summing up whatever I've got?
he/him
YES - Lovefool
yes - Get What You Give
no - One of Us
For me there's two 10s and 9. What's the 9?
he/him
In that situation, I'd just keep the same format you're doing and mention there is nothing. We'd understand. That's what I did in the Vanessa Carlton rate whenever I came across a song she said nothing about in an interview or during one of her signature "story time" moments during a concert.
she/her
You are correct. And I hope it's the no song.
(To be honest, for me it's more of a NO!)
Put in a massive blank space as a metaphor for their internet presence.
As @DJHazey says - if there is nothing, then that's that. In a way that does say a lot about the artist in question and is therefore interesting in itself.