The 90's US One-Hit Wonders Rate: WINNER REVEALED - Goodbye, farewell and amen
- Thread starter Ironheade
- Start date
If you like Mazzy Star, you should check out Cowboy Junkies!
He/Him
Not sure Bitch qualifies as 'Pop' though, does it?
As rock as Avril Lavigne can get
Oh no... I fear my 11!
Turns out, you had nothing to worry about.
...But one of our mods did, thanks to a song that none of you guessed!
16. YOU GOTTA BE
Average score: 7.892
Highest scorees: 1 x 11 (@2014 ); 11 x 10 (@saviodxl , @pop3blow2 , @Andy French , @CasuallyCrazed , @Seventeen Days , @chanex , @GimmeWork , @LPMA , @4Roses , @Remorque , @Blond )
Lowest scores: 1 x 4.5 (@AshleyKerwin )
Chart positions: #5 Hot 100, #2 Radio Songs, #6 Mainstream Top 40, #23 Adult Top 40, #2 Adult Contemporary, #72 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, #24 Rhythmic Songs
Year-End Hot 100: #20 (1995)
Who? Oh yeah, them...
Consider, for a moment, the inspirational anthem. Love them or hate them, it can't be denied, everybody needs a good pick-me-up now and again, which may well explain how much they have proliferated across the pop landscape. They have been the bread and butter of many a female pop star in the decades since the 90's, and while I'm not quite sure what was the song that started the trend, Des'ree was perhaps one of the earliest to get out of the gates with “You Gotta Be”. Yes, it was she who told us that you gotta be bad... how apropos, because her commercial fortunes in the US certainly did go bad afterwards. So why exactly didn't Des'ree have more American success in those glory days of R&B?
If you want your album to be successful in the late 90's, calling it "Supernatural" is a pretty good way to go.
Funny coincidence, isn't it, that we have two British R&B singers in the rate and they both share a common ancestry? For you see, Desiree Annette Weeks is also of Barbadian descent, just like Mark Morrison, though unlike him it is only partially through her father's side, with her mother's side originating from Guyana, and she was raised in London. But it is Barbados that sparked her love of performing – already having been introduced to the island's calypso and reggae music as a child, a two-year trip there with her family inspired her further to pursue a musical career. This she did when her boyfriend sent off a demo tape to 550 Music, a division of Sony that operated through Epic Records; they signed her quickly. I've already talked, in the writeup for “Return of the Mack”, about how Mark Morrison was able to make quite a splash in the press in his country just by adhering to an American-style hip-hop image and bad-boy posturing. Before this, British soul and R&B singers were rather more polite and indebted to tradition (and less inclined to send lookalikes to perform their community service for them), and Des'ree was a proud scion of that breed. With contract firmly in hand, she put out her first album Mind Adventures in 1992.
"Pff. Call us when she's taking sacks to the face." - Luniz
It is this album that won her her early signature song with “Feel So High”, which peaked at a respectable #13 on the UK charts, and won her immediate comparisons to Anita Baker for her smooth alto voice and soul-ballad stylings. The other two singles that were released from Mind Adventures were not terribly successful, both failing to make the Top 40, but the album was still certified silver anyway and cemented Des'ree as one to watch, so there was that. She also won a feature alongside Terence Trent D'Arby on “Delicate”, one of the singles from his 1993 album Symphony or Damn. That album actually proved something of a small commercial comeback for TTD after the overblown and pompous psychedelic boondoggle that was Neither Fish Nor Flesh, and “Delicate” did respectably well in the UK with a chart position of #14, but it only made it to #74 on the Hot 100, just so happening to be the last of TTD's singles to chart stateside. “Feel So High” actually was released in the US at the time, but only as a promo single. No, for the US to fully accept Des'ree, they would have to wait for her next album, 1994's I Ain't Movin', and the lead single that its performer herself said drew from her mindset of being “blindly optimistic” and undertaking “daily affirmations”, which she claimed came from her reading a book by New Age author Shakti Gawain. (A harbinger of things to come. But I get ahead of myself.)
I can feel my chakras aligning already!
The odd thing about “You Gotta Be”, commercially, was that it represented a total reversal of fortune for Des'ree between both the American and British markets. It reached #20 in the UK on its first go-round, far from a total flop but not exactly a roaring success, and outside of a #9 placing in Australia, it wasn't really a smash in any worldwide markets either. But in the US, it absolutely blew up, despite Des'ree having been hardly known at all there before. If I had to guess, it was the simple, encouraging lyrics and uplifting melody that struck a chord with people – and, let's be honest, its middle-of-the-road factor. The fact that it became the most played video on VH-1, and was such a popular radio recurrent (staying on), is a testament to that fact. But, hey. There's a lot to be said for mass appeal.
So what do I think?
SEVEN POINT FIVE.
You know, “You Gotta Be” is certainly not a bad tune by any means, but it does rather give one the air, among its competition in this rate, of a song that has been hanging around too long. But certainly, it has its attractions. The main draw here, for me, is not anything surrounding the melody, but rather the melody itself. It is a very good one, placid and smooth without moving up or down too much, and yet that is its charm, as it is very suited for the lyric's encouragements towards inner strength and confidence, almost lending it a calming effect. Des'ree is perhaps one of the best possible singers to take it on too, as her deep soulful tones have a rich, woody smoothness and warmth to them that make a lyric that could have seemed so platitudinous and cheesy ring true. The production, however, is a lot more of a mixed bag. For one thing, the drum track has a good groove to it, but it's also a bit busy for a song that is otherwise so low-key and calm, with a lot of tambourines and hand percussion going on in it that didn't particularly need to be there. There's something odd about the synth production here, too – some parts, like the opening arpeggiated riff, sound quite dated and overly synthetic, and yet sometimes they seem to give way to a much more natural and pleasant piano sound. I'm not even quite sure when the transitions occur either, and trying to keep track of it just made me feel odd, so take that as you will. The string section's pretty, but a bit too gloopy for my tastes. And yet. And yet, there's just something about this one. Altogether, the production which doesn't seem like much on paper comes together to sound a bit more than the sum of its parts, mostly because of the way in which it gradually ramps up in intensity all while Des'ree's gently strong encouragements hold it down like a bedrock, and that's quite cool. Overall, I came round to “You Gotta Be” quite a bit more than I expected to, and while it may not be one of my favourites here by any means... yeah, I think I can see what made people want to send it this far.
Where Are They Now?™
As sometimes happens when a foreign artist who was already an established hitmaker abroad gets big in America, Epic opted to hold off on releasing any more singles from I Ain't Movin', but instead reissued “Feel So High” stateside. I mean, I can sort of see the logic behind moves like this: why not go with the song that was already proven to have commercial potential, right? Unfortunately, it did not have commercial potential in the American milieu, as it stalled out on the Hot 100 at #67, and that was Des'ree's last appearance on the American charts. If you ask me, I think they did it too late, because by 1994 and 1995, the R&B scene was already undergoing its big transition towards hip-hop soul, and the smooth adult-pop soul ballads like “Feel So High” were beginning to sound a little passe – perhaps if it had come out properly in the US at the time of its original release, it might have had a better chance. Meanwhile, back home in the UK, Des'ree wasn't doing so well either – the title track of I Ain't Movin', which she released as the album's second single, had stalled out on the charts just shy of the Top 40, and the third single “Little Child” fared even worse with a lowly peak of #69. It took a re-released and remixed version of “You Gotta Be” to salvage her commercial fortunes; that version came out in February 1995, after the original version of the song had peaked in the US, and while it managed to best the chart placing of the original by six spots, her imperial phase in her home country was only just coming up.
Nice shoulder pads, Leo.
First came “Kissing You” from the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack (its placement on which notches her two OHW CROSSOVERS, sitting as it does next to the Cardigans and the Butthole Surfers – and a third for Baz Luhrmann, of course). I had always thought that was a huge hit on the level of “You Gotta Be”, or indeed of “Lovefool” and “#1 Crush”, but it was not. Despite being one of the soundtrack's most popular cuts, mostly thanks to Des'ree actually making an appearance in the film to sing it in the ball scene, it only made it to #83 in the UK, though it did get to #17 in Australia. That is really weird to me, not least because it's a lovely pop ballad, and probably my favourite thing she's done. But never mind, because Des'ree's biggest worldwide hit was yet to come. Yes, that would be “Life”, the lead single from her third album, 1998's Supernatural. You know this one, don't you? You should do, because it was her highest-charting UK hit at #8 and the only one to reach certification, and was even bigger worldwide, making the Top 10 in fourteen countries. It was soon to become something of an albatross around her neck, a permanent stain on her musical legacy that mars any discussion of her to this day. “Life”, you see, is better known these days for having the worst lyrics of any song ever recorded. Oh, that's not my opinion, by the way – it's that of the British public, who declared so in a poll by BBC 6 Music in 2007. The offending lyrics were, of course, these infamous ones: “I don't want to see a ghost/it's the sight that I fear most/I'd rather have a piece of toast, watch the evening news”. Yes, that one bit of vapid babbling has, I fear, left Des'ree with a mark of Cain, and means that all too many people won't take her seriously. Shame, because I don't think the actual tune of “Life” is so bad at all. (I don't know about “worst ever” – personally, I think Culture Club's “War is stupid, and people are stupid” takes some beating – but it's certainly still a strong contender.
Nah, gimme the ghosts any day.
Des'ree notched another UK Top 20 with “What's Your Sign?”, though her weird Latin pop cover of Bruce Springsteen's “Fire” with Babyface failed to chart, and unbelievably, “You Gotta Be” became a UK hit for a third time – and the 1999 remix was its most successful iteration at that, making it to #10, her sole Top 10 entry other than “Life”. What can I say, a placement in a Ford Focus ad can do wonders. Hey, maybe if she'd re-released it for a fourth time, it would have made the Top 5? Or maybe not, because Des'ree's career was starting to really hit the skids. Des'ree didn't release her fourth album Dream Soldier until 2003, having taken a few years off to attend to personal and family matters, as well as to release a compilation of rare tracks in 201. It had been a long time since the last time she was prominent in the musical spotlight, and the British pop scene had rather changed its shape anyway. The result was that Dream Soldier a massive commercial failure, scraping in at a dismal #178 on the UK album charts, and with its sole single “It's Okay” only reaching #69. Des'ree was dropped from Sony after that, and shortly afterwards she announced a hiatus from the music industry. Apparently, it was to pursue her interest in naturopathy and alternative medicine.
I'm saying nothing.
The hiatus, however, turned out to be more of a retirement, as Des'ree totally disappeared from the public eye and has not released any music since. There have been a few times when she's resurfaced in the following years, though. The first was in 2007, when she sued Beyonce for covering “Kissing You”, re-titled “Still in Love (Kissing You)”, as a bonus track on B'Day – according to the lawyers, Ms. Knowles had infringed the conditions imposed by Des'ree's publishers to cover “Kissing You”, those being that the title must remain the same and that she could not make a video for it. The case was dismissed with prejudice, and that's probably for the better, because those seem like pretty unfair conditions from the publishers, no? The next year, Des'ree made her first concert appearance for quite some time, at the O2 Arena for the Big Sing charity concert, in which she led 600,000 schoolchildren in singing “You Gotta Be”. Reports also have her performing “You Gotta Be” at the 2011 wedding of George Medal recipient Paul Jacobs, and contributing a lullaby to “naturopath” Julie Langton-Smith's sleep therapy CD, but actual new material of her own seems not likely to appear any time soon. Reports of that have come up occasionally: in a 2015 interview with The Fader, Sinead Harnett claimed that Des'ree was writing material for a fifth album, and earlier this year, Des'ree's frequent collaborator Tim Atack said that she would return to the music industry with a re-recorded version of “Kissing You”. Will she actually make a return and put out that long-awaited fifth album? Who knows, but I wouldn't bank on it. At least she left some good tunes behind.
OVER TO THE PEANUT GALLERY
Ooh, I get the shivers
Auntie Beryl (4.7): Long since reduced to laughing stock status due to “life, oh life, oooh liiife, oh life, doo doo do do”, Des’ree’s lyrics were embarrassing long before then. (I mean, yeah, they're not great here. But a nice voice can make up for a lot.)
yuuurei (6.5): It's all right, the lyrics have a nice message and all I guess. It's just a little boring.
ModeRed (5.5): Nice, but it's never really done much for me.
Ganache (6): Another radio overkill song. (I mean, that's most of the rate...)
Untouchable Ace (4.8): Lovely voice, but this is the reason you don't turn on the radio anymore. Just picture a decrepit executive heading the radio station on the other end saying 'No we've gotta keep playing the old trash that never changes'. Could they at least play a different song by the artist? (Ooh, life.)
iheartpoptarts (5): At least it’s not the toast song.
Love will save the day
unnameable (9): If she was a one-hit wonder in the US, does that mean you were spared “I don’t want to see a ghost, it’s the thing that I fear most, I’d rather stay at home and have a piece of toast”? (Yes. Be grateful for that one, Yanks!)
WowWowWowWow (7): Motivational anthem! And hey, anything that isn’t “Life” works for me. (Well, the Americans that use PJ weren't spared it, I guess...)
Empty Shoebox (8): I don't know exactly what it is that I like about this song, but I've always kind of liked it, even it it wa-BUY A CAR (Ford Focus, Mk.1). (Hey, it beats Imagine Dragons as car commercial music goes.)
Hudweiser (7.5): How many times did she end up releasing this? Nice life-affirmations etc., but forever to be eclipsed by the RhymeZone.com nightmares of Life. She must be kept in good rags from all the adverts this was featured in alone. (That's how a lot of artists earn their coin these days, so... ahead of her time?)
Filippa (7): Never liked her singing style but the song is good.
DominoDancing (7.5): Perfectly fine pop song. Doesn't touch me enough in any way to warrant a higher score though. (Yup, that's me right here.)
DJHazey (6): Nothing special, but certainly memorable.
CasuallyCrazed (10): I always loved Des'ree, but I loved her 10x harder after she came for Beyonce and won. (Can you IMAGINE if Stan Twitter was a thing in 2007? I think Des'ree might have had reasonable cause to fear for her life.)
Blond (10): I can name three Des’ree songs so is she really a one hit wonder? (Well, not abroad. But with only one American Top 40, she gets in. - Ed.) Either way, this song is basically perfect and that chorus is undeniable.
Andy French (10): I completely unironically stan this Yuppie Mom anthem. Ooh I get the shivers. (Do do do do do.)
berserkboi (9.9): Loved this always and great for her legacy considering some of the slightly embarrassing stuff that came after.
pop3blow2 (10): I've just always loved this little song. Actually, I was super fond of the whole album. Just very well written pop, that probably had very low-key lasting influence on some of my tastes going forward. This song is basically the prequel to Natasha’s ‘Unwritten’ in my musical universe. (There are worse things to be an influence on.)
Seventeen Days (10): This song was a HUGE part of my summer 1994. I have very vivid memories of staying up until 1 in the morning watching this video on VH1. I love everything about this song to this day. (I mean, I don't think you'd have had to stay up until 1 in the morning, they probably played the thing every fifteen minutes!)
4Roses (10): Crying in nostalgia right now.
saviodxl (10): Only a few inspirational have-a-good-self-esteem vibe tracks are timeless as this one.
chanex (10): The anthem! The song that got me out of bed but maybe it didn't but I'm choosing to remember it that way! All I know is that love will save the day and if you disagree then FIGHT ME! (OK, just be aware that I'm trained in gorilla warfare and have over 300 confirmed kills with my bare hands.)
2014 (11): I loooooooooove this so much and I'm rooting so hard for it to go top 5 at least! It always puts a smile on my face.
he/him
Y'all clearly aren't living, laughing and/or loving.
he/him
Ummmmm ... talk about something that gives me the shivers!!!!
I wish I could find the parody version they did a looooooong time ago on Saturday Night Live. The only lyrics I ever remember are "You gotta move fast, you gotta kick high, you gotta be a part time ninjaaaaa". It was hilarious.
He/Him
BEsides - can we all agree that now Nickelback gave us Figured You Out - we have a new winner of worst lyrics in a hit?
I remember this. They had it sung from the point of view of OJ Simpson's first wife (as in how to stay alive while being married to him).
OK guys... I'm heading off on holiday for a week tomorrow, and though I have started writing #15, Internet access may be somewhat limited while I'm there for writing and research purposes. Rest assured though, if I can get some Internet over there within the next few days, I'll get the post up!