The new Network Rail uniform is going down a storm!
"For your safety and comfort, everybody's doing a brand new dance now. Come on commuters, do the locomotion!"Yes, indeed, Princess Kylie's dulcets are coming to a station near you - well, if you happen to live in Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester or Reading, or travel in and out of London at Euston, Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, London Victoria or London Waterloo this Friday, of course. And joining Miss Minogue as ambassadors for BBC Music 2018 are such luminaries as Dame Vera Lynn, Nile Rodgers, Gabrielle and Lisa Stansfield, plus choirmaster Gareth Malone, saxophonist YolanDa Brown, singer/songwriter Nina Nesbitt, gospel star Wayne Ellington, Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, classical star Carly Paoli and indie rockers Blossoms.
"Please let passengers sing and dance their way off the train first before trying to get on board."
"I know what you're thinking; 'Why is Kylie doing the announcements?' It's because it's BBC Music Day ... so I can!"
All this attention on our Patron Saint of Gold Hotpants only serves to remind us how time flies, however. Here's a thought: a person celebrating a birthday today, who has reached an age at which they can legally drive a car on their own, apply for a private pilot’s licence, become a blood donor, or, indeed, be treated as an adult if arrested, was born on the same day that Kylie was at Number 1 with "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"! That is terrifying.
Seventeen years ago, Miss M did indeed rule the world with her magnum opus, a song that everyone can sing along to (and do all the actions from the video) at a moment's notice. But before we get to that, who were the contenders for her throne on this day in 2001?
She had just knocked some nonentity called DJ Ötzi off the top. "Who the fuck?", I hear you say. Well, this man - a one-hit-wonder if ever there was one! - was responsible for one of the most annoying "lads and ladettes" drunken-party-chant favourites in pop history [a song previously recorded by, among many others, Del Shannon, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, Pat Boone, Adam Faith and José Feliciano, all probably with less drink'n'drugs involved]:
Just below it, in a Top Ten littered with artists never to be seen again, was a gang of noisy oiks calling themselves Alien Ant Farm [with a number previously recorded by Michael Jackson]
It gets worse. At #4 was a singing children's telly show puppet (actually session singer John Skipper) by the name of Bob the Builder ["performing"a cover of Lou Bega's party anthem]:
Bringing up the rear was the novelty-r'nb-cum-dancehall artist Shaggy with a dreadful mess of a "song" Luv Me, Luv Me [featuring the vocals of Samantha Cole; previously recorded as a duet with Janet Jackson, apparently], which I can't even bring myself to play...
The rest of the Top Ten was patchy, to say the least - including Victoria Beckham [the bitch wot nabbed Our David; former Spice Girl and latterly fashion guru] with Not Such An Innocent Girl [launched with OTT chutzpah as a "contender" for Number 1 up against Kylie (as if!); it put paid to her solo career], someone or something called "Uncle Cracker" with Follow Me [Nope; me neither], and then there was the-band-who-missed-the-Britpop-boat Starsailor with Alcoholic [another song of which I have no recollection whatsoever].
This execrable chart line-up was redeemed only by two remnants of the great dance music boom, Supermen Lovers - Starlight:
...and N-Trance - Set You Free:
...and of course, by this!
La la la
La la la la la
La la la
La la la la la
Indeed.
Read my previous tribute to this song... and hear the Fenella Fielding [RIP] version!
Yay, Kylie! But, really, 17 years ago??? That is terrifying, indeed.
ReplyDeleteThat red shirt, black trousers combo became my "look" at work for a while after "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" came out. I couldn't find a transparent red plastic folder to attach to my face though - we only had blue ones at work.
At the time, I liked Starsailor enough to buy their album - it was the single "Lullaby" that got me (plus, the lead singer was quite pretty). I gave the album another listen not too long ago - it's a bit miserable. I loved "Starlight", too, and snapped up the CD single. As for Ms Beckham, I really wanted her to succeed (and bought a couple of her singles, too), but "Not Such An Innocent Girl" really was an anodyne effort that no amount of pouting could save.
Time flies when you're having fun, indeed. I imagine nowadays the only red shirts that ever turn up on the racks at Primark are "slim fit", so I wouldn't bother even trying to recreate that look, red plastic visor or otherwise...
DeleteLooking at Starsailor today, I don't think the word "pretty" could apply to any of 'em - but, interesting fact: in my previous job I worked with the lead singer's cousin. As for Mrs Beckham née Adams, even she has admitted that the producer (and the rest of the Spice Girls) wouldn't let her vocals come to the fore on any of their stuff, so it isn't really surprising that her massively-autotuned solo records were not a success.
Jx
"Can't Get You Out Of My Head" will always remind me of our first visit to Spain together - Nerja
ReplyDelete"¡Hola, darlings!"
DeleteJx