Bananarama

Bananarama
Bananarama (2007), Keren Woodward & Sara Dallin
General information
Genre (s)	pop
founding	1981
Website	http://www.bananarama.co.uk/
Founding members
singing	Keren Woodward (since 1981)
singing	Sara Dallin (since 1981)
singing	Siobhan Fahey (1981–1988, 2017–2018)
Current occupation
singing	Keren Woodward
singing	Sara Dallin
former members
singing	Jacquie O'Sullivan (1988-1992)

Bananarama is a British girl group . Their first hits such as Shy Boy , Cruel Summer and Robert de Niro's Waiting go to the account of the producer team Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. From 1986 to 1989 they were looked after by the producer trio Stock Aitken Waterman .

Band history

1981–1983: Creation and first album

The founding members of the group were Siobhan Fahey , Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin, who together recorded the demo song Aie a Mwana , which was part of the pseudo-Japanese dance album Le monde fabuleux des Yamasuki (“The fabulous world of Yamasuki”, Daniel Vangarde, Jean Kluger) from 1971 and was sung on tape only to demonstrate the vocal abilities of the band members in the version of the Belgian formation "Black Blood" (AIE a Mwana, 1975, Michel Jasper), which is even more difficult to speak for Europeans. Contrary to what is often assumed, the Black Blood language version is not original Swahili , but a Congo dialect of this African language.

This original demo tape was so convincing that it was released unedited as a single and quickly developed into an underground hit in the late summer of 1981, which did not make it high in the official charts , but secured the band's first record deal with London Records . The song was recorded in various versions in subsequent albums of the group. The three women landed on the cover of trendy magazine The Face and were spotted there by the post-punk band Fun Boy Three , who invited them as guest singers on their single It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It) to perform. The record became a huge hit, reaching number four on the UK charts.

On the next record Really Saying Something , a cover of the Velvelettes hit from the sixties, the “Fun Boy Three” returned the favor and now contributed the guest vocals. The single reached number five in the British charts in April 1982. The titles Shy Boy (June 1982) and Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (February 1983) also made it into the British top ten.

In the beginning of 1983 Bananarama's debut album Deep Sea Skiving was released, the majority of which was produced by the then successful team Steve Jolley / Tony Swain (Alison Moyet, Spandau Ballet ).

1984–1985: Second album Bananarama and breakthrough in the USA

The second album, simply titled Bananarama , released in spring 1984 , was produced entirely by Jolley / Swain. It gave the band the breakthrough in the USA and on the European continent. The first single, Cruel Summer , reached eighth place in Great Britain in July 1983 and, a year late, made it into the American Top Ten after the song was used in the film Karate Kid , but was not included on the soundtrack according to the band's will. The album's biggest hit in April 1984 was Robert de Niro's Waiting .

With this album, Bananarama tried to get away from their previous fun image and to be taken seriously as an artist. Her songs, on which she acted as co-authors, therefore also deal with socially critical issues such as child poverty (Rough Justice), drug addiction (Hotline to Heaven) and the civil war in Northern Ireland (King of the Jungle) . The background to this song was the fact that a close friend of the band had recently been shot in Belfast.

1986: Worldwide success with Venus

With their third album, True Confessions , Bananarama finally achieved their international breakthrough in the summer of 1986.

For the second single, Venus , a cover of the seventies hit by the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue , they worked for the first time with the successful British production team Stock / Aitken / Waterman, because they knew from their production of the dead-or-alive hit You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) were thrilled. Venus became a worldwide top hit and brought Bananarama their first (and so far only) number 1 hit in the USA. The title achieved top placements in numerous other countries, but not in their home country, where it only came in eighth.

Apart from the less successful third single More Than Physical , the remaining tracks on the album were again produced by Jolley / Swain. Venus with its high-energy sound is not typical for the sound of the album, which is generally characterized by a rather calm mood and is dominated by slow pieces and mid-tempo numbers. This mood is also reflected in the lyrics. For example, the song Trick of the Night , which was released as the last single at the end of 1986, is about a prostitute.

1986–1988: Collaboration with Stock / Aitken / Waterman and farewell to Siobhan Fahey

After their great success with Venus , the band decided to release their fourth album, Wow! to be produced exclusively by Stock / Aitken / Waterman.

However, the smooth dance-pop sound of the album did not meet with approval from all fans. Commercially, however, the album was very successful. Five singles made it to the UK's top 20, two of which made it into the top 10.

I Heard a Rumor, the first single, was the last Bananarama single to reach the American top ten. The second single Love in the First Degree, based on the harmony of the Pachelbel canon , reached number three in the UK, making it one of the band's biggest hits.

In terms of image, the trio developed towards the camp . In their music videos they appeared in crazy ultra-colorful costumes and danced amateurishly sometimes absurd choreographies. The band's trademark became tightly clad, muscular background dancers, with whom they also targeted a homosexual audience. Culmination of this style was a live performance of Love in the First Degree in the awarding of the Brit Awards in 1988, when a whole Armada well-built young men occurred in very tight trousers and a strong sexual connotations , aerobics -like choreography fully introduced.

This was the last gig with Siobhan Fahey, who left the band a little later. Fahey, who had married eurythmics musician Dave Stewart the previous year and had a son, had long been dissatisfied with the band's commercial sound, which was influenced by Stock / Aitken / Waterman . When recording the album Wow! there had been arguments between her and the producers. When recording the song Strike It Rich , the singer held her hand to her mouth because she found the lyrics too materialistic.

In the same year Fahey founded the solo project Shakespears Sister , which a short time later expanded into a successful duo with the American singer and guitarist Marcella Detroit .

1988–1989: Jacquie O'Sullivan as a new band member and entry in the Guinness Book of Records

After Fahey left, Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward wanted to continue as a duo, but the record company decided that Bananarama should remain a trio. So in the spring of 1988 Jacquie O'Sullivan , former singer of the rockabilly band Silleagh Sisters and an old friend of the band members, was recruited to replace Fahey. For I Want You Back , the fourth single from the album Wow! , the vocals were re-recorded with O'Sullivan. The song reached number five on the UK charts.

Shortly after this success Bananarama published in autumn 1988, the Greatest Hits Collection, on with Love, Truth & Honesty a new song was represented. The album became the most successful of their career, reaching number three in the UK LP charts and the band was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most successful British girl band of all time.

In early 1989, Bananarama took a cover version of the Beatles hit Help! For the comic relief project . on. The comedian duo French & Saunders and actress Kathy Burke sang as guests under the name " Lananeeneenoonoo "; they had previously parodied Bananarama on a TV show. The single reached number three in the UK charts and is the band's last UK top ten hit to date. The band then completed their first (and to date only) world tour, which took them to Japan and Australia.

1990–1991: New producers and the album Pop Life

After the band members were dissatisfied with the first demo recordings made under the direction of Stock / Aitken / Waterman, they selected new producers for their fifth album, again including Jolley / Swain and the ex- Killing-Joke bassist Youth , who made a name for himself as Dance Producer. Only two songs produced by Stock / Aitken / Waterman came on the album under pressure from the record company, but were not released as singles.

The album Pop Life , released in May 1991, was characterized by an experimental sound, dance beats, samples and unusual instrumentation (e.g. flamenco guitars on the cover of Long Train Runnin ' ).

While the criticism reacted positively in some cases, the album had only modest success commercially: three singles reached the top 40 of the British charts and the song Preacher Man reached the top spot at number 20 in early 1991. Outside of the band's homeland, success was even less.

1992–1994: Farewell to Jacquie O'Sullivan and loss of the record deal

After the relative failure of the Pop Life album , Jacquie O'Sullivan left the band in early 1992. While Dallin and Woodward reproached their lack of interest and commitment to the band, O'Sullivan complained that four years after they joined the band they were still seen as "the newcomer" and compared to Siobhan Fahey. It later became known that it was contractually stipulated from the outset that O'Sullivan had no say in artistic matters.

From then on, Dallin and Woodward continued as a duo. Under pressure from the record company - according to the contract they still had to deliver an album for London Records - they worked again with the producer team Mike Stock and Pete Waterman, which had meanwhile also shrunk to a duo.

The album Please Yourself, which was released in early 1993, was originally intended as a concept album with the working title Abbabanana with a sound based on the successful Swedish band ABBA . However, this concept was discarded, only the second single Last Thing on My Mind (late 1992), which flopped, but was successfully covered by Steps later in 1998 , the original concept can still be heard.

The album was received mostly negatively by the critics: The producers Stock and Waterman had long since passed their zenith and helped the album to a smooth, soulless sound, while the songs sometimes drifted into hit-like.

The album's commercial success was also moderate. The two singles Movin 'On (Summer 1992), the bridge of which coincides note for note with the verses of Jason Donovan's hit Everyday (I Love You More) (1989), and More More More (early 1993), a cover of the disco hit by Andrea True Connection , each reached number 24 in the UK charts. The album itself sold poorly, staying in the UK album charts for only a week, and London Records did not renew the contract.

1995–2001: Not very successful years with independent labels

Bananarama could only publish their next albums on smaller independent labels.

In autumn 1995 the album Ultra Violet was released . In Japan it was released, expanded by a song, under the title I Found Love . Produced by Garry Miller , the songs are based on the then current Eurodance sound. The album was not distributed in their home country and therefore could not be placed in the charts. Outside the UK, too, the success was zero. Only the first single, the atmospheric Every Shade of Blue , achieved a minor success with a top 50 position in the American dance charts. In addition to the band's second album, Ultra Violet is the only Bananarama album that does not contain a cover version.

After a one-off reunion with Siobhan as part of the Eurotrash program on British TV station Channel Four (1998), in which they sang a version of the Abba classic Waterloo together, Woodward and Dallin went back to the studio in 2000 to join the French production team from Krysty Music Ltd. to record their eighth regular studio album Exotica . In addition to eight new songs, including a cover version of the George Michael hit Careless Whisper , Bananarama also recorded four old hits (Cruel Summer, Robert de Niro's Waiting, I Heard a Rumor and Venus) in a new musical guise.

The album, poorly produced and carelessly designed, was only released in France in 2001 and was not successful there or anywhere else in the world. Commercially available singles were not decoupled, because Careless Whisper and If only appeared as promo singles.

Woodward and Dallin described the work on the album in retrospect as a "nightmare".

2001–2008: Another brief line-up with Siobhan Fahey and comeback

Also in 2001 the band celebrated their twentieth anniversary at the GAY event in London; Siobhan Fahey came on stage for a "very last" reunion.

In 2004 a bootleg of the Solasso remix of Really Saying Something was released, which reached number three in the UK dance charts. At the same time, the recordings for Bananarama's ninth album Drama began . In contrast to the two previous albums, Bananarama are preparing their new comeback attempt this time more elaborately. To this end, they set up a completely redesigned website (bananarama.co.uk) with a detailed band history, discography, record covers, reviews and music videos.

In July 2005, a Bananarama single was released in the band's home country for the first time since 1993. The single Move in My Direction entered the UK charts at number 14, making it her best-placed hit in her home country for over 16 years. With Move in My Direction , the band also reached a chart position in Germany for the first time since 1993, even if only for a week at number 93. The second single Look on the Floor (Hypnotic Tango), whose refrain from the 1980s Italo disco hit Hypnotic Tango by the band My Mine reached number 26. The album Drama, produced by Brian Higgins ( Sugababes , Girls Aloud ) among others , flopped anyway and could not be placed in the top 100 of the British album charts.

While the record company dropped the band because of the lack of success, the two singles in America achieved notable successes in the dance charts.

Since 2009: Viva , more records and reunification

In September 2009 Bananarama released their album Viva , which was initially released exclusively in England (# 87). In addition to cover versions such as Rapture (originally from iiO), SSS single Bed (Fox) and The Runner (Three Degrees), the singles Love Comes (44th place) and Love Don't Live Here are included. In addition, there are other cover versions such as Voyage Voyage (Desireless) and Tokyo Joe (Bryan Ferry) on the backs of the Love Comes picture discs . The Sound of Silence ( Simon & Garfunkel ) and Run to You ( Bryan Adams ) were also released via iTunes UK . Shortly before Christmas 2010, Bananarama released the single Baby It's Christmas exclusively on iTunes in England and Europe, allegedly without the support of a record company. The song was written by Sara Dallin and Ian Masterson, and remixed by Masterson and Almighty.

In September 2012 a new EP was released worldwide on iTunes, on which the following tracks are found: Now Or Never including an extended remix, La La Love and the cover version of the internationally popular hit Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 . A new remix of the classic Movin 'On was released as a bonus track .

In early 2017 it was announced that Siobhan Fahey would be on the Original Line-Up Tour in November and December of the same year. The tour began in Ireland and England and also took the band to Canada and the US in February 2018. A live recording of the tour, "Live At the London Hammersmith Apollo", has been released. After a few appearances at festivals, Siobhan left the band. In January 2019, Bananarama announced on their homepage that their eleventh album, entitled In Stereo, will be released on April 19th. would appear. A first track Dance Music was made available for download as a teaser. The new album will be accompanied by a promo tour in England.

Discography

→ Main article : Bananarama / discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1983	Deep sea skiving	-	-	-	UK8th silver (16 weeks)UK	-	First published: March 1983 Sales: + 60,000
1984	Bananarama	DE45 (10 weeks) DE	-	CH9 (10 weeks) CH	UK16 silver (11 weeks)UK	US30 (36 weeks) US	First published: April 1984 Sales: + 60,000
1986	True Confessions	DE25 (10 weeks) DE	-	CH6 (10 weeks) CH	UK46 (5 weeks) UK	US15th gold (28 weeks)US	First published: June 1986 Sales: + 500,000
1987	Wow!	DE65 (1 week) DE	-	CH22 (3 weeks) CH	UK26th gold (26 weeks)UK	US44 (26 weeks) US	First published: September 1987 Sales: + 100,000
1991	Pop life	-	-	-	UK42 (1 week) UK	-	First published: May 1991
1993	Please Yourself	DE95 (3 weeks) DE	-	-	UK46 (1 week) UK	-	First published: April 1993
1995	Ultra violet	-	-	-	-	-	First published: November 1995
2001	Exotica	-	-	-	-	-	First published: 2001
2005	drama	-	-	-	-	-	First published: November 2005
2009	Viva	-	-	-	UK87 (1 week) UK	-	First published: September 2009
2019	In stereo	-	-	-	UK29 (1 week) UK	-	First published: April 2019

Trivia

In the German dubbed version of the 11th episode of the 1st season of Scrubs - The Beginners , the character JD wants to break the silence and say "whatever, whatever" and then says the name of the band. In the original version he uses the word "banana hammock", which is little known in Germany, a slang term for a Speedo-like swimming trunks. Due to the similarity of the two words, the band name was used in German.

In a scene in Otto - The New Film (1987) Otto Waalkes goes for a walk in the forest with his beloved Gaby and stops with her in front of a fir tree with pine cones. Otto picks a cone and eats it with the words: "The last harvest of the banana tree: the forest banana. A bit woody, but unsprayed and without the dangerous banana arama!"

literature

• US Singles Chart: Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Billboard Books, New York 2007, ISBN 0-89820-172-1 / US albums: The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .

Web links

• Official website (English)
• Bananarama at Allmusic (English)
• Bananarama at laut.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bananarama go on tour with Tiffany. Retrieved October 22, 2018 . 
2. ↑ Chart sources: DE AT CH US
3. ↑ all tracks by Bananarama in the Official UK Charts (English)
4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt8WWN9YcSk
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUOFjHz34Hw