t.A.T.u. : All The Things She Said

In 2002, Russian duo t.A.T.u. consisting of Lena Katina and Yulia Vokova released the catchy dance tune All The Things She Said.  The song talks about a girl falling for another girl and the dilemma she faces as she can't get the other girl out of her mind ("All the things she said ... running through my head").

Pretty soon, much of the world couldn't get the tune out of their minds and the song reached number one in numerous countries including Australia, Japan and, of course, the UK. In the USA, this song reached No. 20 in the Billboard charts. Not bad, considering that numerous tv shows including Richard & Judy tried to get the song banned not least of all for the controversial music video ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8mGBaXPlri8

Even though the music video shows Lena and Yulia kissing, the girls themselves have always maintained that they are not lesbians (and Yulia in fact became pregnant some time after). However, the lipstick lesbian fantasy have persisted and the girls do sometimes play it up to the crowd. The girls went on to have other hits like Not Gonna Get Us and to showcase in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow. 

Dannii Minogue V Dead or Alive : Begin To Spin Me Around

In 2003, Dannii Minogue (sister of Kylie) released the song I Begin To Wonder. The song reached number 2 in the charts and the catchy tune is a fan favourite with Dannii even considering the track to be her signature tune.

 The song was given a new lease of life with this mash-up with Dead Or Alive's 80s hit You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) and the result is pure club heaven ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ_gn__bXHs&feature=player_embedded

Of course, Dannii then went on to find fame on The X-Factor and Australia's Got Talent and the rest, as they say, is history.

Duran Duran : All She Wants Is

Duran Duran was one of the hottest bands of the 80s with their clever combination of catchy tunes and stylish music videos. With hits like Rio, The Reflex and Wild Boys in the early to mid-80s, 1988 had them down to the trio of Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor (the group was to be back to their original lineup later).

It was while they were a threesome that they released the deliciously sexy All She Wants Is which was their 18th single and reached No. 9 in the charts.

The video featured unusual animation and is very interesting indeed.  Check out the video here ...

The group's fortunes were to continue in the 90s with hits like Ordinary World and Come Undone and recently the original lineup reunited to embark on a hugely successful tour.



Climie Fisher : Love Changes (Everything)

Climie Fisher was an English duo made up of singer-songwriter Simon Climie and keyboardist Rob Fisher. Before teaming up Climie had actually written hits for other artistes including "Invincible" by Pat Benatar and  I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) by Aretha Franklin & George Michael.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A4xBp2rizQ&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBCWLhlJV0Y&feature=player_embedded

Incredibly, Love Changes (Everything) was not a hit when released the first time around in 1987, reaching a lowly No. 67 in the charts but after the success of Rise To The Ocassion the single was re-released and made it to its rightful place at No. 2 in 1988.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b8dy8tfUCEg

Coldcut feat. Yazz & The Plastic Population : Doctorin' The House

Before Yazz hit it big with hits like The Only Way Is Up, she was a guest vocalist on this record by producers Coldcut. In my opinion, one of the prime examples of an excellent British house record, this single peaked at No. 6 in 1988 and launched the career of catwalk model-turned-singer Yasmin Evans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Xo6s1PulcEc

Of course Yazz went on to have enormous success with her other hits like Stand Up For Your Love Rights and the groovy Fine Time but the 90s saw her slip away from the limelight. Her hits will always be dancefloor classics though.

 

Here's the link for Stand Up For Your Love Rights :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc3GyfAnnGg&feature=player_embedded

And check out the groovy Fine Time :-



https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vSc4rXqoFoc

Apparently for copyright reasons I can't post the original video for Doctorin' The House here so if you want to watch it go here.

A-Ha : The Sun Always Shines On TV

Norwegian group A-Ha seems to be more well-known for their debut hit "Take On Me". However, not many people know that their follow-up single The Sun Always Shines On TV did one better than their No.2 debut going all the way to the top of the UK charts in 1986.

For me, this song is equally, if not more, amazing than its predecessor ... full of guitar rifts and rockin' beats ... perfect to dance to and also good enough to just sit and listen to ... check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3ir9HC9vYg&feature=player_embedded

Of course A-Ha went on to have numerous more hits ... not just with rawwkin' fast tunes like You Are The One and Cry Wolf but also ballads like Hunting High & Low, Stay On These Roads and the Roy Orbison cover Cryin' In The Rain. And, of course, they recorded the Bond theme The Living Daylights. Brilliant, just brilliant!

 

U2 : Elevation

Irish group U2 has had many many amazing and awesome hits and I will get around to posting them sooner or later. However, let me start with one of their lesser-known hits.

Elevation, which was used in the film Lara Croft : Tomb Raider stormed to No. 3 in 2001. It's easy to see why ... the song, in a word, rawwwks. The Tomb Raider mix is amazing.

Definitely one for cranking up the volume ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=19KstSgU-c0