Monday 16 August 2010

New article - Siobhan Fahey Is Still a Rebel Girl

Check out this FABULOUS new photo of our lady Shuv:


This and many more can be found in this brilliant article: Siobhan Fahey Is Still a Rebel Girl.

Leave your comments below the article and spread the word of Shakespears Sister! Let's see if we can summon enough support for another tour!

Sunday 8 August 2010

'Songs From The Red Room: Videos' release date


It has been announced on the official forum that the new Shakespears Sister DVD (see earlier post) will be released on 25th September 2010. It will be made available to pre-order on the official website soon! How exciting!!!

Norm's Top 10 Bananarama songs - which is #1?

For the past month I have been counting down my Top 10 Bananarama songs and now we've reached the summit! Before I reveal my all-time favourite (and just to tease you all a bit further!) here are some classic Nana hits you may be surprised didn't make my countdown:








Now, in true Top Of The Pops stylee, let's have a quick recap of my Top 10:

#10 - 'Hotline To Heaven'
#9 - 'Love, Truth & Honesty'
#8 - 'I Heard A Rumour'
#7 - 'A Trick Of The Night'
#6 - 'Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye'
#5 - 'Really Saying Something'
#4 - 'Only Your Love'
#3 - 'Venus'
#2 - 'Tripping On Your Love'

So which song has beat all others to be named my all-time favourite Bananarama song?

At #1 is...

*drumroll*


It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it
And that's what gets results

It ain't what you do it's the time that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the time that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the time that you do it
And that's what gets results

You can try hard don't mean a thing
Take it easy and then your jive will swing

It ain't what you do it's the place that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the place that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the place that you do it
And that's what gets results

I thought I was smart but I soon found out
I didn't know what life was all about
But then I learnt I must confess
That life is like a game of chess

It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the time that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the place that you do it
And that's what gets results

You can try hard don't mean a thing
Take it easy and then your jive will swing

It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it
And that's what gets results

It ain't what you do it's the time that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the time that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the time that you do it
And that's what gets results

It ain't what you do it's the place that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the place that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the place that you do it
And that's what gets results
(Written by Oliver/Young)


So why do I love this song so much? The raw production, the hypnotic beat, the borderline-amateur vocals, the sing-a-long chorus, the fantastic build-up to the bridge. The video is also fantastic with it's dark, moody feel and the girls' punky androgynous look. I just love everything about this era. This was the first (genius!) collaboration between the girls and the Fun Boy Three and the song that introduced an unsuspecting public to Sara, Keren and Siobhan. Little did the girls know back the impact they were to make on the '80s music scene and that nearly 30 years later they would STILL be going strong. In celebration of this song, here is the aforementioned video as well as some classic performances:











So there we have it - the countdown is over! If you've stuck with it since the beginning thank you and let me know what you think of my #1 by leaving your comments below! Stay tuned because coming soon I'll be counting down my Top 10 Shakespears Sister songs!

Thursday 5 August 2010

Norm's Top 10 Bananarama songs - #2 'Tripping On Your Love'


Go on, come with it
Hear me now
Breakout

I woke from a dream
Looked up to see your face was
Smiling down at me
The sunlight crept through
Painting my room and I just
Had to say
Primrose coloured paths lay at your feet

Keep it coming
Don't you stop loving
I'm high
Tripping on your love
Keep it coming
Don't you stop loving
I'm high
Tripping on your love

Straight out of the blue
Drowning in you it's such a
Sweet sensation and I'm
Floating above
This heavenly love and through my
Mirror I see
Magic multicoloured painted dreams

Keep it coming
Don't you stop loving
I'm high
Tripping on your love
Keep it coming
Don't you stop loving
I'm high
Tripping on your love

Trip on my love
Trip on my love
Trip on my love
Trip on my love
Dance on the mike one day with this drama
Tripping on my love with the Bananarama

Primrose coloured paths lay at your feet

Keep it coming
Don't you stop loving
I'm high
Tripping on your love
Keep it coming
Don't you stop loving
I'm high
Tripping on your love

Keep it coming
Don't you stop loving
I'm high
Tripping on your love
Keep it coming
Don't you stop loving
I'm high
Tripping on your love

Keep it coming
Don't you stop loving
I'm high
Tripping on your love
(Written by Caine/Dallin/Glover/Schoeger)


This is where it gets EXTREMELY tough. I struggled to decide which Bananarama song was my #1 favourite but in the end this came in second place. Released in August 1991, this was the fourth and final single from the 'Pop Life' album and the last Bananarama single as a trio. It was rather embarrassingly their first single not to enter the charts and prompted the move back to Stock and Waterman for the next album in the hope of giving them another Top 40 hit. For me, this is the girls' most uplifting song with wonderfully euphoric lyrics. I never tire of listening to it. It's just such a shame that in my opinion their most experimental and alternative song of their career went virtually unnoticed. Here is a fan-made video for the fantastic Metropolis mix by none other than George Michael:



SO if you want to find out my #1 Bananarama song of ALL TIME, forget listening to the UK Top 40 this Sunday (you won't find any Bananarama there!) - Banormarama is the place to be as at 7pm the song will be unveiled!

Fancy guessing what my favourite is??? Leave a comment with your prediction and come back Sunday to see if you're right!

Norm's Top 10 Bananarama songs - #3 'Venus'

Another double-whammy today as we edge ever closer to the #1 spot! The countdown continues with #3...


Goddess on the mountain top
Burning like a silver flame
The summit of beauty and love
And Venus was her name

She's got it
Yeah, baby, she's got it
I'm your Venus, I'm your fire
At your desire
Well, I'm your Venus, I'm your fire
At your desire

Her weapons were her crystal eyes
Making every man mad
Black as the dark night she was
Got what no-one else had
Wow!

She's got it
Yeah, baby, she's got it
I'm your Venus, I'm your fire
At your desire
Well, I'm your Venus, I'm your fire
At your desire

Goddess on the mountain top
Burning like a silver flame
The summit of beauty and love
And Venus was her name

She's got it
Yeah, baby, she's got it
I'm your Venus, I'm your fire
At your desire
Well, I'm your Venus, I'm your fire
At your desire

Yeah baby she's got it
(Repeat to fade)
(Written by Leeuwen)


Probably the most classic Nana hit and their biggest dancefloor filler. This had it all - a fantastic video, a gorgeous single cover, brilliant performances - plus it was their one and only US #1 hit! It was the second single lifted from the album 'True Confessions' and really stood out like a sore thumb when compared to the rest of the album. It helped transform them from rough and ready tomboys to glamorous pop princesses and was to mark a huge change in their musical direction. For me, it is absolutely one of my favourite songs ever and just falls short of being my #1 Nana song of all time! Let's celebrate this fabulous song with what is without a doubt the girls' best video:

Monday 2 August 2010

"In a borealic iceberg came Victoria..."


If any of you have ever wondered where Siobhan's crazy spoken lyrics come from in 'I Don't Care', have a look at the poem below by Dame Edith Sitwell called 'Hornpipe':

Sailor come
To the drum
Out of Babylon;
Hobby-horses
Foam, the dumb
Sky rhinoceros glum

Watched the courses of the breakers' rocking-horses and with Glaucis,
Lady Venus on the settee of the horsehair sea!
Where Lord Tennyson in laurels wore a gloria free,
In a borealic iceberg came Victoria; she
Knew Prince Albert's tall memorial took the colours of the floreal
And the borealic iceberg; floating on they see
New-arisen Madam Venus for whose sake from far
Came the fat and zebra'd emperor from Zanzibar
Where like golden bouquets lay far Asia, Africa, Cathay,
All laid before that shady lady by the fibroid Shah.
Captain Fracasse stout as any water-butt came, stood
With Sir Bacchus both a-drinking the black tarr'd grapes' blood
Plucked among the tartan leafage
By the furry wind whose grief age
Could not wither — like a squirrel with a gold star-nut.
Queen Victoria sitting shocked upon the rocking horse
Of a wave said to the Laureate, 'This minx of course
Is as sharp as any lynx and blacker-deeper than the drinks and quite as
Hot as any hottentot, without remose!

For the minx',
Said she,
'And the drinks,
You can see
Are hot as any hottentot and not the goods for me!'

— Dame Edith Sitwell (1887–1964)


How I'd love to hear Siobhan recite the whole thing!!!

Norm's Top 10 Bananarama songs - #4 'Only Your Love'

We're getting closer and closer to the unveiling of my #1 Bananarama song! On we go with #4, which is...


Angel divine
With you by my side
I can do anything I want to
I'll sacrifice
For you I'd lay down my life
'Cause I was alone without you

We all need somebody
You know I need somebody
No one has to feel alone
We all need some love
You know I need your love
To break these chains around my soul

Only your love
Can free me
Only your love
Can ease me
Only your love
I need it
Only your love
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go

Heat of the flame
That burns in your name
Got to got to got to believe it
Angel of love
Descend from above
Come on and shine your light on me

We all need somebody
You know I need somebody
No one has to feel alone
We all need some love
You know I need your love
To break these chains around my soul

Only your love
Can free me
Only your love
Can ease me
Only your love
I need it
Only your love
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go

Na na na na na na (na na na na na na)
Na na na na na na (na na na na na na)
Na na na na na na (na na na na na na)
Na na na na na na na (na na na na na na na)

We all need somebody
You know I need somebody
No one has to feel alone
We all need some love
You know I need your love
To break these chains around my soul

Only your love
Can free me
Only your love
Can ease me
Only your love
I need it
Only your love
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Let me go
Never let me go
Let me go
Let me go
(Written by Caine/Dallin/Glover/O'Sullivan/Woodward/Youth)


After a year's absence, Bananarama returned to the UK charts in July 1990 with a new image and a brand new sound. 'Only Your Love' was the first single from their fifth studio album 'Pop Life' (the first with Jacquie). Having struggled to produce any satisfactory material with Stock Aitken and Waterman, the girls went to Youth for a more trendy dance-orientated sound to move them firmly into the 1990s. Sampling the Rolling Stones classic 'Sympathy For The Devil', the girls were clearly out to prove they were taking their music more seriously than ever. The result was pure brilliance. Matched with their most eye-catching and high-energy video to date, this should have been their first #1 hit but, as with the best of their singles, it charted at a disappointing #27. Check out this rare performance where you can see how much their performances had improved in this era: