"1-2-3" is the debut single of British

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

trio

the Chimes ''The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In'', commonly referred to as ''The Chimes'', is a novella written by Charles Dickens and first published in 1844, one year after ''A Christmas Carol''. It is th ...

, written by group members

Pauline Henry Pauline Henry (born 29 January 1961) is a Jamaican-British recording artist. She was the vocalist in the Scottish band the Chimes, best known for their 1990 cover version of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", between 1988 and 19 ...

Mike Peden Michael Peden is a British record producer, remixer and composer, best known for his work with the British musical duo Lighthouse Family. With his former band the Chimes, Peden had a hit single with their version of "I Still Haven't Found What I ...

, and James Locke. Along with the track "Underestimate", their debut single reached number one for two weeks on the US '' Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart and is also their biggest single. "1-2-3" was the Chimes' only ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit, peaking at number 82. Although the song stalled at number 60 in the band's native UK, it found chart success in New Zealand, where it peaked at number four. In 1990, the song was featured on their debut and only album, ''

The Chimes ''The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In'', commonly referred to as ''The Chimes'', is a novella written by Charles Dickens and first published in 1844, one year after ''A Christmas Carol''. It is th ...

''.

Critical reception

Stewart Mason from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

described the song as "meaty acid house". Paul Lester from '' Melody Maker'' felt it "is kinda uptempo, but it ''glides''." A reviewer from '' Music & Media'' commented, "A muscular, square beat, a house-oriented piano and a soulful vocal delivery typify this chart-bound club record." Miranda Sawyer from '' Smash Hits'' noted

's "remarkable voice" and described the song as "classy" in her review of ''

''.

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1989 songs 1989 debut singles Acid house songs CBS Records singles The Chimes (Scottish band) songs Song recordings produced by Nellee Hooper Songs written by Mike Peden