"Balmes (A Better Life)" is a
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
song by German DJ
Ian Pooley
Ian Pooley (born Ian Pinnekamp in 1973) is a German record producer and DJ. While incorporating samples of various musical genres, Pooley's creations are usually classified as house or tech house with Brazilian influence.
Biography
Pooley's mu ...
. Although an instrumental version of the song was featured on his 2001 album, ''
Since Then'', the single version includes vocals from Canadian singer/songwriter
Esthero
Esthero ( ; born Jenny-Bea Englishman on December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who lives in Los Angeles, California. The name ''Esthero'' refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of hersel ...
. The single version was released in 2001, with an accompanying animated music video.
Upon its release, the song was successful. It was a modest hit in the United Kingdom, where it became Pooley's second Top 75 hit and Esthero's first. The song became Pooley's second-highest peaking chart entry in the UK, and is today his third-highest peaking. The song was also successful on the US Dance Club Songs chart, on which it peaked at number 34 and gave Pooley his only American chart entry to date. It also became Esthero's highest-peaking single on the US dance chart until "O.G. Bitch," which topped the chart 3 years later.
Background
Composition
The song, which is done in
filtered house style, includes flamenco guitars.
The song also features a plucked acoustic guitar.
Canadian singer/songwriter Esthero provides vocals for the single version of the song.
Release
Two versions of the song exist: an instrumental version, which was included on his 2001 album ''Since Then'';
and a single version, which was successful in the United States
and the United Kingdom,
and featured vocals from Canadian singer/songwriter
Esthero
Esthero ( ; born Jenny-Bea Englishman on December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who lives in Los Angeles, California. The name ''Esthero'' refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of hersel ...
.
The single version was also featured as a
hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...
on some editions of ''Since Then''.
A
VHS single
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
, featuring the song's music video, also received limited release.
Reception
Critical
''Billboards Michael Paoletta praised the song as "a fine merging" of house and flamenco guitars, also calling Esthero's vocals "sublime" and adding that the song is "perfect for beach-front, sunset soirees, peak-hour dancefloor action, or 'back to mine' interludes." He also praised Faze Action's "Never Coming Home" remix of the song.
Commercial
The song was modestly successful, charting in the US and the UK.
In the UK, "Balmes" debuted on the
Official Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
at number 65, on the chart dated November 8, 2001. The following week, it slid to number 95, then off of the chart completely. Upon its release, the song became Esthero's only charting single in the UK, and Ian Pooley's second-highest-peaking single. It remains his third highest-peaking single in that country; his only higher-peaking singles are "
900 Degrees," which reached number 57, and "Piha," which reached peaked at number 53.
The song was also a minor hit in the US, going into rotation on
WENU
WENU (1410 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a soft oldies format simulcasting WROW out of Albany. Licensed to South Glens Falls, New York, United States, the station serves the Glens Falls area. Established in 1988 as WSTL, the station is ...
, a college radio station, and entering the American
Dance Club Songs
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart. The song debuted on the Dance Club Songs chart dated September 8, 2001, at number 50. It spent a total of 8 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 34.
It remained Esthero's highest-peaking song on the chart until "O.G. Bitch" topped the chart three years later.
Music video
Background
In June 2001, an accompanying music video, directed by Max Zimmerman and with production by German producers Fiftyeight, was released.
It featured an animated Esthero singing the song, and a man falling asleep in a house, which floats off the ground. The video also features imagery of a dirigible floating through a city.
Release
A
VHS single
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
of the song received release in the UK.
The video went into rotation on
Kiss TV
Kiss TV is a commercial hip-hop and dance music television channel owned by Channel Four Television , with permission to use the Kiss brand from Bauer Media Audio UK. The playlist predominantly consists of old skool and mainstream hip-hop, ...
, a Spanish music video channel.
Track listing
CD Single
#Balmes (A Better Life) (Single Edit) — 3:46
#Balmes (A Better Life) (Never Coming Home Vocal Remix) — 7:04
#Balmes (Original Album Version) — 6:56
Charts
References
External links
Official Music Videoat
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
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Ian Pooley songs
Esthero songs
2001 songs
2001 singles