HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Their success on both pop and dance charts saw them listed in the '' Guinness World Records'' for achieving the world's highest number of chart entries by an all-female group. Between 1982 and 2009, they had 30 singles reach the Top 50 of the
UK 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 ...
. The group's UK top-10 hits include " It Ain't What You Do..." (1982), " Really Saying Something" (1982), " Shy Boy" (1982), " Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" (1983), " Cruel Summer" (1983), " Robert De Niro's Waiting..." (1984), " Love in the First Degree" (1987), " I Want You Back" in 1988 and charity track " Help!" in 1989. In 1986, they had a U.S. number one with another of their UK top-10 hits, a cover of " Venus". In total, they had 11 singles reach the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (1983–1988), including the top-10 hits " Cruel Summer" (1984) and " I Heard a Rumour" (1987). They are associated with the
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
-driven Second British Invasion of the US. The trio performed on " Do They Know It's Christmas?", a UK chart-topping collaborative charity single released in 1984. They topped the Australian ARIA albums chart in June 1988 with ''
Wow! WideOpenWest (doing business as WOW!) is the sixth largest cable operator in the United States with their network passing 3,248,600 homes and businesses. The company offers landline telephone, cable television, and broadband Internet services. ...
'' (1987), and earned Brit Award nominations for Best British Single for " Love in the First Degree", and Best Music Video for their 1988 hit cover of the Supremes single " Nathan Jones". Fahey left the group in 1988 and formed Shakespears Sister, best known for the UK number one " Stay" (1992). She was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan. This line-up had UK top-five hits with "I Want You Back", (1988) and a cover of The Beatles' "Help!" (1989) recorded with comedy duo French and Saunders and comedian Kathy Burke for the charity Comic Relief. They also charted with "
Love, Truth and Honesty "Love, Truth and Honesty" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their first greatest hits album, '' Greatest Hits Collection'' (1988). Co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio, the song was released on 12 Septem ...
" and " Nathan Jones". In 1989, they embarked on their first world tour and had another hit with a new remixed version of "Cruel Summer". In 1990 and 1991, they had top-30 hits with "
Only Your Love "Only Your Love" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama, released as the first single from the group's fifth studio album, '' Pop Life'' (1991). The song was issued several months prior to the release of the album. The ''Pop Life'' ...
", "
Preacher Man "Preacher Man" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It appears on the group's fifth studio album, '' Pop Life'' (1991), and was released as the album's second single. The track was co-written and produced by Youth with additio ...
" and " Long Train Running" and new studio album '' Pop Life'', which featured these singles and a fourth, "
Tripping on Your Love "Tripping on Your Love" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It appears on the group's fifth studio album, '' Pop Life'' (1991), and was released as the album's fourth single in the UK and the first single in the United States. T ...
", which was released soon after the album. After O'Sullivan's late-1991 departure, Dallin and Woodward continued Bananarama as a duo, with further top-30 hits including " Movin' On" (1992), " More, More, More" (1993), "
Move in My Direction "Move in My Direction" is a song written by British musical duo Bananarama, David Clewett, and Ivar Lisinski for Bananarama's ninth studio album, '' Drama'' (2005). The song was produced by Mute 8 and received a mixed reception from music critic ...
" (2005) and " Look on the Floor (Hypnotic Tango) (2005)". Fahey rejoined Bananarama in 2017 and they toured the UK and North America between November that year and August 2018.


Career


1980–1982: Early years

Bananarama formed in September 1980 when teenagers and childhood friends Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward moved from Bristol to London and met Siobhan Fahey. Dallin and Fahey were studying journalism at the London College of Fashion (University of Arts) and Woodward was working at the BBC in Portland Place. Dallin and Woodward were living at the YWCA and were about to be made homeless until Paul Cook, with whom they had become friends after meeting at a club, offered them a place to live above the former Sex Pistols rehearsal room in Denmark Street, Charing Cross. They took their name, in part, from the Roxy Music song "
Pyjamarama ''Pyjamarama'' is a video game for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and the Commodore 64. It features Wally Week as the central character and is the second (after ''Automania'') of a series of games featuring Wally and/or members of his family. ...
". The trio were ardent followers of the punk rock and
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...
music scenes during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They often performed impromptu sets or backing vocals at gigs for such bands as The Monochrome Set, The Professionals, Subway Sect, Iggy Pop, Department S,
The Nipple Erectors ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
and The Jam. In 1981, Bananarama recorded their first demo, " Aie a Mwana", a cover of a song by Black Blood, sung in Swahili. The demo was heard at
Demon Records Demon Music Group (DMG) is a record company owned by BBC Studios that is mainly concerned with back-catalogue rights and re-issuing recordings as compilations on physical media (CDs and vinyl) via supermarkets and specialist stores. History DM ...
, who consequently offered Bananarama their first deal. The song was an underground hit (UK #92) and Bananarama were signed by Decca (later London Records) and remained on the label until 1993. UK music magazine ''
The Face The face is a part of the body, the front of the head. Face may also refer to: Film * ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face'' * ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film * ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antonia ...
'' featured an article on Bananarama after the release of their first single. This caught the attention of ex- Specials member Terry Hall, who invited them to collaborate with his new vocal group
Fun Boy Three Fun Boy Three were an English new wave pop Fun Boy Three Allmusic bio/ref> band, active from 1981 to 1983 and formed by singers Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding after they left the Specials. They released two albums and had sev ...
on their album and the single "
It Ain't What You Do (It's The Way That You Do It) "Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" is a song written by jazz musicians Melvin "Sy" Oliver and James "Trummy" Young. It was first recorded in 1939 by Jimmie Lunceford, Harry James, and Ella Fitzgerald, and again the same year b ...
". In 1982, the song hit the Top 5 in the UK and gave Bananarama their first significant mainstream success. Fun Boy Three then guested on Bananarama's single, " Really Saying Something", later that year.


1982–1985: ''Deep Sea Skiving'' and ''Bananarama''

Bananarama experienced their greatest success during the period 1982 to 1989, with their first three albums primarily produced and co-written with Jolley & Swain. Their debut album, ''
Deep Sea Skiving ''Deep Sea Skiving'' is the debut studio album by British vocal group Bananarama, released in 1983. The album peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver by the BPI. The inner-sleeve of the vinyl release contained nu ...
'' (UK #7, US #63) (1983) contained several hit singles – " Really Saying Something" (UK #5) and " Shy Boy" (UK #4) – and included a cover version of " Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" (UK #5). " Cheers Then" (#45) was released as the third single, with little chart success, but very positive reviews from critics. The band recorded a version of the Sex Pistols' song "No Feelings" in late 1982 for the soundtrack of the British teen-comedy film, '' Party Party''. During 1982 and 1983, Bananarama did several promotional US press tours and TV appearances on '' American Bandstand'' and '' Solid Gold''. Success in the United States came in 1984 with a Top Ten hit " Cruel Summer". Their second album, '' Bananarama'' (UK #16, US #30) (1984) was a more socially conscious effort. The group wanted to be taken more seriously, so they wrote songs that focused on heavier topics. " Hot Line To Heaven" (UK #58) is a stand against the drugs-are-cool culture. Meanwhile, " Rough Justice" (UK #23) was written about Thomas "Kidso" Reilly, the band's road manager and brother of Fahey's boyfriend Jim Reilly (drummer of the Northern Irish punk band Stiff Little Fingers), who was shot and killed by a British soldier in Belfast in August 1983. The album also contained the hit singles, " Robert De Niro's Waiting...," (UK #3) and their first US Top 10 hit, "Cruel Summer" (UK #8, US #9) (1983), which was included in the film '' The Karate Kid.'' The trio also recorded the single, " The Wild Life" (US #70) for a 1984 American film of the same name. In 1984, Bananarama featured on the Band Aid single, " Do They Know It's Christmas?," and were the only artists to appear on both the original 1984 Band Aid and the 1989 Band Aid II versions (Fahey appeared on the 1984 version while O'Sullivan appeared on the 1989 version). 1985 was a quiet transitional year for Bananarama. The single " Do Not Disturb" (UK #31), which would appear on their next album, maintained their public profile.


1986–1987: ''True Confessions'' and international success

1986 saw the release of their third Jolley/Swain album, '' True Confessions''. Later editions contained other tracks and extra production duties by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman known as Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW). The move resulted in the international number one hit, " Venus", (a remake of Shocking Blue's song from 1969, which had been a number 1 hit in 1970). The dance-oriented production typified the SAW approach to pop music. Bananarama had tracked the producers down after hearing " You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive. The song won a Juno Award in Canada for International Single of The Year. Also in 1986, Dallin and Woodward were featured as backing vocalists on two songs on ''Family Album,'' produced by John Lydon. The
music video 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 devic ...
for "Venus" received heavy airplay on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
in the United States. It featured the group in various costumes including a devil, a French temptress, a vampire, and Greek goddesses. The video marked a pivotal shift towards a more glamorous and sexy image, which contrasted with their tomboyish appearances in their earlier work. Follow-up singles " More Than Physical" (UK #41) and "
A Trick of the Night "A Trick of the Night" is a mid-tempo ballad recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It was written and produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain and released as the final single from Bananarama's album '' True Confessions''. The song was re- ...
" (UK #32) were less successful, which unfortunately had less promotion. Woodward was pregnant with her son Thomas at the time and was unable to tour or physically promote the album or its subsequent singles. "More Than Physical" marked the beginning of Bananarama's songwriting relationship with Stock Aitken Waterman. It was a collaborative process that Stock has described as troubled, despite producing a string of hits. “It’s very difficult to be creative if someone’s just going to mock you, or laugh at you,” he said. “With Bananarama it was just awkward, all the time very awkward, and I didn’t feel comfortable writing with them.” During a press tour in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, the group also recorded a song "Riskin' a Romance" featured in the film '' The Secret of My Success'' (1987). The track was notable because it featured Fahey taking lead vocals, and Daryl Hall was the producer. During this trip, the group also re-recorded the vocals for their next UK release "More Than Physical" and "A Trick of the Night" with Mike Stock in Miami. In March 1987, Bananarama participated in the recording of the single " Let It Be" (UK #1) as members of the charity supergroup
Ferry Aid Ferry Aid was a British-American charity supergroup, brought together to record the song " Let It Be" in 1987. The single was released following the Zeebrugge Disaster; on 6 March 1987 the ferry had capsized, killing 193 passengers and crew. ...
. All sales from the single were donated to charity in response to the capsizing of the ferry MS ''Herald of Free Enterprise'', which killed 193 people. Among the featured singers was Woodward, who sang with Nick Kamen.


1987–1988: ''Wow!'' and Fahey's departure

In the wake of the success of "Venus," Bananarama began work on the album ''
Wow! WideOpenWest (doing business as WOW!) is the sixth largest cable operator in the United States with their network passing 3,248,600 homes and businesses. The company offers landline telephone, cable television, and broadband Internet services. ...
'' The group's sound successfully shifted towards dance-oriented Europop under the direction of Pete Waterman, but the creative process on the project was often fraught, with Matt Aitken describing the band's contribution to song writing as minimal. ''Wow!'' was released on 4 September 1987 by London Records. It topped the Australian ARIA album charts for one week in June 1988. " I Heard a Rumour" (UK #14, US #4) was their strongest performing international hit from this album. The track bears notable similarities in part to Michael Fortunati's "
Give Me Up "Give Me Up" is a song by Italian singer Michael Fortunati released as a single in 1986. A pioneering work of Eurobeat, it has since been recorded by several Japanese artists including BaBe, Beni Arashiro, Melon Kinenbi, Yōko Nagayama, Nami Ta ...
", which was released in early 1986. However, producer Mike Stock denied the track was based excessively on that record, insisting "I Heard A Rumor" was simply broadly inspired by Europop trends at the time. "We didn't do sampling... There's no similarity in the lyric, there's no actual similarity in terms of note-for-noteness in the tune," he said. "We were doing Europop." " Love in the First Degree" (UK #3), one of their biggest UK hits, was nominated at the 1988 Brit Awards for best single. Producer Pete Waterman claimed he had to threaten to pull SAW off the ''Wow!'' project in order to force the release of the track as a single, after it was dismissed by the band and label as too commercial. A further single, " I Can't Help It" (which boasted a semi-controversial video featuring the group in a milk bath filled with fruit and half-naked men), was also a hit (UK #20). After the third single from ''Wow!'' was released in early 1988, Fahey – who had married Eurythmics' Dave Stewart – left the group. Her last performance as a member of the group was "Love in the First Degree" at the Brit Awards in February 1988. She would later resurface in the BRIT Award–winning pop duo Shakespears Sister with Marcella Detroit.


1988–1991: Second line-up, ''Greatest Hits'', ''Pop Life'' and world tour

After Fahey's exit, Jacquie O'Sullivan (formerly of the
Shillelagh Sisters The Shillelagh Sisters were a British female group composed of Jacquie O'Sullivan (vocals), Lynder Halpin (double bass), Patricia "Trisha" O'Flynn (saxophone) and Maria "Mitzi" Ryan (drums). Their music style was a mixture of rockabilly and ...
) joined the group in March 1988. The single " I Want You Back" (UK #5) was re-recorded with O'Sullivan, as was The Supremes cover " Nathan Jones" (UK #15) which was nominated for best video at the 1989 Brit Awards. "
Love, Truth and Honesty "Love, Truth and Honesty" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their first greatest hits album, '' Greatest Hits Collection'' (1988). Co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio, the song was released on 12 Septem ...
" (UK #23) was released as a single from their 1988 retrospective compilation, '' Greatest Hits Collection'' (UK #3). At the same time, Bananarama entered the '' Guinness Book of World Records'' as the all-female group who have the most UK chart entries in history, a record they still hold. Initial tensions began to appear within the new lineup around this time, with O'Sullivan complaining that there were no photographs of her displayed at the Soho launch of ''Greatest Hits Collection'', and tour preparation marked by her bandmates' discomfort with her partying lifestyle. As a fundraising charity single for Comic Relief in 1989, Bananarama recorded a cover of
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' song " Help!" with
Lananeeneenoonoo ''French and Saunders'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that originally broadcast on BBC2 from 1987 to 1993, and later on BBC One until 2017. It is ...
(UK #3), a mock girl-group created by British female comedy duo French and Saunders, with fellow comedian Kathy Burke. Also in 1989, the band embarked upon their first world tour, which included shows in North America, East Asia, and the UK. Bananarama's 1991 album, '' Pop Life'', saw Dallin and Woodward's songwriting collaboration with their friend Youth. They worked with a variety of producers including Youth,
Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...
, and
Steve Jolley Steve Jolley (born October 15, 1975) is a retired American soccer defender, who spent ten seasons in Major League Soccer and one in the Premier Development League. Today, Jolley provides color commentary for the New York Red Bull’s games on R ...
of Jolley & Swain. They also incorporated a wider range of musical genres including reggae,
flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura a ...
guitar, and acid house. Singles "
Only Your Love "Only Your Love" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama, released as the first single from the group's fifth studio album, '' Pop Life'' (1991). The song was issued several months prior to the release of the album. The ''Pop Life'' ...
" (UK #27), "
Preacher Man "Preacher Man" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It appears on the group's fifth studio album, '' Pop Life'' (1991), and was released as the album's second single. The track was co-written and produced by Youth with additio ...
" (UK #20), a cover of the Doobie Brothers' " Long Train Running" (UK #30), and "
Tripping on Your Love "Tripping on Your Love" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It appears on the group's fifth studio album, '' Pop Life'' (1991), and was released as the album's fourth single in the UK and the first single in the United States. T ...
" (UK #76) were the group's final releases with O'Sullivan. This album received some of the strongest and most positive reviews of their career.


1992–2001: Duo re-launch, ''Please Yourself'', ''Ultra Violet'' and ''Exotica''

In 1992, Dallin and Woodward returned as a duo and had a UK top 30 hit with " Movin' On" (UK #24), which was the first single from the 1993 album ''
Please Yourself ''Please Yourself'' is the sixth studio album by English pop act Bananarama. It was released on 29 March 1993 by London Records, the group's last release under the label. It is also the first album from Bananarama as a duo – with original me ...
''. Other singles from the album were "Last Thing on My Mind" (UK #71) and a cover of the 1976
Andrea True Connection Andrea Marie Truden (July 26, 1943 – November 7, 2011), better known by her pseudonym Andrea True, was an American pornographic actress and singer from the disco era. In addition to her given name, she had multiple stage names, including Inger ...
song "More, More, More" (UK #24). This album was Bananarama's last one on London Records. Their next offering was 1995's '' Ultra Violet'' (entitled ''I Found Love'' in Japan) on a new label. The album and its three singles — "I Found Love", " Every Shade of Blue", and " Take Me to Your Heart" — were only released in some European countries, North America, Japan, and Australia, but not in Britain. In 1998, Dallin and Woodward asked Fahey to join them to record the track " Waterloo" (a cover of the classic
ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...
song) for the Eurovision celebration ''A Song for Eurotrash'' on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
. However, Fahey made it clear that this was a one-off and that she was not formally rejoining the group. In 1999, Dallin, Woodward, and Fahey were interviewed together for an episode of the BBC music documentary series ''Young Guns Go For It'' dedicated to the group. Jacquie O'Sullivan also took part in the programme. In 2001, Dallin and Woodward, who had been frequently working in France, had recorded the album '' Exotica'' with the French label M6. The album also included a cover of George Michael's "Careless Whisper", Latin- and R&B-influenced dance songs, and reinterpreted versions of their earlier hits.


2002–2006: ''Drama''

By 2002, Bananarama had sold 40 million records worldwide. That year, they released another greatest hits album, '' The Very Best of Bananarama'', in the UK. They also recorded the song "Love Him, Leave Him, Forget Him" for Sky TV's show '' Is Harry on the Boat?'' as well as the song "U R My Baby" for a German disco project. With Siobhan Fahey returning as a special guest for a performance of "Venus", the group celebrated the 20th anniversary of their first hit with a gig at G-A-Y at the
London Astoria The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in the 1970s. After further developme ...
, in front of an audience of 3,000 people. With 1980s retro in vogue, Bananarama made a comeback in the British dance charts in 2005. Solasso remixed their early hit "Really Saying Something." A video was filmed with models from ''
Britain's Next Top Model ''Britain's Next Top Model'' (or ''Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model'' 2011–13), often abbreviated as ''BNTM'', ''BINTM'', or ''Top Model'', is a British-Irish reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of ''Bri ...
'' TV show. In 2005, Dallin and Woodward collaborated with Swedish hit makers Murlyn, writing and recording in Sweden for 6 months to produce the album 'Drama'. The first single "Move in My Direction" reached #14. The second single "Look on the Floor (Hypnotic Tango)" entered and peaked at #26 on the UK charts. In the US on the Billboard Dance Chart, "Look on the Floor" peaked at #2 and "Move in My Direction" reached #14 in July 2006.


2006–2011: Remasters and ''Viva''

Summer 2006 saw the Warner Bros. Records release of ''
The Twelve Inches of Bananarama ''The Twelve Inches of Bananarama'' is a compilation album by English girl group Bananarama, released on 2 October 2006 by Warner Bros. Records. The collection contains twelve remixes of Bananarama songs, spanning the years 1982 to 1991, many ...
'', a compilation of twelve remixes on CD for the first time. The collection includes the rare George Michael remix of "
Tripping on Your Love "Tripping on Your Love" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It appears on the group's fifth studio album, '' Pop Life'' (1991), and was released as the album's fourth single in the UK and the first single in the United States. T ...
", among others. On 19 March 2007, Bananarama's first six studio albums were reissued by Rhino Records on CD with bonus material, including alternative versions, remixes, and B-sides. On 7 May 2007, another best-of collection titled ''
Greatest Hits and More More More English group Bananarama have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, 16 compilation albums, two extended plays, 50 singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles' ...
'' was released by Warner Bros. Records. Dallin and Woodward performed a set along with other 1980s acts at ''Retro Fest'' on 1 September 2007 at Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland. By February 2007, Bananarama were back in the studio recording new material. A cover version of "
Voyage Voyage "Voyage, voyage" () is a song by French singer Desireless, released as the first single from her debut studio album, ''François'' (1989). It was written by Jean-Michel Rivat and Dominique Dubois, and produced by the former. Sung entirely in Fr ...
" was performed at a concert in France. Bananarama also confirmed they were contributing vocals as guest artists on the song "Ultra Violet" (not to be confused with Bananarama's seventh album '' Ultra Violet'') by new dance act Block Rocker, a teaming up of producers/remixers Digital Dog and Ashiva. However, the song never surfaced. In 2008, Bananarama appeared on the ''Here and Now Tour'' with other 1980s artists such as Belinda Carlisle, Paul Young, ABC, and Rick Astley. They also planned to record a new album of disco cover versions and new songs. In August 2008, Bananarama were back in the studio recording a track with Rev Run from
Run-D.M.C. Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...
who had a new album in the pipeline. He wanted to sample " Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" for his track but then decided to ask Dallin and Woodward to sing it instead. The title of the track was not confirmed but was to be credited as be "Run-D.M.C. featuring Bananarama". The song, 'Invincible', credited as Rev Run featuring Bananarama, did not surface until late 2014 on Rev Run's solo album ''Red Rhythm Rewind''. In June 2009, Bananarama performed at the Isle of Wight Festival. In August 2009, they performed at the 80s Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames alongside other '80s acts which included Rick Astley, Belinda Carlisle, and Kim Wilde. The duo also performed at The Manchester Gay Pride Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Bananarama released a new single entitled "
Love Comes "Love Comes" is a song recorded by British girl group Bananarama. It was released on 6 September 2009 as the lead single from their tenth studio album '' Viva''. Song information "Love Comes" was released on 6 September 2009 as digital downlo ...
" (UK #44) and a new album ''
Viva Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * V ...
'' (UK #87) in September 2009. The album was produced by
Ian Masterson Ian Kenneth Masterson is a British media composer, electronic musician and pop producer. Biography Since the early 1990s, he has produced and remixed songs for a range of pop acts including Dannii Minogue, Geri Halliwell, Kylie Minogue, Girls ...
and released through Fascination Records. A second single was released from the album in April 2010, a new remix of the song " Love Don't Live Here" (UK #114) backed by Ian Masterson's 2010 reworking of the 1995 single " Every Shade of Blue" and "The Runner" (originally recorded by The Three Degrees), remixed by Buzz Junkies. Other covers recorded during this period included Bryan Adams' "Run To You", Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence", and Bryan Ferry's "Tokyo Joe". These were included as B-sides to the released singles and as bonus digital tracks to the parent album. In September 2010, Bananarama were back in the studio with producer Ian Masterson, and recorded a Christmas song titled " Baby It's Christmas" (UK #199). The track was written by Dallin and Masterson and was released on 13 December in the UK and Europe as a digital EP. The track was also included on a US digital Christmas compilation entitled ''Super Dance Christmas Party, Volume 3''. "Baby It's Christmas" reached #19 on the UK Indie Singles chart and #199 on the main UK Singles Chart. In April 2011, Bananarama appeared on ITV's hit comedy '' Benidorm'' and performed " Love in the First Degree", " Robert De Niro's Waiting...", and " Movin' On". In October 2011, Bananarama performed at ''Retrolicious 2011'' in Singapore, together with The Human League and Belinda Carlisle. Dallin and Woodward continued to perform live since 2002, with highlights including headlining the festival of the Handover of Hong Kong, The Isle of Wight Festival, and the Singapore Grand Prix. In 2012, they embarked upon a 10-date USA tour for the Pinktober Hard Rock charity and released and EP 'Now or Never'. In 2016, they played a sell-out tour of Australia and as well as dates in Japan.


2012–2016: ''30 Years of Bananarama'' and ''Now or Never''

On 9 July 2012, Warner Music imprint Rhino Records released a greatest hits CD and DVD Collection '' 30 Years of Bananarama'' to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary. The album charted at #62 on the UK Albums Chart. On 9 August 2012, the band performed at the men's final of the beach volleyball at the London Olympics. They performed a medley of " Cruel Summer", " Love in the First Degree" and " Venus". On 28 October 2013, Bananarama's first six albums ''
Deep Sea Skiving ''Deep Sea Skiving'' is the debut studio album by British vocal group Bananarama, released in 1983. The album peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver by the BPI. The inner-sleeve of the vinyl release contained nu ...
'', '' Bananarama'', '' True Confessions'', ''
Wow! WideOpenWest (doing business as WOW!) is the sixth largest cable operator in the United States with their network passing 3,248,600 homes and businesses. The company offers landline telephone, cable television, and broadband Internet services. ...
'', '' Pop Life'' and ''
Please Yourself ''Please Yourself'' is the sixth studio album by English pop act Bananarama. It was released on 29 March 1993 by London Records, the group's last release under the label. It is also the first album from Bananarama as a duo – with original me ...
'' were reissued by Edsel Records, each of them consisting of Deluxe 2CDs plus DVD. Bananarama are also confirmed to perform in 2014 at Let's Rock Bristol! (7 June), Let's Rock Leeds! (21 June) and Let's Rock Southampton! (12 July). On 9 November 2013, Bananarama revealed on the BBC show '' Pointless Celebrities'' that they were recording a new album in Nashville and that it would be influenced by country and pop. In March 2015, Edsel Records released '' Megarama'', a 3 CD collection of remixes that was followed in August with a 33 CD singles collection box set entitled '' In A Bunch'', which contains all single releases from " Aie a Mwana" right through to " More, More, More". In 2016, Bananarama toured Australia in February and showcased their new song "Got to Get Away". On 9 March 2016, Sara confirmed on her Twitter page that Bananarama had signed a new deal with BMG. In November 2016, an excerpt of a song with the working title "Looking For Someone" was posted on the official Twitter page of the band. In December 2016, '' Billboard'' magazine ranked them the 94th most successful dance artist of all time.


2017–present: Original line-up tour, ''In Stereo'', ''Really Saying Something'' and ''Masquerade''

On 23 April 2017 Fahey rejoined Bananarama. The Original Line-up Tour saw them perform 23 sell-out dates across the UK in November and December 2017. They performed many of their hits such as " Nathan Jones", " Robert De Niro's Waiting...", " Cruel Summer", " Really Saying Something", " I Heard A Rumour", " I Can't Help It", " Venus", and " Love in the First Degree" as well as the Shakespears Sister hit " Stay". In February 2018, they played four dates in North America: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York in the United States; and Toronto in Canada. Their performances at London's Eventim Apollo Hammersmith Theatre and Newcastle City Hall were released on CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray through PledgeMusic in July 2018. Their final dates as a trio were in August 2018. In November 2018, Bananarama's first six London albums, ''
Deep Sea Skiving ''Deep Sea Skiving'' is the debut studio album by British vocal group Bananarama, released in 1983. The album peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver by the BPI. The inner-sleeve of the vinyl release contained nu ...
'', '' Bananarama'', '' True Confessions'', ''
Wow! WideOpenWest (doing business as WOW!) is the sixth largest cable operator in the United States with their network passing 3,248,600 homes and businesses. The company offers landline telephone, cable television, and broadband Internet services. ...
'', '' Pop Life'', and ''
Please Yourself ''Please Yourself'' is the sixth studio album by English pop act Bananarama. It was released on 29 March 1993 by London Records, the group's last release under the label. It is also the first album from Bananarama as a duo – with original me ...
'' were released as coloured vinyl and limited-edition cassettes. On 22 December 2018, Dallin and Woodward again appeared as contestants on the Christmas Special of the game show ''Pointless Celebrities'', which featured musical acts with Christmas number one hits. Dallin and Woodward (who had Christmas number ones with the original Band Aid and Band Aid II) won the episode, winning the £2,500 jackpot for their charities of choice. On 19 April 2019, Dallin and Woodward released their new album '' In Stereo'' (UK #29). The first track from the album that served as a taster was "Dance Music", followed by the first official single "Stuff Like That", which was released on 7 March. An accompanying video to the single was directed by Andy Morahan, who had also directed the videos for many former singles from " I Heard a Rumour" to "
Preacher Man "Preacher Man" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It appears on the group's fifth studio album, '' Pop Life'' (1991), and was released as the album's second single. The track was co-written and produced by Youth with additio ...
". On 30 March the album track "Looking for Someone" premiered on ''The Graham Norton Show'' on BBC Radio 2 and was released as the second single from ''In Stereo''. The album was supported by a five-date promo tour in the UK, which later that year was released as a live album entitled ''Live in Stereo''. On 29 October 2020, Dallin and Woodward released their autobiography, entitled ''Really Saying Something''. On 29 April 2022, Dallin and Woodward released the taster track "Favourite" from their twelfth album ''
Masquerade Masquerade or Masquerader may refer to: Events * Masquerade ball, a costumed dance event * Masquerade ceremony, a rite or cultural event in many parts of the world, especially the Caribbean and Africa * Masqueraders, the performers in the West ...
'', which was released on 22 July 2022. On 15 June 2022, the album title track "Masquerade" was released as the first official single, and its music video followed two days later. A second taster track entitled "Velvet Lies" followed on 18 July 2022. On 12 August 2022, "Forever Young" was released as the official second single. On 14 October 2022, "Running With The Night" was released as the official third single.


Awards and nominations

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - ! scope="col" , Award ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Category ! scope="col" , Nominee(s) ! scope="col" , Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable", , - ! scope="row" rowspan=10, Billboard Music Awards , rowspan=6,
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...
, Top Hot 100 Artist , rowspan=3, Themselves , , rowspan=6, , - , Top Dance Club Play Artist , , - , Top Dance Sales Artist , , - , Top Hot 100 Song , rowspan=3, " Venus" , , - , Top Dance Club Play Single , , - , Top Dance Sales Single , , - , rowspan=4, 1987 , Top Hot 100 Artist , rowspan=2, Themselves , , rowspan=4, , - , Top Dance Club Play Artist , , - , Top Hot 100 Song , rowspan=2, " I Heard a Rumour" , , - , Top Dance Club Play Single , , - ! scope="row" rowspan=2, Brit Awards , 1988 ,
British Single of the Year The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
, " Love in the First Degree" , , , - ,
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
, British Video of the Year , " Nathan Jones" , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan=2, Classic Pop Readers' Awards , 2018 , Group of the Year , Themselves , , , - , 2020 , Album of the Year , '' In Stereo'' , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan=2, International Dance Music Awards , rowspan=2, 2007 , Best HiNRG/Euro Dance Track , rowspan=2, " Look on the Floor" , , rowspan=2, , - , Best Dance Music Video , , - ! scope="row", Smash Hits Poll Winners Party , 1989 , Best Group , Themselves , ,


Members


Current members

* Sara Dallin * Keren Woodward


Former members

* Siobhan Fahey * Jacquie O'Sullivan


Timeline

ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:30 PlotArea = left:110 bottom:55 top:05 right:05 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1980 till:31/12/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:01/01/1980 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:01/01/1980 Colors = id:Sara value:Blue id:Keren value:Purple id:Siobhan value:Green id:Jacquie value:Yellow id:album value:black legend:Studio_album id:other value:gray(0.7) legend:Other_significant_release LineData = layer:back at:07/03/1983 color:album at:21/04/1984 color:album at:12/07/1986 color:album at:04/09/1987 color:album at:18/05/1991 color:album at:03/04/1993 color:album at:27/05/1995 color:album at:12/03/2001 color:album at:14/11/2005 color:album at:14/09/2009 color:album at:19/04/2019 color:album at:25/09/2012 color:other at:14/10/1988 color:other BarData = bar:Sara text:"Sara Dallin" bar:Keren text:"Keren Woodward" bar:Siobhan text:"Siobhan Fahey" bar:Jacquie text:"Jacquie O'Sullivan" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4) bar:Sara from:01/01/1980 till:end color:Sara width:11 bar:Keren from:01/01/1980 till:end color:Keren width:11 bar:Siobhan from:01/01/1980 till:01/01/1988 color:Siobhan width:11 bar:Siobhan from:23/04/2017 till:01/08/2018 color:Siobhan width:11 bar:Jacquie from:01/03/1988 till:31/12/1991 color:Jacquie width:11


Discography


Studio albums

*''
Deep Sea Skiving ''Deep Sea Skiving'' is the debut studio album by British vocal group Bananarama, released in 1983. The album peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver by the BPI. The inner-sleeve of the vinyl release contained nu ...
'' (1983) *'' Bananarama'' (1984) *'' True Confessions'' (1986) *''
Wow! WideOpenWest (doing business as WOW!) is the sixth largest cable operator in the United States with their network passing 3,248,600 homes and businesses. The company offers landline telephone, cable television, and broadband Internet services. ...
'' (1987) *'' Pop Life'' (1991) *''
Please Yourself ''Please Yourself'' is the sixth studio album by English pop act Bananarama. It was released on 29 March 1993 by London Records, the group's last release under the label. It is also the first album from Bananarama as a duo – with original me ...
'' (1993) *'' Ultra Violet'' (1995) *'' Exotica'' (2001) *''
Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
'' (2005) *''
Viva Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * V ...
'' (2009) *'' In Stereo'' (2019) *''
Masquerade Masquerade or Masquerader may refer to: Events * Masquerade ball, a costumed dance event * Masquerade ceremony, a rite or cultural event in many parts of the world, especially the Caribbean and Africa * Masqueraders, the performers in the West ...
'' (2022)


Concert tours

* Lovekids Tour (1988) * Bananarama World Tour (1989) * Ultra Violet/Dance Mix 95 Tour (1995–1996) *
Bananarama Australian Tour Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Their ...
(1997) * Bananarama & Culture Club UK Tour (1999) * Drama Tour (2005–2006) * Here and Now Tour (2007–2009) * Viva Tour (2009–2010) * The Bananarama USA Tour (2012) * Europe Tour (2014–2015) * The 2016 Australian Tour (2016) * The Original Line Up UK Tour (2017) * The Original Line Up North America and European Tour (2018) * The 2019 Australian Tour (2019) * In Stereo UK Tour (2019)


List of all record labels

* London Records (UK, USA, and Canada, 1981–1993) *
ZYX Records ZYX Music GmbH & Co. KG is a German record label that was founded in 1971 by Bernhard Mikulski. It is one of the most successful German record labels of the 1980s and 1990s. Until 1992, the label's name was Pop-Import Bernhard Mikulski. The labe ...
(Germany, 1994–1996) * avex trax (Japan, 1995 / Taiwan, 2006) * Quality Records (Canada, 1995) * Mega Records (Denmark, 1995) * DigIt International (Italy, 1995) * Festival Records (Australia, 1995) * Popular Records (Canada 1996) * Curb Records (USA,1996) * M6 Interactions (France, 2000) * A&G Productions (UK, 2004–2006) * The Lab (USA, 2006) *
True North Records True North Records is a Canadian independent record label. History True North Records was founded in Mississauga, Ontario in 1969 by Bernie Finkelstein. By 1971, True North was producing albums for various Canadian musicians, including Bruce Co ...
(Canada, 2006) * Edel Company (Germany, 2006) * EQ Music (Singapore and Malaysia, 2005) * Phantom Imports (Hong Kong, 2006) * Central Station (Australia, 2005) * Pony Canyon (Japan, 2006) * Universal Records (Philippines, 2005) * Blanco y Negro Records (Spain,1995–2006) * Megaliner Records (Russia, 2005) * Nice Records (France, 2007) *
Fascination Records Fascination Records is a United Kingdom-based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as an imprint of Polydor Records. The label was launched in spring of 2006, and is managed by former TOTP Magazine editor Peter Loraine ...
(UK, 2009–2010) * BMG (UK, 2016–19) * Absolute Label Services (UK, 2019–)


See also

* Girl group * List of best-selling girl groups


References


External links


Bananarama official websiteBananarama Community
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1981 British new wave girl groups British Eurodance groups English pop music duos Dance-pop groups Deram Records artists English dance music groups British Hi-NRG groups English new wave musical groups English dance girl groups English pop girl groups London Records artists British musical trios Musical groups from London Polydor Records artists ZYX Music artists Female musical duos Second British Invasion artists