"Fairground" is a song by British soul and pop band
Simply Red
Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since the ...
, released on 18 September 1995 as the first single from their fifth album, ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' (1995). Co-written and co-produced by frontman
Mick Hucknall
Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career ...
, it makes extensive use of a sample of Dutch duo
the Goodmen
Chocolate Puma are a DJ and music production duo from Haarlem, North Holland, consisting of René ter Horst ("DJ Zki") and Gaston Steenkist ("Dobre"). Their stage names include "Zki & Dobre", "The Good Men", and "The Goodmen".
Zki & Dobre have ...
's 1993 hit "
Give It Up". It became Simply Red's first and only 1 single on 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 ...
, staying at the top for four weeks in September and October 1995, and was also a chart hit in mainland Europe and Australia but failed to generate long-term success in North America.
Background and release
When "Fairground" reached number one on 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 ...
, it had already been released to UK radio stations for almost a month, via satellite with the first promotional copies following a few days later. The single was placed in heavy rotation on top-40 radio stations, which resulted in it reaching the top of the airplay charts. When the single was released to the public on 18 September 1995, it had already been the most played record on British radio.
Composition
Producer
Andy Wright has said that for "Fairground",
Mick Hucknall
Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career ...
wanted to do a Brazilian, carnival-style track. Whilst Mick was at the dentist for two hours, Andy had the idea to sample a record that he knew of: "
Give It Up" by
the Goodmen
Chocolate Puma are a DJ and music production duo from Haarlem, North Holland, consisting of René ter Horst ("DJ Zki") and Gaston Steenkist ("Dobre"). Their stage names include "Zki & Dobre", "The Good Men", and "The Goodmen".
Zki & Dobre have ...
, which in turn samples "Fanfarra (Cabua-le-le)" by
Sérgio Mendes
Sérgio Santos Mendes (; born February 11, 1941) is a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his group Brasil '66. He has over 55 releases and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. He was nominated for ...
. To round out the track,
Fritz McIntyre
Fritz Gerald McIntyre (2 September 1958 – 23 August 2021) was a British musician, most famous for his tenure as keyboard player in the original line-up of Simply Red.
Early life
McIntyre was born in Birmingham in 1958. His father was not ...
played the house-style piano element,
Ian Kirkham
Ian Kirkham (born 9 March 1963 in Preston, Lancashire''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll'' - 3rd Edition) is an English saxophonist, best known for his playing with Simply Red from 1986 until the band retired in 2010. He reprised h ...
used the
EWI (electronic wind instrument) to play the clarinet-style part, and
Andy Wright made the wobbly, dreamy sound heard in the verses.
Critical reception
Swedish newspaper ''
Aftonbladet
''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries.
History and profile
The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...
'' noted the "hot rhythms and odd harmonies" of the song, adding that the
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
"would have needed even more such songs".
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 databas ...
editor William Ruhlmann said that
Mick Hucknall
Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career ...
"opts for a
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
-tinged sound that ends up evoking
Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...
more than
Milton Nascimento
Milton Nascimento (; born October 26, 1942), also known as Bituca, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
He has toured across the world.
Nascimento has won five Grammy Awards, including Best World Music Album for his alb ...
". Another editor, Jon O'Brien deemed the song "a mesmerizing fusion of tribal rhythms and ambient chillout pop".
Larry Flick
Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...
from ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' described it as an "expectedly romantic soul tune", adding that "fueled by his now instantly familiar voice, the track combines old-school warmth with street-smart percussion that is largely derived from samples of "Give It Up" by the
Goodmen. At the core are wonderfully soothing lyrics and a melody that permanently sticks to the brain upon impact." Tom Ewing of
Freaky Trigger
''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2000 ...
commented that it "surprised people at the time, and on the verses at least it's their strangest-sounding single. "Driving down an endless road..." it begins, and that's not at all a bad description of the lonesome vibe here – the odd combination of flowing, tumbling Latin percussion and Hucknall's ruminative vocal, working together to create something genuinely arresting, even haunting."
Pan-European magazine ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...
'' noted that it is "totally different from Hucknall's previous singles but still very much him thanks to the one-in-a-million voice and the trademark composition." They added that "the fairground attraction" of the single is its "percussive arrangement and clubiness." A reviewer from ''
Music Week
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...
'' rated it five out of five, picking it as Single of the Week. The reviewer added, "No wonder radio has leapt on this, a charmingly-delivered song which couples instant commerciality in the tune stakes with a hip tribal backing. Headed straight for the summit." Alan Jones said, "Despite its heavily syncopated underpinning, it is a stylish and straightforward pop song with Mick Hucknall's usual high calibre vocal and an instantly commercial chorus."
James Hamilton from the magazine's ''RM'' Dance Update called it "attractive". ''
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...
s reviewer wrote that the "energetic" song "combines soulful abandon with tribal ecstasy." David Gaskey from ''
The Rice Thresher
''The Rice Thresher'' is the weekly student newspaper of Rice University in Houston, Texas. It was first published in 1916. It has an estimated circulation of 3,000 and is distributed throughout the university and its surrounding areas.
The '' ...
'' described it as "an innovative, futuristic jazz/pop song inspired by a popular fairground outside of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
." Mark Sutherland from ''
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...
'' stated that Hucknall "still has a lovely singing voice". However, he felt the song "sort of tinkles along merrily without really going anywhere."
Chart performance
It was the first and only single by the group to reach No. 1 on 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 ...
.
It spent four weeks at the top and 14 weeks in the top 40.
As of October 2018, the single has sold 718,463 copies according to the
Official Charts Company
The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.
In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...
.
The track also reached No. 1 in Ireland
and Italy
and peaked within the top 10 in more than 10 countries, including Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.
A remix by
Soulshock and Karlin
Soulshock & Karlin is a duo of Danish record producers and songwriters, Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin. They have produced many successful songs, including Monica's "Before You Walk out of My Life", Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel", JoJo' ...
was included on the US single release and received moderate success on
R&B radio but failed to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at No. 14 on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
.
In 2012, "Fairground" was ranked No. 47 in ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
s list of the "50 best-selling tracks of the 90s", adding: "Shamelessly lifting the clattering samba percussion from The Goodmen's '
Give It Up' (but giving due credit), Mick Hucknall greeted his post-'Stars' future with a mid-tempo ballad that sounded like an on-the-money dance track. Everyone got on board the rollercoaster and Hucknall had a new diamond for his gnasher."
Music video
A
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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
was produced to promote the single, directed by Irish filmmaker Michael Geoghegan. The video (which uses the shorter single version) shows
Mick Hucknall
Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career ...
driving in his
Jaguar XK140
The Jaguar XK140 is a sports car manufactured by Jaguar between 1954 and 1957 as the successor to the XK120. Upgrades included more interior space, improved brakes, rack and pinion steering, increased suspension travel, and telescopic shock a ...
to and singing at
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is an amusement park situated on Blackpool's South Shore, in the county of Lancashire, North West England. It operates as a secure facility, and has introduced epayments via smartphones for admission charges, replacin ...
in
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, that had been closed for the day and had been invaded by a group of his friends and opened up again. The majority of the video was shot on the
Pepsi Max Big One
The Big One, formerly known as the Pepsi Max Big One, is a steel roller coaster located at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom. Designed by Ron Toomer and manufactured by Arrow Dynamics, the ride opened to the pub ...
and around the park, and some scenes are shot on the Promenade showing the
Illuminations
Illuminations may refer to:
Shows and festivals
* IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, a nightly fireworks show currently at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort
*'' IllumiNations'', original nightly firework show at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resor ...
in 1994. Filming credits go to the single cameraman, Steven Young.
Track listings
* UK CD1 and Japanese CD single
# "Fairground" (single edit) – 4:23
# "Fairground" (extended single mix) – 5:32
# "
Stars
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...
" (live) – 4:12
# "
The Right Thing" (live) – 4:31
* UK CD2 and Australasian CD single
# "Fairground" (single edit) – 4:23
# "Fairground" (extended single mix) – 5:32
# "Fairground" (In the Garden mix) – 5:32
# "Fairground" (Too Precious remix) – 7:50
# "Fairground" (
Rollo
Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...
and
Sister Bliss
Ayalah Deborah Bentovim (born 30 December 1970), better known by her stage name Sister Bliss, is a British keyboardist, record producer, DJ and songwriter. In the studio, she is best known for her work with Rollo Armstrong as one half of the pr ...
remix) – 9:42
* UK and Australasian cassette single
# "Fairground" (single edit) – 4:23
# "Fairground" (extended single mix) – 5:32
* European CD single
# "Fairground" (single edit) – 4:23
# "Fairground" (In the Garden mix) – 5:32
* US CD single
# "Fairground" (single edit)
# "Fairground" (Rollo and Sister Bliss remix)
# "Fairground" (Too Precious remix)
# "Fairground" (Soul Power mix)
# Snippets ("Hillside Avenue", "You Make Me Believe", "
Never Never Love")
* US cassette single
# "Fairground" (single edit)
# Snippets ("Hillside Avenue", "You Make Me Believe", "Never Never Love")
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Release history
References
{{Authority control
1995 singles
1995 songs
East West Records singles
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Music videos directed by Michael Geoghegan
Number-one singles in Italy
Number-one singles in Scotland
Simply Red songs
Songs written by Mick Hucknall
UK Singles Chart number-one singles