"Here I Go" is a song by Belgian/Dutch
Eurodance group
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited are a Belgian/Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the ...
. It was co-written by band members
Ray Slijngaard
Raymond Lothar Slijngaard (born 28 June 1971) is a Dutch rapper and musician best known as one half of the Eurodance duo 2 Unlimited.
Music career 2 Unlimited (1991–1996)
2 Unlimited is an electronic music project founded in 1991 by Belgian ...
and
Anita Dels and was released in March 1995 as the third single from their third album, ''
Real Things'' (1994). In the United States, the song was released as a
double A-side single with 2 Unlimited's next European single, "
Nothing Like the Rain". "Here I Go" became a top-10 hit in at least five countries: Belgium, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Spain. Its music video was directed by Nigel Simpkiss.
Chart performance
"Here I Go" enjoyed moderate success in Europe, entering the top 10 in Finland (6),
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
(6), Lithuania, the Netherlands (4), and Spain (7). It additionally was a top 20 hit in Austria (17), Denmark (17), Sweden (20) and
Wallonia
Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...
(12), and a top 30 hit in France (25), Germany (22), and the United Kingdom, as well as the
Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 29 in April 1995. In the UK, "Here I Go" was the least successful single release by the band at the time, reaching number 22 during its first week 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 ...
, on 19 March 1995.
On the
UK Dance Chart
The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record s ...
, it reached number 23. Outside Europe, the song charted in Australia and Canada, where it peaked at numbers 80 and 22, respectively.
Critical reception
Larry Flick from ''
Billboard'' wrote, "One of the first act's to merge
hi-NRG
Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...
bounce with
rave aggression may finally have the single that sends 'em all the way to the top of the pops. Male rapping and female vamping collide and happily coexist inside a storm of syncopated beats and blippy synth passages." Gil Robertson IV from ''
Cash Box'' said, "
Rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
/
hip-hop meets
techno
Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
-
dance on this single, which should do well on both rap and dance formats. The music here is thumping, pumping, and more, which should certainly get everyone partying on the dance floor." Caroline Sullivan from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' complimented "a slightly pensive lyric" on the "percussive" track. 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 ...
'' felt that it "stays in familiar Euro techno territory", adding that "a mix from
Alex Party should help it follow the previous 11 into the
Top 20
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...
." In an retrospective review, Pop Rescue described "Here I Go" as "a belter of a track".
James Hamilton from the ''
RM'' Dance Update declared it as "unexpectedly terrific".
Music video
The accompanying
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 device ...
for "Here I Go" was far more arty and modern than previous videos, being shot in black and white with 2 Unlimited performing in a parking house and featuring performance artists on stilts. It was directed by director Nigel Simpkiss and was released in the UK in March 1995. Simpkiss also directed the music videos for "
Let the Beat Control Your Body" and "
The Real Thing The Real Thing or Real Thing may refer to:
Film and television
* The Real Thing (film), ''The Real Thing'' (film) or ''Livers Ain't Cheap'', a 1996 American film
* ''The Real Thing'', a 1980 television documentary by James Burke (science historian) ...
".
Track listings
* European and Australian CD maxi
# "Here I Go" (Radio Edit) (3:16)
# "Here I Go" (X-Out Edit) (3:30)
# "Here I Go" (Dub Down Below) (7:26)
# "Here I Go" (X-Out In Dub) (5:29)
# "Here I Go" (
Alex Party Remix) (4:40)
* UK CD single
# "Here I Go" (Radio Edit)
# "Here I Go" (Alex Party Remix)
# "Here I Go" (X-Out In Club)
# "Here I Go" (Dub Down Below)
* Italian CD single
# "Here I Go" (X-Out Edit) (3:20)
# "Here I Go" (Dub Down Below) (3:33)
# "Here I Go" (Album Version) (7:29)
# "Here I Go" (X-Out In Club) (5:33)
# "Here I Go" (Alex Party Remix) (4:45)
* US CD single
# "Here I Go" (Radio Edit) (3:16)
# "Here I Go" (Album Version) (5:13)
# "Here I Go" (X-Out Edit) (3:30)
* 7-inch single
# "Here I Go" (Radio Edit) (3:16)
# "Here I Go" (X-Out Edit) (3:30)
* Belgian 12-inch maxi
# "Here I Go" (X-Out Edit) (3:30)
# "Here I Go" (Dub Down Below) (7:26)
# "Here I Go" (Album Version) (5:12)
# "Here I Go" (X-Out In Club) (5:29)
# "Here I Go" (Alex Party Remix) (4:40)
* UK 12-inch maxi
# "Here I Go" (X-Out In Club) (5:29)
# "Here I Go" (Album Version) (5:12)
# "Here I Go" (Alex Party Remix) (4:40)
# "Here I Go" (Dub Down Below) (7:26)
* German and Italian 12-inch maxi
# "Here I Go" (X-Out Edit) (3:30)
# "Here I Go" (Dub Down Below) (7:26)
# "Here I Go" (Album Version) (5:12)
# "Here I Go" (X-Out In Club) (5:29)
# "Here I Go" (Alex Party Remix) (4:40)
* French 12-inch maxi
# "Here I Go" (X-Out In Club) (5:29)
# "Here I Go" (Album Version) (5:12)
# "Here I Go" (Alex Party Remix) (4:40)
# "Here I Go" (X-Out Edit) (3:30)
* Spanish 12" maxi
# "Here I Go" (X-Out In Club) (5:29)
# "Here I Go" (X-Out Edit) (3:30)
# "Here I Go" (Alex Party Remix) (4:40)
# "Here I Go" (Dub Down Below) (7:26)
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
1994 songs
1995 singles
2 Unlimited songs
English-language Dutch songs
Pete Waterman Entertainment singles
Songs written by Jean-Paul De Coster
Songs written by Phil Wilde
Songs written by Anita Doth
Songs written by Ray Slijngaard
Byte Records singles
ZYX Music singles
Black-and-white music videos
Music videos directed by Nigel Simpkiss