"I've Been Thinking About You" is a song by British-American band

Londonbeat Londonbeat is a British dance-pop band who scored a number of pop and dance hits in the early 1990s. Band members are American Jimmy Helms (who also had a successful solo career and sang radio jingles for Radio Hallam and Hereward Radio in the ...

from their second studio album, '' In the Blood'' (1990), produced by record producer Martyn Phillips. It was written by band members Jimmy Chambers, George Chandler, Jimmy Helms, and William Henshall. Released in 1990 as the first single from the album, it became a major worldwide hit, reaching the number-one spot in more than 10 countries—including Australia, Canada, Germany and the United States—and peaking at number two 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 ...

Critical reception

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 ...

editor Jim Smith described the song as "soulful dance", adding that

's "pleasant harmonies and pumping flow are undeniably catchy." Another editor, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it "dazzling". David Taylor-Wilson from ''

Bay Area Reporter The ''Bay Area Reporter'' is a free weekly newspaper serving the LGBT communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is one of the largest-circulation LGBT newspapers in the United States, and the country's oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' noted it as "infectious", stating that the band "blends Motownlike harmonies with dance grooves that incorporate ’70s funk rhythms". A reviewer from '' Billboard'' complimented its "tasty blend of retro- R&B harmonies, modern dance grooves, and an unshakable pop hook." Marisa Fox from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' noted its "hypnotically catchy chorus, sweet harmonies, and slow, rollicking beat." Dave Sholin from the '' Gavin Report'' commented, "It's always a treat when a song comes along that I can't wait to review. Impossible not to detect a

Fine Young Cannibals Fine Young Cannibals (FYC) was a British pop rock band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1984, by bassist David Steele, guitarist Andy Cox (both formerly of The Beat), and singer Roland Gift (formerly of the Akrylykz). Their self-titled 1985 ...

influence on this production that's been the biggest buzz record for the past couple of weeks." He added further, "An international smash that's gone to #1 in no less than eleven countries, it's destined to win over audiences in the U.S.A., too. Top 40 radio is in dire need of more music like this!" Pan-European magazine '' Music & Media'' wrote that a " C&W-tinged pop number underpins the band's characteristic massed

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

vocal style complete with jangling, melodic guitars and the sort of chorus which they patently lacked on their debut LP '' Speak''. The first release from the forthcoming second LP '' In the Blood'' shows a definite maturity." David Giles 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 ...

'' noted that "they've taken note of dancefloor developments and ditched the go go based rhythms of old for a deep-rooted funkiness and R&B influenced vocal." Ian Cranna from '' Smash Hits'' said the track sounded like Fine Young Cannibals and the rhythm is "straight out of the Stock, Aitken & Watermans book of bounciness."

Chart performance

"I've Been Thinking About You" was very successful on the charts all over the world and remains the band's biggest hit to date. In Europe, it peaked at number-one in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. Additionally, the single reached number two in Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it peaked in its sixth week at the

, on September 30, 1990. It was held off reaching the top spot by

Maria McKee Maria Luisa McKee (born August 17, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her work with Lone Justice, her 1990 song " Show Me Heaven", and her song "If Love Is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags)" from the film ''Pulp Fiction'' ...

's "

Show Me Heaven "Show Me Heaven" is a power ballad written by American singer and songwriter Maria McKee, Eric Rackin and Jay Rifkin, and recorded by McKee for the soundtrack to the Tom Cruise film ''Days of Thunder'', released in June 1990. Produced by Peter ...

". It was also a Top 10 hit in Denmark, Greece and Ireland. Outside Europe, "I've Been Thinking About You" hit number-one also on both the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 and the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play 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 th ...

chart in the United States, the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Top Singles chart in Canada, and in Australia, Israel and Zimbabwe. It was awarded with a

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in Austria, Germany and the US, a silver record in the UK and a platinum record in Australia, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Impact and legacy

Australian music channel Max included the song in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2013. '' Billboard'' placed "I've Been Thinking About You" at number 158 in their ranking of "''Billboard''s Top Songs of the '90s" in 2019.

Track listing and formats

7" single # "I've Been Thinking About You" – 3:49 # "9 A.M." (live at Moles) – 5:49 CD maxi # "I've Been Thinking About You" (7" version) – 3:49 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (c'est wot mix) – 5:38 # "9AM" (live at Moles) – 5:49 CD maxi – US # "I've Been Thinking About You" (def 12" mix) – 6:50 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (red zone mix) – 4:42 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (reprise) – 1:33 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (vocal dub) – 5:50 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (the eclipse mix) – 4:12 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (trak mix) – 3:05 CD single # "I've Been Thinking About You" – 3:49 # "9AM" (live at Moles) – 5:49 12" maxi # "I've Been Thinking About You" (c'est wot mix) # "I've Been Thinking About You" (force feel dub mix) # "I've Been Thinking About You" (7" version) 12" maxi # "I've Been Thinking About You" (extended club mix) # "I've Been Thinking About You" (radio edit) # "I've Been Thinking About You" (instrumental) # "I've Been Thinking About You" (dub) Cassette # "I've Been Thinking About You" (def 12" mix) – 6:50 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (red zone mix) – 4:42 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (reprise) – 1:33 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (vocal dub) – 5:50 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (the eclipse mix) – 4:12 # "I've Been Thinking About You" (trak mix) – 3:05

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions and samples

* In 1991 a cover of the song was released by Camille on Martru Records. Her version was released again in 1991 on the compilation album ''Micmac Dance Party'' on Micmac Records. * In 1992,

Dur-Dur Band Dur-Dur Band was a musical group from Mogadishu, Somalia. The band was formed in the 1980s and was one of the most well-known acts on the Mogadishu disco scene at the time. The band later performed and recorded based in neighbouring Ethiopia. The ...

from Somalia released a cover version of the song called "Ethiopian Girl". * In 1993,

Dino Merlin Edin Dervišhalidović (; born 12 September 1962), known professionally as Dino Merlin (), is a Bosnian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. Born in Sarajevo, he was the founder and leader of Merlin, which eventually became one of ...

sampled the beat for his single "Vojnik Sreće" * In 2004, part of the song was

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

and prominently featured in the song " Physical" recorded by Alcazar. * In 2016 South African

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

live band Goodluck released a cover version. * In 2017 Dutch lo-fi pop band Bounty Island released a cover version of the song on their EP ''Forbidden Dance''. * In 2019, German DJ/producer,

Klaas Klaas is a Dutch male given and surname. It is the Dutch short form of Nicholas, a Greek name ultimately meaning ''victory of the people''. A traditionally common name in the Netherlands, its popularity declined some 20-fold since 1950.

remixed a version of the song featuring newly recorded vocals from Londonbeat.

References

External links