"Just for You" is the fifteenth overall single from British band

M People M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...

. It is the lead single from their fourth album, ''

Fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

'' (1997). Written by

Mike Pickering Mike Pickering (born 21 February 1954) is an English musician and DJ. Career Pickering was a DJ at The Haçienda's Nude and Hot nights, and later Shine. He worked for Factory Records, where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell with Burgundy and ...

, Paul Heard and

Heather Small Heather Margarita Small (born 20 January 1965) is a British soul singer and former lead vocalist of the band M People. Her subsequent debut solo studio album, ''Proud'', was released in 2000. Career 1987–1998: Hot House and M People Small ...

. Produced by M People. It was released on 22 September 1997. The song peaked at number eight 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 ...

Composition

The intro to the song is led by an orchestral string movement, soon combined with a slow strummy guitar and Heather's vocals. "Just for You" is a love song with Heather singing about the exultations of love and the lengths that she would go to always be there; to support, to sacrifice and to guide singing the insistent refrain at the end of every line of the verses: "Just for You".

Promotion

The video was premiered on Friday 12 September 1997 on music channel The Box, a music show called Good Stuff on 23 September and Videotech on

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on 25 September. The band themselves first performed the song live on Chris Evans's Channel 4 show ''

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'' on Friday 19 September and

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on the day of release. They also made their fourteenth promotional appearance on ''

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'' on Friday 26 September and the video was played in full on ''

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'' the next day.

Critical reception

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editor

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described the song as "sweeping orchestrated pop" and noted it as one of the highlights of the ''

'' album. Another editor, Jon O'Brien said it is a "quite lovely acoustic

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

". British magazine ''

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 ...

'' called it "luscious wallpaper with

Small Small may refer to: Science and technology * SMALL, an ALGOL-like programming language * Small (anatomy), the lumbar region of the back * ''Small'' (journal), a nano-science publication * <small>, an HTML element that defines smaller text ...

's elegantly unfussy voice sinking into a sumptuous bed of synthesised strings and

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-lite beats."

Music video

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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Just for You" was shot overnight in Los Angeles over the weekend of 24/25 August 1997. The four main members of the band featured prominently in a coolly-lit disused warehouse. In the fore, is Heather Small, sat on a blue silk draped sofa on a round stage surrounded by cables on the floor and speakers either side, singing the camera up above wearing a black nightdress. Also on the subtly-lit raised stage, is Shovell on drums, Paul Heard on guitar and Mike Pickering on bass guitar. The band are surrounded by a large orchestra playing in front of them strings and flutes adding to the relaxed tempo of the song, with silhouettes of the backing singers. While the band and orchestra play along to the music various creatures are also present: frogs sit on various instruments, crickets climb the face of the flutist, butterflies perch on the violins and worms move through the mixing desk controls adding to the organic nature of the song. Heather is the focus of the video and her eye contact is very much enhanced by her unwavering gaze as she sings and repositions herself on the couch. The cameras, camera men, microphone booms and lighting are all also seen as the video progresses as well as sound monitors and tape recorders are all working away.

Remixes

There were four main remixes that appeared on the single. Firstly by the legendary New York DJ

Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), better known as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music in Chicago during the 1 ...

, a remix by Manchester boys

Rae & Christian Rae & Christian are an English production duo, consisting of Mark Rae and Steve Christian. They are also founders of the Grand Central Records label. History In 1995, Mark Rae fulfilled a long-term dream by founding Grand Central Records in Ma ...

, London's own premiere producers

C-Swing Colin Emmanuel aka C-Swing is an English music producer, remixer and writer who works across most genres including Hip hop, R&B, Alternative and Soul genres. He has produced, remixed or written for the likes of; The Beta Band, Jamelia, KRS-On ...

and Bristol's DJs and producers: Way Out West. Also included on the single are the radio edit and album versions.

Live

When performed live, the song is always performed in the second half of the band's shows, where Heather normally dedicates this song to her son and all the children in the audience. They never perform the album version of the song with the longer second verse, but they do extend the song by creating a "false" ending after what sounds like of the final chorus, only to launch back into the song with an exhilarating and soaring 60-second proclamation as the backing vocalists chant: "Highest mountain, reach the top. Highest mountain, never stop", and Heather belting out "People keep climbing!!" Finally, Heather launches into a call and response: Heather – "I wanna take you..." Audience/backing vocalists – "...Higher!"

Track listings

; CSS # Just for You (Radio Edit) 4.01 # Just for You (Rae + Christian Remix) 6.49 ; 12" Maxi # Just for You (Rae + Christian Remix) 6.49 # Just for You (C-Swing’s Master Mix) 6.45 # Just for You (Knuckles’ Classic Gospel Mix) 9.30 # Just for You (Way Out West Remix) 6.14 ; CD Maxi # Just for You (Radio Edit) 4.01 # Just for You (Rae + Christian Remix) 6.49 # Just for You (C-Swing’s Master Mix) 6.45 # Just for You (Knuckles’ Classic Gospel Mix) 9.30 # Just for You (Way Out West Remix) 6.14 # Just for You (Album Version) 6.00

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Just For You 1997 singles 1997 songs Deconstruction Records singles M People songs Songs written by Heather Small Songs written by Mike Pickering Songs written by Paul Heard