"Love Rendezvous" is a song by British band
M People, released in 1995 as the fourth single from their third album, ''
Bizarre Fruit
''Bizarre Fruit'' is the third album by British dance band M People. It was released on 14 November 1994 and charted and peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart, spending one year on the chart before an expanded version of the album, ''Bizarre ...
''/''
Bizarre Fruit II
''Bizarre Fruit II'' is a reissued and expanded version of M People's 1994 '' Bizarre Fruit'' album, with the single versions of " Search for the Hero" and "Love Rendezvous" in place of the originals, and including the band's cover of the Smal ...
'' (1994). Written by
Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and
Heather Small, and produced by
M People, the song was released on 14 October after the band's world tour. It peaked at number thirty 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 ...
.
Background
Since the release of "
Search for the Hero
"Search for the Hero" is a song by British dance music band M People, released in June 1995 as the third single (remixed) from their third album, '' Bizarre Fruit'' (1994). It is written by bandmembers Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and produce ...
" four months previously, the band had relentlessly continued a world tour, played to sell-out Summer festivals in the UK, Belgium and Sweden. They then created a new radio and master mix for "Love Rendezvous", the fourth single from the album and a new track (the band's live favourite), a cover of
The Small Faces' "
Itchycoo Park". Like "Search for the Hero", the band re-edited the funky ''Bizarre Fruit'' version of "Love Rendezvous" to create a more radio-friendly pop version with the additional trademark sax ad-lib. This would delay the release of the single, which was originally planned for a released on 18 September 1995 but pushed back two weeks. This gave them time to prepare for a re-release of the already double platinum album to a deluxe edition called ''
Bizarre Fruit II
''Bizarre Fruit II'' is a reissued and expanded version of M People's 1994 '' Bizarre Fruit'' album, with the single versions of " Search for the Hero" and "Love Rendezvous" in place of the originals, and including the band's cover of the Smal ...
'', which would feature the same tracks as before, new artwork and the new radio edit of "Search for the Hero" and the new master mixes of "Love Rendezvous" and "
Itchycoo Park" as well as an additional second ''Live and Remixed'' CD.
Composition
The new version of the song became part of M People's signature dance sound and was more typical of their sound in contrast to the softer more serious side of the band as heard on "Search for the Hero"; dancey piano chords, house beats and layers of synths. Lyrically, Heather sings about the arranged meeting with a lover away from everything else. She also namechecks singers Patti Smith ("Patti sang horses") and Stevie Wonder ("Stevie got uptight"). The newer version of this single also features a funky saxophone break in the middle-eight and also during the choruses. What remains from the original are the underlying keyboard sequences in the bridges up to the choruses. The backing vocals use the insistent refrain "Uptight, outta sight" as mentioned on Stevie Wonder's 1966 song "
Uptight (Everything's Alright)", adding to the song's spirit of fun.
M People backing vocalist Paul Johnson also plays a role, singing alongside Snake Davis's funky sax ad-lib during the middle eight.
Release
"Love Rendezvous" was the second M People single to be available on two CD formats following the success of "
Open Your Heart" earlier that year. These CDs were released on 2 October 1995, along with a
12-inch single
The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...
and a
cassette single. The CDs all feature the radio and master mixes of the single. CD1 contains the 'Uno Clio Dub Mix' and the US Remix of "
Search for the Hero
"Search for the Hero" is a song by British dance music band M People, released in June 1995 as the third single (remixed) from their third album, '' Bizarre Fruit'' (1994). It is written by bandmembers Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and produce ...
" by 'Dave Jam' Hall which was released too late to make it onto the last single. CD2 has two further mixes by
K-Klass the 'Klub Mix' and 'Pharmacy Dub'.
The artwork for the single on CD1 is of a bunch of colourful flowers wrapped in paper enscripted with the band's name and title of the single. CD2 is simply a close-up view of the wrapping paper for the flowers without them featured. Both are set against a purple background.
Critical reception
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 ...
'' felt that
Heather Small is best "when backed by
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 an ...
-esque singers", as she is on "Love Rendezvous", "who create a lush, regal ambience." 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 ...
'' described it as a "craftily-arranged number featuring Heather Small's dramatic vocals soaring out over a head-bobbing track, geared to attract instant
EHR/
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
airplay." British magazine ''
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 ...
s ''RM'' Dance Update deemed it a "very classy tune". An editor, Brad Beatnik, gave it three out of five, calling it "a typical M People pop soul track". Another editor,
James Hamilton James Hamilton may refer to:
Dukes
*James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton (1606–1649), heir to the throne of Scotland
* James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712), Scottish nobleman
* James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton (1703–1743), S ...
, viewed it as a "piano and sax-nagged catchy 126bpm inevitable crossover smash". Andrew Harrison from ''
Select'' declared it as a "spry
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
bouncer with
Wigan Casino tang".
Chart performance
The song entered 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 ...
at number 33 with sales of 21,000 copies in its first week and 23,000 copies in its second, causing it to climb one place to peak at number 32. Although it was the fourth consecutive M People single to climb the chart in its second week, it did break the band's eight consecutive Top 10 single run. In the third and fourth week it slid down the chart to number 52 and then to 70, spending just 4 weeks on the chart. This was the lowest selling single from the album ''
Bizarre Fruit
''Bizarre Fruit'' is the third album by British dance band M People. It was released on 14 November 1994 and charted and peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart, spending one year on the chart before an expanded version of the album, ''Bizarre ...
'' and the lowest chart position since "
Colour My Life
"Colour My Life" is a song by British band M People, released as the second single from their first album, '' Northern Soul'' (1991). It was written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. The single was originally released in May 1991 an ...
" charted at number 35 some three years prior, in 1992.
Airplay
Airplay for the song began on 25 September 1995, at which time "Search for the Hero" had become an airplay staple across Europe, but in The UK, it was still in the lower echelons of Top 75 some four months on. In the four weeks prior to airplay "Love Rendezvous" entered the chart at No. 75, scaling to number 36 and then moving to number 23 and then to 15. After its physical release, the single's airplay stalled and peaked at number 9, despite heavy support from Dance stations Kiss and Galaxy, who were heavily rotating the
K-Klass Klub Mix (Radio Edit).
UK radio stations' indifference to the song was compounded by the lower sales chart placing which meant it spent another four weeks falling swiftly out of the chart. It however continued the band's run of nine consecutive top ten airplay hits.
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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for "Love Rendezvous" was filmed over two days on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 August 1995 while the band were on the South American leg of their World tour. Director Matthew Amos and producer Laura Kanerick and the 'Medialab' crew filmed their live show at
Citibank Hall
Qualistage is a music venue, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The venue has a capacity of 8,450 spectators, but can have four different configurations. Located in Barra da Tijuca, it is one of the major show houses of Rio de Janeiro.
Name c ...
which was then known as the "Arena Metropolitan" in front of 6,500 fans. On the first and second days of shooting, the band were filmed amongst the Rio people. Mike, Paul and Shovell are photographed together in the sunshine and there are deliberate football references, with Heather singing separately by day and night amongst locations including the Rio Botanical Gardens. The general theme also features some couples kissing and others running across the city's streets to meet and embrace. There are also views of other great Rio landmarks including the bright yellow trams and Christ the Redeemer, the world's largest Art Deco statue.
Live performances
The band have not performed this single since the Bizarre Fruit Tour and subsequent 'Summer M Parties' of 1996, this is the only single to have not been performed since its release and it was also the only single to not be performed at
The Best of M People
''The Best of M People'' is the first greatest hits album by English dance music band M People, released in 1998. The album contains seventeen tracks, including ten UK top 10 hits and three new songs: "Testify (M People song), Testify", "Dreamin ...
concert in 1998 despite appearing on the accompanying ''
The Best of M People
''The Best of M People'' is the first greatest hits album by English dance music band M People, released in 1998. The album contains seventeen tracks, including ten UK top 10 hits and three new songs: "Testify (M People song), Testify", "Dreamin ...
'' album release in the same year. When released on the second 'best of' compilation ''
Ultimate Collection'' in 2005, the band still left it off the set list on that year's tour.
Other promotion
After returning from their world tour which had followed a summer of performing at Festivals in Ireland, Scotland's
T in the Park, Switzerland and then covering America, Australia and the Far East, the band returned home to work on the deluxe issue of the parent album ''Bizarre Fruit'', which had already gone double platinum, selling in excess of 600,000 copies. Although the band gave the single limited promotion, support from music video channels was strong but the release date was pushed from 16 September 1995 back a whole month. The video was premiered exclusively and in full on
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's The Chart Show on Saturday 30 September 1995.
Track listings
* Cassette
# "Love Rendezvous" (radio mix) – 3:48
# "Love Rendezvous" (Master Mix) – 3:56
* CD 1 maxi
# "Love Rendezvous" (radio mix) – 3:48
# "Love Rendezvous" (Master mix) – 5:53
# "Love Rendezvous" (Uno Clio dub vocal mix) – 8:11
# "Search for the Hero" (Dave 'Jam' Hall – US remix) – 4:14
* CD 2 maxi
# "Love Rendezvous" (radio mix) – 3:48
# "Love Rendezvous" (Master mix) – 5:53
# "Love Rendezvous" (
K Klass Klub mix) – 7:58
# "Love Rendezvous" (Pharmacy dub) – 7:40
* 12-inch maxi
# "Love Rendezvous" (Master mix) – 5:53
# "Love Rendezvous" (Uno Clio dub vocal) – 8:11
# "Love Rendezvous" (K Klass Klub mix) – 7:58
# "Love Rendezvous" (Pharmacy dub) – 7:40
Charts
References
{{Authority control
1995 singles
1995 songs
Deconstruction Records singles
M People songs
Songs written by Mike Pickering
Songs written by Paul Heard