"New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)" (often referred to as simply "New Beginning") is a song by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released as a single in 1986 (their first release on

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

) and was a comeback hit, achieving their highest chart placing for four years.

Overview

Background

The song was written by Mike Myers and Tony Gibber and was produced by Myers along with the group's regular producer Andy Hill. According to the group, the recording of the song took an unusually long time due to the vocal tracks. As well as the group recording their vocals repeatedly, there was also a children's choir and gospel choir used on the track. The musicians in the studio also were used on distant back-up vocals. Member

Cheryl Baker Rita Maria Stroud (''née'' Crudgington; born 8 March 1954), known professionally as Cheryl Baker, is an English singer and television presenter. She was a member of 1980s pop group Bucks Fizz, who won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and now pe ...

remembers one version where Hill instructed them to deliberately sing out of tune, which she found difficult. Many of the vocals were recorded at the newly opened Terminal 24 studios in South London due to its distinctive vocal acoustics. The original mix of the song was completed in February 1986. "New Beginning" (as it is very often more simply referred) was originally recorded a year earlier by Force 8 - who were actually pop group

The Dooleys The Dooleys were a British male–female pop group comprising at its peak eight members – six of them in the Dooley family. The group achieved several UK chart hits between 1977 and 1981, including top-ten hits " Wanted", "Love of My Life" ...

under an assumed name. The theme of the song is one of hope where the narrator talks about building a happier world, with some parts of the song sung in Swahili and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

. The video for the single depicts the group performing the song in a

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...

-type setting backed by dancers and drummers - due to the heavy drum sound on the track.

Release and reception

The song was released in May 1986 and was seen as a comeback single as it was their first release in eight months and featured new member

Shelley Preston Shelley Preston (born 14 May 1964) is a singer who is famous for being a former member of the pop group Bucks Fizz, when she replaced Jay Aston in June 1985. Her biggest hit as a member of the band was the 1986 track " New Beginning", which re ...

who had replaced

Jay Aston Jay Hilda Aston (born 4 May 1961 in Purley, Surrey) is a British singer and occasional songwriter. She was a member of the British pop group Bucks Fizz from 1981 to 1985 and now under The Fizz. She was the youngest member of the group's ori ...

a year earlier. It was also their first release on new record label,

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States ...

after their five-year contract with

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

had finished. The song was notable for its full and lavish production and multi-layered vocal work and received much praise from critics as well as becoming very popular on radio. ''Number One magazine'' said it was another "pop epic by Andy Hill". The song became a big hit in the Summer of 1986. After entering at No.55, the song rose sharply to No.24 becoming instantly their biggest hit for three years. Two weeks later the single entered the top 10 at number eight where it stayed the following week. The song remained on the charts for 10 weeks and became the 93rd biggest-seller of the year. "New Beginning" achieved their highest chart position for four years, but was also their last top 40 hit. The group promoted the song on several television shows including ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'', which Preston recalls as being embarrassing as her costume went missing. While the rest of the group wore the clothes from the videos shoot she was given a very slight leotard to wear. Ultimately she covered herself up with a long-tailed jacket borrowed from a friend. "New Beginning" was followed up by a cover of the Stephen Stills song "

Love The One You're With "Love the One You're With" is a song by folk rock musician Stephen Stills. It was released as the lead single from his debut self-titled studio album in November 1970. The song, inspired by a remark Stills heard from musician Billy Preston, be ...

" and featured on the group's final studio album, '' Writing on the Wall,'' which was released at the end of the year. Several versions of the song have been released. The album version differed slightly from the 7" mix in that member Bobby G features prominently on backing vocals at the end - a version that was used in the video. As well as this, two 12" singles were released: one with an extended version of the song, the other an extended mix by dance producer

Ian Levine Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter, producer, and DJ. A moderniser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of Hi-NRG, he has written and produced records with sales totalling over 40 million. ...

. On the ''Writing on the Wall'' CD re-issue in 2004, a largely instrumental extended version of the song was included as a bonus track. The song remains among the group's most highly regarded work.

Track listing

;7" # "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)" (4.03) # "In Your Eyes" (4.19) ;12" # "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra) (extended version)" (7.30) # "In Your Eyes" (4.19) # "I Need Your Love" (4.40) ;2nd 12" # "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra) (as "New") (

remix)" (9.24) # "In Your Eyes" (4.19) # "I Need Your Love" (4.40) ;3rd 12" 2nd 12" release
/ref> # "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra) (

remix)" (9.24) # "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra) (Ian Levine remix - Dub version)" (8.23) # "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)" (4.03)

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 1986 songs 1986 singles Bucks Fizz songs Polydor Records singles