"Renaissance" is a song by British electronic group
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 ...
, released on 28 February 1994 as the fourth and final single from their second album, ''
Elegant Slumming
''Elegant Slumming'' is the second album by the British dance band M People. It was released on 4 October 1993 charting and peaking at number 2 on the UK Album Chart and spent 87 weeks in the Top 75. It re-entered the chart three times in Octo ...
'' (1994). In Australia, it was released as the third single from the album. It was 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 ...
and Paul Heard and produced by M People. The song peaked at number five 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 ...
following the band's first win for Best British Dance Act at the 1994
BRIT Awards
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
.
Background
At the time of "Renaissance"'s release, M People were touring the second leg of their 15-date ''Elegant Slumming'' UK Tour and riding the height of their musical fortunes with their double platinum album. " How Can I Love You More (Mixes)", "
One Night in Heaven
"One Night in Heaven" is a song by British band M People, released as their sixth overall single and the first single from their second album, ''Elegant Slumming'' (1993). Written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, it was released o ...
Don't Look Any Further
"Don't Look Any Further" is a 1984 song by American singer Dennis Edwards featuring Siedah Garrett, and is written by Franne Golde, Dennis Lambert and Duane Hitchings. It is taken from the singer's debut album by the same name and peaked at No. ...
" had already provided them with four consecutive singles and this became their fifth.
Composition
The song features pounding italo-piano chords and is laden with synths alongside an insistent bassline and classic house beat. Lyrically, it is in total contrast to the angry "breaking free" sung in " Moving on Up" to looking forward to coming home to one glorious night when singer
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 ...
promises to "make you scream aloud with joy" – but "there'll be no day there'll be no night".
Critical reception
Irish ''
Evening Herald
''The Herald'' is a nationwide mid-market tabloid newspaper headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and published by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. It is published Monday–Saturday. The newspaper was known as the ''Even ...
'' noted the "thudding pulse" of the song. Ben Thompson from ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' viewed it as "very spirited" and a "potential single". ''
Kingston Informer
Local World Holdings Ltd. was a large regional newspaper publisher in the UK that published around 100 print titles and more than 70 websites. It was formed in 2012 by David Montgomery, a former chief executive of Trinity Mirror, to buy the Dai ...
'' declared it as "a happening tune from a band who can do no wrong at the moment." Howard Cohen from ''
The Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.Music & Media'' wrote that "the
pineapple
The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...
-shaped hairdo of
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 ...
is the eyecatcher in the videos, and her massive voice the focal point for the ears, enjoying a renaissance of '70s disco." Andy Beevers 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 ...
'' named it Pick of the Week in the category of Dance, saying "it looks certain to be another big hit". He added that "this piano-powered track, with its catchy "I'm coming home"
hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
, will be instantly familiar to many as the theme for the student documentary, ''
The Living Soap
''The Living Soap'' was a BBC North fly on the wall documentary series broadcast in 1993, which set out to show the everyday lives of six students sharing a house in Manchester. The six chosen students gave up their privacy for one year in return ...
''."
Chart performance
Out of the nine
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 ...
previous single releases at that point, this single was only the second to chart and peak in its first week (the only other single to do so at that point was predecessor "
Don't Look Any Further
"Don't Look Any Further" is a 1984 song by American singer Dennis Edwards featuring Siedah Garrett, and is written by Franne Golde, Dennis Lambert and Duane Hitchings. It is taken from the singer's debut album by the same name and peaked at No. ...
"). "Renaissance" entered the chart and peaked in its first week at number five with sales of 89,000 copies in its first week, but made a steady descent out of the chart within seven weeks. When "Renaissance" left the chart, it had sold in total 179,000 copies. In the two weeks prior to "Renaissance"'s release, ''
Elegant Slumming
''Elegant Slumming'' is the second album by the British dance band M People. It was released on 4 October 1993 charting and peaking at number 2 on the UK Album Chart and spent 87 weeks in the Top 75. It re-entered the chart three times in Octo ...
'' climbed back into the Top Ten at eight climbing to six once the song had been released, then rising further once again to peak at number four weeks later. For the second time, M People recorded simultaneous single and album Top 10s for two weeks, being at numbers five and six respectively and at six and five respectively the week after in March 1994. "Renaissance" was also used as the theme tune to the BBC2 show "
The Living Soap
''The Living Soap'' was a BBC North fly on the wall documentary series broadcast in 1993, which set out to show the everyday lives of six students sharing a house in Manchester. The six chosen students gave up their privacy for one year in return ...
" which helped the single sales.
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 ...
was filmed in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
in January 1994 while the band promoted the launch of the US version of the album on the Sony label. Directed by Award winning Director of Photography Jeff Baynes for 'Eye Eye Ltd'/'Tatooist International' Production companies; Heather, Mike, Paul and Shovell were filmed together during the choruses with Heather in the driving seat of a classic black convertible American Cadillac with her bandmates as passengers all singing along or in a variety of places such riding in a classic Jag with Heather in the driving seat around the bustling American streets, driving past trams, and along a freeway. Heather has since admitted that at the time she was not qualified to drive and kept turning the wheel in the wrong direction. Other notable landmarks seen include the Park Bowl and Xing seen on the road.
There are also some internal scenes in a studio with Heather dancing and singing to camera with her three bandmates dancing behind her. There are also close-ups on Paul's hands playing chords on the piano and Shovell's drumming.
Live performances
Since its release,
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 ...
have continued to perform this song as their show opener for all their tours to this day, and the refrain "I'm coming..." is what Heather sings off-stage before making her entrance to the instrumental.
Remixes
Remixes of the single were provided by Roger S., Macready, Da Silva and
John Digweed
Thomas John Digweed (born 1 January 1967) is a British DJ and record producer. ''DJ Magazine'' voted him World No 1 DJ in 2001. As well as achieving success as a solo act, he has collaborated with Sasha as Sasha & John Digweed, and with Nick ...
and
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 ...
themselves who also included the original Album mix of the single alongside the Radio Edit and Master Mix.
Airplay
"Renaissance" was serviced to radio three weeks before physical release when "
Don't Look Any Further
"Don't Look Any Further" is a 1984 song by American singer Dennis Edwards featuring Siedah Garrett, and is written by Franne Golde, Dennis Lambert and Duane Hitchings. It is taken from the singer's debut album by the same name and peaked at No. ...
" was still in the Airplay Top 30 from two months earlier. It entered the Top 50 at number 45 then moved up 26 places in its second week to number 19, finally peaking at number 6. The new instrumental, tighter verses and stronger structure plus its use as a theme tune of a popular BBC show, ''
The Living Soap
''The Living Soap'' was a BBC North fly on the wall documentary series broadcast in 1993, which set out to show the everyday lives of six students sharing a house in Manchester. The six chosen students gave up their privacy for one year in return ...
'', all propelled the song's success very quickly.
"Renaissance" has the distinction of being the only ever
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 ...
single to be written and recorded in just one day. This was partly because the band were under pressure from their record label, DeConstruction, to have finished and finalised the album by the end of the Summer 1993. Therefore, the tweaking of the track was essential to become a carefree dance single.
John Digweed
Thomas John Digweed (born 1 January 1967) is a British DJ and record producer. ''DJ Magazine'' voted him World No 1 DJ in 2001. As well as achieving success as a solo act, he has collaborated with Sasha as Sasha & John Digweed, and with Nick ...
's full on mix)
# "Renaissance" ( Roger S. uplifting club mix)
* CD maxi
# "Renaissance" (Radio mix)
# "Renaissance" (M People master mix)
# "Renaissance" (
John Digweed
Thomas John Digweed (born 1 January 1967) is a British DJ and record producer. ''DJ Magazine'' voted him World No 1 DJ in 2001. As well as achieving success as a solo act, he has collaborated with Sasha as Sasha & John Digweed, and with Nick ...
's full on mix)
# "Renaissance" ( Roger S. uplifting club mix)
# "Renaissance" (Album mix)