"Sunchyme" is the debut single of British electronic music trio

Dario G Dario G is the stage name of English musician Paul Spencer. Dario G was originally a trio, who are best known for their 1997 hit " Sunchyme", which reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The group formed in Cheshire, England and consisted of ...

. It was released on 15 September 1997 as the lead single from their debut studio album, '' Sunmachine'' (1998), although early editions were stated to be from an album named ''Super Dario Land''. The song heavily samples the track "

Life in a Northern Town "Life in a Northern Town" is the debut single by British band the Dream Academy, released in March 1985. It is from their self-titled debut studio album ''The Dream Academy''. The song was written as an elegy to British folk musician Nick Drake ...

" by

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

band

the Dream Academy The Dream Academy were a British band consisting of singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes, multi-instrumentalist (chiefly oboe, cor anglais player) Kate St John, and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. The band is most noted for their 1985 hit singles "L ...

. The song reached top-five positions in many European music charts. It also topped the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Dance Club Songs 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 t ...

chart following its American release in May 1998. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked 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 ...

whilst

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

's "

Candle in the Wind 1997 "Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose" and "Candle in the Wind '97", is a song by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song "Candle in the Wind" ...

" was at number one. This was the largest difference in sales between a number-one and number-two song on the chart. The English football club

F.C. Halifax Town FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in and play at the Shay. They replaced Halifax Town A.F.C., which went into administration in the 2007–08 season. ...

plays the song before home games at

The Shay The Shay is a sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium is owned by Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council and leased by the Shay Stadium Trust, a not-for-profit company set up to preserve the ground as a sports stadiu ...

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

'' wrote, "Import enthusiasts are already well-aware of this spunky, Euro-splashed instrumental, which draws its hook from

Dream Academy The Dream Academy were a British band consisting of singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes, multi-instrumentalist (chiefly oboe, cor anglais player) Kate St John, and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. The band is most noted for their 1985 hit singles " ...

's 1985 hit '

Life In A Northern Town "Life in a Northern Town" is the debut single by British band the Dream Academy, released in March 1985. It is from their self-titled debut studio album ''The Dream Academy''. The song was written as an elegy to British folk musician Nick Drake ...

'. First heard several months ago on the U.K.'s

Eternal Records Eternal Records was a British imprint of Warner Bros. Records. Originally formed in the early 1980s as an imprint for various genres such as post-punk and new wave, it was later relaunched in the mid-1990s as an electronic/Eurodance imprint. T ...

, this track is already making the rounds on crossover radio stations and mix shows." He concluded with that it "has the juice to become a massive top 40 hit." A reviewer 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 ...

'' gave "Sunchyme" four out of five, noting that "this catchy, uplifting

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 ...

track is already attracting heavy airplay from Radio One and

Capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

, and is guaranteed to cross over into chartsuccess." The magazine's Alan Jones declared it as "a gem, with the potential to go to the very top." Tim Jeffery from the '' RM'' Dance Update rated the song five out of five, viewing it as "unashamed

pop dance Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

at its simplest and best". He added, "It'll have virtually everyone wincing and complaining that it's nothing to do with the "proper" dance scene while they observe entire clubs with their hands raised, belting out the chorus and generally going potty. Love it or loath it, you'll be hearing this from now until Christmas, and even beyond."

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 the song features a tribe of African people having their bodies covered with colourful paint to portray the animals of their native land (as well as

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

s, which are not native to Africa). Later, they jump into a river to wash away the paint.

Track listings

* UK, US, and Australian CD single # "Sunchyme" (radio edit) – 3:54 # "Sunchyme" (original) – 8:28 # "Chyme" – 3:39 * UK cassette single # "Sunchyme" (radio edit) – 3:54 # "Chyme" – 3:39 # "Sunchyme" (The Boy Dunne Good edit) – 4:23 * UK 12-inch single :A. "Sunchyme" (original) – 8:28 :AA. "Sunchyme" (remapped by Coloured Oxygen) – 12:28 * European CD single # "Sunchyme" (radio edit) – 3:54 # "Sunchyme" (original) – 8:28

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1997 songs 1997 debut singles Dario G songs Number-one singles in Hungary Songs written by Nick Laird-Clowes