"You're History" is a song by British-based pop act

Shakespears Sister Shakespears Sister is an alternative pop and rock musical duo based in the United Kingdom that was formed in 1988 by singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama. Shakespears Sister was initially a solo act, but became a duo ...

, released in July 1989 as the second single from their debut album, ''

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...

'' (1989). The song was the first release to present the act as a duo and their first chart hit, reaching number seven in the United Kingdom. Outside the UK, "You're History" reached number five in Finland and entered the top 40 in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.

Background

"You're History" is the first release to present Shakespears Sister as a duo comprising

Siobhan Fahey Siobhan Maire Fahey (; born 10 September 1958) is an Irish singer whose vocal range is a light contralto. She was a founding member of the group Bananarama, who have had ten top-10 hits including the US number one hit single "Venus". She later ...

and

Marcella Detroit Marcella Levy (born June 21, 1952), known professionally as Marcy Levy and (later in her career) Marcella Detroit, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She co-wrote the 1977 Eric Clapton hit "Lay Down Sally" and released her debut al ...

, as opposed to a solo project by Fahey. The single sleeve depicts the two seen from the back with Detroit wielding a guitar; however, an early pressing of the single used an alternate cover depicting only Fahey. Another alternate cover is used for the "Voodoo Remix" single, which is similar to the cover depicting both Fahey and Detroit but features Fahey looking at Detroit instead of straight ahead.

Critical reception

Bill Coleman from ''

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 ...

'' noted the "refreshing hooks" on the song, describing it as "danceable pop with a distinctive edge

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

has the goods to seduce programmers with its infectious charm." Pop Rescue stated that both singers are on "great vocal form", complimenting the producer of the song, adding, "I think that’s partly why it stands out." The ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' called it a, "mildly eccentric and compelling mature pop song".

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 "You're History", the third video directed by English director

Sophie Muller Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 ''Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's son ...

for the group, was the first in which Detroit appeared. The comical video begins with Detroit singing the opening verse of the song in front of a red stage curtain. At the end of the verse, the curtains open and the video continues in a glittering

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

style with Detroit and Fahey superimposed against various backdrops. A variety of dancers (including a group of

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

s), a court jester juggling act, and various musicians also appear in the video, as does Fahey's son, Sam, dressed in a

bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...

costume.

Track listings

* 7-inch and cassette single, European mini-CD single # "You're History" # "Dirty Mind" (live in Leningrad) * CD single # "You're History" # "Heroine" (live in Leningrad) # "Dirty Mind" (live in Leningrad) * 12-inch and Japanese mini-CD single # "You're History" (maximised version) # "Heroine" (live in Leningrad) # "Dirty Mind" (live in Leningrad) * 12-inch "Voodoo Remix" single # "You're History" (Voodoo mix) # "You're History" (7-inch mix) # "Dirty Mind" (live in Leningrad) * Canadian 12-inch single :A1. "You're History" (Voodoo remix) – 6:31 :B1. "You're History" (maximized version) – 6:43 :B2. "You're History" (7-inch edit) – 4:28 * US cassette single :A. "You're History" — 4:27 :B. "Pretty Boy" — 3:38

Personnel

* Siobhan Fahey – vocals * Marcella Detroit – vocals, guitars, keyboards *

Stevie Salas Stevie Salas (born November 17, 1964) is a Native American guitarist, author, television host, music director, record producer, film composer, and former advisor of contemporary music at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. ...

– guitar solo * Alan Moulder – remix * Jimmy Iovine – production * Manu Guiot – remix * Mark McGuire – remix * Richard Feldman – production

Charts

References

{{Shakespears Sister 1989 songs Shakespears Sister songs Songs written by Siobhan Fahey Songs written by Marcella Detroit Song recordings produced by Jimmy Iovine Songs written by Patrick Seymour Songs written by Richard Feldman (songwriter)