Fairground (song)

"Fairground"
Single by Simply Red
from the album Life
B-side "Remix, live version of other songs"
Released September 18, 1995
Format
Genre Dance-pop
Length
  • 4:23 (Single version)
  • 5:34 (Album version)
Label EastWest
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Simply Red singles chronology
"Lady Godiva's Room"
(1992)		 "Fairground"
(1995)		 "Remembering the First Time"
(1995)

"Lady Godiva's Room"
(1992)		 "Fairground"
(1995)		 "Remembering the First Time"
(1995)
Music video
"Fairground" on YouTube

"Fairground" is a 1995 single released by Simply Red from the album Life. The song makes extensive use of a sample of The Goodmen's "Give It Up".

Critical reception

Music & Media wrote about the song: "Totally different from Hucknall's previous singles but still very much him thanks to the one-in-a -million voice and the trademark composition. The "fairground attraction" of the lead-off single from Life is its percussive arrangement and clubiness."[1]

Music video

The music video (which uses the shorter single version) shows Mick Hucknall driving to and singing at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, Lancashire, that had been closed for the day and had been invaded by a group of his friends and opened up again. The majority of the video was shot on the Pepsi Max Big One and around the park, and some scenes are shot on the Promenade showing the Illuminations in 1994. Filming credits go to the single cameraman, Steven Young.

Chart performance

It was the first and only single by the group to reach No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] It spent four weeks at the top,[2] and fourteen weeks in the Top 40. The track also reached No. 1 in Ireland and made the Top 10 in Germany, Austria and The Netherlands. A remix by Soulshock and Karlin was included on the US single release and received moderate success on R&B Radio, but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2012, "Fairground" was ranked number 47 in NME's list of the 50 best-selling tracks of the 90s, adding: "Shamelessly lifting the clattering samba percussion from The Goodmen's 'Give It Up' (but giving due credit), Mick Hucknall greeted his post-'Stars' future with a mid-tempo ballad that sounded like an on-the-money dance track. Everyone got on board the rollercoaster and Hucknall had a new diamond for his gnasher. Sold: 783,000".[3]

Track listings

CD maxi
  1. "Fairground" (single edit) — 4:23
  2. "Fairground" (extended single mix) — 5:32
  3. "Stars" (live) — 4:12
  4. "The Right Thing" (live) — 4:31
12" maxi
  1. "Fairground" (extended single mix) — 5:32
  2. "Fairground" (too precious remix) — 7:50
  3. "Fairground" (rollo and sister bliss remix) — 9:42
CD maxi - Remixes
  1. "Fairground" (single edit)
  2. "Fairground" (extended single mix)
  3. "Fairground" (in the garden mix)
  4. "Fairground" (too precious remix)
  5. "Fairground" (rollo and sister bliss remix)
CD single
  1. "Fairground" (single edit) — 4:23
  2. "Fairground" (in the garden mix) — 5:32

Charts and sales

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media (16 September 1995, page 10). Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 585. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ↑ "50 best-selling tracks of the '90s". NME (21 May 2012). Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Fairground", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved 18 February 2008)
  5. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (7.10.1995 - 13.10.1995)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  7. ↑ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie Archived 3 June 2009 at WebCite (Retrieved 18 February 2008)
  8. ↑ "Indice per Interprete: S" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Single top 100 over 1995" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  10. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 (24 September 1995-30 September 1995)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  11. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  12. ↑ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved 2 August 2008)
  13. ↑ Billboard Billboard.com (Retrieved 25 July 2009)
  14. ↑
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  15. ↑ 1995 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be Archived 30 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 3 August 2008)
  16. ↑ 1995 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be Archived 14 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 3 August 2008)
  17. ↑ 1995 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com Archived 14 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 30 January 2009)
  18. ↑ 1995 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived 23 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 3 August 2008)
  19. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Fairground')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
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