Fun Fun

Fun Fun
Origin Italy
Genres Italo disco, Hi-NRG
Years active 1983–1994
Labels X-Energy Records, Polydor Records
Associated acts Spagna, Advance[1]
Members Francesca Merola (model)
Natalia Rolla (model)
Roberta Servelli (model)
Elena Trastulli (model)
Antonella Pepe (vocals)
Angela Parisi (vocals)
Ivana Spagna (vocals)

Fun Fun were a popular Italian Italo disco musical group during the 1980s. Their hits included "Colour My Love" and "Baila Bolero".[2]

Producers Dario Raimondi and Alvaro Ugolini teamed up with studio vocalists Antonella Pepe, Angela Parisi and Ivana Spagna to create a bouncy, high-energy, dancefloor-friendly sound. Their first release, 1983's "Happy Station", found success in Italy and other parts of Europe, thanks to several extended versions, including the most well known "Scratch" version.[3] It also reached number 1 in South Africa.[4]

Upon receiving invitations for live performances, Raimondi and Ugolini decided to use models for Fun Fun's public image rather than the vocalists themselves, a common tactic used in the European dance music scene by artists like Baltimora and The Real McCoy. Have Fun!, the band's first full album from 1984, featured Francesca Merola and Roberta Servelli as the on-stage faces for the group. Have Fun! featured other popular dance singles, including "Give Me Your Love," "Living In Japan" and the band's oft-covered signature hit "Colour My Love", which became popular in American nightclubs because of its insistent synth bassline and easily mixable percussion intro.

After Have Fun!, Spagna left Fun Fun and started a solo career, returning for occasional lyrical contributions. Fun Fun continued on with Merola and Elena Trastulli (who replaced Servelli) as models and a new musician/producer Larry Pignagnoli, releasing a second album, 1987's Double Fun. Double Fun had several singles, including "Could This Be Love" and a cover of Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'." However, the biggest hit from Double Fun was "Baila Bolero", a Spanish-flavored dance ballad. A megamix featuring most of the group's major hits, the "Mega Hit Mix", was released on a 12" single soon afterward.

Fun Fun tried a new direction in 1989 single "Give Me Love", which had only minimal success. Several years later, the band released its last original song, "I'm Needin' You", in a 90's Eurodance style, to equally minimal success. Since then, the only Fun Fun releases have been best-of compilations or DJ remixes/reconstructions of their previous hits.

Discography

Singles

  • 1983 - Happy Station [No. 11 Germany, No. 1 Belgium, No. 4 Netherlands, No. 1 South Africa]
  • 1984 - Colour My Love [No. 17 Germany, No. 6 Sweden, No. 10 Netherlands, No. 5 South Africa, No. 9 US Dance]
  • 1984 - Give Me Your Love [No. 17 Germany, No. 18 Sweden, No. 25 Netherlands, No. 10 Switzerland, No. 11 US Dance]
  • 1985 - Living in Japan
  • 1985 - Sing Another Song
  • 1985 - Tell Me
  • 1986 - Baila Bolero [No. 22 Germany, No. 16 Switzerland, No. 17 Netherlands, No.13 South Africa, No. 36 US Dance]
  • 1987 - Gimme Some Lovin'
  • 1987 - Could This be Love
  • 1987 - Mega Hit Mix [No. 5 Netherlands]
  • 1989 - Give Me Love [No. 29 US Dance]
  • 1994 - I'm Needin' You

Full albums

  • 1984 - Have Fun!
  • 1987 - Double Fun

Compilations

  • 1991 - The Best of Fun Fun (ZYX Records)
  • 1994 - The Best of Fun Fun (Snake's Music)
  • 1994 - Greatest Fun - The Best of
  • 1996 - The Best of Fun Fun - Color My Love
  • 2003 - The Best of Fun Fun (Discos CNR Chile)
  • 2006 - The Greatest Fun
  • 2017 - Greatest Hits & Remixes

Weekly charts

Chart (1984) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5] 16
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[6] 22
U.S. Cashbox Top 100[7] 16
Canadian RPM Top Singles[8] 27
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary[9] 17
"Color My Love"
Single by Fun Fun
from the album Have Fun!
B-side "Happy Station"
Released 1984
Recorded 1983
Genre Dance, Synth-pop
Length
  • 4:06 (Single Version)
  • 7:22 (Album Version)
Label A&M
Songwriter(s) Francesca Merola
Producer(s) Fun Fun
Fun Fun singles chronology
"Happy Station"
(1983)		 "Color My Love"
(1984)		 "Give Me Your Love"
(1984)

"Happy Station"
(1983)		 "Color My Love"
(1984)		 "Give Me Your Love"
(1984)

Year-end charts

Chart (1984) Rank
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[10] 22
Canada[11] 1

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/artist/45450-Advance
  2. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p201653/charts-awards
  3. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/artist/Fun+Fun
  4. ↑ http://rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(F).html Retrieved 13 March 2014
  5. ↑ http://www.top40db.net/lyrics/?SongID=76211&By=Artist&Match=Silver
  6. ↑ http://www.musicvf.com/top_ac_songs_of_1976
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  8. ↑ https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5082A&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=bdj0mrm865krhd46t8pkp0kis5
  9. ↑ http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5075&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5075.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5075
  10. ↑ http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1984.htm
  11. ↑ https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5173b&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=bdj0mrm865krhd46t8pkp0kis5
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