Big Fun (Inner City song)

Last updated
"Big Fun"
Big Fun by Inner City US 7-inch vinyl.png
Radio Fun track of the US 7-inch vinyl single
Single by Inner City
from the album Paradise
Released22 August 1988 (1988-08-22) (UK)
Genre
Length3:25
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Kevin Saunderson
Inner City singles chronology
"Big Fun"
(1988)		"Good Life"
(1988)
Music video
"Big Fun" on YouTube

"Big Fun" is a song by American electronic music group Inner City, released in August 1988 by 10 Records and Virgin as the first single from their debut album, Paradise (1988). The song went to number-one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for one week, and was the first of five releases by the band to reach the top spot. [1] [2] "Big Fun" also peaked at number fifty on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. [3] In the UK, it was a top-ten hit, peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. [4]

Contents

Critical reception

AllMusic editor John Bush described "Big Fun" as a "surprise crossover success" in the United Kingdom. [5] Stuart Maconie from NME wrote, "'Big Fun' is a dream of a record. Sparse and alienated but with a heart of pure raspberry ripple. Heard under the right circumstances at around 1am you may well mistake it for the voice of God." [6] Another NME editor, John McCready said, "Kevin's production, the musical input of James Pennington and the smooth vocal stylings of Paris Grey are instinctive." [7]

Impact and legacy

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"Big Fun" by Inner City
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LA Weekly listed "Big Fun" at number seven in their list of "The 20 Best Dance Music Tracks in History" in 2015, saying, "'Big Fun' was electronic dance music's first pop moment. But beyond its obvious commercial impact, 'Big Fun' was also a milestone in the way it mixed a catchy lead vocal and synth hook with what was essentially a techno backing track. Electronic dance music, for better or worse, would never again be a wholly underground phenomenon." [8] Mixmag ranked it as one of "The 30 Best Vocal House Anthems Ever" in 2018, stating that the song "marries Paris Grey's celebratory vocals with Kevin Saunderson's vibrant production that's packed full of fun flourishes. One of the most surefire party-starters in the crate of any DJ." [9]

British public service broadcaster BBC included the song in their ranking of "30 Tracks That Shaped Dance Music Over the Last 30 Years" in 2019. They wrote, "As one of house music's most infectious crossover hits 'Big Fun' was a hit for young dancers and older ravers alike. It transformed dance music from something found in club basements to a genre that could move an entire nation." [10]

Other versions and homages

Charts

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Billboard > Artists / Inner City > Chart History > Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 128.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 275.
  4. 1 2 "Official Charts > Inner City". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  5. ↑ Bush, John. "Inner City - Music Biography" . Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  6. ↑ Maconie, Stuart (3 September 1988). "Singles". NME . p. 15. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  7. ↑ McCready, John (27 August 1988). "Singles". NME . p. 20. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "The 30 best vocal house anthems ever". LA Weekly. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "The 30 best vocal house anthems ever". Mixmag. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  10. ↑ "30 tracks that shaped dance music over the last 30 years". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  11. ↑ "Hot Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  12. ↑ "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 39: Success to S.S. Paparazzi on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  13. ↑ Australian (ARIA) peak provided by ARIA through "response to chart inquiry, received 2014-01-17". Imgur. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  14. 1 2 "Big Fun", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  15. ↑ "Top 25 Dance Singles of '88" (PDF). RPM . Vol. 49, no. 8. 10 December 1988. p. 14. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  16. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  17. ↑ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know > Search results for Inner City". Fireball Media. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  18. ↑ "Indice per Interprete: I". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Inner City — Big Fun" (in Dutch). Top40.nl. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  20. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl > Discografie Inner City" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  21. ↑ "hitparade.ch > Discographie Inner City" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  22. ↑ "Inner City Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  23. ↑ "Inner City Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  24. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Inner City (singles)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  25. ↑ "Top 25 Dance Singles of '88" (PDF). RPM . Vol. 49, no. 10. 24 December 1988. p. 10. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
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