"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 (1989). The song is written by group members Kevin Saunderson and Paris Grey with Art Forest and James Pennington, while Saunderson produced it. It went to number one on the US BillboardDance Club Play chart for one week and was the first of five releases by the band to reach the top spot.[1] "Big Fun" also peaked at number 50 on the BillboardHot Black Singles chart. In the United Kingdom, it was a top-10 hit, peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
AllMusic editor John Bush described "Big Fun" as a "surprise crossover success" in the United Kingdom.[2]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."[3] 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."[4]
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."[5]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."[6]
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."[7]
Other versions and homages
The song was sampled (and backmasked) in “Just a Techno Groove” by Frank De Wulf under his projects Sounds In Order/Dow Jones in 1989.[citation needed]
German DJ and remixer Gardeweg used portions of this song, along with Inner City's other two singles, "Good Life" and "Paradise," for his 2003 single "All I Want".[citation needed]
At the end of 2014, a new version was recorded by D.O.N.S. and Terri B! on Carrillo Records. This version peaked at number one on the US dance chart.[8]
Rick Astley's 1988 UK top 10 single "Take Me To Your Heart" was heavily inspired by "Big Fun", according to its writer and producer Matt Aitken, who described the track as "a homage", before adding, "You can't copyright a synth pattern."[9]
↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1sted.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN978-951-1-21053-5.
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