Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, which featured cut-up samples of hip-hop, soul, funk, spoken word and various other types of music, as well as video and multimedia. According to Spin, "in '87 Coldcut pioneered the British fad for 'DJ records'".
"No Limit" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance group 2 Unlimited, released in January 1993 by Byte, ZYX and PWL. It was their fifth single in total and the first to be released from their second album, No Limits! (1993). Co-written by the group's Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, the song became one of their most commercially successful singles, especially in Europe, reaching the number-one spot in 35 countries and the top 10 in several others. Like previous releases, the UK version of the single removed all of the raps from Slijngaard, leaving just Dels' vocals. One word from the rap was kept, the word 'Techno' which was looped and repeated during the middle of the song, turning the line into "Techno! Techno! Techno! Techno!" and giving the song an extra vocal hook. Its accompanying music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.
Yazz is a British pop singer, who remains perhaps best known for her 1988 UK number one single "The Only Way Is Up". Some of her records are credited to Yazz and the Plastic Population.
"Pump Up the Volume" is the only single by British recording act M|A|R|R|S. Recorded and released in 1987, it was a number-one hit in many countries and is regarded as a significant milestone in the development of British house music and music sampling. The song derives its title directly from a lyrical sample from "I Know You Got Soul", a hit single by labelmates Eric B. & Rakim, released months prior in that same year.
"Hot Hot Hot!!!" is a single by British rock band the Cure released on 8 February 1988. It is taken from their 1987 album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. The song reached number 45 in the UK, whereas it was more successful in Ireland where it reached number 18, and in Spain where it reached the Top 10.
"Doctorin' the Tardis" is a novelty single by the Timelords. The song is predominantly a mash-up of the Doctor Who theme music and Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll" with sections from "Block Buster!" by The Sweet. The single was not well received by critics but was a commercial success, hitting number one on the UK and New Zealand singles charts, and reaching the top 10 in Australia, Finland, Ireland and Norway.
"Never Gonna Give You Up" is a pop song by English singer Rick Astley, released on 27 July 1987. The song is widely regarded as Astley's most popular, as well as his signature song, and it is often played at the end of his live concerts. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was released by RCA Records as the first single from Astley's debut studio album, Whenever You Need Somebody (1987), with a music video directed by Simon West.
"The Only Way Is Up" is a song written by George Jackson and Johnny Henderson and originally released in 1980 as a single by American soul singer Otis Clay. In 1988, it became a chart-topping single in the United Kingdom for Yazz and the Plastic Population. The song is used as the theme tune to the popular ITV2/ITVBe reality television series The Only Way Is Essex.
This is a summary of 1988 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
"Such a Shame" is a song written by Mark Hollis for the English band Talk Talk's second album It's My Life (1984). It was released as the album's second single and went on to become a top 10 hit across Europe.
"Are You Ready to Fly" is a song by Zambian-born singer Rozalla, released in February 1992 by Pulse 8 as a single from her second album, Everybody's Free (1992). The song was written by Nigel Swanston and Tim Cox, and produced by Band of Gypsies. It achieved a certain success in many countries, including the United States, where it topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and was also a hit across continental Europe, peaking within the top five in Belgium, Denmark and Spain. New York City-based director Ed Steinberg directed its music video. The song won an award in the category "Best Single of the Year" on the 1993 Hi-NRG Music Awards in New York.
"Stand Up for Your Love Rights" is a song performed by British pop singer Yazz. It is the follow-up single to her successful single "The Only Way Is Up" and was released in October 1988 as the second single from her debut album, Wanted (1988). The song was a hit in several European countries, peaking at number one in both Finland and Ireland. Additionally, it reached the top 10 in Belgium, Denmark, West Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Outside Europe, the song hit number five on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, number eight in New Zealand and number 22 in Australia.
"It's My Life" is a song by Nigerian-Swedish recording artist Dr. Alban. It was released by SweMix in February 1992 in Sweden as the first single from his second studio album, One Love (1992). Produced by Denniz PoP, who also co-wrote the song with Alban, it was a hit in most of the European countries where it was released, peaking at number one in Sweden, Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium and number two in the British countries. In France, the song was marketed twice: first in 1992, then in 1993 because the song was used in a TV advert for Tampax tampons, thus giving to the single a second career. The song had enough airplay on US college radio stations to chart on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks in 1992. "It's My Life" was re-released in 1994 in Australia, following the success of "Sing Hallelujah!".
"Sing Hallelujah!" is a song recorded by Sweden-based musician and producer Dr. Alban, released in 1993 as the third single from his second studio album, One Love (1992). Been described as an "discothèques anthem with dance and disco sonorities", the song, written by Alban with its producer, Denniz Pop, became a hit in many European countries. It was a top-5 hit in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland and Switzerland. In the UK, it peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. Its accompanying music video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe. In 2005, "Sing Hallelujah!" charted again when it was re-recorded by the artist in new versions, peaking at number 12 in Finland.
"People Hold On" is a song by British band Coldcut and singer-songwriter Lisa Stansfield, released as the first single from the band's debut album, What's That Noise? (1989). It was written by Matt Black, Jonathan More and Stansfield, and produced by Coldcut. The song received positive reviews from music critics and became a commercial success. It was released as a single on 13 March 1989 by label Ahead of Our Time and reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart and number six on the US Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The song was remixed by Blaze, Juan Atkins, Dimitri from Paris, Mark Saunders, Eric Kupper, Tyrone Perkins and Masters at Work. A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Big TV!.
Now That's What I Call 80s Dance or Now 80s Dance is a triple-disc compilation album which was released in the United Kingdom on 14 October 2013. It includes nearly 60 of the biggest dance anthems of the 1980s era.
"Cult of Snap" is a song recorded by German Eurodance group Snap!. It was released in September 1990 as the third single from their debut studio album, World Power (1990). The song reached No. 1 in Spain for four weeks and it also peaked at No. 2 in Austria and Zimbabwe. Snap! performed the song on the British TV show Top of the Pops.
"Mary Had a Little Boy" is a song recorded by German Eurodance group Snap!, released in December 1990 by Logic Records as the fourth and final single from their debut studio album, World Power (1990). The song features vocals by Penny Ford, who also co-wrote the lyrics, and reached number-one in Zimbabwe and on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada. Its lyrics are based on the nineteenth century nursery rhyme, Mary Had a Little Lamb. The chorus includes the line "Mary had a little boy, little did she know; and everywhere that Mary went, the little boy was sure to go". The music video for the song was directed by James Hudson and filmed in London. The song was re-recorded and included on their 2003 remix album The Cult of Snap! featuring Milky & 2NF.
"Missing You" is a song by British Contemporary R&B band Soul II Soul, released in November 1990 as the fourth and last single from their second album, Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade (1990). It features American singer-songwriter Kym Mazelle on lead vocals and Lamya on background vocals. It was a top 30 hit in Ireland and the UK. Outside Europe, it peaked at number nine in Zimbabwe, number 39 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in the US and number 166 in Australia. A black-and-white music video was produced to promote the single. It shows Mazelle and Jazzie B dancing together on a dancefloor while performing it.
