| "Fashion Pack" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork for French vinyl release | ||||
| Single by Amanda Lear | ||||
| from the album Never Trust a Pretty Face | ||||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Euro disco | |||
| Length | 5:05 | |||
| Label | Ariola, Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Anthony Monn, Amanda Lear | |||
| Producer(s) | Anthony Monn | |||
| Amanda Lear singles chronology | ||||
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"Fashion Pack" (also known as "Fashion Pack (Studio 54)") is a song by French singer Amanda Lear from her third album Never Trust a Pretty Face , released in 1979 by Ariola Records.
The song was composed and produced by Lear's long-time collaborator, Anthony Monn. Musically, it showcases mainstream disco sound, which in the second half of the 1970s was at the peak of its popularity. The lyrics, written by Amanda Lear, focus on positive aspects of fame and capture the eminence of the Manhattan-based nightclub Studio 54 at the time – hence the subtitle added on the single cover. Name-checked are some of its most famous attendees, such as Andy Warhol, Margaux Hemingway, Francesco Scavullo, Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger and Paloma Picasso. The song references the fashion and celebrity magazines Vogue , Women's Wear Daily , Interview and Ritz , as well as such activities as "travolting", "sniffing" and travelling by Concorde. The second verse of the song tells about Paris and its trendy venues Maxim's, Le Palace and Chez Régine. It also references the names of famous French fashion designers Yves Saint Laurent and Loulou de la Falaise.
"Fashion Pack" was released as the single in 1979 to promote Lear's third studio album, Never Trust a Pretty Face , heavily edited from its original album length of 5:05. The B-side was "Black Holes" on most single releases, "Lili Marleen" in Italy and Japan, "Intellectually" in Canada, and "Forget It" in Russia. "Fashion Pack" was heavily promoted by TV performances and reached the top 40 in charts across Europe. The song remains one of Lear's biggest hits of the disco era.
The singer has re-recorded "Fashion Pack" three times in the later years, first for the 1993 dance comeback album Cadavrexquis . To reflect changing fashions, the new, updated lyrics replaced most names from the original version with artists and designers more relevant to the early 1990s, such as Naomi Campbell, Madonna, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler and Vanessa Paradis. Any references to the 1970s disco era are also removed and Studio 54 is replaced with the word "discothèque".
In 1998, Lear released a new version of the song on the album Back in Your Arms , which mostly consisted of re-recordings of her classic hits. That version retained the subtitle "Studio 54", the characteristic disco arrangement and most of the original lyrics, adding only Claudia Schiffer and Sylvester Stallone. In 2016, she recorded another version for the album Let Me Entertain You . The lyrics included names from first two versions and added Joe Dallesandro, Kate Moss, Chanel and Dior, also mentioning Paris Fashion Week, the magazine Vanity Fair and Instagram.
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| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [2] | 27 |
| France (IFOP) [3] | 28 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) [4] | 50 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [5] | 13 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts) [6] | 24 |
Amanda Lear is a French singer, songwriter, painter, television presenter, actress, and former model.
I Am a Photograph is the debut studio album by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 1977 by West German label Ariola Records. The album was a success on the European market and spawned Lear's first disco hit singles "Blood and Honey", "Tomorrow" and "Queen of Chinatown", the latter available only on the album's re-issue. I Am a Photograph was officially re-released on CD in 2012.
Never Trust a Pretty Face is the third studio album by French singer Amanda Lear, released by the West German label Ariola Records in 1979. The album included notable hit singles "The Sphinx" and "Fashion Pack ", and turned out a commercial and critical success.
Anthony Monn is a German singer, composer, and record producer.
Cadavrexquis is a studio album by French singer Amanda Lear, first released by Chène Music in 1993.
Back in Your Arms is an album by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 1998 by Dig It Int'l, consisting mostly of re-recordings of her greatest hits from the 1970s. Originally released on the Italian market, the album was subsequently re-launched in Germany by BMG-Ariola as Amanda '98 – Follow Me Back in My Arms with a revised track listing.
The Sphinx – Das Beste aus den Jahren 1976–1983 is a compilation box set of recordings by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 2006 by Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
Ieri, oggi is a greatest hits album by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 1982 by Ariola Records.
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"Blood and Honey" is a song performed by French singer Amanda Lear, released as a single in 1976 by Ariola Records and later included on her debut album I Am a Photograph. The song was a chart success in Europe and now remains one of Lear's trademark hits.
"Chinese Walk" is a song by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 2011 by Little Boom Records as the first single from her album I Don't Like Disco.
"Tomorrow" is a song by French singer Amanda Lear from her 1977 album I Am a Photograph, released as a single the same year. The song was a commercial success and remains one of Lear's biggest hits.
"The Sphinx" is a song by French singer Amanda Lear released in 1978 by Ariola Records as the single from her third album Never Trust a Pretty Face.
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