Madness are an English ska band from Camden Town, North London, who formed in 1976. One of the most prominent bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s two-tone ska revival, they continue to perform with six of the seven members of their original line-up. Madness's most successful period was from 1980 to 1986, when the band's songs spent a total of 214 weeks on the UK Singles Chart.
Terence Edward Hall is an English musician and the lead singer of The Specials, and formerly of Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka and Vegas. He has released two solo albums and has also collaborated with many artists including David A. Stewart, Bananarama, Lightning Seeds, Sinéad O'Connor, Stephen Duffy, Dub Pistols, Gorillaz, Damon Albarn, D12, Tricky, Junkie XL, Leila Arab, Lily Allen, Shakespears Sister, Salad, and Nouvelle Vague.
"Perfect Day" is a song written by American musician Lou Reed in 1972. It was originally featured on Transformer, Reed's second post–Velvet Underground solo album, and as a double A-side with his major hit, "Walk on the Wild Side". Its fame was given a boost in the 1990s when it was featured in the 1996 film Trainspotting and after a star-studded version was released as a BBC charity single in 1997, reaching number one in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Norway. Reed re-recorded the song for his 2003 album The Raven.
Louise Gabrielle Bobb, known professionally as Gabrielle, is a British singer and songwriter. Bobb was born in Hackney, London. She released her debut single "Dreams" in 1993 and it topped the UK Singles Chart the same year. Her other singles include "Going Nowhere", "Give Me a Little More Time", "Walk On By" and "If You Ever" – a duet with East 17.
Vengaboys are a Dutch Eurodance music group based in Rotterdam. The group was the creation of Dutch producers Wessel van Diepen and Dennis van den Driesschen. It consists of lead (female) vocalists Kim Sasabone and Denise Post-Van Rijswijk and male vocalists Robin Pors and Donny Latupeirissa. Casting and selection of the performing act 1997–2000 was done by Wendelien van Diepen.
"It's Raining Men" is a song by the American musical duo the Weather Girls from their third studio album Success (1983). It was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 1982 through Columbia Records and CBS Records International. Paul Jabara wrote the song in collaboration with Paul Shaffer, and produced the song in collaboration with Bob Esty. "It's Raining Men" is a Hi-NRG and post-disco that incorporates elements of R&B, soul, and 1970s-style electronic dance music. Its lyrics describe an excitement and enjoyment of many different types of men.
"Mad World" is a 1982 song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Both "Mad World" and its B-side, "Ideas as Opiates", appeared on the band's debut LP The Hurting (1983). This single was also the band's first international success, reaching the Top 40 in several countries in 1982–83.
"Time After Time" is a 1983 song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, co-written with Rob Hyman. It was the second single released from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983), with Hyman contributing backing vocals. The track was produced by Rick Chertoff and released as a single on January 27, 1984. The song became Lauper's first number 1 hit in the U.S. The song was written in the album's final stages, after "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" had been written. The writing began with the title, which Lauper had seen in TV Guide magazine, referring to the science fiction film Time After Time (1979).
"Addicted to Bass" is a song by Josh Abrahams (Puretone) and Amiel Daemion, featuring Daemion on vocals. It reached the top 20 in the Australian charts in 1998. It originally appeared on Abrahams' 1998 album Sweet Distorted Holiday, and was featured again on the 2002 album Stuck in a Groove—credited to Abrahams' alias Puretone. The original release reached number 15 in Australia and number 27 in New Zealand while the 2002 release reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the US Dance Club Songs charts.
"Dreams" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album Rumours (1977). In the United States, "Dreams" was released as the second single from Rumours on 24 March 1977, while in the United Kingdom, the song was released as the third single in June 1977. A stage performance of "Dreams" was used as the promotional music video.
"There Goes the Neighborhood" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. The song, released as the second single from her third studio album, The Globe Sessions (1998), won an award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2001. The single failed to chart in the United States except on the Billboard Triple A chart, where it peaked at number two for three weeks. Conversely, the song became Crow's eighth top-five single in Canada, reaching number four on the RPM Top Singles chart in April 1999. In Europe, the song reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, number 25 in Iceland, number 56 in Sweden, and number 99 in the Netherlands.
"Ready to Go" is a song by Republica, released as a single on 15 April 1996. The original recording was not included on the band's debut album, Republica – two other versions of the song, the US mix and the original mix, were included. This version was later featured on a greatest hits collection, Ready to Go: The Best Of.
"The Letter" is a song written by Wayne Carson that was first recorded by the American rock band the Box Tops in 1967. The song was the group's first and biggest record chart hit, reaching number one in the United States and Canada. It was also an international success and reached the top ten in several other countries.
"Year 3000" is a song performed by British pop punk band Busted. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album Busted (2002).
"You're Not Alone" is a song written by Tim Kellett and Robin Taylor-Firth and performed by Olive on the 1996 album Extra Virgin. First released as a single in August 1996, it found greater success in 1997 in a remixed version, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart that May. The song has been covered by a number of artists, most notably by German trance DJ and producer ATB in 2002, Danish singer-songwriter Mads Langer in 2009, in 2017 by Scotty Boy and Lizzie Curious, and reworked by SaberZ and Zanny Duko in 2020 under the name, "Open Your Mind".
"Where Do You Go" is a song written by Peter Bischof and Franz Reuther. It was first recorded by German Eurodance band La Bouche in 1995 as an album-only song from their Sweet Dreams album. A cover version of the song was recorded by Europop group No Mercy, taken from their debut album, My Promise. On 13 May 1996, it was released as their first single and became a worldwide hit entering the top five in Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a 1976 duet by Elton John and Kiki Dee. It was written by Elton John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Motown style, notably the various duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and singers such as Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston. It should not be confused with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song of the same title recorded in 1965 by Dionne Warwick for the album Here I Am.
"Teardrop" is a song by English trip hop group Massive Attack. Vocals are performed by Elizabeth Fraser, former lead singer of Cocteau Twins, who also wrote the lyrics. A harpsichord-driven track, "Teardrop" was originally set to feature vocals from Madonna, whom Massive Attack turned down in favour of Fraser. It was released as the second single from the group's third studio album, Mezzanine, on 27 April 1998.
"Yesterday's Men" is a song by British band Madness, released in 1985 from their sixth studio album Mad Not Mad. It was written by Graham McPherson and Chris Foreman, and produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. The song spent 7 weeks on the UK Singles Chart peaking at number 18. The song was edited for release as a single, the album version being some thirty seconds longer. A music video was filmed to promote the single, directed by Chris Gabrin.
"Amnesia" is the second single from Chumbawamba's album Tubthumper. The song's lyrics address the sense of betrayal that English leftists felt during the rise of New Labour. Released on 19 January 1998, the song was met with favorable reception from critics, who regarded the song as a highlight from Tubthumper.
