"If You Can't Stand the Heat" | ||||
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Single by Bucks Fizz | ||||
from the album Hand Cut | ||||
B-side | "Stepping Out" | |||
Released | 12 November 1982 | |||
Recorded | October 1982 [1] | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3.35 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Andy Hill, Ian Bairnson | |||
Producer(s) | Andy Hill | |||
Bucks Fizz singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
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"If You Can't Stand the Heat" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in November 1982 and became the group's fifth top 10 single in the UK. The song was written by Andy Hill and guitarist Ian Bairnson. It was also produced by Hill.
Written by Andy Hill and Ian Bairnson and produced by Hill, the song became the group's fifth top 10 single (and seventh consecutive top 20 hit), eventually peaking at No.10 in January 1983. [2] [3] It was certified silver by the BPI for sales of over 250,000 in the UK. [4]
The lyrics of the song tell of someone who is manipulative, but when faced with their own medicine, can't handle it, hence the song's title. The song was a change for the group in that it was their first single where the two female members took the lead vocals on the track - according to the group, this was done due to requests from fans. It has also been noted that the faint reggae beat on the track gives it a slight variation on the group's usually straightforward pop. The song received a positive review from Record Mirror magazine, which complimented the song's production values, calling it “Another truly staggering pseudo-dramatic epic”. [5] It was also well received by Smash Hits which said "Bucks Fizz still know how to make really cultured pop singles" while also complimenting the production. [6]
The promotional video depicts a day in the life of Bucks Fizz, beginning with member Jay Aston oversleeping and then joining the rest of the group for rehearsals, press interviews and culminating in a live performance. [7] The live performance was specially shot for the video at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, the audience being made up of fan-club members. The video also features their manager Jill Shirley, tour manager Tony McGrogan and fan-club organiser, Gay Purle.
The song featured on the group's third album, Hand Cut, released in 1983, while an extended 12" remix was released in tandem with the 7". The B-side of the single, "Stepping Out" was written and produced by the group themselves. The single came in two different picture sleeves - both with the same photographs, but with different coloured backgrounds - yellow and orange. [8]
An alternate mix of the song appeared on the group's 2005 compilation The Ultimate Anthology.
7" Vinyl
12" Vinyl
Country | Peak position |
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UK [3] | 10 |
Ireland [9] | 10 |
The Netherlands [10] | 41 |
Germany | 75 |
Australia [11] | 93 |
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the United Kingdom, and was composed by Andy Hill and John Danter. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut single, the group having been formed just two months earlier. Following its win in the contest, the song reached No. 1 in the UK and several other countries, eventually selling in excess of four million copies. It launched the career of the group, who went on to become one of the biggest selling acts of the 1980s and featured on their debut, self-titled album.
Bucks Fizz were an English pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in December 1980 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. They received attention for the dance routine which accompanied the song, in which the male members of the group ripped the female members' outer skirts off to reveal much shorter mini-skirts beneath. The group went on to have a successful career around the world, but the UK remained their biggest market, where they had three No.1 singles with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s. They also had UK Top 10 hits with "Now Those Days Are Gone" (1982), "If You Can't Stand the Heat" (1982), "When We Were Young" (1983) and "New Beginning " (1986). Bucks Fizz have sold over 50 million records worldwide.
Bucks Fizz is the eponymous debut studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 26 July 1981, it features their Eurovision-winning song "Making Your Mind Up" as well as the two follow-up singles "Piece of the Action" and "One of Those Nights". The album was produced by Andy Hill and released on RCA Records. Bucks Fizz has been re-released twice on CD, first in 2004 with bonus tracks and as a two-disc edition in 2015.
Are You Ready is the second studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 26 April 1982 and features the UK No. 1 singles "The Land of Make Believe" and "My Camera Never Lies" as well as the follow-up "Now Those Days Are Gone". It was produced by Andy Hill and released on RCA records. It was the group's most successful album. It went on to be re-released on compact disc three times between 2000 and 2015.
Hand Cut is the third studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 1 March 1983 and features the UK top 20 hits, "If You Can't Stand the Heat" and "Run for Your Life".
I Hear Talk is the fourth studio album by the pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in November 1984, the album featured the singles "Talking in Your Sleep", "Golden Days" and "I Hear Talk".
Writing on the Wall is the fifth and latest studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 24 November 1986 and featured the comeback top ten single "New Beginning ". It was their first and only album to feature then new member Shelley Preston and their only album released on Polydor Records. Despite the album being initially unsuccessful in the charts, it was re-released twice - first in 2004 and again in 2012, both times with different track listings. It was the group's final studio album until The Lost Masters series (2006–2013).
"The Land of Make Believe" is a 1981 single by British band Bucks Fizz. It reached No.1 in the UK in early 1982 - the second single by the band to do so. The song was produced by Andy Hill with music by Hill and lyrics by ex-King Crimson member Peter Sinfield. Despite the apparent sugar-coated style of the song, Sinfield later claimed it was a subtle attack on Margaret Thatcher and her government's policy at the time. "The Land of Make Believe" became a big hit across Europe in early 1982, topping the charts in Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland as well as the UK. The song was later covered by pop band allSTARS* for a 2002 single release.
"My Camera Never Lies" is a 1982 single by pop group Bucks Fizz. It became the group's second consecutive UK number-one in April 1982. The song was written by Andy Hill and Nichola Martin, and was featured on Bucks Fizz's second album Are You Ready.
"Heart of Stone" is a song written by Andy Hill and Pete Sinfield for the band Bucks Fizz in 1988, and recorded by the band at Abbey Road Studios in London. The following year it was recorded by Cher as the title track of her album of the same name.
Andrew Gerard Hill is an English record producer and songwriter who worked with Bucks Fizz and Celine Dion during the 1980s and 1990s.
"When We Were Young" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. The track features lead vocals by band member Jay Aston. The song became their sixth top-ten-hit in the UK and it is one of their biggest hits in Europe.
The Very Best of Bucks Fizz is a compilation album of the hits of pop group Bucks Fizz. The album was released in 2007 and was coupled with a DVD of the group's Promotional Videos. This was the first time the group's videos had been available on DVD. The album reached No.40 in the UK Charts - the first time Bucks Fizz had appeared on the album charts since 1986. Allmusic gave the album a favourable three and a half stars out of five, but commented on the fact that Bucks Fizz were always more successful as a singles band. A review in the Nottingham Post bemoaned the fact that while Bucks Fizz are usually remembered for their Eurovision winner, their later songs were much better, naming "My Camera Never Lies", "I Hear Talk" and "New Beginning" as particularly strong.
The Story So Far is a compilation album by British pop group Bucks Fizz, released in 1988. The album collects together 18 of the group's biggest hit singles spanning the years 1981 to 1988, including their three number ones.
"New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)" (often referred to as simply "New Beginning") is a song by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released as a single in 1986 (their first release on Polydor Records) and was a comeback hit, achieving their highest chart placing for four years.
"Run for Your Life" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was written by Andy Hill and Ian Bairnson and became the group's eighth consecutive top 20 hit in the UK. It featured on the group's third album Hand Cut.
"London Town" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was their first single not to reach the UK top 20, breaking a run of nine consecutive top 20 hits. The song was written and produced by Andy Hill.
"Rules of the Game" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the band's 11th single and released to coincide with their Greatest Hits album. The song featured member Cheryl Baker on lead for the first time as a single and was a frantic production-heavy pop song. It was written by Warren Bacall and produced by Brian Tench and Andy Hill. It fared poorly in the UK Charts, becoming their first single to miss the top 40.
"I Hear Talk" is a 1984 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz, written by Andy Hill and Peter Sinfield, the team responsible for the group's biggest hit in the UK, "The Land of Make Believe". It was also produced by Hill. Released as a single in December 1984, it is the title track from the group's fourth studio album. In 2010, the song was chosen as the first single by the Original Bucks Fizz in a live jazz-style reworking.
"Now Those Days Are Gone" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It became a UK top ten hit in July 1982 and featured on the group's album Are You Ready. The song was nominated for an Ivor Novello award the following year.