| "Mr Haze" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Texas | ||||
| from the album Hi | ||||
| Released | 6 April 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2020–2021 | |||
| Genre | Soul, Dance-rock | |||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | BMG | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Texas singles chronology | ||||
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"Mr Haze" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, released in April 2021 as the second single from their tenth studio album Hi (2021). The song features a sample of Donna Summer's 1977 hit "Love's Unkind", and, as a result, Summer is credited as a co-writer. [1]
The song was written by Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte, Donna Summer, Robert Hodgens, Sharleen Spiteri, Johnny McElhone and Jack McElhone. The song was written and recorded during a number of recording sessions during the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic during various sessions in Scotland, Wales, the United States and Sweden. [2]
The song is described as a "soul soaked" Motown-inspired track, paying tribute to Donna Summer's influence by using a sample. Speaking about the inspiration and background for the song, lead singer Sharleen Spiteri said "Our excitement at finding this treasure trove of songs collided with our excitement back then and, unplanned, new songs started coming. You could say we were inspired by ourselves". [1]
Heavily influence by the 1977 hit "Love's Unkind" by Donna Summer, "Mr Haze" is described as "a soul-soaked Motown belter driven by a Donna Summer sample". [3] Lead singer Sharleen Spiteri says that the songs composition is "deliberately cinematic", claiming that all previous Texas albums have "at least one cinematic song" in the track listing. Furthermore, Spiteri commented that "Morricone in particular is still a huge influence [on the band]. We're referencing our past but also writing from the position we're in now. Being able to stand back from what you've achieved gives you a different perspective. Our aim has only ever been to make great music".
Spiteri refers to "Mr Haze" as having a "big screen feel" to its composition, musical arrangements and songwriting. [4]
"Mr Haze" was released as the second promotional single from the bands tenth studio album Hi which was released in May 2021. "Mr Haze" was released in April 2021 and received its debut performance on radio on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2. [1] During the week of 1-7 May 2021, "Mr Haze" was the Record of the Week on BBC Radio 2 and as a result received heavy airplay on the station. Despite this and heavy airplay, "Mr Haze" failed to make a chart appearance on British charts.[ citation needed ] The release to BBC Radio 2 was an exclusive for the radio station, making BBC Radio 2 the first radio station to play "Mr Haze".[ citation needed ]
To promote the release of "Mr Haze", Texas appeared on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio in May 2021, where they performed the track live, as well as performing a cover of "Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners, their hit single "Summer Son" and another song from Hi, the title track, "Hi". [5]
Texas appeared on The One Show on BBC One across the United Kingdom on 25 May 2021 to promote "Mr Haze", as well as the forthcoming release of the album Hi. The band performed a live performance of "Mr Haze" on the programme broadcast. [6]
Since its release, "Mr Haze" has received considerable amounts of airplay on radio stations internationally, the most in the United Kingdom, where, as of June 2021, has received 174 plays on British radio, and in Belgium, where it has received 153 plays on Belgian radio stations. [7] The song also made an appearance on the Ultratip charts in Belgium as a result of heavy airplay and promotion.
The music video was released prior to the release of the single and to coincide with the release of the song to radio airplay. The music video was directed by Simone Smith and stars Gladiator actor Tommy Flanagan. [8]
The video for "Mr Haze" was filmed in Glasgow, and features various psychedelic undertones, which sees lead singer, Sharleen Spiteri and Tommy Flanagan dancing against a sun-drenched backdrop.
Flanagan and Spiteri have been close friends since their childhood, and when asked about working together with Flanagan, Spiteri said that it was "so great to be working with my old friend and now Hollywood star Tommy Flanagan, we met at 14 years old and will always be that age to me". [9]
"Mr Haze" charted at number 50 on the Ultratip Wallonia charts in Belgium during the week of 19 June 2021. [10] The single debuted at number one on the British iTunes charts and peaked at number 86 on the British Apple Music charts based on downloads and streams. [7]
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [11] | 50 |
Texas are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow. They were founded in 1986 by Johnny McElhone and Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at the University of Dundee. They took their name from the 1984 Wim Wenders movie Paris, Texas.
Sharleen Eugene Spiteri is a Scottish singer and guitarist, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Texas. She has a contralto vocal range. In 2013, Texas's worldwide album sales were counted at 40 million records.
Altered Images are a Scottish new wave/post-punk band who found success in the early 1980s. Fronted by singer Clare Grogan, the group branched into mainstream pop music, having six UK top-40 hit singles and three top-30 albums from 1981 to 1983. Their hits include "Happy Birthday", "I Could Be Happy", "See Those Eyes", and "Don't Talk to Me About Love".
The Hush is the fifth album by Scottish rock band Texas. Released in May 1999, the album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom and spent a total of 43 weeks on the UK Albums Chart. It has been certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.
Red Book is the seventh album from Scottish rock band Texas. It was released on 7 November 2005 and entered the UK Albums Chart at #16. It is named after the little red book that singer Sharleen Spiteri used to write the album songs. The album yielded two UK Top Ten singles, "Getaway" and "Sleep" and the UK Top 20 single, "Can't Resist". Four of the album's tracks were co-written with Brian Higgins of Xenomania — "Can't Resist", "Cry", "Get Down Tonight" and "Bad Weather".
"Love's Unkind" is a 1977 song written and produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, with lyrics and vocals by Donna Summer. It was recorded for the Donna Summer album, I Remember Yesterday, which combined modern disco beats with sounds of previous decades. "Love's Unkind" was released as a single in Europe in November 1977, reaching number three in the UK, and number 32 in the Netherlands. Though never released as a single in the USA, it topped the dance chart as part of the I Remember Yesterday album, as at that time entire albums could count as one entry on that particular chart. The lyrics are of high school crushes and love triangles.
"Black Eyed Boy" is the third single from Scottish rock band Texas's fourth studio album, White on Blonde (1997). The song was released on 28 July 1997 and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. Elsewhere, the song reached the top 50 in Australia, Belgium, France, Ireland, Israel and Sweden.
"Inner Smile" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, originally released on their greatest hits album, The Greatest Hits (2000). Written by Gregg Alexander and Rick Nowels and arranged by Texas, the song is based on Alexander's unreleased demo "Inner Child", which was written and performed between 1995 and 1998.
Melody is the debut solo album by Sharleen Spiteri, lead singer of the Scottish band Texas. It was released on 14 July 2008 and peaked at number three in the UK Albums Chart.
"Summer Son" is a song by Scottish band Texas, released as the second single from their fifth studio album, The Hush (1999). The song was released in Europe on 9 August 1999 and in the United Kingdom on 16 August 1999, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart. In mainland Europe, "Summer Son" became one of the band's biggest hits, reaching the top five in Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Switzerland, and Wallonia. It has received gold certifications in Belgium and Germany and a silver certification in the United Kingdom.
"Halo" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, released on 7 April 1997 as the second single from their fourth studio album, White on Blonde (1997). The song was written by Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri and guitarist Johnny McElhone and was produced by Texas and Mike Hedges. "Halo" debuted and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Charts. The music video, filmed in Hong Kong, features Spiteri and a Chinese woman acting as her "halo".
The Movie Songbook is the second studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Sharleen Spiteri. It was released on 1 March 2010. The album consists of film song covers, chosen and recorded by Spiteri in 2009.
Alistair Manson McErlaine is a Scottish guitarist, best known for his work with the band Texas, which he has been a member of since 1988. Ally is also a member of Red Sky July, who released their self-titled debut album on 17 October 2011.
"Guitar Song" is a single released by Scottish band Texas, taken from their greatest hits album The Greatest Hits. It contains a sample of the song "Je t'aime... moi non plus" performed by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. The song was released in 2001 exclusively in Belgium, where it charted inside the top 50 in both Flanders and Wallonia.
The Conversation is the eighth album from Scottish rock band Texas. It was released on 20 May 2013. Tracks are written mainly by Sharleen Spiteri and Johnny McElhone, with Richard Hawley and Bernard Butler as collaborators. The Conversation is the group's first studio album of new material since Red Book in 2005. Title track "The Conversation" was released as the first single from the album in April 2013, followed by up-beat Pop Rock "Detroit City", both of which received a decent amount of UK airplay, including on BBC Radio 2's playlist.
Hi is the tenth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, released on 28 May 2021 through BMG. Hi was originally intended to be based on "lost" outtakes from the recording sessions of their 1997 chart-topping White on Blonde album, but this was eventually shelved and ultimately led the band to create new material.
"Let's Work It Out" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, released in February 2017 as the lead single from their ninth studio album, Jump on Board (2017). The single was released via PIAS and BMG.
"Hi" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Texas featuring American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released as the lead single from their tenth studio album of the same name (2021). The track was written by Eddie Campbell, Robert Hodgens, Sharleen Spiteri, Johnny McElhone, Jack McElhone, Robert Diggs, and Dennis Cole and was produced by John McElhone and Angelica Bjornsson. The single was released in December 2020 through BMG.
"Start a Family" is a 2015 single released by Scottish alternative rock band Texas, as the lead single from their compilation album Texas 25 (2015). The song was written by Sharleen Spiteri, Johnny McElhone, Karen Overton, Jack McElhone and produced by Johnny McElhone.
"Tell That Girl" is a 2017 single released by Scottish alternative rock band Texas as the second single from their ninth studio album Jump on Board (2017). The song was released in March 2017 through PIAS Records and was written by Sharleen Spiteri, Johnny McElhone, Karen Overton, with McElhone serving as the songs producer.