This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2015) |
"Nathan Jones" | ||||
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Single by the Supremes | ||||
from the album Touch | ||||
B-side | "Happy (Is a Bumpy Road)" | |||
Released | April 15, 1971 | |||
Recorded | December 17, 1970 | |||
Studio | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:02 (single/album version) | |||
Label | Motown | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Frank Wilson | |||
The Supremes singles chronology | ||||
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Touch track listing | ||||
10 tracks
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"Nathan Jones" is a song by American girl group the Supremes from their twenty-third studio album, Touch (1971). It was released on April 15, 1971, as the album's lead single. Produced by Frank Wilson and written by Kathy Wakefield and Leonard Caston, "Nathan Jones" was one of eight top-40 entries the Supremes recorded after its original frontwoman, Diana Ross, left the group for a solo career.
The song centers around a woman's longing for her former lover, a man named Nathan Jones, who left her nearly a year ago "to ease [his] mind." Suffering through the long separation ("Winter's past, spring, and fall") without any contact or communication between herself and Jones, the narrator is no longer in love with Jones, remarking that "Nathan Jones/you've been gone too long".
"Nathan Jones" is an unusual entry among the Supremes' singles repertoire for several reasons: all three members of the group (Jean Terrell, Mary Wilson, and Cindy Birdsong) sing the song's lead vocal in unison. Clydie King was asked to sing along with the group to give the song a fuller vocal sound. While working on the song, producer Frank Wilson had in mind a rock music style of phrasing for the song, resulting in the unison vocals. The unison vocals would repeatedly be dubbed to create a layered harmonic tone. In addition, Wilson had his engineer, Cal Harris, use what can (now) be considered classic studio sensibilities to take The Funk Brothers' backing tracks for "Nathan Jones" and give them a phase shifting sound at various points during the song. This was accomplished by either using a second recorder (as the Beatles would have done) or (less likely) an outboard processor such as the blue faced MXR flanger.[ original research? ]
Released as a single on April 15, 1971, with "Happy is a Bumpy Road" as its B-side, "Nathan Jones" peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and number eight on the Billboard R&B chart. [1] Overseas, the single reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. "Nathan Jones" was the most successful single released from the Supremes' 23rd studio album, Touch .
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States | — | 1,000,000 [14] [15] |
"Nathan Jones" | ||||
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Single by Bananarama | ||||
from the album Greatest Hits Collection | ||||
B-side | "Once in a Lifetime" | |||
Released | November 7, 1988 | |||
Recorded | August 1988 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 5:12 (album version) | |||
Label | London | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Stock Aitken Waterman | |||
Bananarama singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Nathan Jones" on YouTube |
"Nathan Jones" was covered in 1987 by English girl group Bananarama on their album Wow! , and was released in 1988 as the second single from their first compilation The Greatest Hits Collection , on which it appears in a different version from the previous album's one.
There are three distinct versions of Bananarama's rendition of the song. [16]
The first version was released on their 1987 album Wow! , with their original line-up. This version was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1988 film Rain Man . Some of the vocals were sampled on their "I Heard a Rumour" B-side song "Clean Cut Boy".
After Siobhan Fahey was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan, Bananarama re-recorded the song (with completely new vocal and instrumental arrangements), dubbed the Psycho Mix. This new version was initially included on vinyl and cassette issues of Greatest Hits Collection. It was then remixed and released as a single, peaking at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. [16] This version is considered the "official" version of the song, and is the version used for the accompanying music video.
A third version of the single, the Dave Ford Mix, while similar to the Psycho Mix, opens with a staccato synthesiser instead of the single-note of the Psycho Mix, and includes more prominent synthesiser throughout. It uses the vocals from the Psycho Mix, although brought more to the front of the instrumentation. This mix appears on the Canadian version of Greatest Hits Collection, and is the version which most closely resembles how it is heard when Bananarama plays live. (This mix is alternatively known as the "Analogue" mix, as it was never issued on CD until the "Megarama" compilation in 2015).
All three versions have 12″ remixes available.
Upon the single release Jerry Smith of British magazine Music Week expressed the assurance that Stock Aitken Waterman treatment of one of finest hits of "The Supremes as the most successful all girl group" will continue the success of "Nana girls." [17]
Retrospectively, in 2021, British magazine Classic Pop ranked the song number 12 in their list of 'Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs'. [18]
The music video, directed by Andy Morahan, featured the girls performing the song with vogue-style choreography with four male dancers dressed in British-style suits, hats, and umbrellas. Their performance is interspersed with shots of them strutting down a fashion catwalk in three different outfits, reflecting the three different seasons mentioned in the song (winter, spring, fall/autumn), and performing the main choreography in yet a fourth change of wardrobe. Sara and Keren are seen sharing the same black-with-copper-coloured-leaves jacket throughout. [19]
Individual shots of the girls are accompanied by floating images of fruits and art objects, such as vases and statues.
The video was nominated for British Video of the Year at the 1989 Brit Awards, but lost to Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal".
The group performed the song on several popular shows of the day, including Top of the Pops , The Great Big British Pop Machine, at the 1988 Royal Variety Performance in the presence of the Queen Mother and, famously, on the Terry Wogan show, in which Keren is seen doing the first verse choreography during the second verse. None of these appearances feature live vocals.
Chart (1988–1989) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA) [20] | 59 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [21] | 22 |
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) [22] | 49 |
Europe (European Airplay Top 50) [23] | 39 |
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [24] | 3 |
Ireland (IRMA) [25] | 16 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [26] | 73 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [27] | 22 |
UK Singles (OCC) [28] | 15 |
UK Dance ( Music Week ) [29] | 10 |
"Nathan Jones" has also been remade by:
Bananarama are an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Their success on both pop and dance charts saw them listed in the Guinness World Records for achieving the world's highest number of chart entries by an all-female group. Between 1982 and 2009, they had 32 singles reach the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart.
"Venus" is a song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, released as a single in the Netherlands in the summer of 1969. Written by Robbie van Leeuwen, the song topped the charts in nine countries.
"Help!" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that served as the title song for the 1965 film and the band's accompanying soundtrack album. It was released as a single in July 1965, and was number one for three weeks in the United States and the United Kingdom. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, "Help!" was written by John Lennon with some assistance from Paul McCartney. During an interview with Playboy in 1980, Lennon recounted: "The whole Beatles thing was just beyond comprehension. I was subconsciously crying out for help".
"In Love with Love" is a 1987 song recorded by the American singer Debbie Harry. It was taken from her second solo album Rockbird and released as the third single in 1987.
True Confessions is the third studio album by British group Bananarama. It was released on 30 June 1986 by London Records. The majority of the album was produced by Tony Swain and Steve Jolley, with the exception of "Venus" and "More Than Physical". The latter, given a garage remix for its single version, was Bananarama's first songwriting collaboration with the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) production team.
Wow! is the fourth studio album by English group Bananarama, released on 4 September 1987 by London Records. The album was entirely produced and co-written with the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio. Tensions between group member Siobhan Fahey and Stock, Aitken and Waterman regarding songwriting input and lyrical content prompted Fahey's departure from Bananarama five months after its release. The album reached number 26 on the UK Albums Chart and number 44 on the US Billboard 200, while peaking at number one in Australia. The album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 3 February 1988.
The Greatest Hits Collection is a compilation album released by Bananarama which features their single releases and greatest hits. It was issued by London Records in 1988, eight months after the departure of group member Siobhan Fahey. The track listing differed between versions released in the United States and Canada, as well as those released throughout Europe and other territories.
"More, More, More" is a song written by Gregg Diamond and recorded by American artist Andrea True. It was released in February 1976 as the first single from her debut album by same name (1976), becoming her signature track and one of the most popular songs of the disco era. In the US, it reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at number three on the Cash Box Top 100 in July of that year. In Canada it was a number one hit, and reached number five in the UK.
"I Heard a Rumour" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their fourth studio album, Wow! (1987), and was released on 22 June 1987 as the album's lead single. It became a hit in UK where it reached the top 20, but was more successful in North America, where it peaked within the top five.
Pop Life is the fifth studio album by English group Bananarama, released on 13 May 1991 by London Records. It is the only Bananarama studio album which features singer Jacquie O'Sullivan, who replaced Siobhan Fahey following her departure in 1988. This album marks the end of the group's association with the Stock Aitken Waterman production team as most of Pop Life was produced by Youth. English singer Zoë provided backing vocals on "Long Train Running". This would be the last album by Bananarama as a trio.
Please Yourself is the sixth studio album by English pop act Bananarama. It was released on 29 March 1993 by London Records, the group's last release under the label. It is also the first album from Bananarama as a duo – with original members Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward continuing after the departure of Jacquie O'Sullivan in 1991. Please Yourself also reunites Bananarama with two-thirds of the Stock Aitken Waterman production team. Musician Gary Miller was brought in to do keyboards and guitar and would be Bananarama's next collaborator on their following album Ultra Violet.
"More Than Physical" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their third studio album, True Confessions (1986). It was released on 28 July 1986 as the album's third single. It was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. A reworked version of the song was released as the single version.
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"I Can't Help It" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their fourth studio album, Wow! (1987). It was released on 28 December 1987 as the album's third single, except in the United States, where it was the second single, and Australia, where it served as the fourth single. The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. The single peaked at number 20 in the UK singles chart, number 27 on the Australian ARIA chart, and number 47 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
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"'Movin' On" is a song written and performed by English girl group Bananarama. Released on 17 August 1992, it was the first single from their sixth album, Please Yourself (1993). It was produced by Mike Stock and Pete Waterman, two-thirds of the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio who had produced a number of Bananarama's past hits.
"Last Thing on My Mind" is by English girl group Bananarama from their sixth studio album, Please Yourself (1993). It was released on 16 November 1992 by London Records as the album's second single. The track was produced by Mike Stock and Pete Waterman, two-thirds of the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. Waterman stated in 2002 the song was influenced by Mozart. The single peaked at number 72 on the UK Singles Chart. Composer Mike Stock blamed the song's poor chart performance on what he claimed to be a deteriorating relationship between the band and their label, London Records, resulting in a poor marketing campaign.
The Greatest Remixes Collection is a compilation of Bananarama remixes released exclusively in Southeast Asia in 1990. At the time of the release, the only mix that had not been issued on CD was the Miami Mix of "I Heard a Rumour", although none of the mixes had ever been compiled on a Bananarama album. Subsequently some of the mixes have been available on easier to find Bananarama albums, such as The Very Best of Bananarama double CD or The Twelve Inches of Bananarama. The album has become very rare and expensive.