Bananarama is a British-Irish girl 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.
Sonia Evans, known mononymously as Sonia, is an English pop singer from Liverpool. She had a 1989 UK number one hit with "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" and became the first female UK artist to achieve five top 20 hit singles from one album. She represented the United Kingdom in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, where she finished second with the song "Better the Devil You Know". Between 1989 and 1993, she had 11 UK top 30 hits, including "Listen to Your Heart" (1989), "Counting Every Minute" (1990) and "Only Fools " (1991). In 1994, she starred as Sandy in a West End revival of the musical Grease, while on television she appeared as Bunty in the 1998 BBC comedy series The Lily Savage Show.
"Cruel Summer" is a song by English girl group Bananarama. It was written by Bananarama and Steve Jolley, Tony Swain, and produced by Jolley and Swain. Released in 1983, it was initially a stand-alone single but was subsequently included on their self-titled second album a year later. The song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart in 1983 and the group performed it live on the BBC's Top of the Pops that summer, and after its inclusion in the 1984 film The Karate Kid, it reached number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"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.
"My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" is a song by American pop/R&B group En Vogue, released in March 1992 as the lead single from their multi-platinum second album, Funky Divas (1992).
"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.
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.
The Very Best of Bananarama is a greatest hits album by English group Bananarama, released on 15 October 2001 by Warner Strategic Marketing and London Records. It was released to celebrate the group's 20th anniversary, including their singles released from 1981 to 1993. The album reached number 43 on the UK Albums Chart.
English group Bananarama have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, 16 compilation albums, two extended plays, 51 singles and four video albums.
"Love in the First Degree" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their fourth studio album, Wow! (1987). It was released on 28 September 1987 as the album's second single, except in the United States, where it was released in 1988 as the third single. The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. It achieved major success in the UK and Australia, and also peaked within the top 20 in many European countries, but, unlike "I Heard a Rumour", it reached only the lower end of the top 50 in the US.
"I Want You Back" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their fourth studio album, Wow! (1987). It was released on 28 March 1988 by London Records as the album's fourth and final single. The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. It became one of Bananarama's highest-charting singles, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart. It also climbed into the top three in Australia and the top 10 in New Zealand. The single was not released in the United States. Andy Morahan directed its accompanying music video.
"Love, Truth and Honesty" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their first greatest hits album, Greatest Hits Collection (1988). Co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio, the song was released on 12 September 1988 by London Records as the album's lead single. It achieved a moderate success, peaking out of the top 20 in the majority of countries where it was released. The music video was produced by Big TV!.
"Preacher Man" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It appears on the group's fifth studio album, Pop Life (1991), and was released as the album's second single. The track was co-written and produced by Youth with additional production and remix by Shep Pettibone.
"Long Train Runnin'" is a song recorded by American rock band the Doobie Brothers and written by band member Tom Johnston. It was included on the band's third album, The Captain and Me (1973), and was released as a single by Warner Bros., becoming a hit and peaking at No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Tripping on Your Love" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It appears on the group's fifth studio album, Pop Life (1991), and was released as the album's fourth single in the UK and the first single in the United States. The track was co-written and produced by Youth. This is the last single released featuring member Jacquie O'Sullivan and the group as a trio.
"Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" is a song by British dance music act Sub Sub, released on 29 March 1993 by independent label Rob's Records as the second single from their debut album, Full Fathom Five (1994). It features Temper Temper's Melanie Williams on vocals. The song was the act's biggest single, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart; it became one of many dance singles in 1993 to cross over into mainstream popularity in the UK. In the accompanying music video, Jimi Goodwin plays bass, Jez Williams plays keyboards and percussion, and Jez' twin brother Andy Williams plays keytar. After struggling to repeat the success of the single, and after a fire destroyed the band's Ancoats studio in 1996, the group eventually reformed with a radically different sound as Doves in 1998.
"Nothing Can Stop Us" is a song by English band Saint Etienne, released in May 1991 by Heavenly Records as the third single from their debut album, Foxbase Alpha (1991). It is the first release to feature Sarah Cracknell, who would continue to front the band from this release on. The single reached the number one spot on the American dance charts for one week. The song is based on a looped sample from Dusty Springfield's recording of "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face".
"One Goodbye in Ten" is a song by British singer-songwriter Shara Nelson, released in September 1993 by Cooltempo Records as the second single from the singer's first solo album, What Silence Knows (1993). Written by her with British band Saint Etienne and produced by Michael Peden, the song received critical acclaim and peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart. Additionally, it was a top-30 hit in Austria and a top-50 hit in the Netherlands.
"Shake Your Thang" is a song by American R&B and hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released by Next Plateau Entertainment and London Records as the first single from their second studio album, A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988). The song features the Washington, D.C.-based go-go musical band, E.U. It samples "It's Your Thing" by The Isley Brothers and "Funky President" by James Brown.
