"Open Your Mind" | ||||
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Single by U.S.U.R.A. | ||||
from the album Open Your Mind | ||||
Released | 1993 | |||
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U.S.U.R.A. singles chronology | ||||
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"Open Your Mind" on YouTube |
"Open Your Mind" is a song by Italian electronic music group U.S.U.R.A.,released as the debut single and title track from the group's only album,Open Your Mind (1993). Released in 1993 through Italian Style in Italy and through Deconstruction Records across the rest of Europe and Australia,it samples the song "New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)" by Scottish band Simple Minds. [3]
Following a period of underground popularity, [4] "Open Your Mind" became a mainstream hit in early 1993,reaching the top five in Austria,Belgium,Finland,Italy,the Netherlands,and Switzerland and the top 10 in Germany,Ireland,and the United Kingdom. A 1997 remix by DJ Quicksilver failed to replicate the success of the original.
Larry Flick of Billboard magazine called the track a "fast'n'furious romp,overflowing with stately strings,shoulder-shaking percussion,and more than a few imaginative vocal samples",citing the song's melody as the most productive component. [4] In a later review,Flick doubted the song's commercial potential because of the lack of additional remixes,but he went on the write that "Open Your Mind" was "strong enough to merit a recurrent spin or two". [2] On the 1997 release,he described it as a "disco-splashed twirler that is light on lyrics (think "open your mind" over and over and over) but heavy on rubbery rhythms and keyboard loops that permanently stick to the brain upon impact." He added,"Not likely to be a long-lasting entry but certainly a memorable one." [5]
In his weekly UK chart commentary,James Masterton wrote,"Just to show that nothing is ever what it seems,even at a time when hardcore dance is losing its chart edge,a rave track can come from nowhere into the 10." [6] A reviewer from Music &Media magazine described the song as having a "pace worth keeping up" and characterised it as a "stomper". [1] Chris Finan from Music Week's RM Dance Update gave the 1997 remix four out of five,adding,"More cosmetic covering of the original without too much playing around has resulted in a definite commercial club-friendly track with the all-important crossover potential." [7] Joe Muggs of Fact listed the track in his 2014 list of "35 stunners from back when progressive house wasn't terrible",calling it "Crass but brilliant –as is the none-more-nineties video". [8]
A music video was produced to promote the single. It features images of Joe McCarthy,Benito Mussolini,Richard Nixon,Ian Paisley,Ronald Reagan,Josef Stalin,Margaret Thatcher and Mary Whitehouse.
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"No Limit" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance group 2 Unlimited, released in January 1993 by Byte, ZYX and PWL. It was their fifth single in total and the first to be released from their second album, No Limits! (1993). Co-written by the group's Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, the song became one of their most commercially successful singles, especially in Europe, reaching the number-one spot in 35 countries and the top 10 in several others. Like previous releases, the UK version of the single removed all of the raps from Slijngaard, leaving just Dels' vocals. One word from the rap was kept, the word 'Techno' which was looped and repeated during the middle of the song, turning the line into "Techno! Techno! Techno! Techno!" and giving the song an extra vocal hook. Its accompanying music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.
"Why" is the debut solo single of Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox, released on 16 March 1992. It was taken from her debut solo album, Diva (1992), and reached number five in the United Kingdom. In the United States, "Why" peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was also a big hit internationally, reaching number one in Italy and peaking within the top 10 in Belgium, Canada, Ireland and five other countries. Its music video was directed by Sophie Muller. Stereogum ranked "Why" number one on their list of "The 10 Best Annie Lennox Songs" in 2015.
"Gett Off" is a song written and produced by American musician Prince, released in June 1991 by Paisley Park and Warner Bros. as the lead single from his thirteenth album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991). The album was his first with his backing band the New Power Generation. "Gett Off" was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number four in the United Kingdom; the maxi-single was too long and pricey to appear on the UK Singles Chart, so this release was classified as an album, peaking at number 33 on the UK Albums Chart in August 1991.
"Finally" is a song by American singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston, released in September 1991 by A&M Records as her debut single from her first album of the same name (1992). Co-written by her, it received critical acclaim, becoming Peniston's first hit song, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1992. Prior to that, the track was a major success on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it spent two weeks at number one in late 1991. In addition, a dance remix of the song, the "Choice Mix", peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in March 1992. The remix appeared on many dance music compilations in the early '90s. Its music video was directed by Claude Borenzweig. Billboard ranked "Finally" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.
"Not Over Yet" is a song by British dance act Grace. Originally released in 1993 under the band name State of Grace, it was re-released in March 1995 as the first single from their only album, If I Could Fly (1996). It received critical acclaim from music critics, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number-one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Lead vocals and backing vocals were performed by singer Patti Low. In 1995, the lead vocals were replaced by new frontwoman and singer, Dominique Atkins for the album release, although Low's backing vocals remained in place. This Atkins/Low combination appeared on all subsequent re-releases and remixes of the track. The woman who appears in the accompanying music video is Low.
"Free Your Mind" is a song by American female group En Vogue from their second album, Funky Divas (1992). The track was composed and produced by Foster and McElroy. They were inspired by the Funkadelic song "Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow." The guitar and bass tracks for the song were written and recorded by San Francisco-based guitarist Jinx Jones. The opening line: "Prejudice, wrote a song about it. Like to hear it? Here it go!", is adapted from a line originally used by David Alan Grier's character Calhoun Tubbs from Fox's In Living Color.
"Missing" is a song by English musical duo Everything but the Girl, taken from their eighth studio album, Amplified Heart (1994). It was written by the two band members, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, and was produced by Watt and John Coxon. It was taken as the second single off the album on 8 August 1994 by Blanco y Negro Records in the United Kingdom and by Atlantic Records in the United States. It initially did not achieve much success until it was remixed by Todd Terry and re-released in 1995, resulting in worldwide success, peaking at or near the top of the charts in many countries. The release of the remixed version of "Missing" gave an indication of the band's future experimentation with more electronic dance music on subsequent albums. Its music video was directed by Mark Szaszy.
"Mr. Vain" is a song by German musical group Culture Beat, released in April 1993 by Dance Pool as the lead single from the group's second studio album, Serenity (1993). The song was written by Steven Levis, Nosie Katzmann and Jay Supreme, and produced by Torsten Fenslau. Tania Evans is the lead vocalist and Supreme is the rapper. The female part of the lyrics describes the narcissist title character Mr. Vain, while the rap embodies his selfish desires.
"Show Me Love" is a song performed by American singer Robin S. The song was written by Allen George and Fred McFarlane, originally released in October 1990 by Champion Records in the United Kingdom. In 1992, it was remixed by Swedish house music production duo StoneBridge and Nick Nice, and re-released in many European countries as well as the United States and Japan. It became one of the most well known house anthems in the United Kingdom, and Robin's biggest hit to date. It helped to make house more mainstream. In 1993, it was included on Robin S.'s debut album of the same name. Confusion arose with the 1997 hit "Show Me Love" by Swedish singer Robyn, due to their homonymous names and identical titles.
"Out of Space" is the fourth EP/single released by English electronic music group the Prodigy in 1992. The song is also featured on their debut album, Experience (1992), and is the fourth single from it. The song samples the 1976 song "Chase the Devil" by Max Romeo as well as some lines by rapper Kool Keith on the 1988 track "Critical Beatdown" by Ultramagnetic MCs.
U.S.U.R.A. was an Italian electronic dance music group active from 1991-1998, best known for their crossover hit "Open Your Mind".
"Life" (known as "Life (Everybody Needs Somebody to Love)" in the US) is a song by Trinidadian-German Eurodance artist Haddaway. Written and produced by Dee Dee Halligan (Tony Hendrik) and Junior Torello (Karin Hartmann-Eisenblätter), the song was released in July 1993 by Coconut Records as the second single from Haddaway's debut album, The Album (1993), and the follow-up to his successful debut single, "What Is Love". The song peaked at number one in Finland, Israel, Spain and Sweden, as well as on the RPM Dance chart and the Eurochart Hot 100, and was a top-10 hit in at least 13 countries. The music video for "Life", partly inspired by the 1927 film Metropolis, was directed by Angel Gracia and filmed in Frankfurt, Germany. By March 1994, the single had sold 1.5 million copies worldwide.
"Anything" is a song recorded by German Eurodance group Culture Beat, released in December 1993 by Dance Pool as the third single from the group's second album, Serenity (1993). Written by Nosie Katzmann with Jay Supreme, Torsten Fenslau and Peter Zweie, the song was very successful on the charts in Europe. It reached the top five in at least nine countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. The song's music video was directed by Matt Broadley and filmed in London.
"Push the Feeling On" is a house song by the Scottish music group Nightcrawlers and American DJ Marc Kinchen (MK). The original version released in 1992 was also partially disco and acid jazz-influenced and was a minor chart hit in the United Kingdom. The song was later remixed extensively by Kinchen, creating a series of additional remixes for the song. One remix known as "Push the Feeling On (MK Dub Revisited Edit)" became an international chart hit in 1995, reaching the top 10 in various European countries, including the UK, where it peaked at number three.
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"Club Bizarre" is the single performed by the German musical project U96, created by record producer Alex Christensen. The song was released in February 1995 and is the second track from the album of the same name.
"Joy" is the debut single by British house music studio project Staxx, assembled by producers Simon Thorne and Tom Jones. It was released in 1993 and features British singer Carol Leeming, becoming a number-one hit on both the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 25. In 1997, the song was re-released in a new remix, reaching number 14 in the UK. The accompanying music video was directed by British director Lindy Heymann, featuring Leeming and two female dancers performing in an empty swimming pool.
"Close to You" is a song by German Eurodance band Fun Factory, released in March 1994 by various labels as the second single from the band's debut-album, NonStop (1994). The song is written by Bülent Aris, Rainer Kesselbauer and Toni Cottura, while Aris and Cottura produced it. It received positive reviews from music critics, peaking at number-one on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart and at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Additionally, the single peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. In Europe, it reached number 19 in Germany and number 97 in the UK. Its music video was directed by Swedish director Stefan Berg and filmed at a quarry. It was A-listed on Germany's VIVA in June 1994. "Close to You" uses the same melody as the 1993 hit single "Hold On" by German group Loft.
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