Out on the Street

Last updated
"Out on the Street"
Single by Space Waltz
from the album 'Space Waltz'
A-side "Out on the Street"
B-side "Angel"
Released1974
Format 7"
Recorded1974
Genre Pop, glam
Length3' 20"
Label EMI
Songwriter(s) Alastair Riddell
Producer(s) Alan Galbraith
Space Waltz singles chronology
"Out on the Street"""Fraulein Love""

"Out on the Street" is a 1974 single by New Zealand band Space Waltz. The song peaked at number one in the New Zealand singles chart in October 1974, [1] becoming the first glam rock song to achieve this distinction. The Bowie-influenced song [2] was largely responsible for Space Waltz winning the "Best New Artist" award at the following year's New Zealand RATA Music Awards.

Space Waltz was a New Zealand glam rock band fronted by Alastair Riddell. In 1974, they had a no 1 hit in New Zealand with "Out on the Street".

Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diverse sources across music and throwaway pop culture, ranging from bubblegum pop and 1950s rock and roll to cabaret, science fiction, and complex art rock. The flamboyant clothing and visual styles of performers were often camp or androgynous, and have been described as playing with nontraditional gender roles. Glitter rock was a more extreme version of glam.

David Bowie British musician, actor, record producer and arranger

David Robert Jones, known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. He was a leading figure in the music industry and is considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, with his music and stagecraft having a significant impact on popular music. During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at 140 million albums worldwide, made him one of the world's best-selling music artists. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum album certifications, eleven gold and eight silver, and released eleven number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Contents

Background

Space Waltz was chosen as an entrant is the TVNZ talent series New Faces, and the single, written by lead vocalist Alastair Riddell was recorded as part of this. Space Waltz went on to reach the final of the series, but were unsuccessful. The single, however, had caught the public's attention, and raced to the top of the charts.

TVNZ television network

Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a state-owned television network that is broadcast throughout New Zealand and parts of the Pacific region. Although the network identifies as a national, part-public broadcaster, it is fully commercially funded.

Alistair Riddell is a New Zealand singer with a glam rock image who fronted the group Space Waltz. They had a no. 1 hit in New Zealand with "Out on the Street".

Riddell's David Bowie influence was clear, but the song was also largely influenced by the writer's interest in science fiction. It was also a nod to the colourful street-life of Auckland's Queen Street, and particularly the street's transsexual community. [3]

Queen Street, Auckland major commercial thoroughfare in Auckland, New Zealand

Queen Street is the major commercial thoroughfare in the Auckland CBD, Auckland, New Zealand's main population centre. It starts at Queens Wharf on the Auckland waterfront, adjacent to the Britomart Transport Centre and the Downtown Ferry Terminal, and runs increasingly more steeply uphill for almost three kilometres in a mostly straight south-southwesterly direction towards the Karangahape Road ridge, and the residential suburbs in the interior of the Auckland isthmus.

Awards

As part of APRA's 75th anniversary, its members chose New Zealand's 100 greatest songs of all time. "Out on the Street" was voted into 44th place. [4]

The APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time is a selection of New Zealand songs as voted in 2001 by members of the Australasian Performing Right Association. The top 30 of this selection was used to create the Nature's Best CD and the rest of the list for follow up compilations. A similar list was made in Australia of the top 30 Australian songs.

Track listing

7" [5]

(both songs by Riddell)

Charts

Chart (1974)Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [6] 1


Other versions


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References

  1. ↑ Dix, p. 342.
  2. ↑ Dix, p. 146.
  3. ↑ Sweetman, pp. 170–5.
  4. ↑ Sergent, Bruce. "APRA Top 100". Article. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  5. ↑ "Space Waltz – Out on the Street". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  6. ↑ "Charts.nz – Space Waltz – Out on the Street". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 October 2014.

Bibliography

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