"Renaissance" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by M People | ||||
from the album Elegant Slumming | ||||
Released | 28 February 1994 [1] | |||
Genre | House | |||
Length | 3:57 | |||
Label | Deconstruction | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | M People | |||
M People singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Renaissance" on YouTube |
"Renaissance" is a song by British electronic group M People, released on 28 February 1994 as the fourth and final single from their second album, Elegant Slumming (1994). In Australia, it was released as the third single from the album. It was written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard and produced by M People. The song peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart following the band's first win for Best British Dance Act at the 1994 BRIT Awards.
At the time of "Renaissance"'s release, M People were touring the second leg of their 15-date Elegant Slumming UK Tour and riding the height of their musical fortunes with their double platinum album. "How Can I Love You More (Mixes)", "One Night in Heaven", "Moving on Up" and "Don't Look Any Further" had already provided them with four consecutive singles and this became their fifth, as well as their second and final top five.
The song features pounding italo-piano chords and is laden with synths alongside an insistent bassline and classic house beat. Lyrically, it is in total contrast to the angry "breaking free" sung in "Moving on Up" to looking forward to coming home to one glorious night when singer Heather Small promises to "make you scream aloud with joy" – but "there'll be no day there'll be no night".
Irish Evening Herald noted the "thudding pulse" of the song. [2] Ben Thompson from The Independent viewed it as "very spirited" and a "potential single". [3] Kingston Informer declared it as "a happening tune from a band who can do no wrong at the moment." [4] Howard Cohen from The Miami Herald complimented its "steady drum kick, pumping bass and trance-like beat". [5] A reviewer from Music & Media wrote that "the pineapple-shaped hairdo of Heather Small is the eyecatcher in the videos, and her massive voice the focal point for the ears, enjoying a renaissance of '70s disco." [6] Andy Beevers from Music Week named it Pick of the Week in the category of Dance, saying "it looks certain to be another big hit". He added that "this piano-powered track, with its catchy "I'm coming home" hook, will be instantly familiar to many as the theme for the student documentary, The Living Soap ." [7]
Out of the nine M People previous single releases at that point, this single was only the second to chart and peak in its first week (the only other single to do so at that point was predecessor "Don't Look Any Further"). "Renaissance" entered the chart and peaked in its first week at number five with sales of 89,000 copies in its first week, but made a steady descent out of the chart within seven weeks. When "Renaissance" left the chart, it had sold in total 179,000 copies. In the two weeks prior to "Renaissance"'s release, Elegant Slumming climbed back into the Top Ten at eight climbing to six once the song had been released, then rising further once again to peak at number four weeks later. For the second time, M People recorded simultaneous single and album Top 10s for two weeks, being at numbers five and six respectively and at six and five respectively the week after in March 1994. "Renaissance" was also used as the theme tune to the BBC2 show The Living Soap which helped the single sales.
The accompanying music video was filmed in San Francisco in January 1994 while the band promoted the launch of the US version of the album on the Sony label. Directed by Award winning Director of Photography Jeff Baynes for 'Eye Eye Ltd'/'Tatooist International' Production companies; Heather, Mike, Paul and Shovell were filmed together during the choruses with Heather in the driving seat of a classic black convertible American Cadillac with her bandmates as passengers all singing along or in a variety of places such riding in a classic Jag with Heather in the driving seat around the bustling American streets, driving past trams, and along a freeway. Heather has since admitted that at the time she was not qualified to drive and kept turning the wheel in the wrong direction. Other notable landmarks seen include the Park Bowl and Xing seen on the road. There are also some internal scenes in a studio with Heather dancing and singing to camera with her three bandmates dancing behind her. There are also close-ups on Paul's hands playing chords on the piano and Shovell's drumming.
Since its release, M People have continued to perform this song as their show opener for all their tours to this day, and the refrain "I'm coming..." is what Heather sings off-stage before making her entrance to the instrumental.
Remixes of the single were provided by Roger S., Macready, Da Silva and John Digweed and M People themselves who also included the original Album mix of the single alongside the Radio Edit and Master Mix.
"Renaissance" was serviced to radio three weeks before physical release when "Don't Look Any Further" was still in the Airplay Top 30 from two months earlier. It entered the Top 50 at number 45 then moved up 26 places in its second week to number 19, finally peaking at number 6. The new instrumental, tighter verses and stronger structure plus its use as a theme tune of a popular BBC show, The Living Soap , all propelled the song's success very quickly. "Renaissance" has the distinction of being the only ever M People single to be written and recorded in just one day. This was partly because the band were under pressure from their record label, DeConstruction, to have finished and finalised the album by the end of the Summer 1993. Therefore, the tweaking of the track was essential to become a carefree dance single.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
M People is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who formed the group. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked them as the 83rd most successful dance act of all time. As of 2021, M People have sold over 11 million records worldwide
"One Love" is a song by British electronic music act the Prodigy, released on 4 October 1993 by XL Recordings as the first single from the act's second album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994). The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and number five on the UK Dance Singles Chart. It was also a top 30 hit in Sweden and Switzerland.
Elegant Slumming is the second album by the British dance band M People. It was released on 4 October 1993 charting and peaking at number 2 on the UK Album Chart and spent 87 weeks in the Top 75. It re-entered the chart three times in October 1996 and March and September 1997. Its overall sales stand at 759,000 as of September 2020.
"One Night in Heaven" is a song by British band M People, released as their sixth overall single and the first single from their second album, Elegant Slumming (1993). Written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and produced by the band, the song was released on 14 June 1993 by Deconstruction Records. It was successful in Europe, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart. In Iceland, it reached number five, while peaking at number 26 on the Eurochart Hot 100. Its accompanying music video was filmed in Barcelona, Sitges and Montserrat in Spain.
"Moving On Up" is the seventh overall single from British band M People, and the second single from their second album, Elegant Slumming (1993). Written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and produced by M People, it was released on 13 September 1993 by Deconstruction. The song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart and was the biggest selling M People single. It also became a top-40 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The accompanying music video for the song sees the band performing in a club.
"Search for the Hero" is a song by British dance music band M People, released in June 1995 by Sony BMG and RCA as the third single (remixed) from their third album, Bizarre Fruit (1994). The song was written by bandmembers Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and produced by the band. It peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, number 13 on the UK Dance Singles Chart and number three on the UK R&B Singles Chart. Its accompanying music video was directed by Matthew Amos.
"Just for You" is the fifteenth overall single from British band M People. It is the lead single from their fourth album, Fresco (1997). Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 22 September 1997. The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
"Don't Look Any Further" is a song by American singer Dennis Edwards featuring American singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett, released in April 1984 by Motown from the singer's debut album by the same name (1984). The song is written by Franne Golde, Dennis Lambert and Duane Hitchings, while Lambert produced it. It peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Black Singles chart and No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, the song peaked at No. 45.
The discography of M People, a British house music band, consists of four studio albums, one remix album, five compilation albums, one extended play and twenty-one singles.
"Sight for Sore Eyes" is the tenth overall single from British band M People from their third album, Bizarre Fruit (1994). Written by bandmembers Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small, and produced by M People, it was released as the album's lead single on 7 November 1994 by Deconstruction. The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number four on the UK Dance Singles Chart, becoming the band's sixth consecutive single to enter the UK top 10. Its music video was directed by Terence Donovan and filmed in London.
"How Can I Love You More" is a song by British band M People, released as the first single from their debut album, Northern Soul (1991). The song was written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and produced by M People. It was first released in October 1991 by Deconstruction Records, peaking at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart. Then it was re-released on 25 January 1993 by same label with several new remixes, this time becoming a bigger hit, peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
"Open Your Heart" is a song by British band M People, released in January 1995 by Deconstruction as the second single from their third album, Bizarre Fruit (1994). The song was written by bandmembers Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and produced by the band. It peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, and was a top 10 hit also in Finland and Scotland. In the US, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The accompanying music video for the song featured the band performing in an elevator.
"Fantasy Island" is a song by British band M People, released as the second single from their fourth album, Fresco (1997). It is written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small, and produced by M People. The song was released on 24 November 1997 and peaked at number thirty three on the UK Singles Chart.
"Love Rendezvous" is a song by British band M People, released in October 1995 by Deconstruction as the fourth single from their third album, Bizarre Fruit/Bizarre Fruit II (1994). Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small, and produced by M People, the song was released on 14 October after the band's world tour. It peaked at number thirty two on the UK Singles Chart and number 59 on the Eurochart Hot 100. The music video for the song was directed by Matthew Amos and filmed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"Angel St" is the thirteenth single by British band M People, released on 16 March 1998 by M People Records. It was the third and final single from the band's fourth album, Fresco (1997). The song was written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small and produced by M People and Chris Lord-Alge. It peaked at number eight on UK Singles Chart and number 24 on the Eurochart Hot 100.
"Testify" is the eighteenth overall single from British band M People. It is the lead single from their greatest hits albums, The Best of M People and, in North America, Testify. It was written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small, and produced by M People. The single was released on 26 October 1998 and peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. It also peaked at number 10 in Scotland and number 66 on the Eurochart Hot 100 in November 1998.
"Dreaming" is the nineteenth and to date final single from British band M People. It was released on 1 February 1999 as the second single from their first greatest hits album, The Best of M People (1998). The song is written by bandmembers Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small, and produced by M People and Chris Lord-Alge. It peaked at number thirteen on the UK Singles Chart.
"Colour My Life" is a song by British band M People, released as the second single from their first album, Northern Soul (1991). It was written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. The single was originally released in May 1991 and was given a full release on 24 February 1992. It peaked at number thirty five on the UK Singles Chart and number 13 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.
"Excited" is a song by the British band M People, released in September 1992 as the fourth and final single from their first album, Northern Soul (1991), though it only appeared on the re-release. The song was written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and peaked at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart and number four on the UK Dance Singles Chart. Two different music videos were produced for the single release.
"Automatic Lover (Call for Love)" is a song by German Eurodance/pop music project Real McCoy (also known as M.C. Sar & The Real McCoy), released in January 1994 by Hansa as the second single from their album Another Night (1995), which is the US version of the project's second album, Space Invaders. The song was produced by music producers Juergen Wind (aka J. Wind) and Frank Hassas (aka Quickmix) under the producer team name Freshline, and borrows the melody from Bronski Beat's 1984 song, "Smalltown Boy". It was a top-20 hit in a number of countries, including Australia, Denmark, Germany and Sweden. There were made two different music videos for "Automatic Lover (Call for Love)". The European version was directed by Angel in 1994.