Rough with the Smooth

Last updated
"Rough with the Smooth"
Shara Nelson - Rough With The Smooth.jpg
Single by Shara Nelson
from the album Friendly Fire
Released4 September 1995 (1995-09-04) [1]
Length5:58
Label Cooltempo
Songwriter(s) Ashley Beedle, Shara Nelson, Marc Woolford
Producer(s) Michael Peden
Shara Nelson singles chronology
"Inside Out" / "Down That Road"
(1994)
"Rough with the Smooth"
(1995)
"I Fell (So You Could Catch Me)"
(1996)
Audio sample

"Rough with the Smooth" is a song by British singer-songwriter Shara Nelson, released in September 1995 by Cooltempo as the first single from her second solo album, Friendly Fire (1995). The song was written by Nelson with Ashley Beedle and Marc Woolford, and produced by Michael Peden. It peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart and number 21 on the European Dance Radio Chart.

Contents

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media named the song Single of the Week, writing, "Many so-called "dance divas" pretend they can sing; Shara is for real. Mixing her smooth vocals with the fairly rough backing, composition and arrangement are almost restyled Bacharach/David." [2] Johnny Cigarettes from NME said, "'Rough with the Smooth' is a swaying, swinging gospel-inflected love song that's not quite in the same league as such epic spine-tinglers as 'One Goodbye in Ten' or 'Inside Out', but will still make your coffee table move its feet. Which is quite an achievement, when you think about it." [3]

Track listing

  1. "Rough with the Smooth" (7-inch edit) – 3:51
  2. "Rough with the Smooth" (Street Level mix) – 4:48
  3. "Rough with the Smooth" (extended album mix) – 5:26
  4. "Rough with the Smooth" (Long Island Expressway mix) – 8:22
  5. "Rough with the Smooth" (Franktified dub) – 7:54
  6. "Rough with the Smooth" (Saturday Night at the Glasshouse mix) – 4:56

Charts

Chart (1995)Peak
position
Europe (European Dance Radio) [4] 21
Scotland (OCC) [5] 43
UK Singles (OCC) [6] 30

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unfinished Sympathy</span> 1991 single by Massive Attack

"Unfinished Sympathy" is a song by the English trip hop group Massive Attack. It was released on 11 February 1991 under the temporary group name Massive. The song was written by the three band members Robert "3D" Del Naja, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, the song's vocalist Shara Nelson and the group's co-producer Jonathan "Jonny Dollar" Sharp. It was released on 11 February 1991 as the second single from the band's first album, Blue Lines (1991), on the band's Wild Bunch label distributed by Circa Records. The name "Massive" was used to avoid a radio ban, as the track's release coincided with the Gulf War. Produced by Massive Attack and Dollar, the song incorporates various musical elements into its arrangement, including vocal and percussion samples, drum programming and string orchestration by the arranger Wil Malone.

Shara Nelson is an English singer and songwriter. She worked with Massive Attack in the early 1990s, and as a solo artist had five UK top 40 hit singles. Her 1993 debut album, What Silence Knows, was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Good (Start the Dance)</span> 1994 single by The Prodigy

"No Good (Start the Dance)" is a song by English electronic music group the Prodigy. Written and produced by group member Liam Howlett, it was released on 16 May 1994 by XL Recordings as the second single from the group's second studio album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994). Commercially, the track was presented with the slogan, "Hard dance with attitude" and is built around a repeated vocal sample from "You're No Good for Me", a song released by American singer Kelly Charles in 1987. Howlett initially had doubts whether to use the sample because he thought it was too pop for his taste. The song also contains samples from "Funky Nassau" by Bahamian funk group the Beginning of the End. It was certified Gold in Germany for 250,000 sold copies. The music video for the song was directed by Walter Stern and filmed in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safe from Harm (song)</span> 1991 single by Massive Attack

"Safe from Harm" is the third single and opening track from Blue Lines, the 1991 debut album from British trip hop collective Massive Attack, with vocals by Shara Nelson and Robert Del Naja. It was released in May 1991 by Virgin Records. The bass, guitar, and drums are sampled from the song "Stratus" by Billy Cobham, from his album Spectrum. Additional drums are sampled from "Good Old Music" by Funkadelic. Other samples come from Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon", and some of the background vocals are based on Johnny "Guitar" Watson's 1961 song Looking Back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open Up (Leftfield song)</span> 1993 single by Leftfield

"Open Up" is a song by British electronic duo Leftfield featuring John Lydon. It was released as a single on 1 November 1993 by Hard Hands label. The single reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart and number 39 in both Australia and New Zealand. NME reported in their 18 September 1993 issue, "This is the record that people have always wanted Lydon to do." In 2014, the same publication ranked "Open Up" at number 444 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". A black-and-white music video was produced to promote the single, directed by British director Lindy Heymann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Search for the Hero</span> 1995 single by M People

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Into the Blue (Moby song)</span> 1995 single by Moby

"Into the Blue" is a song by American electronica musician Moby, released on June 19, 1995 by Mute, as the fourth single from his third studio album, Everything Is Wrong (1995). American musician Mimi Goese co-wrote the lyrics with Moby and provided the vocals. The song is slow and melancholy, a stark contrast to the first four singles from the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feeling So Real</span> 1994 single by Moby

"Feeling So Real" is a song by American electronica musician Moby, released on October 17, 1994 by Mute and Elektra, as the second single from the musician's third studio album, Everything Is Wrong (1995). The song features the phrases "sound system rocking my....." and "set it up DJ!" spoken by Kochie Banton, who also appears in Moby's following single, "Everytime You Touch Me". The guest vocalist for the song is Rozz Morehead. It peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart, number nine on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart, and number one on the Finnish Singles Chart. Julie Hermelin directed the song's accompanying music video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Day (Whigfield song)</span> 1994 single by Whigfield

"Another Day" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield, fronted by Danish-born Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It was released in August 1994 by X-Energy, ZYX Music and Systematic as the second single from her debut album, Whigfield (1995). Written by producers Larry Pignagnoli and Davide Riva, with Annerley Gordon and Ray Dorset, the song was the follow-up single to Whigfield's 1994 hit single, "Saturday Night", and peaked at number seven in the United KIngdom. "Another Day" also became a top-10 hit in Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Zimbabwe. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number nine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Time (Whigfield song)</span> 1995 single by Whigfield

"Big Time" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield, which was fronted by Danish-born singer Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It was written by Annerley Gordon, Alfredo Larry Pignagnoli, Davide Riva and Paul Sears and produced by Pignagnoli and Riva. The song was released in July 1995 by X-Energy Records as the fifth single from her debut album, Whigfield (1995). For the British market, the song was released as a double A-side single with "Last Christmas", a cover of the English duo Wham!, and reached number 21 on the UK Singles Chart. In other countries, "Big Time" peaked within the top 10 in Canada and was a top-20 hit in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hymn (Moby song)</span> 1994 single by Moby

"Hymn" is a song by American electronica musician Moby. It was released on May 16, 1994 by Mute Records as the first single from the musician's third studio album, Everything Is Wrong (1995). The single version, which was radically remixed from the album original and retitled "Hymn ", peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart and number three in Finland. A 33-minute ambient remix was also released, titled as "Hymn.Alt.Quiet.Version". The accompanying music video for "Hymn" was directed by English director Walter Stern, featuring Moby performing with silver bodypaint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Can Play That Game (song)</span> 1994 single by Bobby Brown

"Two Can Play That Game" is a song by American R&B singer-songwriter Bobby Brown from his third album, Bobby (1992). The single release was remixed by K-Klass and originally reached No. 38 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1994. In April 1995, it re-entered the chart, peaking at No. 3. It received positive reviews from music critics and also reached No. 3 in the Netherlands. Additionally, it became a top-20 hit in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, and Italy. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Two Can Play That Game" peaked at No. 10. This version of the song appeared on Brown's remix album of the same name, released later in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down That Road (Shara Nelson song)</span> 1993 single by Shara Nelson

"Down That Road" is a song by British singer-songwriter Shara Nelson, released July 1993 on Cooltempo Records as the debut single from her first solo album, What Silence Knows (1993). The song was written by Nelson with Attrell Cordes and produced by Michael Peden. It peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as number one on the European Dance Radio Chart, and became a top-20 hit on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Goodbye in Ten</span> 1993 single by Shara Nelson

"One Goodbye in Ten" is a song by British singer-songwriter Shara Nelson, released in September 1993 by Cooltempo as the second single from the singer's first solo album, What Silence Knows (1993). Written by her with British band Saint Etienne, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inside Out (Shara Nelson song)</span> 1993 single by Shara Nelson

"Inside Out" is a song by British singer and songwriter Shara Nelson, released in November 1993 on Cooltempo Records as the third single from her first solo album, What Silence Knows (1993). In August 1994, it was re-released as part of a remix single with "Down That Road". The song, which was co-written by Nelson, peaked at number 34 on the UK Singles Chart and number ten on the UK Dance Singles Chart. A music video was also produced to promote the single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptight (Shara Nelson song)</span> 1994 single by Shara Nelson

"Uptight" is a song by English singer and songwriter Shara Nelson, released by Cooltempo in January 1994 as the fourth single from her first solo album, What Silence Knows (1993). Co-written by Nelson, the song was a top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nobody (Shara Nelson song)</span> 1994 single by Shara Nelson

"Nobody" is a song by British singer-songwriter Shara Nelson, released in May 1994 as the fifth single from her first solo album, What Silence Knows (1993), through Cooltempo Records. The song peaked at number 49 on the UK Singles Chart and number 16 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sight for Sore Eyes</span> 1994 single by M People

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">There Is a Star</span> 1994 single by Pharao

"There Is a Star" is a song recorded by German Eurodance act Pharao, released in September 1994 by the labels Blow Up and Dance Pool as the second single from the act's debut album, Pharao (1994). Commercially the song was presented with the slogan, "Wise men follow stars...". It scored chart success in Finland, where it peaked at number three, and in Germany, where it peaked at number eight. In Canada, the single reached number seven on the RPM Dance/Urban chart. A music video was also produced to promote the single, directed by Nigel Simpkiss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everybody (DJ BoBo song)</span> 1994 single by DJ BoBo

"Everybody" is a song by Swiss Eurodance artist DJ BoBo, released in May 1994 by Fresh label as the fourth and last single from the artist's debut album, Dance With Me (1993). Co-written and co-produced by BoBo, the song was very successful in Europe, reaching number-one in Finland, number two in Germany, and number three in Switzerland. Additionally, "Everybody" was a top 10 hit in Iceland and the Netherlands, peaking at number eight and ten, respectively. The female vocals are performed by Jennifer Rüsch. The music video for the song was directed by Giacomo de Simone and filmed in Italy.

References

  1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 2 September 1995. p. 31.
  2. "New Releases: Singles - Single of the Week" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 12, no. 40. 7 October 1995. p. 14. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  3. Cigarettes, Johnny (9 September 1995). "Singles". NME . p. 44. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  4. "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 12, no. 42. 21 October 1995. p. 26. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  5. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 10 September 1995 – 16 September 1995". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  6. "Official Charts > Shara Nelson". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2016.