Search for the Hero

Last updated

"Search for the Hero"
SFTH.jpg
Single by M People
from the album Bizarre Fruit
Released12 June 1995 (1995-06-12) [1]
Genre
Length
  • 6:11 (album version)
  • 4:12 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) M People
M People singles chronology
"Open Your Heart"
(1995)		"Search for the Hero"
(1995)		"Love Rendezvous"
(1995)
Music video
"Search for the Hero" on YouTube

"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.

Contents

Background

There had been a four-and-a-half-month gap between their previous single "Open Your Heart" and this single's release. Originally planned to be the second single, but delayed for a more radio-friendly single remix, "Search for the Hero" became one of the most familiar M People songs, responsible for propelling the parent album Bizarre Fruit back into the top 10 in 1995 after having first charted at No. 4 in November 1994. The saxophone parts were played by session saxophonist Snake Davis, as he has done for many other M People songs.

Critical reception

William Cooper from AllMusic described the song as "jazzy" and named it one of the highlights from the Bizarre Fruit album. [2] Another editor, Jon O'Brien, called it an "uplifting" anthem. [3] Larry Flick from Billboard felt that it is an "optimistic pop/hip-hop number" and stated that Heather Small "continues to be a uniquely enchanting front woman, while her partners, Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, prove their mettle as tunesmiths who require attention beyond the parameters of nightclubs". [4] Jeremy Biser from The Day said the track can "cure whatever ails the soul." [5] Pan-European magazine Music & Media concluded, "Water and fire can be friends after all. Musically big-voiced Ms Small does something inconceivable for many others, namely singing a soulful ballad on quite a heavy rhythm track." [6]

A reviewer from Music Week rated it three out of five, adding that "this laid back effort from Bizarre Fruit lacks the guts of its predecessors. Probably a hit, but certainly not their biggest." [7] An editor, Alan Jones, named it one of the album's "better tracks", complimenting it as "superior and stately". He found that "the slower tempo suits Heather Small much better and the loose feel of the track is pleasing." [8] Johnny Dee from NME praised its "excellent songwriting". [9] People Magazine noted its "feel-good mantra" and stated that Small's "booming alto is hard to shake and, like her pineapple-shaped coif, impossible to ignore." [10] James Hamilton from the RM Dance Update called it a "change of pace attractive sultry swayer". [11] Wayne Bledsoe from Scripps Howard commented that "the cavernous acoustics on the intro to "Search for the Hero" sound like a chopper landing in a field." He also remarked that Small's "commanding tone matches the grandiosity" of the intro. [12]

Chart performance

In June 1995, "Search for the Hero" continued the band's unbroken run of eight consecutive Top 10 singles, entering the chart and peaking at number nine. It had been expected[ by whom? ] to chart higher due to strong radio support, but it stayed in the Top 20 for three weeks like predecessor single: "Open Your Heart". The single dropped out of the top 40 after just five weeks. The two Bizarre Fruit singles "Open Your Heart" and "Search for the Hero" had been swapped by the record company because of the demand for dance music in 1995, so "Search for the Hero" was pushed to be the middle single scheduled for the summer as a precursor to their world tour.

The single sold 88,700 copies in its first week, almost as much as "Renaissance", which a year previously had sold 89,000 in its first week after charting higher at number five in February 1994.

Airplay

Airplay for the single began five weeks before retail release, entering at number 45 and moving to 31 to 23 to 18 and then to number 15 in its first retail week. Unlike its sales, "Search for the Hero"'s airplay peaked at number 5, where it stayed for two weeks and did not leave the Airplay Top 40 for 13 weeks.

In May 1996, almost a year after release "Search for the Hero" re-entered the airplay chart at number 33 and climbed for five consecutive weeks to peak at number 20. This is therefore one of two singles in the '90s apart from Robbie Williams's "Angels" and Ultra Naté's "Free" to do so [ citation needed ], possibly prompted by the song's use in a Peugeot 406 advert that same year. [13]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Search for the Hero" was directed by Matthew Amos. [14] The video was shot in early May 1995 in and around the iconic Battersea Power Station in South London on the still disused site with special flame effects and Heather at the forefront with the band playing behind her. A triptych of images are detailed with DNA formulae, people in busy places and body statistics make up this image and foundation of life. Children are also seen running free and playing in the desecration and dilapidation of broken down cars, bricks, mortar, fire and flames.

The whole line up of the band are seen as well as, on drums Andy Gangadeen, Lynieve Austin and Paul Johnson performing on backing vocals within the shell of the Power Station drums. The other images seen are of exploding cars, kids playing on wasteland, smashing glasses bottles and CCTV footage. There are two poignant images in the video are the dolls head falling to the ground and the child swing from the hanging rope noose.

Remixes

Unusually for an M People single, mixes of the single were heavily R&B and not dance-orientated and were provided by Smith & Mighty. They serviced two mixes of the single in the form of a laid back R&B groove, the "Searchin Mix" and a dub of the same remix. The other mix is from producers Blacksmith with their "Mellow Flava Mix". The final track on the single is a live performance recorded in Germany on the Bizarre Fruit Tour earlier in 1995.

Track listings

The U.S. release was a Double a-side with "Padlock", which had several remixes by Junior Vasquez.

Charts

Chart (1995)Peak
Position
Australia (ARIA)37
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [15] 29
Europe (European Dance Radio) [16] 12
Germany (Official German Charts)39
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) [17] 18
Ireland (IRMA)13
Scotland (OCC) [18] 8
UK Singles (OCC)9
UK Dance (OCC) [19] 13
UK R&B (OCC) [20] 3

In 1996, one year after its release, "Search for the Hero" was used as the background music in a Peugeot 406 television advert. The advert debuted during ITV’s News at Ten , taking up the entire three-minute commercial break. The commercial combined the song with a series of surreal and controversial images, from a wildlife photographer interacting with an elephant to a child narrowly avoiding being hit by a car, and saw the brand replace its former tagline: "The lion goes from strength to strength" to "The drive of your life". [13]

During the 2020 Conservative Party Conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to "search for the hero inside yourself" when discussing the need to maintain a healthy weight during the coronavirus pandemic. [21] [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M People</span> English house music band

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discothèque (song)</span> 1997 single by U2

"Discothèque" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the opening track on their 1997 album, Pop, and was released as its lead single on 3 February 1997 by Island Records. The song exhibits influences from electronic dance music, characteristic of the band's musical direction in the 1990s. The music video, directed by Stéphane Sednaoui, was set inside of a mirrorball and featured the band members dressed as members of the disco group the Village People.

Marc Kinchen, known by his initials MK, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He hit number-one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1993 and 1994 with the songs "Always" and "Love Changes". Lead vocals on both of those tracks were performed by Alana Simon. The combo also recorded the underground house music classic anthem "Burning". "Always" peaked at number 69 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1995. MK also hit the dance chart with "4 You", using the pseudonym 4th Measure Men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back for Good (song)</span> 1995 single by Take That

"Back for Good" is a song by English band Take That from their third studio album, Nobody Else (1995). Released on March 27, 1995 by RCA and Arista, it was written by lead singer Gary Barlow, who also co-produced it with Chris Porter. The song topped the UK Singles Chart whilst also charting at number one in 31 countries, as well as reaching the top 10 in many others. Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton directed the song's music video. At the 1996 Brit Awards, "Back for Good" won the Brit Award for British Single of the Year. In 2003, Q Magazine ranked the song at number 910 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever" and in a UK poll in 2012, it was voted number 11 on the ITV special The Nation's Favourite Number One Single.

<i>Bizarre Fruit</i> 1994 studio album by M People

Bizarre Fruit is the third album by British dance band M People. It was released on 14 November 1994 and charted and peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart, spending one year on the chart before an expanded version of the album, Bizarre Fruit II, was released a year later. In 1996 it was announced that Bizarre Fruit had reached 1.1 million copies sold worldwide. The albums Bizarre Fruit and Bizarre Fruit II were certified 5× platinum in the UK for sales of 1.5 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How Bizarre (song)</span> 1995 single by OMC

"How Bizarre" is a song written and performed by New Zealand musical group OMC. It was released in December 1995 as the lead single from their album How Bizarre and went on to top the charts of five countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. Outside New Zealand, OMC is generally considered a one-hit wonder; they had a further few successful singles in New Zealand, including "On the Run" and "Land of Plenty".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Itchycoo Park</span> 1967 single by Small Faces

"Itchycoo Park" is a song by English rock band Small Faces, written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane. Largely written by Lane, it was among a number of pop songs of the era to make use of flanging, an effect involving, at that time, electro-mechanical processes. The song was not included on any of their UK albums, but was however featured on the North American release There Are But Four Small Faces (1968).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Got the Love</span> Single by The Source featuring Candi Staton

"You Got the Love" is a song by British songwriting team the Source featuring American singer-songwriter Candi Staton. Originally released in 1986, the song was remixed and re-released in 1991, 1997, and 2006. It reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, number two on the UK Dance Singles Chart and number one on the UK Club Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Night in Heaven</span> 1993 single by M People

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moving On Up (M People song)</span> 1993 single by M People

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Look Any Further</span> 1984 single by Dennis Edwards

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love & Devotion</span> 1995 single by Real McCoy

"Love & Devotion" is a song by the German Eurodance/pop music project Real McCoy. Originally an album track featured on their second album, Space Invaders (1994), it was later released in Europe in 1995 as a Real McCoy single. For unknown reasons, it was not released in the US by Arista. It was produced in Germany by music producers Juergen Wind and Frank Hassas (Quickmix) under the producer team name Freshline. The single peaked within the top 10 in Australia, Finland, Lithuania and Scotland, and reached number 11 in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Club Bizarre</span>

"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.

<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">Open Your Heart (M People song)</span> 1995 single by M People

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasy Island (M People song)</span> 1997 single by M People

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Rendezvous</span> 1995 single by M People

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automatic Lover (Call for Love)</span> 1994 single by Real McCoy

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's a Loving Thing</span> 1994 single by CB Milton

"It's a Loving Thing" is a song by Dutch dance music vocalist CB Milton, released in 1994 as the third single from his debut album by the same name (1994). The song was a sizeable hit in Europe, reaching number three in Belgium, and the top 20 in both the Netherlands and Finland, peaking at number 16 and 19. In the UK, it peaked at number 49, but in March 1995, a remixed version reached number 34. On the UK Dance Singles Chart, it fared better, reaching number 27, while on the European Dance Radio Chart, it peaked at number one. Outside Europe, the song hit success in Israel, peaking at number three. There were made two different music videos to promote the single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiggle in Line</span> 1994 single by Black Duck

"Whiggle in Line" is a song by Italian group Black Duck, released as their only single in December 1994 by Flying South Records. It is an electronic Eurodance style take on "Saturday Night" by Danish/Italian act Whigfield. Produced by Davide Riva and Larry Pignagnoli, the producers of the original track, it has an added ragga rap element and slightly different female vocals to the original, which is performed by British singer and TV host Carryl Varley, who also used to front Italian band Jinny. The single was a notable hit in several countries, peaking at number 11 on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart and number 20 in Denmark. In the UK, it reached the top 40, peaking at number 33, but on the UK Dance Chart it fared better, reaching a respectable number 12. It also enjoyed modest airplay in the US.

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 10 June 1995. p. 31. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  2. ↑ Cooper, William. "M People - Bizarre Fruit". AllMusic . Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. ↑ O'Brien, Jon. "M People – The Ultimate Collection [BMG International]". AllMusic . Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  4. ↑ Flick, Larry (2 September 1995). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard . p. 73. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  5. ↑ Biser, Jeremy (6 July 1995). "CD Bites: Bizarre Fruit - M People". The Day . p. 4. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . 24 June 1995. p. 11. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 3 June 1995. p. 30. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  8. ↑ Jones, Alan (10 June 1995). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week . p. 10. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Dee, Johnny (19 November 1994). "Long Play". NME . p. 46. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Welcome to the Real World". People . 22 May 1995. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  11. ↑ Hamilton, James (17 June 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 11. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  12. ↑ Bledsoe, Wayne (4 June 1995). "Reviews: M People". p. 3E. Quad-City Times .
  13. 1 2 McGonagle, Emmet (2 July 2020). "Peugeot and BETC's 30-year affair with the absurd". Campaign . Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "Search for the Hero (1995) by M People". IMVDb.com. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  15. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . 8 July 1995. p. 12. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media . 15 July 1995. p. 16. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  17. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (19.08.1995 - 25.08.1995)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  18. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 (18 June 1995 – 24 June 1995)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  19. ↑ "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (18 June 1995 – 24 June 1995)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  20. ↑ "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". officialcharts.com.
  21. ↑ Harrison, Ellie (6 October 2020). "Boris Johnson mocked for quoting M People song in Tory party conference speech". The Independent . Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  22. ↑ Evans, Rhiannon (6 October 2020). "Boris Johnson Quoting M People Isn't Funny. It's Insulting To Thousands Dealing With Covid - And Obesity". Grazia . Retrieved 6 October 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.