The Official BBC Children in Need Medley

Last updated

"The Official BBC Children in Need Medley"
PeterKayMedley2009.jpg
Single by Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band
Released21 November 2009 (2009-11-21)
Recorded2009
Genre
Length4:30
Label Sony
Songwriter(s)
Various
Jackie Jackson, Michael Jackson, Christine McVie, A.R. Rahman, Sampooran Kalra, Tanvi Shah, Judith Abbott, Duncan Bruce, Paul Greco, Anne Holden, Darren Hamer, Nigel Hunter, Louise Watts, Allan Whalley, Gary Barlow, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Guy Garvey, Craig Potter, Mark Potter, Pete Turner, Richard Jupp
Peter Kay singles chronology
"Once Upon a Christmas Song"
(2008)		"The Official BBC Children in Need Medley"
(2009)		"I Know Him So Well"
(2011)
Children in Need singles chronology
"Do Ya/Stay with Me"
(2008)		"The Official BBC Children in Need Medley"
(2009)		"Love You More"
(2010)

"The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" is a single by Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band. It is the official Children in Need Single for 2009, and was released on 21 November 2009. The song was shown for the first time on Children in Need 2009. The cover art is a parody of the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles. The single has sold over 452,000 copies in the UK, earning it gold status from the BPI. [1]

Contents

History

According to a news interview, Kay conceptualized the single while working with the director. The director said that he would "love to do something like that" but he and Kay regarded it mostly as a joke.

After some time away from the subject, Kay brought it up again, this time with the actual intent to produce it. The director said that he and Kay "just sat down one lunchtime and wrote a list", with as many characters recorded on it as they could think of from their childhoods, as well as some modern favourites and US cartoon characters. The song was recorded at Hullabaloo Studios by the Voice and Music Company.

The project was carried out in top secret at the request of executive producer Kay. Celebrities and voice artists who voiced characters' original vocals were brought in without being told details of the project. When contacted by Cartoon Network Studios, Casey Kasem agreed to take part on the condition that Shaggy was shown to be a vegetarian and asked not to be given credit as he was officially retired. [2]

The project took 132 hours to mix the vocals of the seven songs, eight months to animate, and around two years in total.[ citation needed ] Many of the original character models had been packed away, given to museums or cremated. Where possible the originals were found and transported to Chapman Studios in Altrincham from all over the world. In cases where the original models no longer existed, such as the characters from Camberwick Green and Trumpton, [3] new copies of the original models were created.

Because permission was not given by Royal Mail to use their more up to date logo, Postman Pat's van was a modified design with only the number plate PAT 4. [4]

The single raised at least £170,000 for Children in Need after more than 265,000 CD, DVD and download sales by mid-December 2009. [5]

Composition

The single is a medley of multiple songs played out in the following order:

  1. " Can You Feel It " – originally performed by the Jacksons (1981) (0:00–1:08)
  2. " Don't Stop " – originally performed by Fleetwood Mac (1976) (1:08–2:27)
  3. " Jai Ho! " from the film Slumdog Millionaire  – originally performed by A.R. Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls (2009) (2:12–2:41)
  4. " Tubthumping " – originally performed by Chumbawamba (1997) (2:41–3:00)
  5. " Never Forget " – originally performed by Take That (1995) (3:00–3:18)
  6. " Hey Jude " – originally performed by the Beatles (1968) (3:18–4:30)
  7. " One Day Like This " – originally performed by Elbow (2008) (3:37–4:30)

Chart performance

The single entered the UK Singles Chart on download sales alone at number 18. On iTunes, the video was being downloaded almost three times as much as the single. Video sales are not included in the UK Singles Chart,[ citation needed ] so it was felt that the single might not chart as highly as expected, however it climbed to number one in its second week on the chart after it was released on CD and DVD. Although it peaked very highly on the UK Singles Chart, it peaked surprisingly low on the UK Downloads Chart, at number 30. The high physical sales of the single meant that it held off Jason Derulo's "Whatcha Say" in its first week and Rihanna's "Russian Roulette" in its second week. In its third week, the single dropped to number 2 after it was knocked off the number one spot by Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". In the fourth week, the single fell to number 4 and then number 11 in its fifth week. In its sixth week, the song dropped 24 places to 35. The song entered the European Hot 100 at number 58; the next week it climbed 51 places to number 7, and peaked at number 5; the song then dropped to number 11 the next week. The song entered the Irish Singles Chart at number 25, then the following week the song moved up to 19, and peaked at number 6.

As of November 2016, the song has sold 452,000 copies in the UK. [1]

Music video

The group perform the Beatles' number one hit, "Hey Jude" and Elbow's "One Day Like This". All-star-band.jpg
The group perform the Beatles' number one hit, "Hey Jude" and Elbow's "One Day Like This".

The music video shows the Animated All Star Band meeting and recording the song in a studio, spoofing other charity songs in the style of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?", with Big Chris, the character voiced by Kay in Roary the Racing Car , first arranging the recording session and then leading the singing.

The music video features over 100 cartoon characters from different production companies. Nearly all of the characters are voiced by their original UK voice artists[ citation needed ] including Ringo Starr (who was a member of the Beatles who recorded "Hey Jude", which is sung here) as Thomas the Tank Engine. [6] One of the exceptions is Scooby-Doo who is voiced by Frank Welker since original voice artist Don Messick died in 1997. [7] Most of the contributions are stop motion characters. Some appear on TV screens within the stop motion world "via satellite", including US cartoon characters Shaggy Rogers, Scooby-Doo, and Ben Tennyson. Roobarb and Custard, Peppa Pig, George Pig and Muffin the Mule are also included. Cartoon characters SpongeBob SquarePants and Angelina Ballerina appear on Big Chris' smartphone.

The video depicts Big Chris at night talking to Postman Pat on the phone, saying he wants to get everyone together for the recording. Bob the Builder sings The Jacksons' "Can You Feel It", joined by Postman Pat, Fireman Sam, Teletubbies and other characters. Next Station Officer Steele and other characters sing Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop", such as Ted Glen, The Koala Brothers, The Wombles, Aloysius Parker, and Peppa Pig. Fifi sings The Pussycat Dolls' "Jai Ho", accompanied by Penny Morris, Wendy, Marsha, Primrose, Big Christine and Nisha Bains. Ajay Bains joins their flash mob much to the disapproval of Fireman Sam, Elvis Cridlington, Station Officer Steele, Postman Pat, Bob, Big Chris, Mr. Carburettor, Virgil, Parker, and Brains. Ajay then realizes his mistake and joins Sam, Elvis, Steele, Pat and the other men for their new rendition of Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping", and then Fireman Sam and the entire cast sing a montage of Take That's "Never Forget", the Beatles' "Hey Jude", and Elbow's "One Day Like This". At the end of the video, Chippy Minton appears, only to be informed by Big Chris that they have just finished.

Track listing

CD single
No.TitleLength
1."The Official BBC Children in Need Medley"4:30
2."The Unofficial BBC Children in Need Medley"4:09
Total length:8:39
DVD single
No.TitleLength
1."The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" (Video)6:03
2."The Unofficial BBC Children in Need Medley" (Video)5:11
Total length:11:14

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] Gold452,000 [1]

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormat
United Kingdom21 November 2009Sony Digital download
23 November 2009 CD, DVD

Related Research Articles

<i>Scooby-Doo</i> American animated media franchise

Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, for Hanna-Barbera. The series features four teenagers: Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and their talking Great Dane named Scooby-Doo, who solve mysteries involving supposedly supernatural creatures through a series of antics and missteps, while traveling using a brightly colored van called the "Mystery Machine". The franchise has several live-action films and shows.

<i>Postman Pat</i> British stop motion-animated TV series

Postman Pat is a British stop motion animated children's television series first produced by Woodland Animations. The series follows the adventures of Pat Clifton, a postman who works for Royal Mail postal service in the fictional village of Greendale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Kasem</span> American disc jockey and actor (1932–2014)

Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem was an American disc jockey, actor and radio presenter, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably American Top 40. He was the first actor to voice Shaggy Rogers in the Scooby-Doo franchise and Dick Grayson/Robin in Super Friends (1973–1985).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaggy Rogers</span> Fictional character in Scooby-Doo

Norville "Shaggy" Rogers is a fictional character and one of the main characters in the Scooby-Doo franchise. He is characterized as an amateur detective, and the long-time best friend of his dog, Scooby-Doo.

"Mah Nà Mah Nà" is a popular song by Italian composer Piero Umiliani. It originally appeared in the Italian film Sweden: Heaven and Hell. It was a minor radio hit in the United States and in Britain, but became better known internationally for its use by the Muppets and on The Benny Hill Show.

<i>Josie and the Pussycats</i> (TV series) American animated television series

Josie and the Pussycats is an American animated television series based upon the Archie Comics comic book series of the same name created by Dan DeCarlo. Produced for Saturday morning television by Hanna-Barbera Productions, 16 episodes of Josie and the Pussycats aired on CBS during the 1970–71 television season and were rerun during the 1971–72 season.

<i>Whats New, Scooby-Doo?</i> American animated television series

What's New, Scooby-Doo? is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Kids' WB. It is the ninth incarnation of the Scooby-Doo franchise that began with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and the first Scooby-Doo series in a decade, since A Pup Named Scooby-Doo ended in 1991 and the first since both the foreclosure of Hanna-Barbera studios and William Hanna's death in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Please Mr. Postman</span> 1961 song by the Marvelettes

"Please Mr. Postman" is a song written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. It is the debut single by the Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The single achieved this position in late 1961; it hit number one on the R&B chart as well. "Please Mr. Postman" became a number-one hit again in early 1975 when The Carpenters' cover of the song reached the top position of the Billboard Hot 100. "Please Mr. Postman" has been covered several times, including by the British rock group the Beatles in 1963. The 2017 song "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man draws on "Please Mr. Postman" and includes a credit for Brian Holland.

"Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" is a popular song which was published in 1944. The music was written by Harold Arlen and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 18th Academy Awards in 1945 after being used in the film Here Come the Waves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dear Jessie</span> 1989 single by Madonna

"Dear Jessie" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fourth studio album Like a Prayer (1989). It was released as the fifth single from the album on December 4, 1989, by Sire Records. Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the song was inspired by Leonard's daughter Jessie. The release of "Dear Jessie" was limited to the United Kingdom, certain other European countries, Australia and Japan. The track is composed more like a children's lullaby rather than a pop song, and features strings, synthesizer and strummed acoustics. A change in tempo occurs during the breakdown, where instrumentation from trumpets is included. Lyrically, the song evokes a psychedelic fantasy landscape, in which pink elephants roam with dancing moons and mermaids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piece of My Heart</span> 1967 single by Erma Franklin

"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States.

Bertha is a 13-episode British stop motion-animated children's television series about a factory machine of that name that aired from 1985 to 1986. All the characters were designed by Ivor Wood, and the series was produced by his company, Woodland Animations. It was broadcast on BBC Television, It was intended as a replacement to the Postman Pat series, until the second series aired in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We All Stand Together</span> 1984 single by Paul McCartney

"We All Stand Together" is a song by Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boombastic (song)</span> 1995 single by Shaggy

"Boombastic" or "Mr. Boombastic" is a song by Jamaican musical artist Shaggy, released in May 1995 by Virgin Records as the second single from his third studio album, Boombastic (1995). The song was both produced and co-written by Shaggy. After being used in an ad for Levi's, it achieved commercial success in many countries, including Ireland, UK, Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia, where it topped the singles charts. It spent a week at number one on both the US Billboard R&B chart and the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The track contains a sample from King Floyd song "Baby Let Me Kiss You". A remix featuring Sting International, which features a sample of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On", was released in January 1996. The latter is featured on some versions of the Boombastic album as a bonus track.

Leslie Hulme, known professionally as Ken Barrie, was an English voice actor and singer. He was best known for singing the theme tune of the BBC television programmes Hi-de-Hi!, Postman Pat and Charlie Chalk, and also narrated the latter two. He was also known for providing the voices of several of the series' characters.

"Meet the Flintstones", also worded as "(Meet) The Flintstones", is the theme song of the American 1960s animated television series The Flintstones. Composed in 1961 by Hoyt Curtin, Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, it is one of the most popular and best known of all theme songs, with its catchy lyrics "Flintstones, meet the Flintstones, they're the modern Stone Age family".

References

  1. 1 2 3 Myers, Justin (17 November 2016). "The biggest selling Children In Need singles ranked". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "Kay Talks About His Instant Classic". Bolton Journal. 3 December 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
  3. ↑ I Love 1967 BBC Cult, November 2008 – Interview mentioning burnt Trumpton models
  4. ↑ Royal Mail drops Postman Pat Brand Republic, 20 November 2000
  5. ↑ "Hit makes £170,000 for Children in Need" . The Independent. Press Association. 8 December 2009. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  6. ↑ "Children in Need single revealed". Daily Mirror. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  7. ↑ Don Messick Internet Movie Database
  8. ↑ Independent.ie. (2009). Children In Need single revealed. [online] Available at: https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/children-in-need-single-revealed/26584007.html [Accessed 8 Oct. 2023].
  9. ↑ Moshiri, M. (2010). Roll Along Thomas: The Thomas and Friends News Blog - The Archive: Kay’s ‘All-Star Animated Band’ a runner-up. [online] Roll Along Thomas. Available at: http://rollalongthomas.blogspot.com/2010/11/kays-all-star-animated-band-runner-up.html [Accessed 8 Oct. 2023].
  10. ↑ The Drum. (n.d.). The Drum talks voices with Lewis Macleod. [online] Available at: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2009/12/08/drum-talks-voices-lewis-macleod [Accessed 11 Oct. 2023].
  11. ↑ News, I. (2016). Ken Barrie, the voice of Postman Pat, dies at the age of 83. [online] ITV News. Available at: https://www.itv.com/news/london/2016-07-29/ken-barrie-the-voice-of-postman-pat-dies-at-the-age-of-73 [Accessed 8 Oct. 2023].
  12. ↑ BBC News. (2016). Postman Pat voice actor Ken Barrie dies. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36924472.amp [Accessed 8 Oct. 2023].
  13. ↑ Mirror.co.uk (2009). Peter Andre, Peter Kay and a host of celebs help Children In Need to be on course for record year. [online] mirror. Available at: https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/peter-andre-peter-kay-and-a-host-432546 [Accessed 8 Oct. 2023].
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Many Character Voices of Marc Silk". YouTube. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  15. ↑ cartoonresearch.com. (n.d.). In His Own Words: Casey Kasem on Shaggy |. [online] Available at: https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/in-his-own-words-casey-kasem-on-shaggy/.
  16. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – BBC Children in Need Medley". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  17. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  18. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  19. ↑ "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  20. ↑ "British single certifications – Peter Kay's Animated All-Star – The Official BBC Children in Need Medley". British Phonographic Industry.
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.