Stock Aitken Waterman are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considered one of the most successful songwriting and producing partnerships of all time, scoring more than 100 UK top-40 hits, selling over 150 million records and earning an estimated £60 million.
Dead or Alive were an English pop band that released seven studio albums from 1984 to 2000. The band formed in 1980 in Liverpool and found success in the mid-1980s, releasing seven singles that made the UK top 40 and three albums on the UK top 30. At the peak of their success, the lineup consisted of Pete Burns (vocals), Steve Coy (drums), Mike Percy (bass) and Tim Lever (keyboards), with the core pair of Burns and Coy writing and producing for the remainder of the band's career due to Percy and Lever exiting the group in 1989.
Mel and Kim were an English pop duo, consisting of sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. Originally managed by Alan Whitehead, they achieved success between 1986 and 1988, before Melanie died of cancer in January 1990 at the age of 23.
"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is a song by the English pop band Dead or Alive, featured on their second studio album, Youthquake (1985). Released as a single in November 1984, it reached No. 1 in the UK in March 1985, taking 17 weeks to get there. It was the first UK number-one hit by the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at No. 11 on 17 August of that year, becoming their highest charting single there.
Colonel Abrams was an American musician, singer, songwriter, dancer and actor.
"Hand on Your Heart" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her second studio album, Enjoy Yourself (1989), and released as its lead single on 24 April 1989. Much like her previous releases up to Let's Get to It (1991), the song was written and produced by English songwriting and record production trio Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW). Referenced tracks during composition included "This Old Heart of Mine" by the Isley Brothers and "That's the Way Love Is" by Ten City.
"Never Gonna Give You Up" is the debut single recorded by English singer and songwriter Rick Astley, released on 27 July 1987. It was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, and was released as the first single from Astley's debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody (1987). The song was a worldwide number-one hit, initially in the United Kingdom in 1987, where it stayed at the top of the chart for five weeks and was the best-selling single of that year. It eventually topped the charts in 25 countries, including the United States and West Germany, and winning Best British Single at the 1988 Brit Awards. The song is considered to be Astley's signature song and it is often played at the end of his live concerts.
"Love in the First Degree" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their fourth studio album, Wow! (1987). It was released on 28 September 1987 as the album's second single, except in the United States, where it was released in 1988 as the third single. The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. It achieved some success in Europe and Australia, peaking within the top 20 in many countries, but unlike "I Heard a Rumour", it was only a top 50 hit in the US.
"Love, Truth and Honesty" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their first greatest hits album, Greatest Hits Collection (1988). It was released on 12 September 1988 as the album's lead single. The song was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio and was the last single Bananarama would write with them as a trio.
"Respectable" is a song by English musical duo Mel and Kim from their only studio album, F.L.M. (1987). It was released on 18 February 1987 as the album's second single. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for one week in March 1987, becoming the second UK number-one single produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW), following Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round " (1985), and the first UK number one that the trio had written themselves. The single also topped the charts in Australia, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland and West Germany.
"Too Many Broken Hearts" is a song by Australian singer and actor Jason Donovan, released on 20 February 1989 as the third single from his debut album, Ten Good Reasons (1989), and 1991's Greatest Hits album and again on a later collection in 2006. The song reached number-one in the United Kingdom and Ireland in March 1989. The song additionally peaked within the top 10 in Australia, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain. British magazine Classic Pop ranked "Too Many Broken Hearts" number 19 in their list of "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs" in 2021.
"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" is the debut single of English pop singer Sonia. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, the song was included on Sonia's debut album, Everybody Knows (1990). The single became Sonia's only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart and reached number 10 on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart.
"Happenin' All Over Again" is a song written and produced by Stock Aitken & Waterman (SAW) for American singer Lonnie Gordon's first album, If I Have to Stand Alone (1990). The song mixed SAW's Europop sound with the blooming Italo house music which was becoming big in the UK charts at the time. It was released as the album's second single on January 15, 1990, and reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, but this 1990 version was never released in the US. A different version of the song was included on Gordon's 1993 album Bad Mood, and this version was released as a US single in 1993, peaking at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number one on the Billboard Dance chart. In 1998, Gordon recorded the song for a second time and released it as a single.
"I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" is a song by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. It was the second single from Another Place and Time and, like other tracks from the album, was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. The song was remixed from the album version and released on May 15, 1989, by Warner Bros. Records, in several European countries. It was a top ten hit in UK and the second most-successful single from the album, behind "This Time I Know It's for Real".
"Whenever You Need Somebody" is a song written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, which became successful for two of their artists, namely O'Chi Brown and Rick Astley.
"Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)" is the debut single of English pop duo Mel and Kim, released in September 1986. The song became a chart hit, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart and reaching number one in four European countries. British magazine Classic Pop ranked "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)" at number three on their list of the "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman Songs" in 2021.
"Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" is a song performed by British singer Samantha Fox and written and produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman (SAW). It was released as the first single from Samantha’s eponymous second album, Samantha Fox, in the spring of 1987. The single became Fox's third and final top ten single in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight in June. In the United States, the single was released in the fall of 1987 and reached only number 80 that October. It was a top 10 hit in continental Europe and also reached number 22 in Australia.
"That's the Way It Is" is a song by British pop duo Mel and Kim that was featured on the soundtrack album of Coming to America, starring Eddie Murphy. The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW). The single peaked at number ten in the Uunited Kingdom, becoming their fourth consecutive top ten hit.
"Who's Leaving Who" is a song written by Jack White and Mark Spiro, first recorded by Canadian country singer Anne Murray in 1986. It achieved bigger popularity in Europe when it was covered by British Hi-NRG singer Hazell Dean in 1988. David Hasselhoff covered the song on his 1991 album David, produced by Jack White.
"Say I'm Your Number One" is a song by English singer Princess, released in 1985 as the lead single from her self-titled debut studio album (1986). Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW), the song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it reached number 20 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart. The track was Princess' biggest hit single, and although it was the first of a run of four hit singles that the artist released with SAW, it proved to be her only top 10 entry in her home country.
