| "What Are We Gonna Do About It" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Mercy, Mercy | ||||
| B-side | "What Are We Gonna Do About It? (Dub Mix)" | |||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Length | 3:53 (7" release) 6:40 (12" release) | |||
| Label | Ensign ENY 522 (7" release) Ensign 12ENY 522 (12" release) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Young/Tunney | |||
| Producer(s) | Lukey Tunney & Colin Young | |||
| Mercy, Mercy singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"What Are We Gonna Do About It" is a 1985 single for Mercy, Mercy. It became a hit for them that year.
"What Are We Gonna Do About It" was written by Colin Young and Luke Tunny, [1] who co-founded Mercy, Mercy with Young. [2] Young was the lead vocalist in the outfit. [3] Keyboardist Tunny and vocalist Young (aka Colin Hughfield Young) teamed up when Young was working on a solo project in or around September 1984. "What Are We Gonna Do About It", released on Ensign/Island ENY 522 was the follow up to their 1984 release "It Must Be Heaven". [4]
On 27 July 1985, James Hamilton noted the building of the mesmeric long breaks on the dub side of the single. He also said it was "slightly like a hot tempo Phil Fearon." [5]
Paul Sexton of Record Mirror have a short review on the single in the magazine's 24 August issue. He said that it had a Phil Fearon / Galaxy sound and "a real creeper if you give it time". [6]
On the week of 6 October, James Hamilton said that Young and Tunney were causing quite a stir with the "98bpm reggae-soul jogger". [7]
For the week of 31 August 1985, Music Week confirmed that the record was on ten I.L.R. station playlists, two of them A lists. [8] On the week of 7 September, the record was on ten I.L.R. station playlists, two more than the previous week. Three stations had it on their A list. [9] It was also on the Radio London A list. [10] On the week of 28 September, the single had gone up from nine regional playlists to sixteen. Four of them were A lists and a station in Stockton had it as a hit pick. [11]
The Mercy Mercy single made its debut at no. 54 on the Music Week Top 75 Disco & Dance Singles chart on the week of 17 August 1985. [12] It also debuted on the Airplay Action Bubbling chart. [13]
It debuted at no. 85 on the Music Week The Next 25 chart on the week of 24 August [14] and it had moved up from no. 28 on the Top 75 Disco & Dance Singles chart. [15]
On the week of 7 September, the single peaked at no. 9 on the Music Week Top 75 Disco & Dance Singles chart. [16] [17]
On the week of 14 September, the single debuted at no. 12 in the UK Club Play Chart. [18]
By the week of 21 September, it had made its debut at no. 59 in the Music Week Top 75 Singles chart. [19] The following week (28 September), it was at no. 64. This was the song's last week in the Top 75. [20] [21] It had also moved up from no. 10 to no. 9 on the UK Club Play Chart. [22]
On 12 October the single had moved down from no. 9 to no. 15 on the UK Club Play Chart. [23]
The song was still in the Music Week Top 75 Disco & Dance Singles chart at no. 69 on the week of 2 November. [24]
The song came no. 48 in the RM (New Record Mirror) Year End Disco chart. [25]
Lewis Berry recorded a version, produced by Rod Gammons which was released on Record Shack Records SOHOT 58 in 1986 as "What Am I Gonna Do About It". [26] A 2017 version appeared on an EP along with "You Lied" and "What Gives You The Right". [27]