| "When We Were Young" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bucks Fizz | ||||
| from the album Greatest Hits | ||||
| B-side | "Where the Ending Starts" | |||
| Released | 6 June 1983 | |||
| Recorded | May 1983 [1] | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 4.04 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Warren Bacall | |||
| Producer(s) | Brian Tench, Andy Hill | |||
| Bucks Fizz singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"When We Were Young" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. The track features lead vocals by band member Jay Aston. The song became their sixth top-ten-hit in the UK and it is one of their biggest hits in Europe.
The song was written by Warren Harry (under the name Warren Bacall) and was produced by Brian Tench and Andy Hill—the first time Hill had not solely produced one of the group's singles. [2] The song's lyrics tell of a woman in old age, who laments the fact that she has lost her youth and looks.
The song was notable for its change in direction for the group. The production was heavy and the song had an ominous tone far removed from the group's usual pop sound. It was the first and only single to feature lead vocals by Jay Aston. Aston's vocals were notably different from her solo appearances on previous songs (e.g. "Getting Kinda Lonely" on Bucks Fizz and "Easy Love" on Are You Ready). At the time of release, Aston said of the song: "It's a very different kind of song. It's much harder and heavier and a concerted effort from Andy and the production team. We'll probably lose a lot of our old fans with this single but I hope we'll interest lots of new people." [3] Aston has also said that she was adopting an affected voice, similar to Hazel O'Connor, although a review at the time remarked on her simulating Lene Lovich. [4] Aston has since stated, despite the song's success, her vocal affectation wasn't a good idea, although she has rated it her favourite Bucks Fizz song, while member Cheryl Baker has commented that she never liked the song due to its downbeat tone. [5]
The single was released in June 1983, on 7" and 12" vinyl. It was also released on 7" and 12" vinyl picture discs. The B-side to the single was "Where the Ending Starts" (also featuring Aston on lead), which had been recently released on the group's third album, Hand Cut . The 12" single featured an extended version of the song with a long drum-laden passage after the second chorus. Also included on this was a previously unreleased bonus track "When the Love Has Gone". [6] [7] "When We Were Young" was later featured on the group's first Greatest Hits album, released in November 1983. [8] In 2005, it was released in a slightly edited form on the Bucks Fizz compilation, The Ultimate Anthology .
The promotional video for the song prominently featured Jay Aston singing the song to the camera on a set resembling a room in a house. Throughout the video, she is dressed in a white basque, adorned with frills and torn pieces of material. Her hair is unusually long and unkempt. At the bridge, the other members of the group appear separately facing the camera in a misty setting. After the second chorus, the group appear together, standing against a garishly-coloured chroma key background. In the distance, electricity pylons are visible. [9] Aston, while remarking on the musical change in direction for the group, also made mention that the video took a different approach to their previous ones. [3] The video was filmed in Germany, although is mainly studio-bound. [10]
"When We Were Young" became the group's ninth consecutive top 20 hit in the UK. The single entered the chart on the 18th of June 1983, at No.23, which was the group's highest ever first-week entry into the charts, beating "Making Your Mind Up" by one place. The following week it rose to its peak position of ten, where it remained for the following week. It then fell down the chart, remaining there for eight weeks in total. [11] The single performed particularly well in Europe also, becoming their biggest hit since "The Land of Make Believe" and the third biggest hit of the group's career. [12] It reached the top ten in Ireland, as well top 20 placings in the Netherlands and Austria. [12] [13] [14] This was to be Bucks Fizz's last UK top 10 hit for three years. [15]
7" single
12" single
| Country | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK [11] | 10 |
| Ireland [13] | 6 |
| The Netherlands [14] | 14 |
| Belgium [16] | 19 |
| Germany [12] | 52 |
| Austria [12] | 19 |
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and was composed by Andy Hill and John Danter. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut single, the group having been formed just two months earlier. Following its win in the contest, the song reached No. 1 in the UK and several other countries, eventually selling in excess of four million copies. It launched the career of the group, who went on to become one of the biggest selling acts of the 1980s and featured on their debut, self-titled album.
Bucks Fizz are a British pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. They received attention for the dance routine which accompanied the song, in which the male members of the group ripped the female members' outer skirts off to reveal much shorter mini-skirts beneath. The group went on to have a successful career around the world, but the UK remained their biggest market, where they had three No.1 singles with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s. They also had UK Top 10 hits with "Now Those Days Are Gone" (1982), "If You Can't Stand the Heat" (1982), "When We Were Young" (1983) and "New Beginning " (1986). Bucks Fizz have sold over 50 million records worldwide.
Jay Hilda Aston is an English singer and occasional songwriter. She was a member of the British pop group Bucks Fizz from 1981 to 1985. She was the youngest member of the group's original line-up, aged 19 when they won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest. During Aston's membership the group had 12 of their 13 UK top 40 hit singles, including three number one hits. Since 2009, she has performed alongside fellow original Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker and Mike Nolan. The group used to perform under the name the Original Bucks Fizz but are now known as the Fizz.
Michael Nolan is an Irish singer who is best known as one of the four original members of the British pop group, Bucks Fizz. He was born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, but brought up in the UK, where he still resides. As a member of Bucks Fizz, he won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and achieved 20 UK top 60 singles between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits. He was a member of the group until 1996. Since 2004, he has been a member of the group The Original Bucks Fizz or OBF, along with other former Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker, Shelley Preston and Jay Aston.
Are You Ready is the second studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 26 April 1982 and features the UK No. 1 singles "The Land of Make Believe" and "My Camera Never Lies" as well as the follow-up "Now Those Days Are Gone". It was produced by Andy Hill and released on RCA records. It remains the group's most successful album.
Hand Cut is the third studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 1 March 1983 and features the UK top 20 hits, "If You Can't Stand the Heat" and "Run for Your Life".
"The Land of Make Believe" is a 1981 single by British band Bucks Fizz. It reached No.1 in the UK in early 1982 - the second single by the band to do so. The song was produced by Andy Hill with music by Hill and lyrics by ex-King Crimson member Peter Sinfield. Despite the apparent sugar-coated style of the song, Sinfield later claimed it was a subtle attack on Margaret Thatcher and her government's policy at the time. "The Land of Make Believe" became a big hit across Europe in early 1982, topping the charts in Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland as well as the UK. The song was later covered by pop band allSTARS* for a 2002 single release.
The Story So Far is a compilation album by British pop group Bucks Fizz, released in 1988. The album collects together 18 of the group's biggest hit singles spanning the years 1981 to 1988, including their three number ones.
"New Beginning " is a 1986 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was a comeback hit, achieving their highest chart placing for four years.
"If You Can't Stand the Heat" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in November 1982 and became the group's fifth top 10 single in the UK. The song was written by Andy Hill and guitarist Ian Bairnson. It was also produced by Hill.
"Run for Your Life" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was written by Andy Hill and Ian Bairnson and became the group's eighth consecutive top 20 hit in the UK. It featured on the group's third album Hand Cut.
"London Town" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was their first single not to reach the UK top 20, breaking a run of nine consecutive top 20 hits. The song was written and produced by Andy Hill.
"Rules of the Game" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It fared poorly in the UK Charts, becoming their first single to miss the top 40.
"I Hear Talk" is a 1984 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz, written by Andy Hill and Peter Sinfield, the team responsible for the group's biggest hit in the UK, "The Land of Make Believe". It was also produced by Hill. Released as a single in December 1984, it is the title track from the group's fourth studio album. In 2010, the song was chosen as the first single by the Original Bucks Fizz in a live jazz-style reworking.
"You and Your Heart So Blue" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. Released in June 1985, the song was written by Andy Hill and Peter Sinfield and was produced by Hill. This single was the last to feature member Jay Aston, who quit the group the same month.
"Magical" is a song written by American musician Meat Loaf and British musician John Parr, and it was released as a 1985 single by Parr as a part of his self-titled debut album. A few months later, an alternative version of the song was released in the U.K. as a single by pop group Bucks Fizz. It entered the charts by both artists in the U.S. and U.K. respectively but was not a big hit for either, although Parr's version managed to rise into the top 40 of Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.
Warren Harry was a British songwriter and performer.
The Fizz are a British pop music group formed in 2004 as a spin-off from the original group, Bucks Fizz. The core of the group consists of Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston, who are all former members of Bucks Fizz and performed as OBF initially with Shelley Preston and then replaced by Jay Aston. The group then performed as Formerly of Bucks Fizz, and Bobby McVay later became a member in 2015, making the group a quartet, and then renaming as The Fizz until he left in 2018. To date, the group have released four albums, three of which have charted in the Official UK Albums Chart. Their 2017 album The F-Z of Pop reached No.25, becoming the highest-charting Bucks Fizz related album in 33 years. In 2018, Christmas with the Fizz was released. In 2020, Smoke & Mirrors was released, reaching number 29 in the Official UK Albums Chart and number 6 on the Official Sales Chart.
The F–Z of Pop is a 2017 studio album by The Fizz. It is the second album by the group and the first by the four-member line up of Cheryl Baker, Jay Aston, Mike Nolan and Bobby McVay. Released in September, the album entered the UK albums chart at No.25, the highest chart position achieved by a Bucks Fizz line-up since the "New Beginning " single in 1986, 31 years earlier.
Smoke & Mirrors is a 2020 studio album by the Fizz, formerly Bucks Fizz. It is the third album by the group under the name the Fizz and the second as a threesome consisting of original members Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. Released on 6 March 2020, the album entered the overall Official Albums Chart at No.29, the Official Album Sales Chart at No.6, the Official Vinyl Albums Chart at No.5 and the Official Independent Album Chart at No.3. Its Sales chart position of No.6 is the highest entry of any previous Bucks Fizz/The Fizz albums.
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| Other songs | |
| Related articles | |
