Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
#quotefromthe80s
All I know is that to me
You look like you're lots of fun
Open up your lovin' arms
Watch out, here I come
#DeadOrAlive #YouSpinMeRound
On November 5, 1984, one of the most representative songs of the 80s was released. A symbolic song for many reasons. First, because after a long time it still remains one of the most loved songs by dinosaurs of the 80s; then, because he introduced us to an absolutely brilliant and original artist and his group, and finally because of a strange joke of destiny, this song had a huge impact on the future of the 80s. But let’s go by order.
As always, so many things are born by chance, and so one day in England an artist hears a song by Hazell Dean, not really one of the protagonists of the 80s, and decides that he wants to try to work with Hazell’s producers. So far so good, but there are a few more details.
The artist is not a common guy; he is a brilliant, original and extroverted character who had created and changed a lot of bands in his Liverpool, one of the absolute cradles of pop. He had worked with Pete Wylie, future author of “Sinful!” and founder of The Mighty Wah, with the late Josie Jones, singing “Come Back“. But above all this artist had the idea to change the name of his group shortly before participating in a radio program, changing it to “Dead Or Alive”. The artist, of course Pete Burns, now we know, is a guy who has to do things his own way, and when he has something in mind, it’s really hard do take this idea away from him.
And so Pete Burns wants to introduce a new Dead Or Alive song to Hazell Dean’s producers, convinced that they can help the song become a hit.
But the producers are no ordinary guys as well, because we are at the beginning of the historic trio Stock, Aitken and Waterman, undisputed rulers of the English pop scene in the second half of the 80s. And according to many, one of the reasons why the first part is generally considered better than the second.
So the three guys accept, and together with Dead Or Alive they record one of the most beautiful songs of the 80s during an uninterrupted session of thirty-six hours! A day and a half! Probably someone like Pete Burns must have been used to that too, but I bet for Stock, Aitken and Waterman it was something absolutely unexpected!
The song is a hit, but for whom? I never understood if Stock Atiken and Waterman created the song of their life, or if this very strong song put the turbo on the career of the three producers! That is, if Pete Burns hadn’t chosen them and paired “You spin me round” with their name, would the three producers ever come to produce people like Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue, Bananarama?
In any case, “You spin me round” was a resounding success that reached the top of the charts throughout Europe. In the wake of this success Dead Or Alive released, after a few months, their second album, “Youthquake” (I have a soft spot for albums that have fantastic names like this) and their career also took flight.
Dead Or Alive had over the years series of highs and lows and changes of formation, until the beginning of the new millennium, when they were reduced to Pete Burns alone; in the meantime he apparently became a woman and surely became a great television personality.
Poor Pete left us in 2016 for a heart attack, he was 57 years old. He spent the last part of his life between psychological and physical suffering due to the consequences of the many cosmetic surgeries, but in the memory of dinosaurs he will remain forever a great icon of pop.
Dead Or Alive on Wikipedia
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