Stone Roses “I Wanna Be Adored” charted

I Wanna Be Adored The Stone Roses

Writer(s): Ian Brown, John Squire (see lyrics here) Released: September 1991 First Charted: December 8, 1989 Peak: 18 MR, 20 UK, 3 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.6 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 59.6 video, 118.75 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Stone Roses formed in Manchester, England in 1983. They were considered a pioneering group of the Madchester movement of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s which combined elements of indie dance, acid house, and psychedelia. The primary members were singer Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, bassist Mani, and drummer Reni. Their 1989 debut album has been regarded as one of the most important in British history. Five singles were released from the album over a three-year period. The most successful was the third single, “I Wanna Be Adored,” which reached #20 on the UK charts. It was one of five songs by the band to reach the rock charts in the United States. AllMusic.com’s John Bush described it as “a sublime storm of a track.” AMG The song, which opens the album, runs a minute and a half before the main portion of the song kicks in. It begins with “30 seconds of atmospheric feedback – reminiscent of a ghost train pulling into the station – before a nimble bass line from Gary Mounfield starts it off. Soon, John Squire is echoing the bass line with his equally sublime guitar, and drummer Reni enters in turn a few bars later with punchy, echo-laden drumwork. Almost a full two minutes in, Ian Brown finally opens his mouth and begins a yearning vocal performance.” AMG “Brown and Squire soar over the rhythm section, weaving voice and guitar into a mildly dizzying froth before the band reaches a restrained climax of sorts.” AMG The song features minimal lyrics, mostly repeating the lines “I don’t have (or need) to sell my soul / He’s already in me” and the title “with more energy until singer and band peak at the same time, just a few seconds before the end of the song..” AMG Brown said the song is about people’s wishes to be idolized and how they’ll do anything to achieve that goal. SF He said, “I was trying to say…if you want to be adored it’s like a sin, like lust or gluttony or something like that.” SF The song has been ranked as one of the 100 greatest songs of all time (by Q magazine in 2006) and one of the 50 greatest indie anthems ever (NME, 2007). VH2, a UK music network, ranked it #2 all time on their countdown of indie songs. Stylus magazine rated the song’s bassline as one of the 50 best of all time in 2005. WK Resources: AMG All Music Guide song review by John Bush SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 8/24/2023.

Sinéad O’Connor “Mandinka” released

Mandinka Sinéad O’Connor

Writer(s): Sinéad O’Connor (see lyrics here) Released: December 1, 1987 First Charted: January 16, 1988 Peak: 3 CO, 17 UK, 33 CN, 39 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 4.64 video, 16.24 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Sinéad O’Connor was born in 1966 in Dublin, Ireland. She released her first album, The Lion and the Cobra, in 1987 when she was 20 years old. The lead single, “Troy,” peaked at #48 in the UK. The follow-up, “Mandinka,” got to #17 and reached the top 40 in Canada and Australia. It was a #6 hit in Ireland. Mandinka is a West African tribe. O’Connor was inspired to write the song by the 1977 miniseries Roots based on the book by Alex Haley about slavery in the 1700s. She said, “I was a young girl when I saw it, and it moved something so deeply in me, I had a visceral response. I came to emotionally identify with the civil rights movement and slavery, especially given the theocracy I lived in and the oppression in my own home.” SF The song is “a propulsive anthem that straddles pop and the loosely knit genre of alternative rock.” AT “O’Connor threw every bit of texture and range—snarling, chanting, cooing, and, yes, screaming—she could into the song.” AT Critic Kate Davies said, “Phewee. What a single. A veritable pot pourri of sounds and ideas. Sinéad serenades, screams and strains all in the course of a few minutes.” WK Music Week’s Jerry Smith said, “The striking talents of the rather formidable Sinéad O’Connor are well showcased in this dynamic number…and its infectuous, if unorthodox, nature deserved wide exposure.” WK Smash Hits’ Sue Dando called it a “rasping, raw rock/punkesque thing…destined to be possibly the most absolutely brilliant single to never be a hit.” WK The song introduced her to American audiences with her first network television appearance on Late Night with David Letterman in 1988. She also performed it at the Grammys in 1989 when she was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. She painted the logo for rap group Public Enemy on her head for the performance in solidarity with rap artists boycotting the Grammys because the Best Rap Performance Grammy award presentation was not televised. SF Resources: AT The Atlantic (7/27/2023). “The Song That First Captured Sinéad O’Connor’s Power” by Jason Heller SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 8/7/2023.

R.E.M. “Fall on Me” released

Fall on Me R.E.M.

Writer(s): Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe (see lyrics here) Released: July 14, 1986 First Charted: August 9, 1986 Peak: 94 BB, 5 AR, 7 CO, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 5.9 video, 16.57 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: By the 1990s, R.E.M. achieved superstardom, thanks to Out of Time and Automatic for the People both achieving worldwide sales of 18 million. They’d first reached platinum status with their fifth album, 1987’s Document, thanks to the top-ten success of “The One I Love.” However, over their first four albums it didn’t look like the Athens, Georgia-based band would ever move much beyond its college rock audience. The band released their first single, “Radio Free Europe,” in 1981 and it could make a claim as the college rock anthem. After the 1983 release of their debut album Murmur, critics embraced them for their jangly pop and new folk-rock sound that defied categorization. Over the next three years they released Reckoning, Fables of the Reconstruction, and Life’s Rich Pageant. They definitely showed consistency – all four albums were gold sellers that peaked in the top 40 of the Billboard album chart. Life’s Rich Pageant featured two singles – “Fall on Me” and “Superman.” In 1986, drummer Bill Berry said “Fall on Me” was about acid rain and how it threatened the environment, SF but lead singer Michael Stipe has described it as “a song about oppression.” WK He cited the story of Galileo dropping feathers and weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa as part of the inspiration for the first verse WK and the song’s main line: “don’t fall on me.” The title also evokes “the story of Chicken Little and his belief that the sky was about to fall.” AM The song was notable for Stipe making “a concerted effort to enunciate his trademark mumble.” AM It was a transition to “a more accessible sound” WK from the band’s earlier “murky lyrics and jangling guitar” trademark. WK In addition, the song was unusual because it was more of a duet between Stipe and bassist Mike Mills. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for R.E.M. AM AllMusic.com review by Denise Sullivan SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 6/18/2024.