The story of the English girl group Bananarama began very successfully. The collective was created in 1981, and since 1982 a series of singles began, which fell on the first lines of the British hit parade, and it did not stop for 6 consecutive years. Compositions occupied high places at the same time in dance charts and pop charts. The Bananarama group was included in the Guinness Book of Records as a group with the largest number of hits among female groups.
Here is a list of the ten most popular songs by Bananarama:
- It Ain't What You Do ... (1982),
- Really Saying Something (1982),
- Shy Boy (1982),
- Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (1983),
- Cruel Summer (1983),
- Robert De Niro's Waiting ... (1984),
- Venus (1986)
- Love in the First Degree (1987),
- I Heard a Rumour (1987),
- Nathan Jones (1988).
early years
Bananarama was created in London in September 1981 by friends Sarah Dallin and Keren Woodward, joined by Sivan Feikhi. Dallin and Fahey studied journalism at the London College of Fashion. The third member of the group worked for the BBC.
Sarah and Keren were then looking for an inexpensive room that could be rented. There was no suitable option, and therefore one friend offered them a rehearsal room, which in the past belonged to the Sex Pistols group. It was there that the girls made their first demo recording.
They decided to send this tape to Demon Records. The producers liked the music, and the company invited the group to sign the first contract in its history. The single of the collective was released, which was to the taste of the leadership of the Decca studio. This began cooperation, which lasted for many years.
Venus
In 1986, the group gave new life to the song Venus, first recorded in 1969 by the Shocking Blue ensemble.
The time of popularity of this composition fell at the dawn of the American MTV channel. This and other Bananarama music videos were regularly broadcast on it. Therefore, the music press wrote that the girl’s team opened a new wave of the so-called “British invasion”.
Sound
If you carefully listen to the music of the band Bananarama, you can see the distinct influence of the bands that recorded at Motown Studios (in particular, groups such as The Marvelettes and The Supremes). The similarity of their music with the evergreen hits of the 60s cannot be denied.
But at the same time, Bananarama’s work absorbed the musical achievements of subsequent decades, for example, the abundance of synthesizers and electronic drums, characteristic of the new wave style and late disco. This explosive mixture led listeners to indescribable delight. As a result, Bananarama's songs spent a total of 164 weeks on the UK chart.
From trio to duet
At the peak of popularity, the girl’s trio underwent an unexpected reduction in composition. Vocalist Sivan Feikhi has married British guitarist Dave Stewart from the Juritmix group. According to some reports, it was he who advised his wife to leave the group performing pop music and do something more serious. After leaving the band, Feiji became a member of the Shakespears Sister duo. Bananarama’s latest album, recorded with her, is called Wow !. He became the team's most successful record.
Bananarama Group decided to continue its activities, no matter what. The remaining participants began to sing together.
In this composition, 6 more albums were recorded. But only one song of them hit the top ten British hits.
Reunion
In 2017, it became known about the reunion of the classical composition of the Bananarama group. Fans of the team have been waiting for this event for about three decades.
Participants gathered for a concert tour of 22 cities in the UK and four performances in North America. Since Bananarama did not take such long trips in its earliest, most successful period, we can say that this is the first such event for the original line-up. The demand for tickets in the UK was so great that dates for additional concerts were announced.
Success in the USA
Sarah Dallin admitted to one of the American music publications: "The reaction of the audience to our concerts was phenomenal. I did not expect such success. We have so many fans in the States and they all want us to sing for them!"