Songoftheday 8/4/19 - Listen as your day unfolds challenge what the future holds, try and keep your head up to the sky...
from the album I Ain't Movin' (1994)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 30
Today's song of the day comes from British pop/soul singer Des'ree, who was born Desirée Weekes in London but for her music career contracted her name to flow on the tongue better. Des'ree released her debut single "Feel So High" in 1991 in her homeland, where it initially was a minor pop hit at #51. However a year later, after opening on tour for the band Simply Red, who were at the time the biggest pop act in the country, the song re-entered the chart and rose to #13 becoming her first top-40 hit. That same year she guested on American ex-pat Terence Trent D'Arby's single "Delicate", which climbed to #14 in the UK and gave Des'ree her first chart appearance in America, peaking at #74.
Des'ree returned in 1994 with her sophomore effort I Ain't Movin'. The lead single was a motivational piece inspired by both her parents and the budding New Age movement. Written by the singer with producer Ashley Ingram, the track sported a music video that was produced (but not filmed) in black and white that stuck out from the usual fare on MTV and VH1...
"You Gotta Be" became Des'ree's first and only top-40 pop hit in the U.S., reaching the top five in March of 1995. The song spent two weeks at #2 on Billboard magazine's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio format chart, while crossing over to slip in at #72 on their R&B list. Internationally, the single initially went to #20 in her native Britain, then re-entered the chart after her American success, where it climbed to #14 the following year, and a remix of the track for an ad for the Ford Focus automobile in 1999 even bested that at #10. The single also went to #4 in Spain and #9 in Australia, and made the top-40 in New Zealand (#11), Italy (#15), France (#20), and Canada (#36).
Des'ree's second single from I Ain't Movin' in America was a re-release of her debut "Feel So High", which stalled down at #67 from being totally overshadowed by the unending radio success of "You Gotta Be". Meanwhile in Europe and Down Under, the title track "I Ain't Movin'" was put out, though it too failed expectations, missing the top-40 at #44 in the UK and #59 in Australia. That was followed by "Little Child", which went to #69 in England. Both of those singles, as well as the rest of the I Ain't Movin' album, remain overlooked soul nuggets that are worth seeking out.
The singer came back in 1998 with her third album, Supernatural, which was preceded by the single "Kissing You", which was featured in the movie treatment of Romeo And Juliet by direct Baz Luhrmann. That track only got to #83 on the British chart (though it's one of her biggest Australian hits at #17), but with the soundtrack peaking at #2 on the American albums chart selling over three million copies, the song may be one of her most recognizable from fans of the movie. The proper lead single from that album, "Life", ended up Des'ree's biggest international success, topping the singles chart in Italy, Austria, Hungary, and the Netherlands, and reaching the top ten in France (#2), Belgium (#2), Ireland (#3), Spain (#3), Sweden (#3), Switzerland (#3), Iceland (#6), Germany (#8), Australia (#8), and Norway (#9) - but was totally ignored in America. Also from the album, the single "What's Your Sign?" went to #1 in Spain as well as #19 in the UK and #37 in France. With the success of the remix of "You Gotta Be" in 1999, the Supernatural album was re-released to include the track, which also went to #1 in Spain.
In 2003, Des'ree returned to record a fourth and so far most recent studio album, Dream Soldier. It ended up being mostly missed, with single "It's Okay" just a minor hit in Italy (#59), the UK (#69), and Australia (#96), and she was let go by her label. She took a break from music, with a comeback being talked about but not coming to fruition yet.
(Click below to see the rest of the post)
Here's Des'ree making her debut on the Letterman show in the fall of 1994 to promote the single...
And again on British telly...
She gave this delicate performance at the VH1 studios in 1995...
The 1999 remix of "You Gotta Be" gave the singer her second top ten hit...
In 2006, Natalie Cole recorded a cover of the song for her album Leavin'...
And just earlier this year, stage legends Billy Porter (who we now know from Pose) and Matt Zarley collaborated in a version of "You Gotta Be" to benefit the Los Angeles LGBT Youth Center (hint: go buy it!)
And lastly, back to Des'ree performing live in Spain in 1998...
Up tomorrow: New jack group has a final request.
Comments