Songoftheday 1/8/22 - Racing through my brain and I just can't contain this feeling that remains...

 

 

"There She Goes" - Sixpence None The Richer

from the album Sixpence None The Richer (1999 reissue of 1997 album)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #32 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 7

 

Today's song comes from the band Sixpence None The Richer, who went from being a Christian rock band to and alternative hitmaking act with their single "Kiss Me", which went to #2 on the American pop chart in the spring of 1999. Instead of putting out another cut from the 1997 album as a follow-up, the group re-released their self-titled third record with a new song, actually a new-to-them song. It's a remake of an indie-pop gem from the British band the La's, which coincidentally got its bigger success on a re-release in 1990 after its initial release in 1988. "There She Goes", written by the La's leader Lee Mavers, didn't make the pop top-40 at #49, but went all the way to #2 on Billboard magazine's Alternative Rock radio chart and became a cult favorite of the genre...

Sixpence's version doesn't stray far from that version, but lead singer Leigh Nash's wispy voice gives a little different color to the song. Produced by the band's Matt Slocum with Steve Taylor, this take on "There She Goes" ended up outdoing the original in America. The thing is, there's not much more than the instantly memorable chorus here, but there was already nostalgia for the early part of the decade by then...

"There She Goes" became Sixpence None The Richer's second and final top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in November of 1999. The song climbed to #7 on Billboard's older-skewing Adult Top-40 radio chart, and went to #19 on the Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") format list. Internationally, the single peaked at #2 in Iceland, and reached the top-40 in Canada (#12), the UK (#14), Belgium (#14F), and New Zealand (#17). 

In 2001, Nash was featuring on the single "Innocente" from Canadian electronica act Delirium, which went to #3 on Billboard's Dance Club Play chart. She also contributed a song to the soundtrack to the movie Bounce starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow. The result, "Need To Be Next To You", was a moderate easy listening radio hit, going to #21 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and #23 at the Adult Top-40 format. 

 

Unfortunately, the group's label, Squint, had shuttered as an indie, causing a three year delay for the release of their next studio album Divine Discontent, which carried the Squint imprint under the Reprise Records label. Lead single "Breathe Your Name", written again by Slocum, made it to #18 on Billboard's Adult Top-40 chart, but failed to reach their Hot 100 in 2002. A shame, since it's my favorite track of theirs. Attempting to see if lightning would strike twice, Sixpence None The Richer put out another cover of a beloved alternative rock song, Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over". While it did manage to do better, the remake stalled at #78 on the Hot 100, while going to #9 on the Adult Top-40 radio chart and #12 on the Adult Contempoary list. At this point, the band split up.

Nash released a solo album Blue On Blue in 2002. Nash, Slocum, and bass player Justin Cary reunited in 2007, putting out a holiday album The Dawn Of Grace a year later. Their most recent studio set, Lost In Transition, came out in 2012. In 2015, Nash released a country music album, The State I'm In, which went to #39 on Billboard's Country Albums sales chart. Since then, Leigh has put out a series of singles and EP's, with The Tide Vol. I featuring cameos from country greats Vince Gill and Tanya Tucker coming out in 2021, as well as her most recent single, "Welcome To Our World" with Canadian Christian rock singer Marc Martel. 

(6/10)

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Here's the group appearing on The Late Show With Letterman...

and lastly, live at the Hard Rock Cafe in 2000...

Up tomorrow: These feisty women are flighty.