" The Land of Make Believe " is a 1981 single by the British band Bucks Fizz. Reached No.1 in the UK in early 1982 - the second single by the band to do so. The song was produced by Andy Hill with music by Hill and lyrics by former King Crimson member Peter Sinfield. Irrespective of the sugar-coated song style, Sinfield later claimed it was a subtle attack on Margaret Thatcher and his government policy at the time. "The Land of Make Believe" became a big hit in Europe in early 1982, topping charts in the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland as well as England. The song was then closed by pop bands allSTARS * for the 2002 singles release.
Video The Land of Make Believe
Overview
Song information
"The Land of Make Believe" was the second of three UK # 1 singles for British Bucks Fizz Eurovision winner, staying on top for two weeks in January 1982. It remained on the charts for 16 weeks.
The lyrics are based on a child's dream in which ghostly voices lure a child outside into a world where everything is bright and happy, but the child refuses. The characters, Superman and Captain Kidd are referenced in the lyrics. The closing of this song contains a rhyme rhyme described by Abby Kimber, who is the daughter of 11-year-old Bill Kimber, an executive of RCA Records. This is the original work written by Sinfield. At that time, the radio station was instructed to fade the song before the narration. Sinfield said that the song "Beneath its tra-la-la's is a ferocious anti-Thatcher song" and goes on to say "ten times harder to write a three minute hit song, with integrity veneer, than it is writing anything to King Crimson or ELP ".
During the recording member Mike Nolan expressed his objection to the song and told producer Andy Hill that it would not be a hit and possibly the end for the band. But Hill told Nolan that Bobby G and Cheryl Baker had recorded parts of their song and said they loved it. Nolan later admitted that his judgment was clearly wrong. Bobby G spent the afternoon recording harmony for the middle 8 songs, but after he left the studio, the engineer accidentally deleted the tape and the vocal part was never re-recorded.
Music video
The music video was filmed in White City, a swimming pool in London and a tribute to childhood stories. It begins in a black and white bedroom, with members Cheryl Baker waking up, and refers to the film The Wizard of Oz colored images, and Baker's clothing is changed by the Fairy Lady in the Cinderella style. He then walked from everyday life, through a gap to the winter wonderland and had to push his way through the pine trees, referring to "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe", before joining the rest of the band on stage.
The rest of the video consists of a group that performs a song, interspersed with a fantastic short scene. The costumes worn by the group in the video were then used in television appearances for songs and many shoots. Jay Aston members choose clothes, with women's costumes from Kahn & amp; Bell at London's King's Road and men's costumes from Boy. The price is between Ã, Â £ 50 and Ã, Â £ 120 each. Aston has since said that it is one of his favorite performances for the band and refers to his and Baker's costume saying "we're ten years ahead of Madonna with a breast cone".
The performance and acceptance chart
The single was released in November 1981 and became a top 10 hit in December, placed at No.5 for Christmas charts. The following week was placed at No.2, behind The Human League's "Do not You Want Me", before finally taking over No.1 in January. It stays there for two weeks, before falling out of the chart after 16 weeks - the group's longest running on the UK singles chart. The song became the group's best-selling single in the UK, beating the winner of Eurovision "Making Your Mind Up", to end up as the 41st largest seller of the 1980s. It also reached No.1 in the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland, while in Germany it also became their best-selling single. This song is the group's debut debut in the US, but did not achieve the success of the chart there.
The critical reaction to the song was favorable with the Record Mirror that stated: "Prejudice and preconceptions aside, this is an excellent record and a worthy successor to 'Do not You Want Me' above." "The Land of Make Believe" remains a fan favorite and the media reviews at the time were positive with Smash Hits calling the song "sheer genius" and recently Q Magazine labeling songs "not half bad" and "classic 80s". Members of Bobby G and Cheryl Baker have both named it the best of their own songs. It seems that "The Land of Make Believe" also gives them a sense of respect in the musical circle, as Baker remembers Bob Geldof who publicly "cuts" the band, with whom he later admits he really likes "The Land of Make Believe". Philip Oakey of the Human League continually expressed his admiration for Bucks Fizz in general, while OMD's Andy McCluskey said he thought it was "a really beautiful song with great melody."
"The Land of Make Believe" is often used as a concert closing number for Bucks Fizz. During their 1984 tour, the lighting effect to simulate falling snow was used to signify the festive nuance of the song due to its Christmas-time release. The song was later included in the group's second album, Are You Ready and then released in remixed form in 1991 as a bootleg single. A similar version was included in a compilation album released in 2005, while a more recent remix of the song was featured on the group's 2008 album, The Lost Masters 2 - The Final Cut . The B-Side of the single is a ballad, "Now You're Gone" featuring lead vocals by Cheryl Baker. This song features a chorus line; "It's not like Christmas now you go" and remains the only festival-themed song recorded by the group. An alternate ending for this song is featured as a hidden song on The Lost Masters 2 - The Final Cut .
Maps The Land of Make Believe
Track list
7 "single
- "Trust Land" (Andy Hill/Pete Sinfield) (3.51)
- "Now You're Already Missing" (Hill/Nichola Martin) (3.36)
12 "single (released only in Germany)
- "The Land of Make Believe" (Bukit/Sinfield) (3.51)
- "Midnight Reservation" (Hill/Sinfield) (3.44)
- "Now You Are Missing" (Hill/Martin) (3.36)
Graphical position
allSTARS * Versions
"The Land of Make Believe" is the third single by the British band, allSTARS *. The single is slightly faster than the original version and has more euro-pop sound. The music video is arranged in a circus tent, with each individual member of the band performing tricks, for example. cut in half, float or juggle. The single featured for moderate success, reaching all UK chart positions highest # 9 in the UKS *.
Track list
- "The Land of Make Believe" (3.22)
- "The Things That Hump in the Night [mixture of Xenomania]" (6.56)
- "Rock This House" (3.16)
- "The Land of Make Believe" - ​​â € <â €
Other versions
"The Land of Make Believe" has also been recorded by future Eurovision winner Celine Dion (translated into French: "A Quatre pas D'ici") in 1983 for his album Du Du soleil au coeur Hill and Sinfield later wrote hits "Think Twice" and "Call the Man"). In 1982, French singer Sheila recorded the song in French as "Condition FÃ © Â © minine while German singer Elke Best recorded it as" Land der Phantasie ". The Brazilian girl group, Harmony Cats, recorded the Portuguese version in 1984 (as "Terra do Faz de Conta"). Bucks Fizz itself recorded the song in Spanish as "El Mundo de Ilusion" in 1982. This song (in English) was also recorded by the Minipops children's group in 1982 and an anonymous cover version for Top of the Pops album ranges.
See also
- List of Dutch single top-40 in 1982
- List number one from 1982 (Ireland)
- List of number one singles from the 1980s (England)
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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