(There's)_Always_Something_There_to_Remind_Me

(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me

(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me

1964 single by Lou Johnson


"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" is a song written by American songwriting duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963, "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" first charted for Lou Johnson, whose version reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-1964.[1] Sandie Shaw took the song to No. 1 in the UK that same year, while the duo Naked Eyes had a No. 8 hit with the song in the US two decades later in 1983.

Quick Facts Single by Lou Johnson, from the album The Magic Potion Of... ...

Sandie Shaw version

Quick Facts Single by Sandie Shaw, B-side ...

British impresario Eve Taylor heard Johnson's version while on a US visit scouting for material for her recent discovery Sandie Shaw, who consequently covered the song for the UK market. Rush-released in September 1964, the song was premiered by Shaw with a performance on Ready Steady Go!, the pop music TV program. The first week after its release, the single sold 65,000 copies.[2] Shaw's version reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks at the top of that listing in November 1964, and that same month it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. However, despite reaching the Top Ten in some markets including Detroit and Miami[3] Shaw's version failed to best the US showing of the Lou Johnson original; the Hot 100 peak of Shaw's version was No. 52.[4]

A No. 1 hit in Canada and South Africa, Shaw's version of "...Always Something There to Remind Me" was also a hit in Australia (No. 16), Ireland (No. 7) and the Netherlands (No. 10), the track's success in the last territory not precluding hit status for the Dutch rendering by Edwin Rutten [nl] entitled "Ik moet altijd weer opnieuw aan je denken" (No. 12). Shaw herself recorded "...Always Something There to Remind Me" in French, as "Toujours un coin qui me rappelle", with lyrics by Ralph Bernet [fr], which reached No. 19 in France, and in Italian, as "Il Mondo Nei Tuoi Occhi". A cover by Eddy Mitchell was more successful, reaching No. 2 in France in April 1965 and also reaching No. 3 on Belgium's French-language chart. Shaw made a bid for a German hit as well, rendering "...Always Something There to Remind Me" as "Einmal glücklich sein wie die ander'n". It was not a success.

Charts

More information Chart (1964–65), Peak position ...
More information Chart (1965), Peak position ...
Quick Facts "Always Something There to Remind Me", Single by R. B. Greaves ...

R. B. Greaves version

"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" – as "Always Something There to Remind Me" – entered the US top 40 for the first time via a version by R. B. Greaves which reached No. 27 in February 1970. Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in 1969, with production by Ahmet Ertegun and Jackson Howe, Greaves' version was also a No. 3 Easy Listening hit.[9] This version peaked at number 48 in Australia.[10] In Canada, it reached number 12.[11]

Naked Eyes version

Quick Facts "Always Something There to Remind Me", Single by Naked Eyes ...

Nearly 20 years after its composition, the song became a major hit in the United States for the first time via a synth-pop reinvention by Naked Eyes titled "Always Something There to Remind Me", which peaked inside the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1983.

Vocalist Pete Byrne and keyboardist Rob Fisher first cut "Always Something There to Remind Me" as one of a number of demos recorded in Bristol upon forming the duo later known as Naked Eyes in early 1982. Byrne would recall: "I had always loved the song "Always Something There to Remind Me" so we called a friend who had the record, he read the lyric over the phone and we put it together from memory."

On the strength of the demos cut in Bristol, Byrne and Fisher were signed to EMI Records in May 1982 and the track "Always Something There to Remind Me" was cut on September 1, 1982, in a session at Abbey Road Studios produced by Tony Mansfield. Byrne would recall: "The record was recorded at Abbey Road, and we were invited to a party downstairs, with Paul McCartney and many other stars...When we returned upstairs to the studio around 1 a.m., I decided to have a go at the vocal, it was the first time I have ever recorded a vocal in one take".[12]

Originally released in the UK in 1982, Naked Eyes' "Always Something There to Remind Me" gradually gained attention, entering the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1983 to peak at No. 8 that June, becoming the duo's only top 10 American hit.[13] The cachet of entering the US top 10 allowed the single, previously overlooked in its performers' United Kingdom homeland, to make a July 1983 UK chart debut, although it only rose to No. 59. "Always Something There to Remind Me" did afford Naked Eyes top 10 success in other countries besides the United States: Australia (No. 7), Canada (No. 9) and New Zealand (No. 2).[12]

Charts

More information Chart (1983), Peak position ...
More information Chart (1983), Rank ...

Tin Tin Out featuring Espiritu version

Quick Facts "Always (Something There to Remind Me)", from the album Always ...

English electronic music duo Tin Tin Out recorded a house cover of the song titled "Always (Something There to Remind Me)" in 1995. The song features vocals by French singer Espiritu (aka Vanessa Quinones) and went to No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 1 on the UK Dance Singles Chart. A music video was made to accompany the single, filmed in the Café de Paris in London.[25]

Critical reception

A reviewer from pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "The first thing she [Espiritu] reminds you of is all the previous versions of this Burt Bacharach & Hal David song. Spirited and dancey as it is, it doesn't make a poor figure at all."[26] Brad Beatnik from Music Week's RM Dance Update commented, "This unabashed house cover of Dusty Springfield's 'Always Something There to Remind Me' is already on its way into the dancefloor history books thanks to its initial Hooj Choons release and its ability to whip a club into a total frenzy. Simple in its piano house format and chugging Euro rhythm, this is hardbag house at its purest and most joyful."[27] Another editor, James Hamilton, noted, "Vannessa calmly croons the title over piping wheezy organ and plonking piano in [a] naggingly effective simple jiggly chugging 0-129.7bpm [track]".[28]

Track listings

More information No., Title ...
More information No., Title ...
More information No., Title ...

Charts

More information Chart (1994), Peak position ...
More information Chart (1995), Peak position ...

References

  1. "Artist Search for "lou johnson"". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  2. Billboard Magazine, October 1964. October 31, 1964. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  3. Tim Warden. "ARSA | Sandie Shaw (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me". Las-solanas.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  4. Sandie Shaw's charting singles Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  5. "flavour of new zealand - Lever hit parades". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  6. Billboard. Billboard Magazine. November 14, 1964. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  7. "Cash Box Top 100 12/26/64". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  8. "Artist Search for "rb greaves"". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 129. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. "Naked Eyes interview". Discog.info. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  11. "Artist Search for "naked eyes"". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  12. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 171.
  14. "Cash Box Top 100 7/02/83". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  15. "End of Year Charts 1983". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  16. "Top 100 Hits of 1983/Top 100 Songs of 1971". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  17. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1983". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  18. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. March 11, 1995. p. 33. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  19. "Beats & Pieces" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). March 4, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  20. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. October 22, 1994. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  21. Beatnik, Brad (February 25, 1995). "Hot Vinyl: Tune of the Week" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 12. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  22. Hamilton, James (March 18, 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 15. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  23. "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). October 1, 1994. p. 6. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  24. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 13. April 1, 1995. p. 20. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  25. "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). March 11, 1995. p. 8. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  26. "The RM on a Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). March 18, 1995. p. 10. Retrieved September 2, 2021.

Further reading

  • Serene Dominic. Burt Bacharach, song by song: the ultimate Burt Bacharach reference for fans. Schirmer Trade (New York NY) 2003. ISBN 0-8256-7280-5
  • Karina, Spanish pop singer, recorded a cover for Hispavox Records in 1966

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article (There's)_Always_Something_There_to_Remind_Me, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.