Bananarama’s Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward celebrate the group’s 36th anniversary and their achievements speak for themselves.Two Band Aid appearances, an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful female band worldwide with the most charting singles, many of which were international hits, four hitting the US Billboard Top 10 including a No.1 with Venus.
The original line-up in 2018. Left to right:, Background information Origin, Genres, Years active 1981–present Labels A & G productions Website Members Past members Bananarama are an English female vocal duo, originally formed as a trio in in 1981 by friends,. Their success on both pop and dance charts saw them listed in the as the all-female group with the most chart entries in the world.
Between 1982 and 2009, they had 28 singles reach the Top 50 of the. The group's 10 UK Top 10 hits include ' (1982), ' (1982), ' (1982), ' (1983), ' (1983), ' (1984) and ' (1987). In 1986, they had a with another of their UK Top 10 hits, a cover of '.
In total, they had 11 singles reach the U.S. (1983–88), including two in the Top 10, with 'Cruel Summer' (1984) and ' (1987). They are associated with the MTV-driven of the US.
The group featured on the 1984 single, '. They topped the Australian albums chart in June 1988 with (1987), and earned nominations for Best British Single for 'Love in the First Degree', and Best Music Video for their 1988 hit cover of single '. Fahey left the group in 1988 and formed, best known for the UK number one ' (1992). She was replaced. This line-up had UK top five hits with ' (1988) and The Beatles track ' (1989), recorded with comedy duo French and Saunders for the charity Comic Relief. In 1989 they embarked on their first world tour.
After O'Sullivan's 1991 departure, Dallin and Woodward continued Bananarama as a duo, with hits including ' (1992), ' (1993) and ' (2005). Fahey rejoined Bananarama in 2017 and they toured the UK in November/December 2017 and North America in February 2018. They performed their final dates as a trio in August 2018. Contents.
Career 1981–1982: Early years Bananarama formed in September 1981 when teenagers and childhood friends Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward met Siobhan Fahey. Dallin and Fahey were studying journalism at the (University of Arts) and Woodward was working at the in Portland Place. Dallin and Woodward were living at the YWCA and were about to be made homeless until, who they had become fast friends with after meeting at a club, offered them a place to live above the former rehearsal room in Denmark Street,. The trio were ardent followers of the and music scenes during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They often performed impromptu sets or backing vocals at gigs for such bands as,. Bananarama recorded their first demo, ', a cover of a song by, sung in Swahili. The demo was heard at, who consequently offered Bananarama their first deal.
The song was an underground hit (UK #92) and Bananarama were signed by Decca (later ) and remained on the label until 1993. UK fashion magazine featured an article on Bananarama after the release of their first single. This caught the attention of ex- member, who invited them to collaborate with his new vocal group on their album and the single 'It Ain't What You Do, It's The Way That You Do It'. In 1982, the song hit the Top 5 in the UK and gave Bananarama their first significant mainstream success. Fun Boy Three then guested on Bananarama's single, ', later that year.
1982–1985: Deep Sea Skiving and Bananarama Bananarama experienced their greatest success during the period 1982 to 1989, with their first three albums primarily produced and co-written with. Their debut album, (UK #7, US #63) (1983) contained several hit singles — 'Really Saying Something' (UK #5) and ' (UK #4) — and included a of ' (UK #5). The band recorded a version of the Sex Pistols' song 'No Feelings' in late 1982 for the soundtrack of the British teen-comedy film,. During 1982 and 1983, Bananarama did several promotional US press tours and TV appearances on. Success in the United States came in 1984 with a Top Ten hit '. Their second album, (UK #16, US #30) (1984) was a more socially conscious effort. The group wanted to be taken more seriously, so wrote songs that focused on heavier topics: ' (UK#58) is a stand against the drugs-are-cool culture; and ' (UK#23) deals with social apathy.
The album contained the hit singles, ',' (UK#3) and their first US Top 10 hit, 'Cruel Summer' (UK#8, US#9) (1983), which was included in the film. The trio also recorded the single, ' (US#70) for a. Bananarama featured on the single, ',' and were the only artists to appear on both the original 1984 Band Aid and the 1989 Band Aid II versions (though Fahey only appeared on the 1984 version). 1985 would be a quiet transitional year for Bananarama. London Records' release of ' (UK #31) would keep the girls' public profile alive.
1986–1987: True Confessions and international success 1986 saw the release of their third album, (UK #46, US #15) on which some production duties were taken up by, and known as (SAW). The move resulted in the international number one hit, ', (a remake of 's song from 1969, which had been a number 1 hit in 1970). The dance-oriented beats on the song typified the SAW approach to pop production. Bananarama had tracked the producers down after hearing '.
Also in 1986, Dallin and Woodward were featured as backing vocalists on two songs on Family Album, produced. An excerpt from Bananarama's 1986 version of 'Venus' Problems playing this file? The for 'Venus' received heavy airplay on in the United States. It featured the group in various costumes including a, a French temptress, a and a Greek goddess. The video marked a pivotal shift towards a more glamorous and sexual image, which contrasted with the tomboyish style of their earlier work. Follow-up singles ' (UK #41) and ' (UK #32) were less successful, possibly due to having less promotion. Woodward was pregnant with her son Thomas and unable to tour or physically promote the parent album or its subsequent singles.
During a press tour in, the group also recorded a song 'Riskin' a Romance' featured in the film (1987). The track was notable because it featured Fahey taking lead vocals, and was the producer. At some point during this trip, the group also re-recorded the vocals for their next UK release 'More Than Physical' and 'A Trick of the Night'. 1987–1988: Wow! And Fahey's departure In the wake of the success of 'Venus,' Bananarama began work on the platinum selling album. The group's sound graduated towards dance-orientated Europop. Topped the Australian ARIA album charts for one week in June 1988.
' (UK #14, US #4) was their strongest performing international hit from this album. ' (UK #3) was one of their biggest UK hits, and ' (which boasted a semi-controversial video featuring the group in a milk bath filled with fruit and half-naked men) was also a hit (UK #20). After the third single from Wow! Was released in early 1988, Fahey — who had married ' — left the group as she had become disillusioned with the direction the band was taking.
Her last performance as a member of the group was at the in February 1988, performing 'Love in the First Degree'. She would later resurface in the BRIT Award-winning pop duo with. 1988–1991: Second line-up, Greatest Hits, Pop Life and world tour After Fahey's exit, (formerly of the ) joined the group in March 1988. The single ' (UK #5) was re-recorded with O'Sullivan, as was cover ' (UK #15). ' (UK #23) was released as a single from their 1988 retrospective compilation, (UK #3). At the same time, Bananarama entered the as the all-female group who have the most UK chart entries in history, a record they still hold.
As a fundraising charity single for in 1989, Bananarama recorded a cover of ' song ' with (UK #3), a mock girl-group created by British female comedy duo, with fellow comedian. 1989 also saw the band's first, which hit North America, East Asia and the UK. Bananarama's 1991 album, saw Dallin and Woodward's songwriting collaboration with their friend Youth. They worked with a variety of producers including, and, of Jolley & Swain.
They also incorporated a wider range of musical genres including, guitar, and and received some of the strongest and most positive reviews of their career. Singles ' (UK #27), ' (UK #20), the ' cover of ' (UK #30) and ' (UK #76), were the final releases with O'Sullivan. 1992–2001: Duo re-launch, Please Yourself, Ultra Violet and Exotica In 1992, Dallin and Woodward returned as a duo and had a UK top 30 hit with ' (UK #24), which was the first single from the 1993 album and 'More More More' which reached #24. It was to be their last album on.
Their next offering was 1995's (titled I Found Love in Japan) on a new label. The album and its three singles 'I Found Love', ' and ' were only released in some European countries, North America, Japan and Australia, but not in Britain.
In 1998, Dallin and Woodward asked Fahey to join them to record the track ' (a cover of the classic song) for the celebration A Song for on. However, Fahey made it clear that this was a one-off and that she was not formally rejoining the group. In 1999, Dallin, Woodward and Fahey were interviewed together for an episode of the BBC music documentary series Young Guns Go For It dedicated to the group.
Jacquie O'Sullivan also took part in the programme. In 2001, Dallin and Woodward, who had been working a lot in France, had recorded the album with the French label M6. The album also included Latin and R&B influenced dance songs, as well as reinterpreted versions of their earlier hits. 2002–2006: Drama By 2002, Bananarama had sold 40 million records worldwide.
That year, they released another greatest hits album, in the UK. They also recorded the song 'Love Him, Leave Him, Forget Him' for 's show as well as the song 'U R My Baby' for a German disco project. With Siobhan Fahey returning as a special guest for a performance of 'Venus', the group celebrated the 20th anniversary of their first hit with a gig at at the, in front of an audience of 3000 people. With 1980s retro in vogue, Bananarama made a comeback in the British dance charts in 2005. Solasso remixed their early hit 'Really Saying Something' and it was a huge hit with clubbers.
A video was filmed with models from TV show. In 2005, Dallin and Woodward collaborated with Swedish hit makers Murlyn, writing and recording in Sweden for 6 months to produce the album 'Drama'. The first single 'Move In My Direction' reached #14 and 2nd single 'Look On The Floor reached #24 in the UK chart. It was also re-released as a second single in the UK and reached #2 in the US Billboard Dance chart.
2006–2011: Remasters and Viva. Main article: Summer 2006 saw the release of, a compilation of twelve remixes on CD for the first time. The collection features the rare remix of ', among others. On 19 March 2007, Bananarama's first six studio albums were reissued by on CD with bonus material, including alternative versions, remixes and B-sides.
On 7 May 2007, another best-of collection titled was released. Dallin and Woodward performed a set along with other 1980s acts at Retro Fest on 1 September 2007 at in, Scotland. In February 2007, Bananarama's official website announced that they were back in the studio recording new material. A cover version of ' was performed at a concert in France. Bananarama also confirmed they were contributing vocals as guest artists on the song 'Ultra Violet' (not to be confused with Bananarama's seventh album ) by new dance act Block Rocker, a teaming up of producers/remixers Digital Dog and Ashiva. However, the song never surfaced. In October 2007, Bananarama announced that they would be appearing on 2008's Here and Now Tour with other 1980s artists such as,.
They also announced plans to record a new album of disco cover versions and new songs. In August 2008, it was announced that Bananarama was back in the studio recording a track with from who had a new album in the pipeline. He wanted to sample ' for his track but then decided to ask Dallin and Woodward to sing it instead.
The title of the track was not confirmed but was to be credited as be 'Run-D.M.C. Featuring Bananarama'. The song, 'Invincible', credited as Rev Run featuring Bananarama, did not surface until late 2014 on Rev Run's solo album Red Rhythm Rewind. In June 2009, Bananarama performed at the Isle of Wight Festival. In August 2009, they performed at the in alongside other 80s acts which included,. The duo also performed at The Manchester Gay Pride Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Bananarama released a new single entitled ' (UK #44), and a new album (UK #87) in September 2009. The album was produced entirely by, and released through Fascination Records. A second single was released from the album in April 2010, a new remix of the song ' (UK #114) backed by Ian Masterson's 2010 reworking of the 1995 single ' and 'The Runner' (originally recorded by ), remixed by Buzz Junkies. Other covers recorded during this period included Bryan Adams' 'Run To You', Simon & Garfunkel's 'The Sound Of Silence' and Roxy Music's 'Tokyo Joe'. These were included as B Sides to the released singles and as bonus digital tracks to the parent album. In September 2010, Bananarama were back in the studio with producer Ian Masterson, and recorded a Christmas song titled ' (UK #199).
The track was written by Sara Dallin and Ian Masterson and was released on 13 December in the UK and Europe as a digital EP. The track was also included on a US Christmas compilation CD entitled Super Dance Christmas Party, Volume 3. 'Baby It's Christmas' reached #19 in the UK Indie Singles chart and #199 in the main UK Singles Chart. In April 2011, Bananarama appeared on ITV's hit comedy and performed ', ' and '. In October 2011, Bananarama performed at Retrolicious 2011 in Singapore, together with. Dallin and Woodward have continued to play live since 2002, with highlights including headlining the festival of the hand over of Hong Kong, The Isle of Wight Festival and the Singapore Grand Prix.
In 2012, they embarked upon a 10 date USA tour for the Pinktober Hard Rock charity and released and EP 'Now or Never'. In 2016, they played a sell out tour of Australia and some dates in Japan. 2012–2016: 30 Years of Bananarama and Now or Never On 9 July 2012, Warner Music imprint released a greatest hits CD and DVD Collection (UK #61) to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary. The album charted at 62 on the. On 9 August 2012, the band performed at the men's final of the beach volleyball at the London Olympics.
They performed a medley of ', ' and '. On 28 October 2013, Bananarama's first six albums, and were reissued by Edsel Records, each of them consisting of Deluxe 2CDs plus DVD.
Bananarama are also confirmed to perform in 2014 at Let's Rock Bristol! (7 June), Let's Rock Leeds! (21 June) and Let's Rock Southampton! On 9 November 2013, Bananarama revealed on the BBC show that they were recording a new album in Nashville and that it would be influenced by country and pop. In March 2015, Edsel Records released, a 3 CD collection of remixes that was followed in August with a 33CD singles collection box set entitled, which contains all single releases from ' right through to '. In 2016, Bananarama toured Australia in February and showcased their new song 'Got to Get Away'.
On 9 March 2016, Sara confirmed on her Twitter page that Bananarama have signed a new deal with BMG. In November 2016, an excerpt of a song that bears the working title 'Looking For Someone' was posted on the official Twitter page of the band. In December 2016, magazine ranked them the 94th most successful dance artist of all time. 2017–present: Original Line-Up Tour and In Stereo In was announced on 23 April 2017 that Fahey had rejoined Bananarama. The Original Line-up Tour saw them perform 23 sell-out dates across the UK in November and December 2017. They performed many of their hits such as ', ', ', ', ', ' and ' as well as the hit '. In February 2018, they played four dates in North America; Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York in the United States and Toronto in Canada.
Their performances at London's Eventim Apollo and were released on CD, DVD and Blu-Ray through in July 2018. Their final dates as a trio were in August 2018. In November 2018, Bananarama's first six London albums, and were released as coloured vinyls and limited edition cassettes.
In January 2019, Dallin and Woodward announced that their new album would be released in April. The first track from the album that served as a taster was 'Dance Music', followed by the first official single 'Stuff Like That', which was released on March 7. An accompanying video to the single was directed by Andy Morahan, who had also directed the videos for former singles ', ' and '. Members. (1981–present). (1981–present) Former members.
(1981–1988, 2017–2018) Fahey also briefly returned for one-off performances for in 1998 and at in 2002. (1988–1991) Discography. Main article: Studio albums. (1983). (1984). (1986).
(1987). (1991). (1993). (1995). (2001). (2005).
(2009). (2019) Concert tours. (1988).
(1989). (1995–1996).
(1997). (1999). Drama Tour (2005–2006). (2007–2009). Viva Tour (2009–2010).
The Bananarama USA Tour (2012). Europe Tour (2014–2015).
The 2016 Australian Tour (2016). The Original Line Up UK Tour (2017). The Original Line Up North America and European Tour (2018). The 2019 Australian Tour (2019) List of all record labels. Carr, Sue (21 June 2010).
'Bananarama to headline Hyde's Splendid Festival'. Manchester Evening News. access-date= requires url=. Kaye, Roger (31 October 1984). Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved 13 November 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
Awards & Winners. Retrieved 19 September 2014. punk77.co.uk Retrieved 18 September 2018. bananarama.co.uk Retrieved 18 September 2018. Nicholson, Rebecca (24 April 2017).
The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
Bananarama Official Website. Retrieved 13 November 2017. Archived from on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
Retrieved 4 May 2010. 31 March 2011. Archived from on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2012. Warburton, Paul (11 August 2012). Harrow Observer.
Retrieved 19 February 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2017. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to.