Song#: 3730
Date: 11/26/1988
Debut: 91
Peak: 89
Weeks: 3
Genre: Dance-Pop
Pop Bits: The trio's fourth album, Wow!, would make it to #44 mainly on the strength of the #4 Pop hit "I Heard a Rumour." Two more singles would follow and while both would reach the Top 10 on the Dance chart, neither was able to break into the Pop Top 40. When things were wrapped up with the album, group member Siobhan Fahey decided to depart. Apparently, she wasn't happy with the direction of the group and chose to move on with a new project (Shakespear's Sister). With her departure, the remaining two members decided to seek a replacement and found one in Jacquie O'Sullivan. In the meantime, their label thought it was a good time to issue out a hits compilation and tracks were gathered for The Greatest Hits Collection. While most of the tracks were ones done with Fahey, two of the songs from the Wow! LP were re-recorded with O'Sullivan along with this brand new track that was issued out as a single. It would get to #26 at Dance, but would only spend a few short weeks near the bottom of the Pop chart. It would end up being the trio's last single to make the US Pop chart. The hits collection would only get to #151 on the US Album chart.
ReduxReview: By this point, the trio's formula was getting tired. They had jumped on the SAW production assembly line and the results were becoming run o' tha mill. There were no new ideas in the songs or the productions and the tunes just started to blend into each other. Bananarama started to realize things with SAW were becoming stale as they prepped their next LP and after a few tracks finally dumped the team, but by that time it was a bit too late as interest in the trio had waned. This track was okay, but it offered nothing new and therefore was quickly forgettable. It was the last gasp in the US for an oddball dance-pop trio that had some interesting and fun songs along the way, especially on their first to albums.
ReduxRating: 4/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) The trio's last Top 10 in the UK was a benefit single for Comic Relief. They did a remake of The Beatles' "Help!" that reached #3. For the single, the trio was joined by another trio that went by the name of Lananeeneenoonoo. The fake group was made up of comedians Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, and Kathy Burke. That trio did a comedy sketch for a Christmas special that poked fun at Bananarama. In it, they called themselves Lananeeneenoonoo. Members of Bananarama saw the sketch and thought hit was quite funny. Someone in the Comic Relief organization then reached out to both trios asking if they would get together and do a song to benefit the organization. They did and the result was the Stock Aitken Waterman produced "Help!" 2) Bananarama would return in 1991 with the album Pop Life. It would be the only LP they would do with Jacquie O'Sullivan and it featured their last tracks with the SAW team. Three singles would reach the UK Top 30 with the LP getting to #44. It failed to do anything in the US. O'Sullivan would leave the trio afterward, so instead of getting another replacement, Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward would continue on as a duo. Over the years, they would grab a few more Top 30 entries in the UK. Fahey would rejoin the the group in 2017 for a reunion tour, but did not record any new material with Dallin and Woodward.
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