"Don't Look Back" by Fine Young Cannibals

Song#:  4000

Date:  08/12/1989

Debut:  76

Peak:  11

Weeks:  12

Genre:  Pop, Rock

Pop Bits:  By this point in time, this trio's second album The Raw & the Cooked, had spent seven weeks at #1 and spawned a pair of #1 Pop hits including "Good Thing." To keep the momentum going, the band issued out this next single. It would do well, but stop just shy of the Pop Top 10 at the dreaded #11 spot. It would also get to #5 Modern Rock and #38 Rock. Just prior to this song debuting on the Pop chart, the album was certified double-platinum.

ReduxReview:  The one thing I can say is that FYC didn't rely on one trick or sound. Tracks on their album pulled from various influences and genres and this third hit showed yet another side. This time around, it seemed the trio was aiming for a more retro rock sound that was in a similar vein to The Traveling Wilburys. It worked out well for them with the tune just getting shut out of the Top 10. It really should have dipped in for at least a week or two. I liked this song better than "Good Thing," but it still didn't make me a fan of the trio. The song didn't have the legs that their two previous #1s did so you don't heard it anymore, which is too bad.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Prior to the trio finally finishing off The Raw & the Cooked, band members Andy Cox and David Steele worked on a small side project of their own. The pair would record a couple of house music tracks along with Graeme Hamilton under the name of 2 Men A Drum Machine And A Trumpet. The songs would be released as a single in 1988 with the a-side being "Tired of Getting Pushed Around." In the UK, that song would make it to #18. The single was pushed out by I.R.S. Records in the US and it would end up reaching #3 on the Dance chart. It would be the only release from the trio. However, Cox and Steele under the name 2 Men And A Drum Machine would appear as the featured artist on a single by the UK rap duo Wee Papa Girl Rappers. That duo was made up of twin sisters Sandra and Samantha Lawrence. Steele co-write the song "Heat It Up" with the twins while Steele and Cox produced the track. Released as the second single from the rap duo's debut album The Beat, the Rhyme, the Noise, the song would reach #21 in the UK and hit #6 on the US Dance chart. The duo's next single, "Wee Rule," would be their biggest hit reaching #6 in the UK. It did not chart in the US. After a second album, the sisters brought an end to Wee Papa Girl Rappers.

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