Many thanks to Paul for this. Don't know what i would do without you buddy!
Sophie was on Real Radio Scotland on Easter, for a special hour where she discussed 10 years of her career in music and played a couple of her hits, Bittersweet and some other songs by other artists who have influenced her over the years. She played A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed (i'm actually glad that she is still so loyal to that original first album), Groovejet (If This Ain't Love), Murder On The Dancefloor, Music Gets The Best Of Me, Catch You, Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer (she actually played her original version, not the Freemasons mix. So do we assume this is the version on her 4th album), Bittersweet, Take Me Home among her songs.
LISTEN TO THE WHOLE SESSION HERE
Transcript of Sophie's speech.
I'll be playing my big hits, some songs that mean a lot to me, and telling my story of ten years in music.
1) A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed
theaudience - a band that I was in between the ages of about 16 and 20. theaudience was my training ground for being a singer, and what made me want to do what I do now. We were part of a big hype, that band, and we got lots of offers from record companies. We ended up signing a deal and releasing an album, but it didn't really live up to the hype. I still have very fond memories of that time but it was a good experience of success and failure and put me in good stead for what was to follow. Yes, a lot of happy memories with that song.
2) Groovejet
Which leads me onto the song which really did establish me as a singer in my own right. It's a song called Groovejet which I did with a DJ called Spiller. With it I went in a completely different direction from Indie to dance music. It really was quite significant for me because it made me realise that I didn't have to be part of one specific genre, and if I called myself a popstar I could get away with doing whatever kind I wanted to do really. It's celebrating its tenth birthday this year.
I should tell you that Spiller is the tallest person I have worked with, ever! He said he was seven foot. I can't really contradict it, I couldn't really get up high enough to measure him, but definitely over 6'10'' I would say.
3) Murder on the Dancefloor
So after I finished working with him, I was left with the prospect of being a solo artist. I began work on my first solo album, which was called "Read My Lips". The song on that album which was always my friends' favourite when I was demoing the songs and playing them was called "Murder On The Dance Floor". My memory of it, which might be a bit hazy, was that the record company thought it might be a single, but there was not any big buzz around it. It was my girlfriends who made that song significant. I remember when I did my first live gig I dedicated that song to one of my girlfriends who had just broken up with someone, in an attempt to cheer her up. I think that's what has helped to keep my relationship with this song very pure; it was always my girlfriends' favourite, so how could I ever be fatigued by doing a song that's always gone down so well with me and my mates!
4) Mickey by Toni Basil
I would now like to play for you some songs which have influenced me, and I really couldn't do that without playing this next song because it is still as it was when I was about three - my favourite song of all time. It's "Mickey" by Toni Basil - a perfect pop song.
5) West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys
6) Suburbia by Pet Shop Boys
I was born in 1979, so I grew up in the 80s, and that was my introduction to pop music. One act, Pet Shop Boys, definitely had that 80s sound, and has been a massive influence on me as well as many others. They were the first purveyors of that sophisticated, elegant, synth, dry pop. Such a British sound as well! I don't think they've been that under-rated recently because they luckily won a Brit Award for contribution to British music, which was much deserved. They've been so consistent. I want to play their very first song because I still clearly remember when I first heard it. It's West End Girls.
7) Music Gets The Best Of Me
For me, being a popstar has always been about the visual side as well, so making the videos has always been pretty significant. I was very fortunate in that the first director I ever worked with for my solo stuff was a woman called Sophie Muller. She's made incredible videos throughout her whole career, and I didn't realise how much I'd fallen on my feet until I saw the result of some videos we'd made, like “Take Me Home” and “Murder On The Dance Floor”. Actually my fondest memories are for this next song, called “Music Gets The Best Of Me”. I filmed the video first of all without her, and when I saw it back, it just didn't really work. It was a bit clunky and considered, and didn't have that kind of joie de vivre that I think you should get from watching a pop video. I spoke to Sophie and said 'I'm in a bit of a pickle, I need to make a new video.' She said, 'Well, I've got next week off so lets go to Torremolinos - just you and me and the make-up artist and two crew members. We'll just go down there and kind of have a date almost, and do all the silly things you always want to do when you're on holiday.’ That's what we did. We went on pedalos, crazy golf, we went to fair grounds, we went for a car journey, we drank cocktails, ate food. The results are the video for “Music Gets The Best Of Me”, and it's still my favourite. It's the video where I see the "me" as I see myself. I guess you any get that when you work with someone a lot, then they can see it too.
8) Catch You
Now I'm going to skip a few years. “Music Gets The Best of Me” was from my first album, and I've now jumped through to my third album. Although I had a happy time with my second one, it was not an easy situation. I was blonde, which I didn't think suited me so much, I was breaking up with someone who was also managing me - which I would not recommend - and it was not until I got to my third album that I felt I was in a much happier situation. I made this record after I had my first baby, Sonny, with Richard who was my bass player. He is not working for me now, but he is my husband. It worked out for the best in the end, it had a happy ending! This song "Catch You" was the first single from the third album. I'd been away for three years, so I wanted a song that sounded a bit different, an evolution from where I'd left things. Again I worked with Sophie Muller for the video. We went to Venice. It's all based on a film called "Don't Look Now", starring Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland, and features a creepy person in red who's haunting this couple while they're in Venice. For the video I was the creepy person in red, running round Venice. So I hope I don't scare you too much!
9) Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer
My next song I'd like to play is one of my more contemporary songs. It's on my fourth album, which I've just finished making. This song's called "Heartbreak". I started writing it as potential song to accompany my Greatest Hits, but while I was making it I felt that a Greatest Hits was a bit premature, and really I wanted to continue making another album. But you know, the fruit of my labour is worthwhile. I got Heartbreak, a potential Greatest Hits song, put it onto my fourth album instead, and filmed the video ten weeks after having a baby - which I don't know if I would recommend! I was in kind of a weird bubble. The nice thing is that I can't really remember a lot of the hard work - I don't think there was any hard work involved - I think I was just having a nice time with my new-born and occasionally singing in discos and clubs around London and the rest of the UK.
10) Bittersweet
I've been playing you some of the songs from my past, and I would now like to play you my most recent song. This is my new single and it's called “Bittersweet”. The song is another collaboration with The Freemasons. The Freemasons and I did “Heartbreak” together, and I liked them so much, and I like what they do so much that I worked with them again for Bittersweet. I think that for dance DJs they have such an unusual ability to also celebrate the pop and the melody in a song as well as well as making it sound really dance-y and pompous and euphoric. I think it's quite unusual to meet DJs who can put their egos to one side to actually let the song do what it's supposed to do as well. They do it so well, that's why people keep going back to them, including me! Bittersweet is all about a love affair that's probably going to do you no good but you can't help yourself. We've all done this.
11) Fill My Little World by The Feeling
This is Sophie Ellis-Bextor on Real Radio on Easter Sunday. I hope you're enjoying some chocolate eggs. Now I really couldn't get away with not playing something by The Feeling. I am married to the bass player of The Feeling, but I promise I am not playing this song because I have that bias. When I first met Richard and the drummer, Paul, who is now in The Feeling, but who was in my band (that's how I met them), I auditioned them, decided they were definitely good enough to play in my band - and potential marriage material as well! When I was finishing, I think, my second tour with Richard, when we first started dating he said, 'Actually I'm in a band' and gave me a CD. And I thought, 'Oh no!, here we go. I really hope I like this', because it's always an awkward moment when you find someone you fancy is playing music. 'I hope this is good, otherwise I'm going to be standing at the front of a lot of awful gigs'. But fortunately I was given a CD that included songs such as "Fill My Little World", "Sewn", and "Never be Lonely" and loads of stuff on their first record which has deservedly become quite a big hit record. I was so thrilled for the guys. They’re proper talented musicians and they're now working on their third album which is going to be just as good as the others. But “Fill My Little World” is still my favourite - it just reminds me of that time we first got together and had our baby and, so I would dedicate this to Sonny and Richard.
12. Take Me Home
I'm leaving you now. Thank you so much for tuning in while I've been picking songs from my career and songs that have influenced me. I don't usually play so much of myself, but I promise you they did ask me to do that. But it's been very nice to tell you what the songs mean to me, and the stories behind them. So go off and have your Easter eggs, have a lovely rest of your Easter Weekend, and thank-you so much for joining me. You've been lovely. See you again soon.
LISTEN TO THE WHOLE SESSION HERE
Transcript of Sophie's speech.
I'll be playing my big hits, some songs that mean a lot to me, and telling my story of ten years in music.
1) A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed
theaudience - a band that I was in between the ages of about 16 and 20. theaudience was my training ground for being a singer, and what made me want to do what I do now. We were part of a big hype, that band, and we got lots of offers from record companies. We ended up signing a deal and releasing an album, but it didn't really live up to the hype. I still have very fond memories of that time but it was a good experience of success and failure and put me in good stead for what was to follow. Yes, a lot of happy memories with that song.
2) Groovejet
Which leads me onto the song which really did establish me as a singer in my own right. It's a song called Groovejet which I did with a DJ called Spiller. With it I went in a completely different direction from Indie to dance music. It really was quite significant for me because it made me realise that I didn't have to be part of one specific genre, and if I called myself a popstar I could get away with doing whatever kind I wanted to do really. It's celebrating its tenth birthday this year.
I should tell you that Spiller is the tallest person I have worked with, ever! He said he was seven foot. I can't really contradict it, I couldn't really get up high enough to measure him, but definitely over 6'10'' I would say.
3) Murder on the Dancefloor
So after I finished working with him, I was left with the prospect of being a solo artist. I began work on my first solo album, which was called "Read My Lips". The song on that album which was always my friends' favourite when I was demoing the songs and playing them was called "Murder On The Dance Floor". My memory of it, which might be a bit hazy, was that the record company thought it might be a single, but there was not any big buzz around it. It was my girlfriends who made that song significant. I remember when I did my first live gig I dedicated that song to one of my girlfriends who had just broken up with someone, in an attempt to cheer her up. I think that's what has helped to keep my relationship with this song very pure; it was always my girlfriends' favourite, so how could I ever be fatigued by doing a song that's always gone down so well with me and my mates!
4) Mickey by Toni Basil
I would now like to play for you some songs which have influenced me, and I really couldn't do that without playing this next song because it is still as it was when I was about three - my favourite song of all time. It's "Mickey" by Toni Basil - a perfect pop song.
5) West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys
6) Suburbia by Pet Shop Boys
I was born in 1979, so I grew up in the 80s, and that was my introduction to pop music. One act, Pet Shop Boys, definitely had that 80s sound, and has been a massive influence on me as well as many others. They were the first purveyors of that sophisticated, elegant, synth, dry pop. Such a British sound as well! I don't think they've been that under-rated recently because they luckily won a Brit Award for contribution to British music, which was much deserved. They've been so consistent. I want to play their very first song because I still clearly remember when I first heard it. It's West End Girls.
7) Music Gets The Best Of Me
For me, being a popstar has always been about the visual side as well, so making the videos has always been pretty significant. I was very fortunate in that the first director I ever worked with for my solo stuff was a woman called Sophie Muller. She's made incredible videos throughout her whole career, and I didn't realise how much I'd fallen on my feet until I saw the result of some videos we'd made, like “Take Me Home” and “Murder On The Dance Floor”. Actually my fondest memories are for this next song, called “Music Gets The Best Of Me”. I filmed the video first of all without her, and when I saw it back, it just didn't really work. It was a bit clunky and considered, and didn't have that kind of joie de vivre that I think you should get from watching a pop video. I spoke to Sophie and said 'I'm in a bit of a pickle, I need to make a new video.' She said, 'Well, I've got next week off so lets go to Torremolinos - just you and me and the make-up artist and two crew members. We'll just go down there and kind of have a date almost, and do all the silly things you always want to do when you're on holiday.’ That's what we did. We went on pedalos, crazy golf, we went to fair grounds, we went for a car journey, we drank cocktails, ate food. The results are the video for “Music Gets The Best Of Me”, and it's still my favourite. It's the video where I see the "me" as I see myself. I guess you any get that when you work with someone a lot, then they can see it too.
8) Catch You
Now I'm going to skip a few years. “Music Gets The Best of Me” was from my first album, and I've now jumped through to my third album. Although I had a happy time with my second one, it was not an easy situation. I was blonde, which I didn't think suited me so much, I was breaking up with someone who was also managing me - which I would not recommend - and it was not until I got to my third album that I felt I was in a much happier situation. I made this record after I had my first baby, Sonny, with Richard who was my bass player. He is not working for me now, but he is my husband. It worked out for the best in the end, it had a happy ending! This song "Catch You" was the first single from the third album. I'd been away for three years, so I wanted a song that sounded a bit different, an evolution from where I'd left things. Again I worked with Sophie Muller for the video. We went to Venice. It's all based on a film called "Don't Look Now", starring Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland, and features a creepy person in red who's haunting this couple while they're in Venice. For the video I was the creepy person in red, running round Venice. So I hope I don't scare you too much!
9) Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer
My next song I'd like to play is one of my more contemporary songs. It's on my fourth album, which I've just finished making. This song's called "Heartbreak". I started writing it as potential song to accompany my Greatest Hits, but while I was making it I felt that a Greatest Hits was a bit premature, and really I wanted to continue making another album. But you know, the fruit of my labour is worthwhile. I got Heartbreak, a potential Greatest Hits song, put it onto my fourth album instead, and filmed the video ten weeks after having a baby - which I don't know if I would recommend! I was in kind of a weird bubble. The nice thing is that I can't really remember a lot of the hard work - I don't think there was any hard work involved - I think I was just having a nice time with my new-born and occasionally singing in discos and clubs around London and the rest of the UK.
10) Bittersweet
I've been playing you some of the songs from my past, and I would now like to play you my most recent song. This is my new single and it's called “Bittersweet”. The song is another collaboration with The Freemasons. The Freemasons and I did “Heartbreak” together, and I liked them so much, and I like what they do so much that I worked with them again for Bittersweet. I think that for dance DJs they have such an unusual ability to also celebrate the pop and the melody in a song as well as well as making it sound really dance-y and pompous and euphoric. I think it's quite unusual to meet DJs who can put their egos to one side to actually let the song do what it's supposed to do as well. They do it so well, that's why people keep going back to them, including me! Bittersweet is all about a love affair that's probably going to do you no good but you can't help yourself. We've all done this.
11) Fill My Little World by The Feeling
This is Sophie Ellis-Bextor on Real Radio on Easter Sunday. I hope you're enjoying some chocolate eggs. Now I really couldn't get away with not playing something by The Feeling. I am married to the bass player of The Feeling, but I promise I am not playing this song because I have that bias. When I first met Richard and the drummer, Paul, who is now in The Feeling, but who was in my band (that's how I met them), I auditioned them, decided they were definitely good enough to play in my band - and potential marriage material as well! When I was finishing, I think, my second tour with Richard, when we first started dating he said, 'Actually I'm in a band' and gave me a CD. And I thought, 'Oh no!, here we go. I really hope I like this', because it's always an awkward moment when you find someone you fancy is playing music. 'I hope this is good, otherwise I'm going to be standing at the front of a lot of awful gigs'. But fortunately I was given a CD that included songs such as "Fill My Little World", "Sewn", and "Never be Lonely" and loads of stuff on their first record which has deservedly become quite a big hit record. I was so thrilled for the guys. They’re proper talented musicians and they're now working on their third album which is going to be just as good as the others. But “Fill My Little World” is still my favourite - it just reminds me of that time we first got together and had our baby and, so I would dedicate this to Sonny and Richard.
12. Take Me Home
I'm leaving you now. Thank you so much for tuning in while I've been picking songs from my career and songs that have influenced me. I don't usually play so much of myself, but I promise you they did ask me to do that. But it's been very nice to tell you what the songs mean to me, and the stories behind them. So go off and have your Easter eggs, have a lovely rest of your Easter Weekend, and thank-you so much for joining me. You've been lovely. See you again soon.
11 comments:
Thank you so much!
Oh! So her radio tour isn't really over then. That's good. I saw your earlier post about radios snubbing her song again, and i got a little worked up. I hope she gets a lot of local airplay. She should perform the song everywhere again, then she will sell easily
Thank you Kau,
am listening to it right now!
you know, I was thinking that Sophie should try to reach out for David Guetta's help!!!
Madonna is currently working with him on a new single called "boom" and check what they're already saying about it:
1. The title speaks it all! It’s explosive.
2. If you think “When Love Takes Over”, “I Gotta Feeling” or “Sexy Bitch” were Guetta’s peak, think twice after hearing this track.
3. The summer anthem is here
2009 was really guetta's year and he's the most one in demand now!
So I think she should work with him! if not for songs to be on the album, well at least to remix her songS!!
Gaydar Radio (a British radio) is playing a lot “Bittersweet”. Actually, the song has peaked at #1 on their chart, & it’s currently this week’s number 1 again.
As for the BBC Radio 1, I don’t know what’s going on there. They use to play such great songs, but now all they play is crap music. Examples of crap music their playing now are the likes of Chipmunk, 3OH!3, Boys like Girls or Inna. I really hope they playlist Sophie’s new single, cos’ she deserves some radio exposure. I don’t want her to flop again, it’s enough!!
Also, she needs to start doing some promo on TV, performing at GMTV, the National Lottery Show, etc.
By the way, when does MTV update their Top 20 Dancefloor chart?
The only downside is that this show ends, y'a know. I could listen to her talking about all her songs ♥♥
Thank you so much!
I can't download it!! :(
I'm interested in what she said about Shoot From the Hip - maybe that's why she doesn't play songs from it anymore?
It's working fine RX, clear your cookies and try again
I'm shocked that she doesn't sing songs from Shoot From The Hip just because she broke up with Andy Boyd that time. Very sad.
I love that she did such a show (if only this was on Radio1 can you imagine!) but I'm severely gutted that she just skipped Shoot From The Hip because of her personal difficulties! That was by far her strongest album to date, and it's such a beautiful and enigmatic piece of art.
It's a pity she had to skip 'Shoot from the Hip' like that, but then again she only had about 50 minutes for the show, so you always have to make compromises. And she did well, I mean, she played the stuff she's remembered, and then the stuff she's got coming for us.
What I found very exiting is that the original version of 'Heartbreak' is probably going to make it to the album and that it's not just a demo to be forgotten.
I remember being slightly disappointed with the Freemasons version of 'Heartbreak', 'cuz it's not as energetic as the original (when you listen to the original first and then the mix you can feel the difference), BUT they do make it up with the dramatic bridge in the end and the awesome tunes they used in it.
Anyway, I hope 'Bittersweet' get's a lot of play on the radio stations. And that Sophie won't be getting pregnant anytime soon. :D
You're probably right MakkeBernhard, she may have just skipped it because of time constraints.
I was excited that she played the demo too, but maybe it was just by mistake. Who knows...
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