Bananarama is an English group formed in 1981 in London by Siobhan Fahey, Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward and whose particularity is that the 3 girls have known each other since the age of….4 years !
It’s Terry Hall, former "Specials" and now "Fun Boy Three", who spots them first and offers them to participate in the title "It Ain't What You Do". We are in 1981.
It was a year later, in 1982, that the real adventure began when she released the Single "Really saying something" followed by a little bit of the title that would reveal them, namely the excellent "Shy boy".
In early 1983 the Single "Na hey hey kiss him goodbye" was released, a new success. The tube machine is well and truly launched.
The album "Deep sea skiving" was released in stride.
Summer 1983 arrives and the Single "Cruel summer" is released. Enormous Single which will definitely raise them to the rank of stars and smash everything in its path.
The second album, named after the group, was released in 1984 and contains in addition to "Cruel summer" 2 other hits such as "Robert de Niro's waiting" and "Rough justice".
It took two years and the year 1986 to see the arrival of the album "Confessions" produced in part by "Hit Makers", namely the essential Stock Aitken and Waterman. The sound of the group changes accordingly and becomes much more dance. Album from which the hit "Venus" will be extracted, taken from a 1970s title by The Shocking Blue. It’s a huge success in the USA.
The album also contains "I heard a rumor" and "Love in the first degree" which will also have their heyday. The latest Single "I can’t help it" will have to be content with relative success.
Thanks to these sequences of hits, Bananarama will know the supreme honor of appearing in the Guinness Book of records as a female group having had the most ranked titles in history, just that !
In 1988, Siobhan Fahey left the group. Jacquie O’Sullivan (ex Shillelagh Sisters) replaced her at short notice.
The group therefore continues its adventure and releases the Singles "Love, truth and honesty" and "Nathan Jones" in 1988 and a cover of the Beatles "Help" in 1989, which is a real hit.
Two years passed and in 1991 the album "Pop life" was released. Album from which the flagship single "Only your love" and "Preacher man.
But the group loses its Aura, the success is less than before.
O’Sullivan in turn leaves the group and Bananarama is just a duo when the 1993 album "Please yourself" was released.
Only the title "Movin’on" will be successful.
Other albums will be released later, but the golden age is over and the decline will be inexorable for this now legendary group. Mythical by the number of hits they will have produced, but also by the 100% feminine composition of this charming trio which will have deeply marked the spirits, especially masculine.
And even if the albums that will be released subsequently will not meet with the same success as before, the girls will continue the adventure for decades to come and in a very good way...
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
80s Decade :
• Aie a mwana 1981
• It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It) 1982
• Really saying something 1982
• Shy boy 1982
• Cheers then 1982
• Na na hey hey kiss him goodbye 1983
• Cruel summer 1983
• Robert de Niro’s waiting 1984
• Rough justice 1984
• King of the jungle 1984
• Hot line to heaven 1984
• The wild life 1984
• Do not disturb 1985
• Venus 1986
• More than physical 1986
• A trick of the night 1987
• Set on you 1987
• I heard a rumour 1987
• Love in the first degree 1987
• I can't help it 1987
• I want you back 1988
• Love, truth and honesty 1988
• Nathan Jones 1988
• Help! 1989
90s Decade :
• Only your love 1990
• Preacher man 1990
• Long train running 1991
• Tripping on your love 1991
• Movin’on 1992
• Last thing on my mind 1992
• More, more, more 1993
• I found love 1995
• Every shade of blue 1995
• Take me to your heart 1996
2000s Decade :
• If 2001
• Move in my direction 2005
• Look on the floor (Hypnothic tango) 2005
• Love comes 2009
2010s Decade :
• Love don't live here 2010
• Now or never 2012
• Dance music 2019
• Love in stereo 2019
• Looking for someone 2019
• Stuff like that 2019
2020s Decade :
• Favourite 2022
• Masquerade 2022
• Forever young 2022
• Running with the night 2022
• Feel the love 2023
• Supernova 2024
Tracks :
1981...a first title for these 3 pretty unknown girls who decided to revisit this title dating from 1971. A luxury cover that will succeed for them since they will get a first success for the least unexpected...
1982...it is by teaming up with the Fun Boy Three that the girls will go from shadow to light in a sensational way to say the least. The legend is now on !
1982...a second 'band' title. But we can already see the enormous potential of the 3 girls. And potential, there is and the sequel will prove it brilliantly !
1982 ... then comes THIS title. No more supporting roles. A first world class hit that literally explodes their notoriety. The whole world is literally under the spell !
1982...a sequel that will go somewhat unnoticed but difficult to compete with the huge previous title. Anyway, nothing to worry about at this stage...
1983...that there was nothing to worry about. Their revisited version of the Steam title dating from 1969 will send them directly to the front of the race in an impressive way to say the least...
1983 ... which will undoubtedly remain one of their biggest hits. It is a planetary tidal wave which propels the 3 girls into summits hitherto inaccessible. MAS-TER-FUL !
1984 ... and what about that one. They chain back to back 2 huge mega hits. A 2nd mega-hit that definitely consecrates them as one of the best female bands of the decade !
1984 ... difficult to compete with the 2 huge previous road rollers. Anyway, the dynamic does not weaken by an Iota !
1984...in an ocean of mega hits, some titles still manage to go unnoticed. It even happens to the best as they say...
1984...business resumes with this title, but in a timid way to say the least. It must be said that given the number of titles produced, not all of them can finish No.1 in the Charts...
1984...a title which will know its hour of glory only in the United States but it is always better than nothing. There are mega hits and 'little' hits, such is life...
1985 ... only one small title for the year 1985. And that will not necessarily remain as their biggest success. But whatever, the main thing is to participate !
1986 ... the HUGE hit which makes them definitively enter the musical legend of the 80s. One of the biggest Dance hits of that year. All on a luxury cover of the Schocking Blue title dating from 1968. Again MAS-TER-FUL !
1986...one could have imagined that the rate of mega hits would drop over the years, but such is not the case. On the contrary...
1987 ... already 6 years on top ! A constant musical quality that does not weaken from an Iota. HU-GE !
1987...another title which will pass somewhat under the radar but which would also have deserved to be projected into the light. It's done !
1987 ... the rocking of style. The group switches to Hi-NRG mode and the result is immediate. Return of mega hits !
1987 ... 100 % Hi-NRG, 100 % Dance, 100 % effective. A decidedly exceptional year 1987 where everything works for the 3 girls !
1987 ... the last title of the original trio. What better way to celebrate the departure of Siobhan Fahey than to end in style with this new top hit...
1988 ... new casting. At least 2 out of 3 remain, allowing the group to continue operating as normal...
1988 ... the change of member did nothing to destabilize the group. 1987 was an exceptional vintage. 1988 will come closer to it...
1988 ... the 3rd title of the year. Admittedly, it will not be the best but many groups would be largely satisfied with it ...
1989 ... new luxury cover this time on one of the cult Beatles titles. A copy of very good quality and which brings them One Shot at the top of the Charts...
1990 ... change of decade and new change of sound. We are slowly but surely switching to EuroDance...
1990 ... a change of era which sees the group slowing down somewhat on the success side. Either way, successful or not, the girls are still there...
1991... they give us here a version for the less original of the Doobie Brothers title dating from 1973. A 'Gipsy' type version which at least has the merit of not looking like any other...
1991 ... certainly the level of success is reduced from year to year but it is still more than enough to keep the girls a little in the race ...
1992 ... an end of the reign which only now combines with 2. The girls continue their journey quietly, but surely !
1992 ... even at 2, quality is still in order. So whether they are 12, 6, 4 or 2, whatever ...
1993 ... always also Dance. A niche that they will have exploited from start to finish. For the best. And the best !
1995...we're not going to lie to each other, the best years are now behind them but what they will continue to produce is far from deserving, it is clear...
1995 ... they will have crossed all styles of the 80s and 90s. Without ever being ridiculous or irrelevant. A feat !
1996...a single title for this year 1996 and with modest success to say the least. All the lights are turning red despite an obvious desire to do well on the part of the girls...
2001...a transition to the 2000s that will go unnoticed to say the least. Not necessarily a very good omen for a possible future career...
2005 ... the phoenix rises from the ashes. While we thought they were definitely lost, they came back in force in this 2000 decade and managed to sign a new new mega hit. Incredible but true !
2005 ... a revisited version, to say the least original, of My Mine's 'Hypnotic tango' dating from 1983. And the most incredible is that they will hit the headlines. Like what, making new with old, it works !
2009 ... impossible to stop them ! Always in tune with the times and not very proud to be the 2 gazelles. An incredible longevity and totally stunning !
2010 ... and here they are again ! They continue to deliver perfectly trendy titles which not only keep them at a certain level of excellence but also make them the very last glories of the 80s to be still in activity
2012 ... here they are entering their 4th decade, who would have believed it ? And once again, what they deliver is quite up to par. But how do they do ...?
2019 ... with them, everything is possible, nothing is never finished ! Certainly, on this one, what they offer us is of average quality but the fact remains that they are still there !
2019...here, on the other hand, we find the girls at their best. Even if no title of this new opus will be classified, the album will be...
2019... the girls succeeded in this opus to perfectly mix old and new influences. The advantage of having known the 80s...
2019... what doesn't spoil anything is that the girls have aged damn well. Because when you see some other singers who started at the same time as them, time has really had its effect on them unlike the 2 girls...
2022...unstoppable the 2 girls ! Each time we tell ourselves that this will be the last title and each time they come back ! And in addition they provide as they say...
2022...it's always a real pleasure to find them again because they take obvious pleasure in continuing the adventure. And us with them necessarily...
2022...and when we see what they continue to offer, we can only encourage them to continue the adventure as far as possible. Good job girls !
2022... how far will they go, only the future can answer this question. But we now know with her, nothing is ever over !
2023...
2023...a remix version of their flagship track from 1983, a track that changed everything for the 3 girls...
Top Bonus : for all those who didn't know that the girls started the adventure in 1981...
2023...a remix version of their flagship title from 1984, a title which will undoubtedly remain one of their most iconic...
2024...
Top Bonus : the story of a lifetime I
Top Bonus : the story of a lifetime II
Top Bonus : the story of a lifetime III
Top Bonus : the story of a lifetime IV
Top Bonus : the story of a lifetime V
Top Bonus : the story of a lifetime VI
Top Bonus : the story of a lifetime VII
Wiki :
Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :