"Fairground" is a 1995 single released by British soul and pop bandSimply Red from the albumLife. The song is co-written by frontman Mick Hucknall and makes extensive use of a sample of Dutch duo The Goodmen's 1993 hit "Give It Up". "Fairground" became Simply Red's first and only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, staying at the top for four weeks in September and October 1995. It became a chart hit in mainland Europe and Australia but failed to generate success in the United States or Canada.
Critical reception
Aftonbladet noted the "hot rhythms and odd harmonies" of the song in their review of Life. They added that the album "would have needed even more such songs". AllMusic editor William Ruhlmann said that on "Fairground", Hucknall "opts for a Latin-tinged sound that ends up evoking Herb Alpert more than Milton Nascimento". Another editor, Jon O'Brien called the song "a mesmerizing fusion of tribal rhythms and ambient chillout pop". Larry Flick from Billboard described it as an "expectedly romantic soul tune" and wrote that "fueled by his now instantly familiar voice, the track combines old-school warmth with street-smart percussion that is largely derived from samples of "Give It Up" by the Goodmen. At the core are wonderfully soothing lyrics and a melody that permanently sticks to the brain upon impact." Tom Ewing from Freaky Trigger commented that it "surprised people at the time, and on the verses at least it's their strangest-sounding single. "Driving down an endless road..." it begins, and that's not at all a bad description of the lonesome vibe here – the odd combination of flowing, tumbling Latin percussion and Hucknall's ruminative vocal, working together to create something genuinely arresting, even haunting." Music & Media noted that the song is "totally different from Hucknall's previous singles but still very much him thanks to the one-in-a-million voice and the trademark composition." They added that "the fairground attraction" of the lead-off single from Life is its "percussive arrangement and clubiness." People Magazine said that the "energetic" song "combines soulful abandon with tribal ecstasy." Pop Rescue noted its "high-tempo percussive beat" and added that Simply Red had sampled a sample, and given credit to the original source of that sample – "Fandarra" by Sergio Mendez. David Gaskey from The Rice Thresher described "Fairground" as "an innovative, futuristic jazz/pop song inspired by a popular fairground outside of Milan." Mark Sutherland from Smash Hits stated in his review that Hucknall "still has a lovely singing voice". However, he felt the song "sort of tinkles along merrily without really going anywhere."
Chart performance
It was the first and only single by the group to reach No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. It spent four weeks at the top, and fourteen weeks in the top 40. The track also reached No. 1 in Ireland and Italy and peaked within the top 10 in more than 10 countries, including Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. A remix by Soulshock and Karlin was included on the US single release and received moderate success on R&B radio but failed to chart on the BillboardHot 100, peaking at No. 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. In 2012, "Fairground" was ranked number 47 in NME's list of the "50 best-selling tracks of the 90s", adding: "Shamelessly lifting the clattering samba percussion from The Goodmen's 'Give It Up', Mick Hucknall greeted his post-'Stars' future with a mid-tempo ballad that sounded like an on-the-money dance track. Everyone got on board the rollercoaster and Hucknall had a new diamond for his gnasher. Sold: 783,000".
Music video
The music video shows Mick Hucknall driving in his Jaguar XK140 to and singing at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, Lancashire, that had been closed for the day and had been invaded by a group of his friends and opened up again. The majority of the video was shot on the Pepsi Max Big One and around the park, and some scenes are shot on the Promenade showing the Illuminations in 1994. Filming credits go to the single cameraman, Steven Young.
