Thursday, September 04, 2008

Nobody else will do

Bananarama - Your Love Is Like A Drug

This is so great. To be fair, the first twenty seconds or so, with their dance-electro-pop blips and building swooshes, leave you thinking it's got potential, but will it live up to it? Luckily, it's just then we reach the no-nonsense bridge, the first hint that the song's creators aren't content to simply toss off any old melody with a dancefloor patina glossed over the top to cover up for the lack of actual, you know, good musical ideas (though the production is certainly fantastic). It's still building up to the big delivery, though--but is that big delivery actually the dissolved-into smooth-as-silk chorus or the punchier chopped-up vocals and electronic piano-a-like beats that follow it up? The combo, really, in all likelihood.

Don't get me wrong--there's nothing revolutionary here. To go with the work of a modern counterpart, there's no fizzy champagne bubbles-plus-drum-progression like "Some Girls" has, no pure undiluted fun, Amii Stewart-mimicking modern electro-disco beat a la "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)" constantly pushing the song forward, but "Your Love Is Like A Drug" comes more from the slick side of dancefloor pop anyway, the side of that smooth groove, commercial club--and as far as that school goes, "Your Love Is Like A Drug" has all the needed elements so perfectly in place that you can't help but enjoy the ride.

To buy Bananarama's 2005 album Drama, go here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe Americans and demos, or something else American.

5 comments:

Aaron said...

I Love It!

Sorry for not commenting often - I've been a long time reader - I just haven't commented!

D'luv said...

You're a gal after my own heart—"Your Love Is Like A Drug" is probably my fave jam off Drama.

I interviewed those broads when that album came out.

Stu said...

This is probably their best album in my opinion and one of my favorites of 2005.

Myfizzypop said...

it's such a pity that this song and album did not do better. they had a brilliant one -two whammy with Move In My Direction and this as singles. Curse the british public.

After our blistering disagreement and period of estrangement, D'Luv and I are back in business - reunited over our love of the Rams :)

Poster Girl said...

Nah, it's all good Aaron--I do that all the time with other blogs! Thanks for the comment :D I'm glad you like the song.

Thanks for the link, D'luv--and what you said about the album (and the singles) there is so right.

Stu, good to hear from you! I haven't heard any of their other albums in whole (I really should), but Drama is a genuinely great album! It definitely deserves more love.

Poor Drama. It really should have done better. Thank goodness--I was going to have to tell you to think of the children!