"Every Shade of Blue" is a 1995 song by English musical duo Bananarama, from their seventh album, Ultra Violet. After appearing as a B-side in the promotional single "I Found Love", the song was officially released as lead single on 21 August 1995 only in Australia, Japan and dance radio station in US. Bananarama did not have a major-label contract at the time.

"Every Shade of Blue"
Single by Bananarama
from the album Ultra Violet
Released21 August 1995
RecordedJuly 1993
GenreEurodance
Length4:01
LabelAvex Trax
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gary Miller
Bananarama singles chronology
"More, More, More"
(1993)
"Every Shade of Blue"
(1995)
"Take Me to Your Heart"
(1995)
Music video
"Every Shade of Blue" on YouTube

Background edit

The sentiments and sound of the song are melancholic and diverge from the upbeat nature of the majority of their hits. "Every Shade of Blue" reached number 124 in Australia and number 41 on Billboard's Hot Dance Singles Sales chart in the United States.

In 2010, Bananarama re-recorded the song. This new version appeared on the B-side of the group's single "Love Don't Live Here".[1]

Critical reception edit

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the song is "standard Euro-NRG fare that benefits from producer Gary Miller's ability to balance solid song arrangements with spine-crawling dance rhythms."[2] He also added the track as a "vibrant single".[3] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented that Bananarama is now a twosome, and on the strength of this "slice of rhythmic pop, they stand a good chance of scoring their first success in this decade."[4]

Music video edit

The music video was directed by fashion designer Roland Mouret and features footage of the two girls singing the song while sitting on the floor. These shots are interspersed with brief images of three young men who either pose for the camera or play with a soccer ball.

Track listings edit

  • German CD single
  1. "Every Shade of Blue" (radio version) – 4:11
  2. "Every Shade of Blue" (Mix 1 Vox Hi) – 5:36 (a.k.a. "Euromix" & "A La Mode Mix")
  3. "Every Shade of Blue" (Lenny Bertoldo radio mix) – 4:00
  4. "Every Shade of Blue" (12" Fab Four mix for Cleveland City) – 6:25
  5. "Every Shade of Blue" (Armand van Helden's Ruffneck mix) – 8:02
  • US 12-inch single
  1. "Every Shade of Blue" (X-tended club mix) – 6:05
  2. "Every Shade of Blue" (Armand van Helden's Ruffneck mix) – 8:02
  3. "Every Shade of Blue" (12" Fab Four mix for Cleveland City) – 6:25
  4. "Every Shade of Blue" (Mix 1 Vox Hi) – 5:36 (a.k.a. "Euromix" & "A La Mode Mix")
  5. "Every Shade of Blue" (album version) – 4:01

Charts edit

Chart (1996) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[5] 124
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[6] 41

References edit

  1. ^ "Love Don't Live Here Limited Multibuy 7 inch /12 inch + CD single - Bananarama". Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 2 December 1995. p. 82. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  3. ^ Flick, Larry (25 November 1995). "Dance Trax: Kervorkian's Wake -Up Call; Albanese Gets 'Happy'" (PDF). Billboard. p. 57. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  4. ^ Sholin, Dave (24 November 1995). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 2082. p. 46. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Australian (ARIA) chart positions outside the top 100 provided by ARIA, through response to chart inquiry (submitted to charts.mail@aria.com.au) received 5 June 2015". Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015 – via Imgur.
  6. ^ "Bananarama Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2020.