Late last year I started to do an occasional series of posts about music acts only famous for 1 or 2 hits but had more of a chart career than many think. It's been a while since the first post but I've finally got round to the 2nd one, this time it's Whigfield.
Throughout the summer of 1994 we had "Love Is All Around" by Wet Wet Wet at number one. It was number one so long that even Wet Wet Wet got sick of it, but in September it was finally knocked off the top by Whigfield with Saturday Night. It was her debut hit and went straight in at number one, making her the first act since the charts began to make their chart debut at number one.
It was a massive hit, people were singing and doing the dance to it everywhere. For many people, that's where the story of Whigfield ends. But she wasn't finished just yet.
Given the huge success of her debut single, there must have been people who thought she could be a contender for Christmas number one with her 2nd hit, Another Day. It charted in December, the same week East 17 climbed to number one with "Stay Another Day" and was the 3rd highest new entry behind "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey and the debut from Boyzone, "Love Me For A Reason". It eventually reached number 7 in the first week of 1995.
Perhaps the reason few remember "Another Day" is that it sounds pretty much the same as "Saturday Night". It was written by the same 2 Italian producers who wrote "Saturday Night" along with Annerley Gordon who has long been rumoured to be the actually singer on Whigfields songs.
Her 3rd single came in June 1995 with Think of You. Those who do remember it will most like to remember it for the line "I need you inside me tonight". It matched the success of "Another Day" reaching number 7, but this time it didn't sound like "Saturday Night". It had the same songwriters and was a cheesy Eurodance song though.
In September 1995, just under a year after "Saturday Night", she failed to reach the Top 10 for the first time with here 4th single, Close to You. This time she was singing a ballad. I remember being in shock hearing it for the first time, it sounded nothing like you'd expect a Whigfield song to sound like and that was perhaps her downfall. But despite her not reaching the Top 10, she still managed make her chart career last over a year with it.
She wasn't done yet though. In December 1995 she released a double a-side which would be her final Top 40 hit. One side was a cover of Last Christmas by Wham! and the other side was Big Time. Both songs were done reggae style. This only made 21 in the charts and spent it's final week in the Top 40 in the final week of 1995 which would be the last week we'd see Whigfield in the Top 40.
Still a 16 month chart career for someone who'd considered a one hit wonder is pretty good going.
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