Aneka
Encyclopedia
Aneka is a Scottish
singer.
In 1981 she hit number one
in the UK Singles Chart
with her song, "Japanese Boy
". She was well known for the Oriental image she adopted for the song. After her brief foray into pop she established herself as an accomplished singer of Scottish traditional music under her real name.
decided to release it as a single with full promotion. Arriving at the name 'Aneka' in a telephone directory, Sandeman fashioned a suitable image for the song. Released in the Summer of 1981, "Japanese Boy" made an impressive leap in the charts and reached No.1 for one week in August.
Buoyed by this level of success, the record company commissioned an album and looked to find a follow-up single. The song "Little Lady" was chosen, but caused some concern as to what her image would be now, as it was felt that a Japanese look would be inappropriate for the song as well as giving the artist a limited lifespan. In the event, Sandeman adopted a 19th Century lady image, but retained the same high-pitched voice as used for her hit. The song failed to chart highly in the UK, reaching only No.50 - securing her the label of 'one-hit wonder
'.
Sandeman's debut album "Aneka" was released at the same time and featured a mix of upbeat pop tracks in the vein of "Japanese Boy" and a selection of slow-paced numbers, sung in her 'true' singing voice. The album however failed to chart.
A third and final single was released in early 1982. This was "Ooh Shooby Doo Doo Lang", which told a light-hearted tale of a singer bemoaning the fact that she is relegated to backing vocals, but goes on to mention Paul McCartney
and Stevie Wonder
as well referencing both "Japanese Boy" and "Little Lady". The song missed the UK Chart and this effectively saw the end of Aneka. In Europe however, it gave her a third hit and was followed there by the release of "I Was Free" - another song from the album.
Two further singles were released over the next two years, "Heart to Beat" in 1983 and "Rose Rose I Love You" in 1984, but neither of these found success. Sandeman then dropped the Aneka title and continued with the folk-singing career she had begun before her fame.
Aneka has had a modest revival in recent years, when "Japanese Boy" was featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
on Flash FM.
Sandeman featured in a 2006 Channel 4
documentary titled 'Bring Back The One Hit Wonders'
. Justin Lee Collins
attempted to organise a one-off performance of as many 'one hit wonders' as possible but despite getting in touch with Sandeman, she declined to take part as she did not want to travel to London from her home in Scotland, and had 'no desire' to perform the hit that made her place in pop history. She revealed though that "Japanese Boy" sold five million copies around the world.
celebrations.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
singer.
In 1981 she hit number one
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
with her song, "Japanese Boy
Japanese Boy
"Japanese Boy" is a UK No.1 hit single by Scottish singer Aneka, released in 1981. The song became her biggest hit and provided the singer with a memorable Japanese image, which she found difficult to discard.- Background :...
". She was well known for the Oriental image she adopted for the song. After her brief foray into pop she established herself as an accomplished singer of Scottish traditional music under her real name.
Aneka
Mary Sandeman recorded the song "Japanese Boy" in 1981. Impressed with the results, her record company, HansaHansa Records
Hansa Records was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany....
decided to release it as a single with full promotion. Arriving at the name 'Aneka' in a telephone directory, Sandeman fashioned a suitable image for the song. Released in the Summer of 1981, "Japanese Boy" made an impressive leap in the charts and reached No.1 for one week in August.
Buoyed by this level of success, the record company commissioned an album and looked to find a follow-up single. The song "Little Lady" was chosen, but caused some concern as to what her image would be now, as it was felt that a Japanese look would be inappropriate for the song as well as giving the artist a limited lifespan. In the event, Sandeman adopted a 19th Century lady image, but retained the same high-pitched voice as used for her hit. The song failed to chart highly in the UK, reaching only No.50 - securing her the label of 'one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
'.
A third and final single was released in early 1982. This was "Ooh Shooby Doo Doo Lang", which told a light-hearted tale of a singer bemoaning the fact that she is relegated to backing vocals, but goes on to mention Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
as well referencing both "Japanese Boy" and "Little Lady". The song missed the UK Chart and this effectively saw the end of Aneka. In Europe however, it gave her a third hit and was followed there by the release of "I Was Free" - another song from the album.
Two further singles were released over the next two years, "Heart to Beat" in 1983 and "Rose Rose I Love You" in 1984, but neither of these found success. Sandeman then dropped the Aneka title and continued with the folk-singing career she had begun before her fame.
Aneka has had a modest revival in recent years, when "Japanese Boy" was featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
on Flash FM.
Sandeman featured in a 2006 Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
documentary titled 'Bring Back The One Hit Wonders'
Bring Back...
Bring Back... is a British television series comprising one-off shows where Justin Lee Collins tries to locate people from music, TV or film backgrounds to reunite them for a one-off performance or get-together...
. Justin Lee Collins
Justin Lee Collins
Justin Lee Collins, commonly known as JLC, is an award-winning English comedian and television presenter.A Bristolian, he's well known for his strong West Country accent, shaggy appearance and colourful shirts....
attempted to organise a one-off performance of as many 'one hit wonders' as possible but despite getting in touch with Sandeman, she declined to take part as she did not want to travel to London from her home in Scotland, and had 'no desire' to perform the hit that made her place in pop history. She revealed though that "Japanese Boy" sold five million copies around the world.
Mary Sandeman
After the hits dried up, Sandeman dropped the Aneka name and returned to her Scottish folk roots and continued to perform under her real name. A mezzo soprano, she has appeared with the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra in concert and on record. In 1994 she made a documentary entitled Aite Mo Ghaoil: Mary Sandeman and Islay. She has also appeared on STV music series such as Thingummyjig and HogmanayHogmanay
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner...
celebrations.
Singles
| Year | Month | Title | Chart Positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Australia | Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
Canada | Germany | Norway | Sweden | Switz. | US Dance | |||
| 1981 | July | "Japanese Boy Japanese Boy "Japanese Boy" is a UK No.1 hit single by Scottish singer Aneka, released in 1981. The song became her biggest hit and provided the singer with a memorable Japanese image, which she found difficult to discard.- Background :... " |
#1 | #57 | #4 | #42 | #3 | #4 | #1 | #1 | #15 |
| October | "Little Lady" | #50 | - | #7 | - | #10 | - | #14 | - | - | |
| 1982 | February | "Ooh Shooby Doo Doo Lang" | - | - | #8 | - | #18 | - | - | - | - |
| October | "I Was Free" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1983 | "Heart to Beat" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1984 | November | "Rose, Rose, I Love You" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Album
| Year | Month | Title | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Switz Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
|||
| 1981 | October | Aneka | - | #19 |