Fairground (Simply Red song)
Encyclopedia
"Fairground" is a 1995 single released by Simply Red
from the album Life
. The song contains a sample of The Goodmen's "Give It Up".
driving 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.
. It spent four weeks at the top and fourteen weeks in the Top 40. The track also reached #1 in Ireland
and made the Top 10 in Italy
, Austria
and The Netherlands amongst other places.
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
from the album Life
Life (Simply Red album)
Life was one of the most successful albums by Simply Red. Their song, "Fairground" was also their first number 1 hit in the UK. Due to this success, the album made #1 on the UK album chart. It also included "We're in This Together", the official theme song for Euro '96...
. The song contains a sample of The Goodmen's "Give It Up".
Video
The video shows Mick HucknallMick Hucknall
Michael "Mick" Hucknall is a British singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the British band Simply Red, and is recognisable for his smooth, distinctive voice and wide vocal range, as well as his red curly hair.-Early life:...
driving to and singing at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, 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
Pepsi Max Big One
The Big One is a steel roller coaster located at Pleasure Beach Blackpool in the United Kingdom. The ride was originally manufactured by Arrow Dynamics, a now defunct steel coaster manufacturer, and was sponsored by the soft drinks firm Pepsi, under their brand of Pepsi Max until 2011...
and around the park, and some scenes are shot on the Promenade showing the Illuminations
Blackpool Illuminations
Blackpool Illuminations is an annual Lights Festival, founded in 1879 and first switched on 18 September that year, held each autumn in the English seaside resort of Blackpool on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire....
in 1994.
Chart performance
It was the first (and hitherto only) single by the group to reach #1 in the UK Singles ChartUK 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 ...
. It spent four weeks at the top and fourteen weeks in the Top 40. The track also reached #1 in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and made the Top 10 in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 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...
and The Netherlands amongst other places.
Track listings
CD maxi
12" maxi
|
CD maxi - Remixes
CD single
|
Peak positions
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 7 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 5 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 2 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 10 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
6 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 26 |
| German Singles Chart | 5 |
| Irish IRMA Singles Chart | 1 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 3 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 17 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 6 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
25 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 25 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 65 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 30 |
| French Singles Chart | 92 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 55 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Gold | 1995 | 150,000 |