Testify (M People song)
Encyclopedia
Testify is the eighteenth overall single from British band M People
. It is the lead single from their greatest hits albums The Best of M People
and, in North America, Testify. It was written by Mike Pickering
, Paul Heard and Heather Small
, and roduced by M People. The single was released on 26 October 1998 and peaked at number twelve on the UK Singles Chart
.
promotional video for the BBC and produced by William Oakely for 'Pop @ Paul Weiland', the Music Video division of the Paul Weiland
Film Company.
Heather stands in the middle of a forest with snow on the ground singing all alone and all covered up in a Red Riding Hood-style cape only to then reveal as the wind blows, half way through the song, that she’s wearing an eye-catching £250,000 diamond necklace and bodice in the middle of this (computer-generated) arctic wonderland with the snow falling and steam coming out of Heather’s mouth as she sings. Meanwhile, in the surrounding blocks of ice, band mates Mike Pickering
, Paul Heard and Shovell are all encased and motionless.
(#1), "Sight for Sore Eyes
" (#2) and "One Night in Heaven
" (#1). Despite that fact that Capital Radio
had A-listed the single, BBC Radio 2
pledged their typical support and made it their "Single of the week". In the week of release the single climber as high as number 14, being the lowest placed M People single on Airplay for six years since "Excited"
in 1992. It remained on the airplay chart for 8 weeks in total.
, Ronin
(for the "Big String Remix") and in particular Rae and Christian who really exploited the RnB sound to its fullest and used the extra backing vocalist ad-libs to really form the sound and help the single go top 5 and stand up as a genuine record on the RnB Chart. So much so that it was a top 5 hit on the RnB Chart, a much bigger success than on other charts.
CD1
CD2
12" Maxi
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
. It is the lead single from their greatest hits albums The Best of M People
The Best of M People
- Classic version :...
and, in North America, Testify. It was written by Mike Pickering
Mike Pickering
Michael "Duncan" Pickering has DJed at The Haçienda's infamous "Nude" and "Hot" nights and later "Shine". He worked for Factory Records where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell With Burgundy and James amongst others...
, Paul Heard and Heather Small
Heather Small
Heather Small is a British soul singer, best known for being the lead singer in the Manchester based band M People. Her debut solo album was Proud in 2000...
, and roduced by M People. The single was released on 26 October 1998 and peaked at number twelve on 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 ...
.
Music Video
To support the release of this single, the band filmed their most expensively produced video on 10th September 1998 in London and was created with a budget of £750,000 and directed by New Zealand-born Gregory Rood who, had worked with Heather on the Perfect DayPerfect Day
"Perfect Day" is a song written by Lou Reed in 1972, originally featured on Transformer, Reed's second post-Velvet Underground solo album. Its fame was given a boost in the 1990s when it was featured in the 1996 film Trainspotting, and after its release as a star-studded BBC charity single in...
promotional video for the BBC and produced by William Oakely for 'Pop @ Paul Weiland', the Music Video division of the Paul Weiland
Paul Weiland
Paul Weiland is an English motion picture and television director, writer and producer. Weiland is one of Britain's most successful directors and producers of television commercials having made over 500 commercials, including a popular and long-running series for Walkers crisps...
Film Company.
Heather stands in the middle of a forest with snow on the ground singing all alone and all covered up in a Red Riding Hood-style cape only to then reveal as the wind blows, half way through the song, that she’s wearing an eye-catching £250,000 diamond necklace and bodice in the middle of this (computer-generated) arctic wonderland with the snow falling and steam coming out of Heather’s mouth as she sings. Meanwhile, in the surrounding blocks of ice, band mates Mike Pickering
Mike Pickering
Michael "Duncan" Pickering has DJed at The Haçienda's infamous "Nude" and "Hot" nights and later "Shine". He worked for Factory Records where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell With Burgundy and James amongst others...
, Paul Heard and Shovell are all encased and motionless.
Chart Performance
On physical release, the midweek charts indicated that "Testify" would chart at number 10 and give them their eleventh UK Top 10 single, however, with four higher new Top 10 entries that week, the single would be pushed down to number 12 where it finally entered and peaked on the chart. It spent six weeks on the chart descending briskly from 12 to 25 to 37 to 51 to 63 to 67.Airplay
A week after filming the single was serviced to radio and entered the Airplay chart that first week at 134 moving to 75 to 32 and to number 24. Radio did not pick up the single as fast as previous lead singles, "Just for You"Just for You (M People song)
Just for You is the fifteenth overall single from British band M People. It is the lead single single from their fourth album Fresco . Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 22 September 1997...
(#1), "Sight for Sore Eyes
Sight for Sore Eyes
"Sight For Sore Eyes" is the tenth overall single from the British band M People released as the lead single from multi-platinum album Bizarre Fruit.Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small and Produced by M People. It was released on 5 November 1994...
" (#2) and "One Night in Heaven
One Night in Heaven
One Night in Heaven is the sixth overall single from British band M People and the first single from their second album Elegant Slumming . Written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. Produced by M People. It was released on 14 June 1993. The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles...
" (#1). Despite that fact that Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
had A-listed the single, BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
pledged their typical support and made it their "Single of the week". In the week of release the single climber as high as number 14, being the lowest placed M People single on Airplay for six years since "Excited"
Excited (M People song)
"Excited" is the fourth and final single to be lifted from M People’s first album Northern Soul. It was written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. The song peaked at number twenty nine on the UK Singles Chart.-Background:...
in 1992. It remained on the airplay chart for 8 weeks in total.
Remixes
The success of the single on other charts was down to both D'InfluenceD'Influence
D'Influence is a British production team and acid jazz band. Formerly of The Echo Label they founded their own label, Freakstreet Records. Members include Kwame Kwaten, Sarah Anne Webb, Ed Baden-Powell, and Steve Marston....
, Ronin
Ronin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
(for the "Big String Remix") and in particular Rae and Christian who really exploited the RnB sound to its fullest and used the extra backing vocalist ad-libs to really form the sound and help the single go top 5 and stand up as a genuine record on the RnB Chart. So much so that it was a top 5 hit on the RnB Chart, a much bigger success than on other charts.
Track Listings
CSS- Testify (Radio Edit) 4.01
- Last Night 10,000 (Live) 5.22
CD1
- Testify (Radio Edit) 4.01
- Angel St (Live) 5.20
- Last Night 10,000 (Live) 5.22
CD2
- Testify (Radio Edit) 4.12
- Testify (Rae and Christian Remix) 8.45
- Testify (D Influence Remix) 7.45
- Testify (Big String Remix) 6.08
12" Maxi
- Testify (D Influence Remix) 5.30
- Testify (Big String Remix) 6.08
- Testify (Rae and Christian Remix) 5.32
- Testify (Rae and Christian Dub) 6.11