Wa Wa Nee
Encyclopedia
Wa Wa Nee was an Australian funk
/pop
band
, active from approximately 1985 to 1989.
Led by singer/songwriter Paul Gray and guitarist Steve Williams, bassist Mark Gray and drummer 'The Sween', the band signed with CBS Records
in 1985. Wa Wa Nee had four singles
in the Australia
n top 40 from their debut album
release of the same name. They included "Stimulation" which reached number 2 nationally in Australia in 1986, "I Could Make You Love Me", reaching the Top 5 in the same year, and both "One And One (Ain't I Good Enough)" and "Sugar Free" making the Top 20. "Sugar Free" also reached the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
Top 40. This, however would be their only success in America; "Stimulation" was released as the followup single, but only reached #86, culminating their chart career there.
The band's self titled debut album went platinum
in Australia
, despite only reaching #29 on the charts.
Their follow-up LP
, Blush was released in late 1989, and spawned two more Top 100 hits in Australia - "Can't Control Myself", and "So Good". The album however, received a lukewarm response, and the band has not charted
in Australia since.
Paul Gray of Wa Wa Nee appeared in the Countdown Spectacular
2 concert series in Australia
between late August and early September 2007 as a performer and musical director. He sang two songs: "Stimulation" and "Sugar Free". He has also appeared with 80s Enuff and Idols of the 80s.
Gray performed Wa Wa Nee hits on 28 March 2010, at a fundraiser for the children of Jenin, a devastated area of the West Bank, Palestine. All funds went directly to the building of a pre-school in the area.
Wa Wa Nee's "Stimulation" featured in the first episode of Channel 9's Underbelly: The Golden Mile (on Monday 12 April 2010). Gray performed at local music venues in Melbourne in 2010, with fellow 1980s hitmakers, Scott Carne (Kids In The Kitchen
) and Brian Mannix
(Uncanny X-Men
). It was also featured in the 1988 film Satisfaction.
Paul Gray is supporting Belinda Carlisle on some of her dates in her upcoming Australian Tour, commencing 4 February 2011.
01. "One And One (Ain't I Good Enough)"
02. "Teacher"
03. "Stimulation"
04. "Jelly Baby"
05. "Gone"
06. "Sugar Free"
07. "When The World Is A Home"
08. "Man Child"
09. "Love Reaction"
10. "I Could Make You Love Me"
01. "Gone" (12" Mix)
02. "Stimulation" (12" Mix)
03. "Sugar Free" (New York Mix)
04. "Never Been So In Love"
05. "One And One" (12" Mix)
06. "I Could Make You Love Me" (12" Mix)
07. "Sugar Free" (12" Oz Mix)
01. "Can't Control Myself"
02. "So Good"
03. "Giving Everything"
04. "One Day"
05. "Never Been So In Love"
06. "I Want You"
07. "Bright Lites"
08. "Do It To Me"
09. "Moral Inspiration"
10. "Blush"
11. "Tossing And Turning"
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, active from approximately 1985 to 1989.
Career
Led by singer/songwriter Paul Gray and guitarist Steve Williams, bassist Mark Gray and drummer 'The Sween', the band signed with CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
in 1985. Wa Wa Nee had four singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n top 40 from their debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
release of the same name. They included "Stimulation" which reached number 2 nationally in Australia in 1986, "I Could Make You Love Me", reaching the Top 5 in the same year, and both "One And One (Ain't I Good Enough)" and "Sugar Free" making the Top 20. "Sugar Free" also reached the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
Top 40. This, however would be their only success in America; "Stimulation" was released as the followup single, but only reached #86, culminating their chart career there.
The band's self titled debut album went platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, despite only reaching #29 on the charts.
Their follow-up LP
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Blush was released in late 1989, and spawned two more Top 100 hits in Australia - "Can't Control Myself", and "So Good". The album however, received a lukewarm response, and the band has not charted
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 Australia since.
Paul Gray of Wa Wa Nee appeared in the Countdown Spectacular
Countdown Spectacular
The Countdown Spectacular is a series of concerts reviving the nostalgia of the Australian music television series Countdown.-Countdown Spectacular:...
2 concert series in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
between late August and early September 2007 as a performer and musical director. He sang two songs: "Stimulation" and "Sugar Free". He has also appeared with 80s Enuff and Idols of the 80s.
Gray performed Wa Wa Nee hits on 28 March 2010, at a fundraiser for the children of Jenin, a devastated area of the West Bank, Palestine. All funds went directly to the building of a pre-school in the area.
Wa Wa Nee's "Stimulation" featured in the first episode of Channel 9's Underbelly: The Golden Mile (on Monday 12 April 2010). Gray performed at local music venues in Melbourne in 2010, with fellow 1980s hitmakers, Scott Carne (Kids In The Kitchen
Kids in the Kitchen
Kids in the Kitchen was a band from Melbourne, Australia that enjoyed considerable local success during the 1980s. The band stood squarely within the New Romantic movement that dominated mid-1980s pop, showing influences of "New-Rom" groups such as Ultravox in its use of synthesisers, its...
) and Brian Mannix
Brian Mannix
Brian Mannix is an Australian rock music singer and actor.He guest-starred in several episodes of Australian soap Neighbours in 1993 as Conor Cleary, a love interest for Lauren Carpenter....
(Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
). It was also featured in the 1988 film Satisfaction.
Paul Gray is supporting Belinda Carlisle on some of her dates in her upcoming Australian Tour, commencing 4 February 2011.
Albums
- Wa Wa Ne (AUS: 1986/USA: 1987 - AUS#29/US #123)
01. "One And One (Ain't I Good Enough)"
02. "Teacher"
03. "Stimulation"
04. "Jelly Baby"
05. "Gone"
06. "Sugar Free"
07. "When The World Is A Home"
08. "Man Child"
09. "Love Reaction"
10. "I Could Make You Love Me"
- Ultra Mixes (EP/Remixes) (1987)
01. "Gone" (12" Mix)
02. "Stimulation" (12" Mix)
03. "Sugar Free" (New York Mix)
04. "Never Been So In Love"
05. "One And One" (12" Mix)
06. "I Could Make You Love Me" (12" Mix)
07. "Sugar Free" (12" Oz Mix)
- Blush (1989: AUS#29)
01. "Can't Control Myself"
02. "So Good"
03. "Giving Everything"
04. "One Day"
05. "Never Been So In Love"
06. "I Want You"
07. "Bright Lites"
08. "Do It To Me"
09. "Moral Inspiration"
10. "Blush"
11. "Tossing And Turning"
Singles
- 1986 "Stimulation" (AUS #2/US #86 [released as followup to Sugar Free])
- 1986 "I Could Make You Love Me" (AUS #5)
- 1986 "Sugar Free" (AUS #10/US #35)
- 1987 "One And One (Ain't I Good Enough)" (AUS #19)
- 1988 "Can't Control Myself" (AUS #31)
- 1989 "So Good" (AUS #36)
- 1989 "I Want You" (no chart placing)
External links
- [ Wa Wa Nee] at Allmusic