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Say I'm Your Number One

April 18, 2024

"Say I'm Your Number One" (also formatted as "Say I'm Your No. 1") is a song by English singer Princess, released in 1985 as the lead single from her self-titled debut studio album (1986).[1] Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW), the song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it reached number 20 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart,[2] while it reached the top ten in the UK and several of European and Oceanian countries.

"Say I'm Your Number One"
Single by Princess
from the album Princess
ReleasedJuly 1985
Genre
Length3:38
LabelSupreme
Songwriter(s)Stock Aitken Waterman
Producer(s)Stock Aitken Waterman
Princess singles chronology
"Let the Night Take the Blame"
(1985) 		"Say I'm Your Number One"
(1985) 		"After the Love Has Gone"
(1985)
Music video
"Say I'm Your Number One" on YouTube

Background and recording edit

Session singer Desiree Heslop – later to take the stage name Princess – was hired by SAW to workshop some "credible" soul-pop tracks, after distinguishing herself as a backing vocalist on the Brilliant album Kiss The Lips of Life.[1] "I was a singer who had come in to do a job, and had differentiated myself on a part that the other singer wasn't getting", the vocalist remembered of winning over SAW. "So they sent the other lady home."[1]

According to Princess and her brother/manager Don Heslop, SAW provided them with a number of basic, unfinished tracks for them to choose from and to help develop, including one that later became "Say I'm Your Number One".[1] Mike Stock remembers specifically choosing the track for the vocalist, writing "I thought it would be fine for Desiree."[3]

After a conversation between Don Heslop and producer Pete Waterman, the manager says a plan was floated to collaborate on material between them that could potentially garner a record deal. "What he wanted to do, and what I wanted to do seemed to be written by the same author," said Heslop. "We talked about doing something amazing and taking it to the majors."[1]

Waterman recalled of the conversation: "... I'd said that Desiree was only a session singer and has just been paid to sing on something we were working on for Dee C Lee."[4]

Matt Aitken says the track is a very rare example of a song written by SAW that first came together without a particular artist or project in mind.[5] He also added that the song was offered to many A&R representatives and artists, but was rejected as they "hated" it.[6]

When the Princess-fronted version of the record was finished, no major label would pick up it up, and the snub helped inspire the creation of Supreme Records, which released the track and then became an ongoing vehicle for SAW's output.[3] Initial buzz around the track was created by servicing it to pirate radio, and pressing white label copies to create the impression it was an American import.[4]

Writing edit

Speaking on the genesis of the track, Waterman stated he gave Mike Stock and Matt Aitken a brief to write a song that women could mime to men they were attracted to, as the song was played in nightclubs.[4] Among the guide tracks that influenced production was "Genie" by B.B. & Q. Band.[1][7]

While Stock Aitken Waterman are solely credited as the writers of the song, Princess says she contributed to the lyrics and structure of the song during the demo process.[1] Despite the track initially being intended for Lee,[4] Princess felt the evolution of the song under her guidance meant it was effectively always hers. "It was always mine because I did the sensibility and the feeling of the song, and how it morphed from the demo," she said. "I was almost entwined in the song – we co-wrote the bridge, and all the BVs were mine, and to a certain extent, Don’s influence."[1]

The track marked the first appearance of the fictitious drummer A.Linn, aka Waterman, in the credits.[8]

Music video edit

The video for the song, which featured the singer journeying around London, was designed to highlight the Britishness of the record by including cultural icons such as double-decker buses, and the singer's bowler hat.[1]

Impact and legacy edit

Retrospectively, in 2020, Daniel Griffiths of musicradar.com considered "Say I'm Your Number One" as one of the five songs by SAW that producers need to hear, adding that at the time, the trio was "still malleable to whatever new style was arriving in the clubs" and "this US-influenced R'n'B electro groove might come as a SAW surprise".[8] In 2021, British magazine Classic Pop ranked the song number eight in their list of "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs".[9] In 2023, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian listed the song at number 9 in his "Stock Aitken Waterman's 20 greatest songs – ranked!", describing it as a "mid-tempo electro pop-soul, heavily influenced by the Brooklyn Bronx & Queens Band".[10]

Chart performance edit

"Say I'm Your Number One" was Princess' biggest hit single, and although it was the first of a run of four hit singles that the artist released with SAW, it proved to be her only top ten entry in her home-country. In the UK, it started at number 54 on 3 August 1985, climbed every week until reaching a peak of number seven for consecutive two weeks, and fell of the chart after 12 weeks of presence, four of them spent in the top ten.[11] In Continental Europe, it achieved its highest position in West Germany where it debuted at number 52 on 23 September 1985, rose to number 16 the next week, attained number two in its fifth week, being only beaten by Modern Talking's "Cheri Cheri Lady"; it spent seven weeks in the top ten and 15 weeks on the chart.[12] On the 1985 national year-end chart, it ranked at number 47.[13] "Say I'm Your Number One" also peaked within the top ten in Switzerland and the Netherlands, where it reached number four and number six, respectively,[14][15] and barely missed the top ten in Ireland and the Flanders region of Belgium where it stalled at numbers 11 and 12.[16][17] In addition, it was a top 20 hit in Italy,[18] and a top 30 hit in Finland and Austria.[19][20] On the Pan-European Hot 100 chart established by the Eurotipsheet magazine, it culminated at number ten in its ninth week.[21]

In North America, "Say I'm Your Number One" reached number 20 on the Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart and number 22 on the Dance Club Play chart.[22][23] It was a hit in Oceanian countries, peaking at number two in New Zealand where it ranked for ten weeks in the top 50,[24] and at number eight in Australia.[25]

Other uses edit

The music of "Say I'm Your Number One" was interpolated with Bananarama's "A Trick of the Night" for the latter song's Number One Mix, the U.K. single remix, and related variations.

Track listings edit

  • 7-inch single
A. "Say I'm Your Number One" – 3:38
B. "Say I'm Your Number One" (Senza Voce) – 4:30
  • 12-inch single
A. "Say I'm Your Number One" (Full Length Version) – 6:20
B1. "Say I'm Your Number One" (Short Version) – 5:42
B2. "Say I'm Your Number One" (Senza Voce) – 3:00
  • "After the Love Has Gone / Say I'm Your Number One"
A. "After the Love Had Gone" – 6:48
B. "Say I'm Your Number One" – 6:14

Charts edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 6: Say I'm Your Number One on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 472.
  3. ^ a b Stock, Mike (2004). Hit Factory: The Stock, Aitken and Waterman Story. New Holland. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-84330-729-7.
  4. ^ a b c d Waterman, P. (7 June 2001). I Wish I Was Me. Ebury Publishing. pp. 138–140. ISBN 978-0-7535-0573-1.
  5. ^ "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 41: Looking Back with Matt Aitken on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  6. ^ Smith, Jerry (11 April 1987). "Number One Team" (PDF). Music Week. p. 20. Retrieved 10 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^ "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 9: Taking Stock with Mike Stock on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  8. ^ a b Griffiths, Daniel (21 August 2020). "5 songs producers need to hear by... Stock Aitken Waterman". musicradar.com. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs". Classic Pop. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  10. ^ Petridis, Alexis (23 November 2023). "Stock Aitken Waterman's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Princess: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Offiziellecharts.de – Princess – Say I'm Your No. 1" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1985" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Princess – Say I'm Your No. 1". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Princess – Say I'm Your No. 1" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  16. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Say I'm Your Number One". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Princess – Say I'm Your No. 1" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 28 May 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Princess" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  19. ^ a b Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  20. ^ a b "Princess – Say I'm Your No. 1" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  21. ^ a b "European Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 40. 7 October 1985. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  22. ^ a b "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. 23 November 1985. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  23. ^ a b "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. 2 November 1985. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Princess – Say I'm Your No. 1". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  25. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 241. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  26. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 43, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. 16 November 1985. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  28. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1985 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  31. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report. No. 650. 29 December 1986 – via Imgur.

April 18, 2024
your, number, also, formatted, your, song, english, singer, princess, released, 1985, lead, single, from, self, titled, debut, studio, album, 1986, written, produced, stock, aitken, waterman, song, peaked, number, seven, singles, chart, united, states, reached. Say I m Your Number One also formatted as Say I m Your No 1 is a song by English singer Princess released in 1985 as the lead single from her self titled debut studio album 1986 1 Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman SAW the song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart In the United States it reached number 20 on Billboard s Hot Black Singles chart 2 while it reached the top ten in the UK and several of European and Oceanian countries Say I m Your Number One Single by Princessfrom the album PrincessReleasedJuly 1985GenrePop R amp BLength3 38LabelSupremeSongwriter s Stock Aitken WatermanProducer s Stock Aitken WatermanPrincess singles chronology Let the Night Take the Blame 1985 Say I m Your Number One 1985 After the Love Has Gone 1985 Music video Say I m Your Number One on YouTube Contents 1 Background and recording 2 Writing 3 Music video 4 Impact and legacy 5 Chart performance 6 Other uses 7 Track listings 8 Charts 8 1 Weekly charts 8 2 Year end charts 9 ReferencesBackground and recording editSession singer Desiree Heslop later to take the stage name Princess was hired by SAW to workshop some credible soul pop tracks after distinguishing herself as a backing vocalist on the Brilliant album Kiss The Lips of Life 1 I was a singer who had come in to do a job and had differentiated myself on a part that the other singer wasn t getting the vocalist remembered of winning over SAW So they sent the other lady home 1 According to Princess and her brother manager Don Heslop SAW provided them with a number of basic unfinished tracks for them to choose from and to help develop including one that later became Say I m Your Number One 1 Mike Stock remembers specifically choosing the track for the vocalist writing I thought it would be fine for Desiree 3 After a conversation between Don Heslop and producer Pete Waterman the manager says a plan was floated to collaborate on material between them that could potentially garner a record deal What he wanted to do and what I wanted to do seemed to be written by the same author said Heslop We talked about doing something amazing and taking it to the majors 1 Waterman recalled of the conversation I d said that Desiree was only a session singer and has just been paid to sing on something we were working on for Dee C Lee 4 Matt Aitken says the track is a very rare example of a song written by SAW that first came together without a particular artist or project in mind 5 He also added that the song was offered to many A amp R representatives and artists but was rejected as they hated it 6 When the Princess fronted version of the record was finished no major label would pick up it up and the snub helped inspire the creation of Supreme Records which released the track and then became an ongoing vehicle for SAW s output 3 Initial buzz around the track was created by servicing it to pirate radio and pressing white label copies to create the impression it was an American import 4 Writing editSpeaking on the genesis of the track Waterman stated he gave Mike Stock and Matt Aitken a brief to write a song that women could mime to men they were attracted to as the song was played in nightclubs 4 Among the guide tracks that influenced production was Genie by B B amp Q Band 1 7 While Stock Aitken Waterman are solely credited as the writers of the song Princess says she contributed to the lyrics and structure of the song during the demo process 1 Despite the track initially being intended for Lee 4 Princess felt the evolution of the song under her guidance meant it was effectively always hers It was always mine because I did the sensibility and the feeling of the song and how it morphed from the demo she said I was almost entwined in the song we co wrote the bridge and all the BVs were mine and to a certain extent Don s influence 1 The track marked the first appearance of the fictitious drummer A Linn aka Waterman in the credits 8 Music video editThe video for the song which featured the singer journeying around London was designed to highlight the Britishness of the record by including cultural icons such as double decker buses and the singer s bowler hat 1 Impact and legacy editRetrospectively in 2020 Daniel Griffiths of musicradar com considered Say I m Your Number One as one of the five songs by SAW that producers need to hear adding that at the time the trio was still malleable to whatever new style was arriving in the clubs and this US influenced R n B electro groove might come as a SAW surprise 8 In 2021 British magazine Classic Pop ranked the song number eight in their list of Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs 9 In 2023 Alexis Petridis of The Guardian listed the song at number 9 in his Stock Aitken Waterman s 20 greatest songs ranked describing it as a mid tempo electro pop soul heavily influenced by the Brooklyn Bronx amp Queens Band 10 Chart performance edit Say I m Your Number One was Princess biggest hit single and although it was the first of a run of four hit singles that the artist released with SAW it proved to be her only top ten entry in her home country In the UK it started at number 54 on 3 August 1985 climbed every week until reaching a peak of number seven for consecutive two weeks and fell of the chart after 12 weeks of presence four of them spent in the top ten 11 In Continental Europe it achieved its highest position in West Germany where it debuted at number 52 on 23 September 1985 rose to number 16 the next week attained number two in its fifth week being only beaten by Modern Talking s Cheri Cheri Lady it spent seven weeks in the top ten and 15 weeks on the chart 12 On the 1985 national year end chart it ranked at number 47 13 Say I m Your Number One also peaked within the top ten in Switzerland and the Netherlands where it reached number four and number six respectively 14 15 and barely missed the top ten in Ireland and the Flanders region of Belgium where it stalled at numbers 11 and 12 16 17 In addition it was a top 20 hit in Italy 18 and a top 30 hit in Finland and Austria 19 20 On the Pan European Hot 100 chart established by the Eurotipsheet magazine it culminated at number ten in its ninth week 21 In North America Say I m Your Number One reached number 20 on the Billboard s Hot Black Singles chart and number 22 on the Dance Club Play chart 22 23 It was a hit in Oceanian countries peaking at number two in New Zealand where it ranked for ten weeks in the top 50 24 and at number eight in Australia 25 Other uses editThe music of Say I m Your Number One was interpolated with Bananarama s A Trick of the Night for the latter song s Number One Mix the U K single remix and related variations Track listings edit7 inch singleA Say I m Your Number One 3 38 B Say I m Your Number One Senza Voce 4 3012 inch singleA Say I m Your Number One Full Length Version 6 20 B1 Say I m Your Number One Short Version 5 42 B2 Say I m Your Number One Senza Voce 3 00 After the Love Has Gone Say I m Your Number One A After the Love Had Gone 6 48 B Say I m Your Number One 6 14Charts editWeekly charts edit Weekly chart performance for Say I m Your Number One Chart 1985 1986 PeakpositionAustralia Kent Music Report 25 8Austria O3 Austria Top 40 20 29Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 17 12Europe European Top 100 Singles 21 10Finland Suomen virallinen lista 19 27Ireland IRMA 16 11Italy Musica e dischi 18 20Netherlands Dutch Top 40 26 7Netherlands Single Top 100 15 6New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 24 2Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 14 4UK Singles OCC 11 7US 12 inch Singles Sales Billboard 27 15US Dance Club Play Billboard 23 22US Hot Black Singles Billboard 22 20West Germany Official German Charts 12 2 Year end charts edit 1985 year end chart performance for Say I m Your Number One Chart 1985 PositionBelgium Ultratop Flanders 28 58Netherlands Dutch Top 40 29 63Netherlands Single Top 100 30 67West Germany Official German Charts 13 471986 year end chart performance for Say I m Your Number One Chart 1986 PositionAustralia Kent Music Report 31 54References edit a b c d e f g h i A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman Ep 6 Say I m Your Number One on Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts Retrieved 6 August 2021 Whitburn Joel 2004 Top R amp B Hip Hop Singles 1942 2004 Record Research p 472 a b Stock Mike 2004 Hit Factory The Stock Aitken and Waterman Story New Holland p 38 ISBN 978 1 84330 729 7 a b c d Waterman P 7 June 2001 I Wish I Was Me Ebury Publishing pp 138 140 ISBN 978 0 7535 0573 1 A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman Ep 41 Looking Back with Matt Aitken on Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts Retrieved 24 October 2022 Smith Jerry 11 April 1987 Number One Team PDF Music Week p 20 Retrieved 10 September 2023 via World Radio History A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman Ep 9 Taking Stock with Mike Stock on Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts Retrieved 17 December 2021 a b Griffiths Daniel 21 August 2020 5 songs producers need to hear by Stock Aitken Waterman musicradar com Retrieved 5 April 2024 Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs Classic Pop Retrieved 5 September 2021 Petridis Alexis 23 November 2023 Stock Aitken Waterman s 20 greatest songs ranked The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 16 January 2024 a b Princess Artist Chart History Official Charts Company Retrieved 21 April 2021 a b Offiziellecharts de Princess Say I m Your No 1 in German GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved 17 April 2021 a b Top 100 Single Jahrescharts 1985 in German GfK Entertainment Retrieved 17 April 2021 a b Princess Say I m Your No 1 Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved 17 April 2021 a b Princess Say I m Your No 1 in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved 17 April 2021 a b The Irish Charts Search Results Say I m Your Number One Irish Singles Chart Retrieved 21 April 2021 a b Princess Say I m Your No 1 in Dutch Ultratop 50 Retrieved 17 April 2021 a b Classifiche Musica e dischi in Italian Retrieved 28 May 2022 Select Singoli in the Tipo field type Princess in the Artista field and press cerca a b Pennanen Timo 2006 Sisaltaa hitin levyt ja esittajat Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 in Finnish 1st ed Helsinki Kustannusosakeyhtio Otava ISBN 978 951 1 21053 5 a b Princess Say I m Your No 1 in German O3 Austria Top 40 Retrieved 17 April 2021 a b European Top 100 Singles PDF Eurotipsheet Vol 2 no 40 7 October 1985 p 12 OCLC 29800226 via World Radio History a b Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard 23 November 1985 Retrieved 25 June 2023 a b Dance Club Songs Billboard 2 November 1985 Retrieved 25 June 2023 a b Princess Say I m Your No 1 Top 40 Singles Retrieved 17 April 2021 a b Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book p 241 ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Nederlandse Top 40 week 43 1985 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 17 April 2021 Dance Singles Sales Billboard 16 November 1985 Retrieved 25 June 2023 Jaaroverzichten 1985 Singles in Dutch Ultratop Retrieved 17 April 2021 Top 100 Jaaroverzicht van 1985 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 17 April 2021 Jaaroverzichten Single 1985 in Dutch Dutch Charts Retrieved 17 April 2021 National Top 100 Singles for 1986 Kent Music Report No 650 29 December 1986 via Imgur Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Say I 27m Your Number One amp oldid 1217430611, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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