"Black Lace (band) Black Lace are a British pop band, best known for novelty party records, including their biggest hit, ""Agadoo"". The band first came to the public eye after being selected to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they finished seventh with the song ""Mary Ann"". With numerous line-up changes, Black Lace went on to have success with novelty party anthems such as ""Superman"" and ""Do the Conga"". AllMusic wrote, ""If you're looking for the band with the least street credibility in the world, whose name alone makes people cringe, then look no further"
"and TV series', though in most cases it was intended to serve as a distraction for the main characters to slip away silently. In 1984 the British band Black Lace reached number ten in the UK charts with the song ""Do the Conga"". In 1985 the American band Miami Sound Machine reached number ten on the US ""Billboard"" Hot 100 with the song ""Conga"". The long-time jingle for Dad's Old-Fashioned Root Beer employed a conga beat. Conga line The conga line is a novelty line dance that was derived from the Cuban carnival dance of the same name and became"
"the F**k Is Alice)"". In the early 1990s, he released his only solo album, ""Precious"" (1991) and two accompanying singles: ""July 69"" (1990) and ""Carry Your Heart"" (with Kristine Pettersen) (1991). Barton died in March 1995, at the age of 41, from injuries incurred when Smokie's tour bus crashed during a hailstorm in Cologne, Germany. He is buried at Liversedge cemetery, West Yorkshire. Alan Barton Alan Leslie Barton (16 September 1953 – 23 March 1995) was a British singer and member of the hit-making duo Black Lace. Their hits included ""Agadoo"", ""Superman"" and their United Kingdom Eurovision Song Contest 1979"
"parties in the UK, and the subject of many covers, mainly for children. Some analysts (including Paul Simpson and ""The Guardian""'s Will Dean) draw parallels between the song and Friedrich Nietzsche's ""Übermensch"" concept. Superman (Black Lace song) ""Superman"" (also titled ""Gioca Jouer"") is a 1981 novelty song written by Italian musicians Claudio Cecchetto and Claudio Simonetti, most famous for the 1983 recording by Black Lace. The UK single's B-side, ""Teardrops in Your Eyes"", was an original composition by Black Lace's Alan Barton and Colin Routh. The original version of the song, Gioca Jouer, had a really great success in Italy,"
"Leather and Lace (song) ""Leather and Lace"" is a song performed by American singers Stevie Nicks and Don Henley. It was released in October 1981 as the second single from Nicks' 1981 solo debut album ""Bella Donna"". Nicks wrote the song for Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter's duet album ""Leather and Lace"", but the song was not included on that album. Nicks' version, a duet with Eagles singer Don Henley, peaked at No. 6 on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 chart for three weeks in January 1982. A cover of the song was performed in 2008 by Sara Evans and Maroon"
"to raise funds for the families of the victims of the Bradford City stadium fire. Black Lace's second album ""Party Party 2"" was released for Christmas 1985, and television appearances included a Black Lace special on the BBC 2 rock show ""The Old Grey Whistle Test"", plus ""3-2-1"", ""ITV Telethon"", ""Miss Yorkshire Television,"" ""International Disco Dance Championship"", ""Pebble Mill at One"" and ""Top of the Pops"" Christmas Special, Because of such a demanding work schedule, Barton and Gibb found it necessary to charter a private aircraft to meet the deadlines but the band's success led to a tax demand in"
"Stefani performed a cover of the song on December 14, 2015 for the finale of . It was released for digital download simultaneously with the episode's airing. Leather and Lace (song) ""Leather and Lace"" is a song performed by American singers Stevie Nicks and Don Henley. It was released in October 1981 as the second single from Nicks' 1981 solo debut album ""Bella Donna"". Nicks wrote the song for Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter's duet album ""Leather and Lace"", but the song was not included on that album. Nicks' version, a duet with Eagles singer Don Henley, peaked at No."
"the band its biggest chart success. The duo played the Northern club circuit using pre-recorded backing tracks (controversial at the time) Initially they used the name Lace, but soon reverted to Black Lace and recruited a new manager, John Wagstaff. They recorded an instrumental single based on the ""Chicken Dance"". It was released as ""Birds Dance"" in 1981. Under the name 'Buzzby' However, the record was beaten to the charts by another version of the song by The Tweets released as ""The Birdie Song"". ""Birds Dance"" has since been retitled ""The Birdie Song"" and included on Black Lace albums. Black"
"Superman (Black Lace song) ""Superman"" (also titled ""Gioca Jouer"") is a 1981 novelty song written by Italian musicians Claudio Cecchetto and Claudio Simonetti, most famous for the 1983 recording by Black Lace. The UK single's B-side, ""Teardrops in Your Eyes"", was an original composition by Black Lace's Alan Barton and Colin Routh. The original version of the song, Gioca Jouer, had a really great success in Italy, also being the Festival di Sanremo of 1981 opening theme. In the summer, the song arrived in Spain, and became very popular in discos. Here John Wagtaff (head of Flair Records) heard it"
"the single was a phenomenal success in the UK, immediately entering at the number one position on 10 June 1984 and staying at the top of the UK Singles Chart for nine consecutive weeks, during which time the group's previous single ""Relax"" climbed back up the charts to number two. It was the longest running number-one single in the UK of the 1980s. It has sold 1.58 million copies in the UK as of November 2012. Songwriters Johnson, Gill and O'Toole received the 1984 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. In 2015 the song was voted by"
"1984. The song also has been featured in several films including ""Boogie Nights"" and ""Rock of Ages"" among others. ""When You Close Your Eyes"" was the third single/video and reached number 14 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and number 7 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. The 1984 CD release contains a slightly different recording of the track. ""Rumours In The Air"" also charted on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart peaking at number 26 in the spring of 1984. Additional personnel Album Singles Midnight Madness (album) Midnight Madness is the second studio album from rock band Night Ranger released in"
"excess of £100,000. In 1986, Dene Michael (as a session singer rather than an actual band member) replaced Gibb, who took time out of live work with Black Lace to concentrate on other projects. During this time, Gibb promoted the act '""Party Party""' with the singer and guitarist John Strike, playing two tours of Germany, after which Gibb disbanded his new act. Another single, ""Wig Wam Bam"", reached No. 63 in the UK chart, but ""Viva La Mexico"", which was released to capitalise on the 1986 FIFA World Cup football competition, flopped when England was knocked out. Black Lace (Barton"
"United States, the song entered the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 at No. 80 on December 17, 1983. It ultimately peaked at No. 2 on March 10, 1984 where it stayed for two weeks, behind Van Halen's ""Jump"". In the United Kingdom, the song entered the chart at No. 50 on January 14, 1984 and peaked at No. 2 on February 4, 1984 where it stayed for one week. In Ireland, the song entered the chart on January 29, 1984. It peaked at number one for two weeks and was on the chart for a total of seven weeks. In Australia, the"
"record was BBC Radio One Record of the Week, but failed to hit the chart. Summer seasons at the Blackpool Tower followed in 1989 and 1990, along with the release of the single ""I Am The Music Man"", which peaked at No. 52 in the UK. In 1990, Michael was forced to leave the band, due to 'personal' issues, to be replaced by Rob Hopcraft, again, as a session singer as opposed to an actual member, Black Lace released the single ""Penny Arcade"" penned by Sammy King, which had originally been a hit for Roy Orbison. The band appeared on"
"since the winner had a more than 12 point winning margin, their scores were not included. This led to an immaterial tie for second place. The following day, the 12 songs were broadcast on Terry Wogan's Radio 2 show and a recap of the top places, plus an interview with the winners took place on the BBC TV Show Nationwide the same evening. The Manchester scores were eventually verified, with song 12 'Fantasy' being awarded 2nd place ahead of song 6 'Call My Name'. Black Lace were the winners of A Song for Europe with ""Mary Ann"" and went on"
"Alan Barton Alan Leslie Barton (16 September 1953 – 23 March 1995) was a British singer and member of the hit-making duo Black Lace. Their hits included ""Agadoo"", ""Superman"" and their United Kingdom Eurovision Song Contest 1979 seventh-place finisher ""Mary Ann"" in Jerusalem. Born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, Barton replaced Chris Norman in Smokie in 1986, recording six albums with them, and touring extensively as their lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. He was the lead singer on Smokie's revival of their hit, ""Living Next Door to Alice"", recorded with British comedian Roy 'Chubby' Brown, as ""Living Next Door to Alice (Who"
"in 1975 and the Saragossa Band (a German group) in 1981; their version was the first in English, and Black Lace’s lyrics are based on the lyrics of the Saragossa Band version but with minor tweaks. Dutch carnival singer Arie Ribbens recorded a version in his native language in 1983, called ""Akketdoe"". The Black Lace group was made up during its heyday by the duo of performers Colin Gibb and Alan Barton. One of the early versions of the song became popular in a Derby nightclub called ""Gossips"", with the bar staff making a novelty dance; when Black Lace performed"
"""Midnight Lace,"" which reached the 50s on the charts, and ""I Ain't No Fool,"" which peaked at the upper 70s. In 1980, the ""Story Behind The Story"" reached the Top 40 and ""Bring It On Home"" reached the Top 20. Two years passed before Downing created another hit, this time with the Team label. In 1982, ""I'll Be Loving You"" reached the Top 50, followed by ""Darlene,"" which reached the lower 60s. The next year, ""It Takes Love"" reached the Top 40, followed by ""Let's Sing About Love,"" which peaked in the mid-60s. In 1984, ""The Best Of Families"" became"
"the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Israel, the band finished seventh and ""Mary Ann"" only reached No. 42 in the UK Singles Chart, probably due to the short period betwin the 'Song for Europe' and the actual contest, just three weeks. The band's follow-up single, ""So Long Suzy Baby"", failed to chart in the UK, (as EMI couldn't decide on which track should be used, and delayed on the planed realise date) but achieved success in Europe. Black Lace found great success with live performances and TV showd, notably in Poland and Bulgaria, and on TV in East Germany,"
"of two covers featured on their 2018 holiday album A Whitehorse Winter Classic, a collection of mostly original songs. 2000 Miles ""2000 Miles"" is a song by The Pretenders that was released in 1983 as the preceding single to their 1984 album, ""Learning to Crawl"". It was most popular in the UK, where it peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1983. In the US, it was released as the B-side of both the 7-inch single and 12-inch single remix of the band's hit, ""Middle of the Road"". Considered a Christmas song, it has been released"
"Terry Dobson (singer) Terry Dobson (born 29 March 1952) is a founding member of the pop band, Black Lace, with Ian Howarth. Their best-known hits include ""Superman"", ""Agadoo"", ""Do the Conga"", ""Hokey Cokey"", ""Wig-Wam Bam"" and ""Music Man"", although Dobson had left the band by the time of those releases. They also represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in Jerusalem, with the song ""Mary Ann"", which finished seventh. Terry Dobson was born on 29 March 1952 on a large council estate in Wakefield. He attended Flanshaw Infants (now called Flanshaw Junior and Infants), Alverthorpe Junior, Ings"
"Synchronicity II ""Synchronicity II"" is a song by the Police, and the third single from their album ""Synchronicity"". Written by lead singer and bassist Sting, it was released as a single in the UK and the U.S. by A&M Records, reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 16 on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 in December 1983. It featured the non-album track ""Once Upon a Daydream"" on the b-side. The song was described by ""People Weekly"" as ""aggressive"" and ""steely."" The song, which refers to Carl Jung's theory of synchronicity, nominally tells the story of an emasculated husband"
"lyrics like ""I dream in Black and White"" and call for stations in general to ""Stand Up and Face the Music/This Is 1984!"" The single was also controversial in its own right, as radio stations avoided playing the single because of the song's title and lyrics despite being a modest hit in Canada, where it reached No. 26. In the United States, the single peaked at No. 63 on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 chart and No. 2 on the Dance/Disco chart, where it reached number 2 in 1984. Black Stations/White Stations ""Black Stations/White Stations"" is a song recorded by the"
"Mr Billy Blackburn donated a bass drum and tom toms to the cause. It was four years and two further band name changes (Penny Arcade and Love or Confusion) before Black Lace was born. Dobson and Howart, founded Black Lace in 1974 together, after four years with the other band members Steve Scholey, Nigel Scott and Alan Barton. Dobson left the group in 1973, a short time after Howarth, but both later rejoined after a couple of line up changes involving Neil Hardcastle (drums for three months) and Nigel Scott (bass guitar for four years). They finally arrived at the"
"the BBC's ""Children in Need"" programme. Meanwhile, former band member Michael formed a new group using the name Barracuda, but left the band shortly afterwards. In 1992, Black Lace toured Australia, but Hopcraft was unhappy with a hits album released by an Australian record company, as it featured a photograph of his predecessor Dene Michael. 1994 saw the release of the single ""Bullshit (Cotton Eyed Joe)"", but the race for the charts was won by the Swedish band Rednex, with another version of the same song. An album, ""Saturday Night"", followed. In 1995, Barton died as a result of a"
"""New Song"", ""What Is Love?"", and ""Pearl in the Shell"" all did well during 1983 and 1984. ""Human's Lib"" was certified gold and platinum in several countries. Jones had developed a loyal teen following. His parents ran his fan club. In the summer of 1984, he released ""Like to Get to Know You Well"", which he said was 'dedicated to the original spirit of the Olympic Games.' Although it was not an official Olympic anthem for the Games in Los Angeles that summer, it was a worldwide hit. It reached Number 4 in the UK Singles Chart. The sleeve featured"
"spending a second week at number 100, it started climbing again. It took 19 weeks to crack the US Top 40. The song reached number 8 during the summer of 1982 and spent a then record-breaking 43 weeks on the Hot 100. A video was recorded specially for Soft Cell's video album ""Non-Stop Exotic Video Show"" featuring band members David Ball as a cricketer meeting Marc Almond in a toga on what seems to be Mount Olympus. A remixed version of the song was issued in 1991, seven years after Soft Cell's dissolution in 1984. The video for the remix,"
"number three – where it held for three weeks – on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 in early 1984. It also went to number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, as well as hitting the top of ""Billboard""s Album Rock Tracks chart. In Australia, ""Talking in Your Sleep"" climbed to number 14 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report) It was featured in the first episode of the second season of the Netflix series ""Stranger Things"", playing on a car radio. The song's music video, widely aired at the time on MTV and elsewhere, featured the band performing"
"44 in its final appearance in the chart before falling out completely. In the French Singles Chart, the song peaked at number 48 in its first and only week on 17 November 1984. Black Lace themselves recorded an X-rated version of the song entitled ""Have a Screw"", which was written by Black Lace members Alan Barton and Colin Gibb and released on the B-side of the 12-inch vinyl ""Gang Bang"". The Australian satirical TV series ""CNNNN"" ran a fake cross-promotion for ""Agadoo: The Musical"". In 1986, the song was parodied in ""The Chicken Song"" by the satirical television programme ""Spitting"
"group's second single, ""Two Tribes"", ""Relax"" rallied from a declining UK chart position during June 1984 to climb back up the UK charts and re-attain number-two spot behind ""Two Tribes"" at number one, representing simultaneous chart success by a single act, not achieved since the early 1960s. Upon release in the United States in late 1984, ""Relax"" repeated its slow UK progress, reaching number 67 upon initial release, but eventually reaching number 10 in March 1985. The song won Best British Single at the 1985 Brit Awards. The song featured on the soundtrack to ""T2 Trainspotting"" and also in the"
"& Melle Mel""). This was done to mislead the general public into believing that Grandmaster Flash participated on the record, when in fact he played no part and had already left the Sugar Hill Records label the previous year. ""White Lines"" peaked at No. 47 on the ""Billboard"" Hot Black Singles chart in 1983. The song fared better in the United Kingdom, reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1984, spending 17 consecutive weeks in the top 40. It was the 13th best-selling single of 1984 in the UK, selling more than several number one hits that"
"Be My Number Two ""Be My Number Two"" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, released in 1984 as the third and final single from his sixth studio album ""Body and Soul"". It was written by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and David Kershenbaum. ""Be My Number Two"" reached No. 70 in the UK and remained in the charts for four weeks. Speaking to ""The A.V. Club"" in 2011, Jackson said of the song: ""I would say it's a bit world-weary or, not world-weary, but a bit, how else to express this? Once bitten, twice shy. It's"
"all, due to a strike by BBC sound engineers. The juries had to judge using audio recordings of the rehearsals. The songs were presented to the public on Terry Wogan's radio show the following day, after the result was known, followed later in the day with a spot on the TV magazine show ""Nationwide"", where the top 5 were revealed and the winners, Black Lace, were interviewed as guests on the show. As a result of this industrial action, all future contests were staged at BBC studios and not as outside broadcasts from venues. The 1980 result ended in a"