lit90s

Yes, we’ve just gone and declared this week Kon Kan Week here at Popdose.Á‚  Seeing as the duo nicked their name from the Canadian Content requirement for broadcast media up north, it’s only fair you get your dose of Kontent this week.Á‚  Since the illustrious Mr. Steed featured Kon Kan’s failed follow-up to their only hit, “I Beg Your Pardon” yesterday, let’s look at the group’s last gasp in the U.S. as the ’90s dawned.

“Liberty!” (download) was the first single from Kon Kan’s second album, 1990’s Syntonic, which saw the project reduced to founder Barry Harris and a rotating cast of supporting characters, seeing as vocalist Kevin Wynne split the year prior.Á‚  “Liberty!” was “I Beg Your Pardon” redux, only with an original chorus as opposed to the “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” sample which made that song a Top 15 hit.Á‚  Usually xeroxing your biggest hit is a sure-fire way to sneak back into the Top 40, but it didn’t work this time, as “Liberty!” failed to chart.

While it was a fun synthpop song, “Liberty!” was woefully out of step with what was hot in 1990, as synthpop started taking a backseat to glam metal, straight-ahead dance music and the beginning of the grunge movement.Á‚  Harris would release one more album as Kon Kan in 1993 before changing his professional nom de plume to “Thunderpuss” (or “Thunderpuss 2000,” if you prefer), becoming one of the most sought-after remixers, scoring Number One hit after hit on the dance charts throughout the ’90s.

“Liberty!” did not chart.

Get Kon Kan music at Amazon or on Kon Kan

About the Author

John C. Hughes

John C. Hughes began his Lost in the ’80s blog in 2005 and is now proud to be a member of the Popdose family, where he’s introduced LIT80s’s companions, the obviously named Lost in the ’70s and Lost in the ’90s, alongside the slightly more originally named Why You Should Like…

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