The funny thing about music in 1985: they would make an extended mix of anything. Even funnier, people would dance to it.
Take this week”™s subject, the UK band Vitamin Z — pronounced Veetamin Zed by their fellow countrymen — who made their biggest splash with a slick, overproduced slice of mid-tempo ear candy called “Burning Flame.” Singer Geoff Barradale (now the manager of the Arctic Monkeys, thank you very much) does a mean Curt Smith impression — which might explain why the band opened for Tears for Fears at one point — and the song boasts a catchy, if wimpy, chorus. “How you teased when I first made love“? Even Morrissey blushed at that line. The song had its charms, but a catchy beat that makes you want to shake your groove thing isn”™t one of them.
And yet, this song was a big hit on the dance charts. The Dead Milkmen weren”™t kidding: we really will dance to anything.
This is not to denigrate the extended version any; given what they had to work with, the mix works rather well with the breakdowns and echoed vocals and what have you. Still, it”™s not a dance track. Was there anyone circling the dance floor in 1985, saying to themselves, “This music is fine, but I”™m not going out there until I hear “ËœBurning Flame”™”? There must have been, if the song”™s chart success is to be believed, but who were those people? For some reason, I keep picturing stock brokers with ponytails. Whatever the case, they were white, that”™s for sure.
In fact, let”™s have some fun with this. I officially declare “Burning Flame” to be one of the whitest songs ever recorded. Let”™s hear your suggestions for other songs that share this dubious distinction. Bonus points if there is an extended dance mix of the song as well.
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