Classic_Pop_Issue_30_July_2017

46

Dance Little Sister and Sign

Your Name all became Top 20

hits and earned him Brits and

Grammys (he won Best Male

R&B Vocal in 1989 after losing

to Jody Watley for Best New

Artist the previous year).

Aside from being a chart

mainstay, he was also

lauded as an electrifying live

performer. As well as his

own songs, he regularly paid

homage to his idols in concert

and in TV performances,

performing Sam Cooke’s

Wonderful World, The Rolling

Stones’ Under My Thumb and

Smokey Robinson’s Who’s

Loving You.

Martyn Ware told the Red

Bull Music Academy: “He

performed live and could do

everything. Every move you’d

ever seen Prince do, every

move you’ve ever seen the

original soul artists do, even

James Brown, he could dance

like that. At that point he was

completely straight, didn’t take

any drugs, didn’t drink, he

looked like a god.”

So where did it go wrong?

Despite Terence’s undeniable

talent and success, his

grandiose statements and

outlandish behaviour were

to be to his downfall. As he

arrived in the US to launch

his career in his abandoned

homeland in 1988, he found

his reputation preceded him.

Infl uential magazines such as

Rolling Stone, Spin, People and

Village Voice all ran profi les

taking him to task for his

arrogance. The biggest music

magazine in the world, Rolling

Stone was incensed when

Terence had the audacity to

only agree to an interview if he

was given the cover. They ran

the cover with the tagline,

“A legend in his own mind”.

Although Terence defended

himself by reiterating his

earlier claims he was merely

playing the media game and

his statements were intended

to attract attention to his work,

his spoken words essentially

overshadowed those he

sang with such passion and

eloquence. His decision to

take complete artistic control

of his subsequent music

was a brave move which

backfi red spectacularly from

a commercial perspective. He

never came close to replicating

the success of Introducing

The Hardline... and “killed

off” Terence Trent D’Arby to

assume the identity of Sananda

Maitreya in 2001, the name

by which he still releases music

independently today.

With Terence’s chart rivals

Jackson, George and Prince

all tragically gone now, a

re-introduction to Terence

Trent D’Arby would be more

than welcome.

CLASSIC ALBUM INTRODUCING THE HARDLINE...

LISTEN UP!

Check out Introducing

The Hardline

According to Terence

Trent D’Arby for

yourself here:

spoti.fi /2slfzWk

THE BIG

PICTURE

THE VIDEOS

IF YOU LET ME STAY

DIRECTOR: UNKNOWN

Introducing Terence Trent D’Arby to the world with his debut music

video, it was decided a straightforward performance clip of the

singer with his band would suffi ce. If You Let Me Stay captured

the essence of him; the raspy

soul voice, the androgynous sex

appeal and the electrifying stage

presence, which included moves

like Jagger and the swagger

of James Brown

in one perfect

pop package.

https://youtu.be/

tp05UUg_8LM

WISHING WELL

DIRECTOR: VAUGHAN ARNELL/ANTHEA BENTON

In what was a standard feature of Terence’s early videos, live

performance is the emphasis of the clip. His fi rst video with

directing team Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton, the video

incorporates grainy black and

white footage of Terence and his

lover out on dates. The inclusion

of Le Monde newspaper places

the video in Paris. The video

is the fi rst of a

trilogy, over which

the story unfolds.

https://youtu.be/

ynIHsHYaig0

DANCE LITTLE SISTER

DIRECTOR: VAUGHAN ARNELL/ANTHEA BENTON

The second part of the trilogy shows how Terence and his

girlfriend’s relationship has progressed and the video opens with

a shot of their baby daughter in her cot. As the video continues,

we see the girl growing into

a toddler as Terence and his

girlfriend/wife revel in domestic

bliss. As with previous videos,

the narrative is interspersed with

performance

footage of Terence

with his band.

https://youtu.be/

FcUmIRw0N5w

SIGN YOUR NAME

DIRECTOR: VAUGHAN ARNELL/ANTHEA BENTON

The fi nal part of the trilogy. Beginning with his lover and daughter

leaving him, Terence jumps on his motorbike and searches London

for them as his daughter has left behind her favourite stuffed toy.

After briefl y stopping off at

the most stylish biker bar ever,

Terence tracks down his wife

and daughter, gives the child

her toy and wins back his lover,

ending the video

in a passionate

clinch.

https://youtu.be/

dluHzQhLcME

The media in the United States

didn’t take kindly to Terence

Trent D’Arby’s cocky soundbites

© Getty Images

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