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Imagination (Belouis Some song)

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Wikipedia article




"'Imagination'" is a song by British musician Belouis Some, from his 1985 debut album 'Some People'. Upon its first release as a single in the UK in 1985, the song only managed to chart at No. 50, but a re-release proved more successful, hitting the top 20 and peaking at No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1986. In the U.S., the song reached No. 88 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 in May 1985.

Background



Belouis Some has described the song as being "about a British man's encounter with an extremely self-indulgent American woman", and one that "expresses the conflict between reality and dreams".Number One magazine 25 May 1985 Some Hope page 33 Speaking of the song to 'Number One' in 1986, he commented, "'Imagination' isn't an erotic song because it doesn't go for the jugular in say the same way that Prince does, but it is very suggestive."Number One magazine 8 February 1986 Imagine page 8 In a 1985 interview with 'Record Mirror', he said, "The single's very straight, no gimmicks, it's the song for the song's worth."

Music video



A music video was produced for "Imagination", and was directed by Storm Thorgerson. It caused controversy as it contained full frontal nudity. Some said of the video to 'Record Mirror' in 1985, "It's quite tasteful, not dirty. [Guitarist] Carlos Alomar called me a sexist pig but thought it was wonderful." In an interview with 'Number One' the following year, Belouis Some said of the video's controversy, "It wasn't done to cause a stir, it was done for artistic reasons and we put a lot of our own money into it. It became an obsession for all of us because we believed in it so much."Number One magazine 8 February 1986 Imagine page 10 The video received medium rotation on MTV.Billboard magazine MTV Programming 1 June 1985 page 39

Critical reception



On its release, 'Cash Box' listed the single as one of their "feature picks" during April 1985. They commented, "With a dour vocal a la Ric Ocasek and a theatrical sensibility, Belouis Some delivers a well produced and interesting debut."Cash Box newspaper 13 April 1985 Single releases page 9 Paul Bursche of 'Number One' wrote, "Imagine a David Bowie single from his 'Young Americans' period played by his 'Let's Dance' band and you'll have a fair idea of what this is about. It's played exceptionally well and is a brilliant single."Number One magazine Singles Paul Bursche 23 March 1985 page 44

Di Cross of 'Record Mirror' described the song as "a stomping, assured record sung with Bowiesque conviction". In a review of the 1986 re-issue, Dave Rimmer of 'Smash Hits' said, "Despite one or two winceworthy lines, this is really a bit of a beaut. Deserves to be a hit this time round, I reckon, and probably will be."Smash Hits Review: singles Dave Rimmer 1528 January 1986 page 39

Cover versions and other uses



The song was used as a soundtrack for a humorous Barclays Bank advertisement in the 1980s, as well as the 1987 film 'Ghost Chase'. It was sampled by Boyzone members Keith 'N' Shane in their song "Girl You Know It's True" in 2000 and covered by Harry as part of the album 'The Trouble with... Harry' in 2003.

Charts



References



Category:1985 songs

Category:1985 singles

Category:1986 singles

Category:Belouis Some songs

Category:Parlophone singles

Category:Songs written by Belouis Some

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