There have been numerous iconic pop groups hailing out of the UK over the years, with the late 90s and the early 00s producing some particularly memorable lineups. One of the staple groups that defined that era was S Club 7, bursting onto the music scene in 1999 with a new single.
S Club 7’s first song and debut single is “Bring It All Back”, released on 7th June in 1999. Despite the release date of the song, the first time that it was heard was in the TV show starring the group.
The original air date of the TV show that featured their first-ever song as the title theme was on the 8th of April, just a few months before the release of the single. The show’s premise presented us with a fresh new pop group seeking fame in America.
This potential soon to be made a reality with the release of their first song.
Unconventional Route
TV shows or movies featured around a singer or group of musicians isn’t an unusual occurrence, there have been plenty of documentaries or dramatic interpretations of a performer’s history. Talent shows are fairly commonplace also, a good way to search for and then establish an artist with the public in anticipation of a debut studio release.
In the case of S Club 7 and their first song, they turned the process on its head. Instead of compiling a body of work together prior to a studio recording, the game plan was to have them record a studio-quality album in advance, then debut the songs using a TV show as the vehicle.
The manager and mastermind behind the group’s conception was ex-Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller. The idea for the group had already begun to take shape in 1997, immediately following his firing by the Spice Girls.
This was two years prior to anyone ever even hearing of S Club 7, so Fuller had plenty of time on his hands to build the ideal pop group and experiment with putting some music together. He may not have known it at the time, but Fuller had struck gold with the singers that he had assembled.
Their Very First Song
Walking the road less traveled proved to be the right choice, as the TV show, called Miami 7 in the UK and S Club 7 in Miami in the US, proved to be instrumental in getting the unique sound and personality of the group out to the public at large, also allowing them to debut their songs in an unorthodox format.
Their first song, not only to be heard by audiences across the world but also to later debut as its own single, was “Bring It All Back”. It featured as the theme tune to their TV show, and would be heard a total of thirteen times across the show’s original run, and is still regarded as one of their best songs.
With the right combination of manager, timing, talent, and a strong TV show backing them, when the song finally came to be released as a single it didn’t just perform well in the charts, it managed to top them in the UK.
Having successfully managed to firmly establish itself into the hearts of the TV show’s target demographic, the song managed to take the number one spot in the UK. No small feat, especially considering it was followed by two more singles that charted just a single spot below it, then a number two album.
A Legacy of Catchy Songs
Reunions were all the rage for a while amongst groups of the 90s and 00s, coming back to prove that they still have what it takes in the modern landscape of music. Unfortunately for S Club 7 fans, however, it seems unlikely.
It’s been a long time since they were making music, but fans will likely have good memories, leaving the band with a legacy of catchy tunes that whilst not attempting to reinvent the wheel, have successfully managed to
The poppy, peppy sound might not be to everyone’s taste, but S Club 7 started as they meant to go on with their musical direction. What began as an upbeat and fun children’s show transitioned into a series of releases that had the same objective: to be a bite-sized chunk of feel-good emotion.