Around the World (East 17 song) explained

Around the World
Cover:Around_the_World_(East_17_song).jpg
Type:single
Artist:East 17
Album:Steam
Length:4:37
Label:London
Producer:Richard Stannard
Prev Title:It's Alright
Prev Year:1993
Next Title:Steam
Next Year:1994

"Around the World" is a song by English boy band East 17. Written by band members Brian Harvey and Tony Mortimer with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, and produced by the latter, it was released on 2 May 1994 by London Records as the lead single from the band's second album, Steam (1994). The song became their fourth top-10 hit in the United Kingdom, charting at number three on the UK Singles Chart. It was a top-10 hit also in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Zimbabwe. The music video for "Around the World" was directed by Katie Bell.

Critical reception

In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote that on the song, "[The band is] returning to the slick dancefloor balladry that first brought them to the Top 5 in the shape of "Deep". From here they can clearly only go from strength to strength."[1] Victoria Segal from Melody Maker remarked "that piano".[2] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "East 17 has got the Walthamstow blues. The teen stars with street credibility can be "softies" too, suffering from homesickness while touring abroad as we learn from this ballad."[3] Alan Jones from Music Week gave "All Around the World" four out of five, viewing it as "a polished, shuffling vehicle for the usual East 17 posturing and trademark touches, with a slow rap to the fore and a subtle melody, Just what fans ordered, in fact."[4]

Stuart Bailie from NME wrote, "The new record would also suggest that East 17 are getting soft — a sappy tour bus ballad about how your soul can only truly feel at rest in Walthamstow."[5] Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits gave "All Around the World" a top score of five out of five and named it Best New Single, praising it as "incredible". She added, "Tony and Co have come up with a stunningly gorgeous record that has the slow, funky vibes that made "Deep" such a brilliant song. Never, ever has a single deserved to be number one as much as this one does. This proves once and for all that East 17 are, musically, the best band in Britain. Amen."[6]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Around the World" was directed by Katie Bell[7] and released in May 1994. It shows the band performing underground and also in a forest. In between a female dancer appears, wearing a hat and dressed as the globe. The video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe[8] and was A-listed on Germany's VIVA in June/July 1994.[9]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1994)Peak
position
Denmark (IFPI)[10] 6
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[11] 7
Europe (European AC Radio)[12] 19
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 7
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[14] 12
Italy (Musica e dischi)[15] 23
Lithuania (M-1)[16] 6
UK Club Chart (Music Week)[17] 19
Visegrád Nations Airplay (Music & Media)[18] 13
Zimbabwe (ZIMA)[19] 7

Year-end charts

Chart (1994)Position
Germany (Official German Charts)[20] 72
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 95
UK Singles (OCC)[22] 39

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United Kingdom2 May 1994London[23]
Japan25 June 1994Mini-CD[24]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Masterton. James. Week Ending May 14th 1994. Chart Watch UK. 8 May 1994. 6 September 2021. James Masterton.
  2. Victoria. Segal. Albums. Melody Maker. 9 November 1996. 49. 28 May 2024.
  3. New Releases: Singles . . 11 . 21 . 21 May 1994 . 20 . 12 March 2021 .
  4. Alan . Jones . Market Preview: Mainstream – Singles . . 7 May 1994 . 16 . 17 April 2021.
  5. Stuart. Bailie. Singles. NME. 14 May 1994. 21. 6 September 2023.
  6. Leesa. Daniels. New Singles. Smash Hits. 27 April 1994. 49. 6 October 2023.
  7. Web site: East 17: Around the World. IMDb. 6 September 2023.
  8. Station Reports > MTV Europe/London. Music & Media. 11. 27. 2 July 1994. 26. 20 December 2022.
  9. Station Reports > VIVA TV/Cologne. Music & Media. 11. 25. 18 June 1994. 22. 20 December 2022.
  10. Top 10 Sales in Europe. Music & Media. 11. 31. 30 July 1994. 10. 26 June 2021.
  11. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 11. 24. 11 June 1994. 12. 26 June 2021.
  12. Adult Contemporary Europe Top 25. Music & Media. 11. 31. 30 July 1994. 14. 28 May 2023.
  13. Book: Nyman, Jake. 2005. Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja. 1st. Tammi. Helsinki. 951-31-2503-3. fi.
  14. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 40. Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 16. 14 July 1994. 26 June 2021.
  15. Web site: Classifiche. Musica e dischi. it. 28 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "East 17".
  16. Web site: 2019 09 01 – M-1. M-1. lt. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402164016/http://m-1.fm/top40/?topid=1264. 2 April 2015. 6 March 2015.
  17. The RM Club Chart. Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 21 May 1994. 4. 15 May 2023.
  18. Major Market Airplay – Week 2/1994. Music & Media. 11. 24. June 11, 1994. 23. January 21, 2023.
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  19. Web site: Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1994. GfK Entertainment. de. 21 May 2020.
  20. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Single 1994. MegaCharts. nl. 21 May 2020.
  21. Top 100 Singles 1994. Music Week. 9. 14 January 1995.
  22. Single Releases. Music Week. 21. 30 April 1994. 26 June 2021.
  23. Web site: アラウンド・ザ・ワールド East 17. Around the World East 17. Oricon. ja. 13 March 2024.