"Gold" is a song by English boy band East 17, taken from the band's debut album, Walthamstow (1993). Written by Tony Mortimer, and produced by Ian Curnow and Phil Harding, it was released on 2 November 1992 by London Records as the second single from the album. The song was successful in only a few countries, peaking at number two in Sweden, number three in Finland, and number 28 in the UK. Outside Europe, it reached number one for four weeks in Israel. A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Jaswinder Bancil,[citation needed] depicting the band performing the track whilst wearing angel wings.[2]
| "Gold" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by East 17 | ||||
| from the album Walthamstow | ||||
| Released | 2 November 1992[1] | |||
| Length | 4:20 | |||
| Label | London | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tony Mortimer | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| East 17 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Gold" on YouTube | ||||
Critical reception
editSharon Mawer from AllMusic felt the song could easily have been recorded by the Pet Shop Boys, "as the intro and chorus had their lush orchestration and smooth vocals, although the verses featured Tony Mortimer rapping about the futility of war and the need to live together in harmony on this planet."[3] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "With their tracks having a harder dance feel to them unlike most teen bands their future looks set to follow soundalikes EMF. Watch this climb."[4]
Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song three out of five, describing it as "energetic and slick pop, with the Walthamstow boys more in control of their own destiny."[5] In his review of the Walthamstow album, Neil Spencer from The Observer found that "House of Love" and "Gold" "prove the more inane offerings from a mix of junior hip-hop and melodic pop".[6] Mark Frith from Smash Hits also gave it three out of five, saying it's "quite good — memorable, light and poppy".[7]
Track listings
edit- "Gold" (7-inch Collar Size)
- "Gold" (The Dark Bark mix)
- "Gold" (Paws on the Floor mix)
- "Gold" (The Rabid mix)
- 7-inch single[10]
- A. "Gold" (7-inch Collar Size)
- B. "Gold" (The Soho demo)
- 12-inch single[11]
- A1. "Gold" (The Dark Bark mix)
- A2. "Gold" (The Techno Bonio mix)
- B1. "Gold" (Paws on the Floor mix)
- B2. "Gold" (The Rabid mix)
Charts
edit| Chart (1992–1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[12] | 101 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] | 36 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] | 3 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] | 2 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] | 35 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 28 |
| UK Dance (Music Week)[18] | 29 |
References
edit- ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 31 October 1992. p. 21. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ "East 17 - Gold (Official Video)". YouTube. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Mawer, Sharon. "East 17 – Walthamstow". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ^ Masterton, James (9 November 1992). "Week Ending November 14th 1992". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Jones, Alan (7 November 1992). "Mainstream: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 22. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (21 February 1993). "Pop Releases". The Observer.
- ^ Frith, Mark (28 October 1992). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 54. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ Gold (UK & Australian CD single liner notes). East 17. London Records. 1992. LONCD 331, 869 943-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Gold (UK cassette single sleeve). East 17. London Records. 1992. LONCS 331, 869 943-4.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Gold (UK 7-inch single sleeve). East 17. London Records. 1992. LON 331, 869 942-7.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Gold (UK 12-inch single sleeve). East 17. London Records. 1992. LONX 331, 869 943-1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 5 June 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2017 – via Imgur.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 5. 30 January 1993. p. 43.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "East 17 – Gold". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "East 17 – Gold". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 14 November 1992. p. 26. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
