Don't Look Any Further

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"Don't Look Any Further"
Don't Look Any Further Dennis Edwards.jpg
Single by Dennis Edwards
featuring Siedah Garrett
from the album Don't Look Any Further
B-side"I Thought I Could Handle It"
ReleasedApril 3, 1984
GenreR&B, soul
Length4:02
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)Franne Golde, Dennis Lambert, Duane Hitchings
Producer(s)Dennis Lambert
Dennis Edwards singles chronology
"I Didn't Have To (But I Did)"
(1966) 		"Don't Look Any Further"
(1984) 		"(You're My) Aphrodisiac"
(1984)
Music video
"Don't Look Any Further (Official Video)" on YouTube

"Don't Look Any Further" is a 1984 single by American singer Dennis Edwards featuring Siedah Garrett. The single was written by Franne Golde, Dennis Lambert and Duane Hitchings. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Black Singles chart and No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] In the UK, the song peaked at No. 45.[2]

Guitar, bass and drum programming is by Paul Jackson, Jr.

Sampling[]

The recording is renowned for having been sampled by many prominent artists.[3]

In popular culture[]

Music video[]

The music video for the song has been described as "what ... might be the worst video ever".[4]

Cover versions[]

M People version[]

"Don't Look Any Further"
M People Don't Look Any Further.jpg
Single by M People
from the album Elegant Slumming
B-side"Remixes, La Vida Loca"
ReleasedNovember 22, 1993 (1993-11-22)[5]
Genre
Length3:26
LabelDeconstruction
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)M People
M People singles chronology
"Moving on Up"
(1993) 		"Don't Look Any Further"
(1993) 		"Renaissance"
(1994)
Music video
"Don't Look Any Further" on YouTube

"Don't Look Any Further" is the eighth single from British band M People. It was the third single from their second album Elegant Slumming. It was released on November 22, 1993. The song peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart.[6] In Iceland, "Don't Look Any Further" peaked at number two, while in New Zealand, it reached number four.

Composition and arrangement[]

Lead singer Heather Small sings the lead part of the song which was originally sung by Dennis Edwards, while bandmate[clarification needed] Mark Bell[7] sings the part originally sung by Siedah Garrett. Small slightly alters the third line of the first verse: "What you need is a lover, someone to take over. Oh babe, don’t look any further" instead of singing: "What you need is lover, a man to take over. Oh girl, don’t look any further".

The M People version stayed very faithful to the original, incorporating the much sampled bassline, with a trademark deeper Moog sound, and programmed drumming sticking to the same familiar bass drum beat. However, instead of the guitar in the middle eight, they used a saxophone in its place and just one set of keys with progressive and chords plays throughout with splices of percussive drumming at junctions between verses and choruses.

Backing vocals are provided by critically acclaimed British R&B gospel group Nu Colours.

Critical reception[]

Andy Beevers from Music Week gave it four out of five. He wrote, "It is disappointing to find M People releasing a cover when their recent self-penned material has been strong. Their version of the Dennis Edwards classic sees them moving downtempo into soul rather than house territory. Although it is not as good as the original, the single should still sell well on both the strength of the outfit's growing reputation and the sheer quality of the composition."[8]

Chart performance[]

The song received very positive reception from critics. The single became the fourth consecutive top 10 hit for the band and their third consecutive Top 10 from the Elegant Slumming album. It charted and peaked at number 9, spending five weeks in the Top 20 with weekly sales starting at 82,000 copies and it continued to sell over 60,000 copies in each of the following four weeks.[citation needed]

The song spent a total of 10 weeks on the chart, leaving in early February 1994, so "Don't Look Any Further" had the second longest chart sojourn of any M People single, after the 11 weeks of both predecessor singles. In Iceland the single almost peaked at number 1, reaching number 2 there. Elsewhere, they secured their second consecutive Top 5 hit in New Zealand where it peaked at number 4 and stayed in the chart for 18 weeks. In Switzerland, it took the single seven weeks to peak at number 23, but stayed in the Swiss Top 40 for 18 weeks in total.

Music video[]

The music video for "Don't Look Any Further" was directed by Jeff Baynes.[9] The video was filmed over two days in Germany's capital of Berlin on October 26 and 27, 1993 while the band was still promoting "Moving on Up"'s success around Europe. Great landmarks including the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, Marx-Engels Forum, Berlin Cathedral, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and the Fernsehturm (the TV Tower in Alexanderplatz) are all featured within the video adding to the atmospheric backdrop seen in a misty haze.

As the only second M People music video to be filmed abroad, the external shots show Small walking around the cold city centre as is also Mark Bell who is never seen singing with Small but they seem to pass each other at various points without realising while walking around town. Mike, Paul and Shovell are also seen chatting to each other under bridges, whilst Small seems oblivious to their existence.

Other internal shots show both Small and Bell leaning up against separate opposing walls and later are seen in a split-screen effect singing their duet but, again, never directly to each other. During the final chorus, Small is seated in a quiet German pub alone at a table at the fore and in the background, Mike, Paul and Shovell are seated around another table and they join in to sing the chorus. In this final scene, the camera continues to pan horizontally from right to left and back repeatedly as the four main members of the band all sing together.

Live performances[]

During both legs of the Elegant Slumming tours, Mark Bell would continue to duet the song with Small. But on subsequent tours, the male lead would change: on the Bizarre Fruit tours, Small would duet with backing vocalist Paul Johnson. On the Fresco tour she'd sing with the late Lynden David Hall, who was also supporting them and Nate James would duet on the 2005 Re-union Tour, as he was supporting them. Other duets have been sung with backing vocalist Tommy Blaize after 2007.[citation needed]

Remixes[]

The two mixes were provided by British house music producer (Dancing) Danny D (a.k.a. D Mob) who gave a funkier interpretation with additional backing vocals on the chorus whereas the similar-sounding "Strip to the Bone" mix (also by Danny D) gave the song a funkier version with an additional rap ad-lib of "the drum, the bass" to bridge the verse and chorus.

Artwork[]

One of the four sofas as seen on the Elegant Slumming album cover is featured on the cover of this single on its own. It is this particular pink sofa that Heather Small was sat on on the cover of the parent album and her not being there incorporates the idea of "look(ing) no further" and finding no one there, in total contrast to the previous single "Moving on Up" when it was just a side profile of Small that made up the artwork.

Track listings[]

7" mini
  1. "Don't Look Any Further" (M People Master Edit) – 3:25
  2. "La Vida Loca" – 4:31
12" maxi
  1. "Don't Look Any Further" (M People Master Mix) – 5:28
  2. "Don't Look Any Further" (Strip to the Bone Mix) – 5:26
  3. "Don't Look Any Further" (Danny D Mix) – 5:38
  4. "La Vida Loca" – 4:31
CD maxi
  1. "Don't Look Any Further" (M People Master Edit) – 3:25
  2. "Don't Look Any Further" (Strip to the Bone Mix) – 5:26
  3. "Don't Look Any Further" (Danny D Mix) – 5.38
  4. "La Vida Loca" – 4:31

Charts[]

The Kane Gang version[]

In 1988, British blue-eyed soul/sophisti-pop group The Kane Gang took their version to number 52 on the UK Singles Chart,[24] and number 64 on the Hot 100. The Kane Gang's rendition of "Don't Look Any Further" was number one on the US dance charts for one week, and was their sole entry on the chart.[25]

Track listing[]

US 7-inch vinyl

A. "Don't Look Any Further"
B. "I Thought I Could Handle It"

References[]

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 182.
  2. ^ "DENNIS EDWARDS FEATURING SIEDAH GARRETT".
  3. ^ Baines, Josh. "Why Has This One Bassline Been Sampled Seventy-Seven Times?". thump.vice.com. Vice Media. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  4. ^ Virella, Kelly. "Great Songs. Horrible Music Videos. The Paradox of Dennis Edwards". Dominion of New York at the Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
  5. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. November 20, 1993. p. 23. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "M PEOPLE". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  7. ^ "Mark "Blakkat" Bell". mi.edu. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  8. ^ Beevers, Andy (November 20, 1993). "Market Preview: Dance – Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 14. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  9. ^ "Don't Look Any Further (1993) by M People". IMVDb.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  10. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c d ""Moving on Up", in various singles charts" (in French). Lescharts. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – M People – Don't Look Any Further" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  13. ^ "Belgian peak". Archived from the original on April 9, 2012.
  14. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. December 11, 1993. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  15. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (07.01.1994 – 13.01.1994)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir – Tónlist. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Don't Look Any Further". Irish Singles Chart.
  17. ^ "M People – Don't Look Any Further" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – M People – Don't Look Any Further" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  19. ^ "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. December 4, 1993. p. 22. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1994" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  21. ^ "Árslistinn 1994". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1995. p. 25. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  22. ^ "End of Year Charts 1994". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. January 15, 1994. p. 24.
  24. ^ "KANE GANG". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  25. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 142.
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