When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'

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"When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'"
When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'.jpg
One of artwork variants for the original 1994 release
Single by Sparks
from the album Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins
Released1994
Genre
Length3:45
Label
  • Logic Records
  • BMG
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Sparks singles chronology
"National Crime Awareness Week"
(1992) 		"When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'"
(1994) 		"When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing)"
(1995)
Music video
"When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" on YouTube

"When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" is a 1994 electronic dance music song by American rock band Sparks, released as the first single from their 16th album, Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins. It makes reference to the Frank Sinatra signature-tune "My Way" and was a Top 40 hit in the UK and peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US. In 1995, the song was re-released, peaking at number 32 in the UK.

Critical reception[]

Ned Raggett from AllMusic called the song an "surging, well-deserved European smash hit", stating that the Mael brothers "gleefully embraced the modern synth/house/techno explosion for their own purposes (an explosion which, after all, they had helped start with their work during the late '70s with Giorgio Moroder)."[1] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that it "will provide hours of joy for hi-NRG purists with its sugar-sweet melody, rapid syncopated beats, and cheeky chorus."[2] He also noted that Sparks "sound completely comfortable within the context of this deliciously dramatic anthem", adding that its "clever, eye-winking words are warbled with a cooing falsetto over a festive, trance-carpeted hi-NRG groove."[3] Liverpool Echo described it as a "chirpy, melodic disco track with its tongue in its cheek [and] it even mentions Sid Vicious."[4] Howard Cohen from Herald-Journal said the tune "features a great hook, a throbbing dance pulse and lush harmonizing. Think the Pet Shop Boys gone silly, or Erasure with warmth."[5] Music & Media noted that it "has them sounding like a cross between Alphaville and Pet Shop Boys."[6] Robbert Tilli deemed it "a clear compromise to musical tastes of both original fans and today's trendy kids."[7]

Chart performance[]

"When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" was a hit on the chart in several European countries, reaching the Top 10 in Germany, where it peaked at number 7. Additionally, it peaked within the Top 20 in Belgium and Finland, and was a Top 30 hit in Switzerland. In the UK, the single peaked at number 32 in its second run on the UK Singles Chart, on May 14, 1995.[8] On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 49 in March 1995. Outside Europe, it was successful on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it peaked at number 9.

Impact and legacy[]

Treblezine included "When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" in their A History of Synth-Pop in 50 Essential Tracks.[9] They wrote,

"Rarely declining a chance to inflict a puncture wound in grandeur’s rib cage, Sparks delivered an unforeseeably moving synth-pop response to the most narcissistic pop anthem in music history (not counting “I’m Too Sexy,” which was an intentional joke). Mirroring “My Way”‘s catalog of hard-won victories, Russell Mael counts off a rash of difficult close losses and mild humiliations with clever, but not mocking, anguish. Mael reflects on the un-specialness of it all over a consistent electro-pulse: “Sign your name with an X, mow the lawn.” What reads as a self-aware joke on paper winds up being a far-reaching realization, more universal than its source material, and one of Sparks’ all-time best songs. Regrets, you’ll have a ton."

Music video[]

A witty black-and-white music video was made for the song like a 1940s Hollywood film noir-style tale of jealousy and lust. It was directed by British music video director Sophie Muller and released on October 17.[10] The video was uploaded to YouTube in June 2012. As of September 2020, it has got more than 1,2 million views.[11]

Track listing[]

CD single, UK
No.TitleLength
1."When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" (Sparks Radio Edit)3:45
2."When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" (Vince Clarke Remix)4:37
3."When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" (Vince Clarke Extended Mix)5:24
4."When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" (Pro-Gress Mix V.10.3)7:58
5."When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" (Microbots)5:38

Charts[]

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Sparks – Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  2. ^ Flick, Larry (28 January 1995). "Dance Trax: Columbia Nabs Leftfield For 'Original' Major Debut" (PDF). Billboard. p. 33. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 28 January 1995. p. 69. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  4. ^ Liverpool Echo. 21 October 1994. p. 57. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Beatles release shows group at working best". Herald-Journal. 13 April 1995. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  6. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 15 October 1994. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  7. ^ Tilli, Robbert (12 November 1994). "Sparks Will Fly Out Of Oblivion Into Modern Clubs" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 17. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 14 May 1995 - 20 May 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  9. ^ "A History of Synth-Pop in 50 Essential Tracks". Treblezine. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Promos In Production" (PDF). Music Week. 8 October 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Sparks - "When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'"(official video)". YouTube. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Sparks - When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'". ultratop.be. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Sparks - When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'". ultratop.be. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Music & Media: Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Sparks - When Do I Get To Sing "My Way"" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sparks – When Do I Get To Sing My Way" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  18. ^ "Sparks - When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Ultratop rapports annuels 1995". ultratop.be. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
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