Wonderful Life (Black song)

infobox Single|
Name = Wonderful Life


Artist = Black
from Album = Wonderful Life
Released = 1987
Format = 7" single
12" maxi
Cassette
Recorded =
B-side = "Life Calls"
Genre = Pop
Length = 4:49
Label = A&M Records
Producer = Dave Dix
Writer =
Certification = Gold SNEP, 1988
Chronology = Black 1985
Last single = "More Than the Sun"
(1984)
This single = "Wonderful Life"
(1985)
Next single = "Everything's Coming Up Roses"
(1986)
Misc = Extra chronology 2
Artist = Black 1987
Type = single
Last album = "Sweetest Smile"
(1987)
This album = "Wonderful Life"
(1987)
Next album = "I'm Not Afraid"
(1987) "Wonderful Life" is a single by British band Black taken from the album of the same name. First released in 1985 by Ugly Man Records (b/w "Birthday Night"), it initially charted at no. 72 in the UK ["Wonderful Life", UK Singles Chart (1986) [http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=13719 Chartstats.de] (Retrieved April 17, 2008)] . The band made a decision to pull the single and re-record and re-release it with a new record company, A&M. The single then reached no. 8 in the UK Top 40 in August 1987 [ [http://www.everyhit.com/ EveryHit.com] - search for artist name "Black" and song name "Wonderful Life"] - it is a well-known song to this day.

Cover versions

In 1994, it was the soundtrack to a British television advertisement for Standard Life [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Life] banking, which rekindled interest in the song. The decision to re-release the track to take advantage of the renewed interest was rather delayed, and this time the song did not appear in the Top 40.

Dutch singer Mathilde Santing created her own version of "Wonderful Life", which was released with her 1999 CD "To Others To One" and in a maxi CD single version bearing the name "Wonderful Life". [http://www.mathildesanting.info/ (Retrieved October 7, 2008]

A South African musician (vocalist) by the name of Thabo Mdluli, also sang a soulful version of Black's "Wonderful Life" in 2006/07.

Various cover versions have been produced, by artists including the British singer TJ Davis, Ace of Base, Lara Fabian, Tina Cousins, Myslovitz(Live only), Hyperchild and Zucchero 'Sugar' Fornaciari, with the most recent being released by Hungary's pop star Csézy in November 2007.

Serbian punk rock band KBO! recorded a version of the song on their 2001 cover album "(Ne) Menjajte Stanicu" ("(Do Not) Change The Station).

Songs of the same name by Black Box Recorder, Nick Cave and Gwen Stefani are unrelated to Black's song.

Uses in the media

In season 4, episode 14 of the US series "Queer as Folk" (2004), the song eerily accompanies the main character's struggle to finish a 500-mile bicycle tour in spite of a broken collarbone. Fact|date=May 2008

An infamous internet hoax "Reprise of Evangelion" contains three verses from "Wonderful Life". Fact|date=May 2008

The song was also used in a French TV advertisement for the Fleury Michon ham, but not as sung by Black.

The Mathilde Santing version was used in a television advertisement for Interpolis, a Dutch insurance company.

Since 2007, both the dance and ballad versions of Tina Cousin's cover of the song have been used at the Hoyts cinemas in Australia directly prior to the start of a movie. Now only the ballad version is used. [ [http://youtube.com/watch?v=zoYN-0wuY4A YouTube - Hoyts Ad - Wonderful Life ] ]

In 2008, this songs featured in an UN TV spot ad for Human Trafficking.

Track listings

; 12" maxi
# "Wonderful Life" — 4:49
# "Life Calls" — 3:51
# "Had Enough" — 4:58
# "All We Need Is the Money" — 4:23

; 7" single
# "Wonderful Life" — 4:49
# "Life Calls" — 3:51

Certifications

References

External links

* [http://www.colinvearncombe.com/lyrics/wonderful-life Lyrics] , on official Web site of Vearncombe
* [http://www.gdtfilms.co.uk/commercial.php?id=28 Music video] , on official Web site of its director