A hit song , also known as a hit record , hit single or simply hit , is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although hit song means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term hit record usually refers to a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio airplay audience impressions, or significant streaming data and commercial sales.
53-435: Tight Fit are an English pop group who had several hits in the early 1980s, including a UK No.1 for three weeks with their cover version of " The Lion Sleeps Tonight " in 1982. In 1981, record producer Ken Gold came up with the idea to record a single made up of a medley of 1960s songs. The medley trend was in full swing at this time, following the success of Starsound and their Stars on 45 singles. He put together
106-499: A Christmas release. Donovan returned to the studio to record the song " Too Many Broken Hearts ", which went to No. 1 in March 1989. His debut album Ten Good Reasons also held to the top spot for three weeks, selling 1.5 million copies. Donovan went on to have numerous successful singles with SAW, including the No. 1 hit " Sealed with a Kiss ", " Every Day (I Love You More) " (No. 2), and
159-403: A Rumour " (UK No. 14). The act were one of only a few who were given co-writing credits with the producers, with Stock describing the creative relationship as challenging; explaining he was obliged to collaborate with them due to a deal with their management. "It's very difficult to be creative if someone's just going to mock you, or laugh at you," he said. "With Bananarama it was just awkward, all
212-522: A Top 5 hit in both England and Australia. Donovan's next single, " Especially for You ", a duet with Kylie Minogue, went to No. 1 in January 1989. A duet had not initially been planned by SAW until retailer Woolworth's had taken huge orders for hundreds of thousands before the song had even been written. Stock wrote " Especially for You ", sang the demo with a SAW backing singer and Aitken flew to Australia to record Minogue and Donovan's vocals in time for
265-564: A follow-up single, Minogue was not keen on returning to England to work with SAW again after the rushed treatment she had received. Stock flew to Australia to meet Minogue and her parents at her Melbourne home to apologise and successfully convinced her to record a follow-up single " Got to Be Certain ", which reached No. 2 on the UK charts. When her debut album Kylie was released in August 1988 it sold 2.8 million copies. Minogue spent more weeks on
318-424: A front for their concept of a female Frankie Goes To Hollywood . The record was released on Proto Records run by Barry Evangeli and Nick East and distributed by RCA and was championed by Radio 1 's John Peel . It achieved popularity in the gay clubs and discos where many new records were promoted into the mainstream as Hi-NRG . In 1983, Stock had been approached by Andy Paul , a Greek Cypriot, to write
371-578: A group of male and female session singers and released "Back to the 60s" under the group name Tight Fit. The medley included a voice-over by the DJ Emperor Rosko and became a hit in the summer, reaching No.4 in the UK Singles Chart . Instead of the session singers who sang on the record, actor/singers including Lowri-Ann Richards and Robert Pereno were hired to front the group when Tight Fit first appeared on BBC TV's music show Top of
424-552: A job touring with Dean. In September 1984, SAW were approached by Dead or Alive frontman Pete Burns to produce the song " You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) ", which became SAW's first UK No. 1 in March 1985. Although a massive commercial success, the trio were still in dire financial straits and the record set the scene for SAW's often fractious creative relationship with those bands and artists who demanded creative involvement in their records. Engineer Phil Harding , who mixed
477-471: A male three-piece group, Splash!. Signed for a two-single deal by Elton John 's Rocket Records after a chance meeting with Splash!'s manager at PWL Studios, Grant and Splash! released the Stock Aitken Waterman -produced single "Qu'est-ce que c'est". A second single, "European Boy" was recorded with Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek from Bronski Beat . Grant and Harris both appeared on
530-458: A mixture of hi-NRG -influenced sound, romantic Motown lyrics and Italo disco melodies with singles from Rick Astley , Bananarama , Mel and Kim , Donna Summer , Sinitta , Dead or Alive , Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue . During 1984–1989, their musical style was labelled Eurobeat . They also put swing shuffle elements into their songs. The producers' legacy has been increasingly positively reassessed, with contemporary analysts praising
583-493: A more mainstream synthpop , typically performed by attractive singers. Their usual method for creating the music was to write the songs themselves, although some of their early artists wrote or co-wrote their own material. Next they would record the music with extensive use of synthesizers, drum machines (drums were often credited to "A Linn", a reference to the Linn brand of drum machine ) and sequencers ; and then finally bring in
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#1732791467139636-468: A period of low sales. (This is also possible in the United States, or anywhere, with slow but steady sellers; a number of minor hits, especially those that are popular in specific genre, have earned gold certifications despite relatively poor pop chart performances.) In the UK, the number of sales required to achieve a hit single steadily declined in line with a general decline in single sales until
689-632: A singer solely to record the vocal track. Pete Burns would criticise SAW for their methods, describing that "they took our sound and just basically wheeled it off with a load of other imbeciles, and that makes me a bit sour." SAW's early work was recorded and mixed at Marquee Studios in Wardour Street , where Phil Harding and Rob Waldron worked with them on Youthquake . Waldron went to work as an assistant engineer to Harding when Waterman opened his new studio in Borough, London . Waldron became
742-421: A single be considered a hit due to the increasing singles market after chart rules included download singles. In most cases, the amount of weeks spent on either music chart may also play a big part in its relevance as a 'hit,' regardless of its peak chart position. A hit single is variously called a number one hit , a top 5 hit , a top 10 hit , a top 20 hit or a top 40 hit , depending on its peak position. In
795-552: A song by The Millionaires which had been in the Dutch Eurovision Song Contest heats. The song, in a very similar vein to the pop group ABBA 's, was also a success, reaching No.5 in May 1982. The group then set about recording an album as well as rehearsing for their first tour . A third single was released in August. "Secret Heart" was not as successful as the previous two, peaking at No.41. The first album
848-708: A song for Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest . " Anna Maria Lena " was voted by the Cypriot public to represent their country in the competition and the re-recorded version would be Stock and Aitken's second collaboration with Waterman. The team were then asked to produce a song for drag performer Divine and they recorded " You Think You're a Man " at the Marquee Studio, which was released by Proto Records in July 1984. The song reached No. 16 on
901-510: A song from the album, with new vocals. The song failed to make the UK Chart, signalling the end of Tight Fit's brief pop stardom. Harris claimed the public did not take to the new line-up, and had she and Gyngell still been with the group, it would probably have been a hit. The following year, Tight Fit released one more single – a cover of Stephen Stills ' " Love the One You're With ". Under
954-549: A touring band, playing in nightclubs around Britain. From 2010, they began touring in a show called "Back to the Eighties", performing many well-known songs from the 1980s as well as their own hits. Grant later appeared with them at some gigs until he returned permanently in 2010. Together, they undertook some recording work, with an updated version of "Fantasy Island" being released as a promotional single. They took part in an episode of Pineapple Dance Studios for Sky TV that
1007-414: The UK Singles Chart . Soon after, the team recorded Hazell Dean 's " Whatever I Do, (Wherever I Go) ". The song became Stock Aitken Waterman's first Top 10 hit, reaching No. 4 in the UK. This period saw a rapid refining of the core production team and their roles, with a fourth collaborator, Pete Ware, who was co-credited on the team's earliest records, leaving after Stock and Aitken objected to him taking
1060-609: The United Kingdom since 1979, reaching No. 3, and becoming Summer's final Top 10 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 . In January 1990, SAW had their last UK No. 1 single, Minogue's cover of " Tears on My Pillow ". SAW also produced Cliff Richard 's No. 3 single " I Just Don't Have the Heart " and gave 18-year-old singer Sonia a debut No. 1 with " You'll Never Stop Me Loving You ". Despite continued success in
1113-607: The United States and the United Kingdom , a single is usually considered a hit when it reaches the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 or the top 75 of the UK Singles Chart . The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles has used this definition since the 1970s. Some argue that reaching at least the top 100—since the Official Charts Company increased the chart size on their website on 23 June 2007—lets
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#17327914671391166-715: The Christmas No. 2 record " When You Come Back to Me ", kept off the top spot by the Band Aid II SAW record " Do They Know It's Christmas? ". In 1989, SAW had their most successful year with seven UK No. 1's (a feat equalled only by George Martin in 1963) and fifteen Top 5 hits. During that year, SAW wrote and produced over seven albums' worth of material for artists such as Kylie Minogue , Jason Donovan , Bananarama , Donna Summer , Cliff Richard and Paul McCartney . The team supplied Summer with her " This Time I Know It's for Real ", which became her biggest hit in
1219-591: The Pops . A follow-up, "Back to the 60s Part 2" was released soon after, reaching No.33 in the UK Singles Chart. Later in the year, record producer Tim Friese-Greene recorded a version of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" with another group of session singers. The singer was Roy Ward, the former drummer and percussionist from the British 1970s band City Boy . The song was released in early 1982, again under
1272-400: The UK (where radio play is not included in the official charts), this does not completely reflect the song's popularity—as the weekly chart position is based solely on direct comparison with concurrent sales of other singles. It is, therefore, not uncommon that a single fails to chart, but has actually sold more copies than other singles regarded as "hits" based on their higher chart placement in
1325-672: The UK Top 100 Singles Chart every week between March 1986 and October 1990. The group have sold 400 million units globally, and they also received a Brit Award for Best British Producer in 1987 along with nine Ivor Novello Awards between 1988 and 1990. In 1990 SAW picked up three Ivor Novello Awards for Songwriter of the Year, Most Performed Work for Donna Summer 's "This Time I Know It's for Real" and Best Selling A-Side for Jason Donovan's " Too Many Broken Hearts ". SAW started producing underground club hits, but earned worldwide success with
1378-533: The UK. A reunion concert event called Hit Factory Live took place ion 21 December 2012 at London's O2 Arena featuring many of the acts associated with Waterman's record labels. In December 2015, SAW made a return producing a remix of the Chris Martin -written Minogue song " Every Day's Like Christmas ". Stock and Waterman collaborated on the UK Eurovision 2010 entry " That Sounds Good to Me ". It
1431-553: The US). Later that year, Stock ended his relationship with Waterman following a disagreement over their finances; by the end of their partnership, SAW had written and/or produced over 300 Top 75 hits and 30 platinum albums. In 2005, the three producers reunited again and released a CD+DVD album, Stock Aitken Waterman Gold , with some of their best-known and most successful singles. In 2007, SAW released The Sheilas ' single " (I'm So) Happy Happy (You're Mine) ", which reached No. 91 in
1484-403: The band Brilliant , Stock wrote a song for their backing singer Desiree Heslop called " Say I'm Your Number One ", which peaked at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart . These chart successes and the trio's sound attracted the attention of girl group Bananarama towards the end of 1985. Group member Siobhan Fahey wanted to record a cover version of Shocking Blue 's hit song " Venus ". The result
1537-726: The charity single " Doctor in Distress " by Who Cares in 1985. Grant's background was in musical theatre, to which he returned afterwards. In the 1980s, he appeared in productions of On the Town and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas , and in the 1990s he appeared in productions of Kiss Me, Kate and Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London, where he was a part of the cast at various stages between 1992 and 1999, when
1590-492: The chief recording engineer and Linn 9000 programmer (A Linn) and Harding was the mixer/remixer. The tendency toward interchanging artists and repertoire was well established when Rick Astley 's breakout album Whenever You Need Somebody got its name and title track from a minor hit the trio had produced a year earlier for O'Chi Brown . Similarly, many of their songs were tried out and recorded by multiple artists; Mel and Kim , Pepsi and Shirlie and Sinitta all recorded
1643-405: The early 2000s. The number has, however, recovered strongly with growth in official digital downloads . 2011 was a record year for UK singles sales. Actual figures vary considerably depending on the time of year. In 2010 a number one single usually sold around 100,000 copies per week; sales of around 30,000 were often sufficient to reach the top ten, and a single selling over 6,000 copies could make
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1696-631: The early-1990s with Minogue's singles and Lonnie Gordon 's " Happenin' All Over Again " (No. 4), the partnership began to disband. The week of 13 October 1990 became the first with no SAW-produced singles in the UK Top 75 in over two years. In mid-1991, Aitken left the team due to stress and deep dissatisfaction with business and creative decisions made by Waterman. Stock stayed with Waterman to write and produce Minogue's fourth album, Let's Get to It , Sybil's 1993 hits, " The Love I Lost " (No. 3) and " When I'm Good and Ready " (No. 5), and Boy Krazy 's " That's What Love Can Do " (which made it to No. 18 in
1749-529: The mid-1980s through to the early-1990s. SAW is considered one of the most successful songwriting and producing partnerships of all time by the Guinness World Records , scoring more than 100 UK Top 40 hits (many of which were also worldwide successes) and earning an estimated £60 million in royalties. The trio had thirteen UK No. 1 singles including three consecutive UK No. 1's and three US No. 1 singles. They also had at least one record in
1802-459: The name Chopper Harris. Chopper Harris were contestants on The Freddie Starr Showcase and won their heat with that song. They were second in the final with the song "The Dolphin Dive". Gyngell teamed up with her two brothers under the name He She Him, and released a single, "Try a Little Tenderness". Grant released solo singles "Conviction" (with Earlene Bentley) and "Run for Cover", and in 1986 joined
1855-508: The name Steve Grant with Tight Fit, the song completely missed the chart and the group duly split up. Grant, Harris and Gyngell all tried to launch music careers outside Tight Fit following their departures. Harris released two singles in 1983: "123" (not the same song as "One Two Three" which she sang on the Tight Fit album), under the name Julie and the Jems, and "Escargot a la Bongo" under
1908-450: The name Tight Fit. The song gained instant attention, and so a new group was formed to front it. Dancer, singer, and model Steve Grant was teamed with female singers Denise Gyngell and Julie Harris. The song reached No.1 in the UK for three weeks in March 1982, catapulting Tight Fit into sudden and unexpected stardom. Satisfied this line-up could actually sing in their own right, Friese-Greene produced their next single, " Fantasy Island " –
1961-434: The production closed. Since 1999, he has lived in London and southern Spain. For a number of years there was a rumour that he had died, but this is untrue. It has been suggested the rumour originated in a mix-up with Jimmy McShane , the front-man of Baltimora who died in 1995, due to the similarity of the image each portrayed in their most well-known hit. In 2008, members Denise Gyngell and Julie Harris reformed Tight Fit as
2014-977: The production team by producer George Martin . " Let It Be " went to No. 1 in the UK where it stayed for three weeks. In 1989, SAW would have another No. 1 with McCartney on the Gerry and the Pacemakers hit – " Ferry Cross the Mersey " – recorded to raise funds for the victims and their families of the Hillsborough Disaster . They'd say, 'We're just making records for people to have a good time to.' They are utterly and totally Thatcherite and their records are utterly and totally Thatcherite records. In which sense they are perfect pop because they are totally records of their time. Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys discussing Stock Aitken Waterman in 1989 Following their early success, SAW's style evolved into
2067-402: The quality and enduring impact of their music. Musician Mike Stock had briefly worked with DJ Pete Waterman in 1980 when John Milton, Mark Stock and Mike wrote a song – "One Nine for a Lady Breaker" – for a CB radio club. A version of the track found its way to Waterman who managed Peter Collins , then a successful producer with acts like Musical Youth and Nik Kershaw . The track
2120-507: The singles chart that year than any other artist. Minogue went on to record three more studio albums with SAW, scoring fifteen successive Top 10 UK hits including " Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi " (No. 2), " Hand on Your Heart " (No. 1), " Wouldn't Change a Thing " (No. 2), " Tears on My Pillow " (No. 1), " Better the Devil You Know " (No. 2) and " Shocked " (No. 6). Soon after, Jason Donovan 's first single, "Nothing Can Divide Us", became
2173-439: The song "Who's Gonna Catch You", both Kylie Minogue and Mandy Smith recorded "Got To Be Certain", whilst Mel and Kim , Carol Hitchcock and Hazell Dean gave vocals for "More Than Words Can Say". Their prodigious, production line -like output and similar song structures led to them being referred to as "The Hit Factory" and attracted criticism from many quarters, including The Guardian newspaper, who unflatteringly dubbed
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2226-412: The team, "Schlock, Aimless and Waterdown". In 1987, Waterman formed PWL (the in-house label of SAW) and one of the first artists to be released on the label was Australian soap star, Kylie Minogue . Stock was informed by Minogue's manager, Terry Blamey, that she had been in London for ten days waiting to work with SAW though Waterman had not informed Stock. By the time Minogue entered the studio, she
2279-494: The time very awkward, and I didn't feel comfortable writing with them." In 1986, Mel and Kim 's first single " Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend) " went to No. 3 on the UK charts and their follow-up " Respectable " reached No. 1. In 1987, Rick Astley recorded the team's biggest hit – " Never Gonna Give You Up " – though initially Stock and Aitken were unsure of its appeal with Astley's strong but unorthodox voice. When it
2332-620: The top forty. Record companies often release collections of hit singles by various artists as compilation albums , such as the Now That's What I Call Music! series. Well-known bands and artists also frequently release collections of their most popular singles as Greatest hits albums. Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW and also known as The Hit Factory ) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock , Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman . The trio had great success from
2385-483: The track, said tensions were running so high between the band members and producers Stock and Aitken during mixing, that it almost escalated to violence. Stock has disputed the seriousness of studio tensions, alleging that Burns, Harding and Waterman have all "exaggerated" what happened in their recounting of events. In 1985, the trio built a new studio at The Vineyard recording studio complex, The Borough, which would later be dubbed "The Hit Factory". Whilst working with
2438-493: The trademark to the name Tight Fit in relation to all music and publishing. Hit record Prior to the dominance of recorded music, commercial sheet music sales of individual songs were similarly promoted and tracked as singles and albums are now. For example, in 1894, Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern released The Little Lost Child , which sold more than a million copies nationwide, based mainly on its success as an illustrated song , analogous to today's music videos . In
2491-613: Was a pop/hi-NRG reworking which became a worldwide chart hit, reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1986 and reaching the Top 10 in the UK and many other countries. Bananarama went on to make Stock, Aitken and Waterman their main producers, and would collaborate with them on some of their biggest hits, including " Love in the First Degree " (UK No. 3), " I Can't Help It " (UK No. 20), and " I Heard
2544-513: Was due on a plane back to Australia later that day. In forty-minutes Stock and Aitken had written the song, " I Should Be So Lucky ", recorded a backing track and Minogue's vocals. The single was released by PWL in February 1988 and climbed to the No. 1 spot in March where it stayed for five weeks, the joint longest running No. 1 of 1988. It also went to No. 1 in 25 other territories including Minogue's native country Australia . With demand for
2597-549: Was re-recorded and produced by Collins; Stock sang on the track under the alias Chris Britton. In January 1984, Stock and songwriter Matt Aitken arranged to meet Waterman at his office in the Stiff Records building, Camden Town . Waterman was seeking a new partnership and in February they went into the Marquee Studio in Wardour Street Soho to record the song "The Upstroke" for Agents Aren't Aeroplanes -
2650-567: Was released by RCA , "Never Gonna Give You Up" went straight to No. 1 in 17 different countries including America and the UK where it became the biggest selling record of 1987. Astley's fourth single, " Together Forever " also topped the Billboard Hot 100 . That year SAW produced " Let It Be " in aid of the victims involved in the Zeebrugge Ferry disaster , and Stock got the chance to work with his musical inspiration Paul McCartney whose original recordings of The Beatles were sent to
2703-399: Was released soon after, but coincided with both Harris and Gyngell leaving the group. Both unhappy with their contract, they claimed they were not receiving any royalties from their hits and were being paid a paltry wage for their work. Two new female singers, Vicky Pemberton and Carol Stevens, were promptly employed to take their place, and the group released another single, "I'm Undecided" –
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#17327914671392756-489: Was revealed in the final round of Eurovision: Your Country Needs You on BBC One , in which Josh Dubovie eventually earned the right to perform the song at the contest. He finished in 25th place in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 , receiving 10 points in total. In 2023, the trio reunited for the filming of the Channel 5 documentary Legends of Pop: Stock Aitken Waterman , each giving interviews both individually and as
2809-417: Was shown in 2010. On 2 June 2015, the band announced it had released a new album called Together on Almighty Records , their first together in 34 years. In 2021, the trio signed with Energise Records. In December 2021 the trio released a single called "Fallout", produced by Matt Pop, which is a preview for a new album due to be issued in 2022. On the band's website it is stated Grant, Gyngell and Harris hold
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