Since this was recorded before Pete Burns passed away consider this a footnote for the curious - Boy George paid all of the costs for Burns' funeral out of pocket. True class.
I actually did a lot of research on this song years ago. Apparently, Pete wanted it to sound like the kind of music you'd hear in gay bars at the time. He himself was bi, being married to a woman for over twenty years and married to a man for three years after that. I hear the reason Pete got all that plastic surgery is because he simply liked the freedom of customizing his own body. He was an... interesting man.
I’m going to guess, like many show business adversaries, they were probably good friends in real life. News is entertainment, so a good public feud helps draw attention to sell magazines, records, and concert tickets. It’s all part of the fantasy.
Some of us remembered. Not only did I know Pete died last year, I also thought "Brand New Lover" did better. Looked it up. #15 on Billboard hot 100.. Dead or Alive was at least a 2 hit wonder. ;-)
I think this comment has been misattributed. I'm working from memory here, but I think that yet another 80 pop one-hitter, a guy using the name Marilyn, was the target of the 'its who did it best' comment, not Pete Burns. I could be mistaken. All those guys from the '80s... we need a name for them which isn't offensive but is descriptive. I think 'gender-bender' will just upset people. But whatever words we use to describe these lovely, 'feminine', flamboyant, and usually gay pop stars, a word is needed. Otherwise, people just say 'Gay 80's pop star', and some of them were not gay. At the time. That Marilyn guy I mentioned... He was the boyfriend of 90's rock also ran Gavin Rossdale from Bush. I don't know why I find that worthy to bring to your attention, it just seems like something you may like to know. Marilyn had a singular hit too. Don't know if it chated outside of the UK, but there is an episode there if you want it :-)
@@leehawkins616I think genderqueer would be an acceptable term. Certainly much better than calling them all gay when as you said, some were not. It's extremely reductive and I found that a little offensive in this video. Could have done with some more research and I daresay more respect for people's sexuality. Just because someone is a bit out there with their personal expression doesn't mean they deserve mockery. And erasing people's bisexuality when we get so little representation is not kool.
Todd probably should have mentioned that "Brand New Lover" was a Top 20 single. It peaked at #15 in the winter of 1987, just 4 spots below where "You Spin Me Round" peaked, meaning Dead Or Alive's status as a one hit wonder is borderline at best.
Brand New Lover imo is obviously the superior song. Probably one of my all time favorite pop songs. I never knew people considered DoA a one-hit wonder
I agree with this and all of these sub comments. Brand New Lover was arguably better than You Spin Me Round. I feel like in this review, Todd was so busy reacting to Pete Burns appearance that he missed it on DOA.
+Giggstow Now that part I don't know.. But from what little I've seen on Pete Burns life he's always been that eccentric. However as long as she married him before all the terrible plastic surgery then I'm not judging haha.
+Giggstow however I think the most shocking thing isnt that women were into him but more (and I'm not trying to sound judgmental) that he was into women
That was cool that they managed that in the end. After all, Pete had accused George of copying his persona/style in the 80s, and George had said “its not who did it first, it’s who did it better”
Who can forget Adam Sandler singing this to open up "The Wedding Singer"? That's the movie that introduced me to him and Drew Barrymore, and I've been a diehard fan ever since!
Music aside....its tragic imo how badly he botched up his features with plastic surgery....I am watching these old videos thinking nonstop 'what a hot total beauty'.... Both from a het-female crushing on a man-hunk way, and a bi-female crushing on an androgynous female/drag queen guy way...He had really sublime features that he could have made unironically attractive in some many ways, even with all the ridiculous 80s getup he looks still potentially good...and while I don't know how gracefully he would have aged years down the road (and no idea how heavy his drug/alcohol abuses were but I am sure they were the standard level of 80's pop diva debauchery so I doubt Time would have been very good to him anyway) ....it STILL would have to have been better than what he ended up looking like. He went from artsy-fartsy Calvin Klein model to an abused looking Muppet. Sad. :(
I'm a straight white man and I try to respect other subcultures I don't have a firm grasp on. I wasn't going to really comment about his appearance in his later years because that's not something I really understand...but you're right: it is sad what he did to himself. Especially when you hear that he went broke paying for cosmetic surgery and cosmetic surgery to fixed previous botched cosmetic surgery. I dunno. Like I said it's not really my thing and I've always been comfortable in my own skin. What I look like to people is pretty much what I am. It must be difficult for some people going through life if that's not the case.
Or to put it another way: if Pete Burns wanted to look more feminine, that's totally cool. But he ended up looking like a grotesque caricature of a woman. That's kind of odd to me.
Hot Take: "Brand New Lover" is a way better song than "You Spin Me Right Round" and you also could have at least mentioned that NUKLEOPATRA (the "1996 album" you mentioned) was released on legendary goth label Cleopatra Records in the US and featured a much more dramatic shift in tone than you implied.
Yeah he massively underplayed how versatile Dead or Alive were, Post-Punk, New-Wave, Goth, Techno, New Jack Swing, Chicago House and Nu-Disco, seems Pretty Evolved too me
DOA was extremely big in Japan in the late 80's / early 90's - probably bigger there than anywhere else. They had at least one album that was only released there (I had to get it via import).
Imagine if Pete actually played Jareth in an alternate universe, that would be so cool. Now I want to draw Pete dressed as Jareth lol (7 years late ik)
I honestly love dead or alive, I love how their sound was ''turn everything to 10 and have the freak sing very loud over it'' and have a fair few of their albums, though I think their first is their best. Plus Pete Burns was just a character and always interesting to listen to. And yes they were big in japan. Some of my favorite tracks: I would do anything Sit on it My heart goes bang Something in my house Come home with me I cannot carry on
Though it fizzled in England, "Brand New Lover" hit #15 here (it was #1 on the dance charts) and was huge -- nearly as big as "You Spin Me Round" -- on MTV. The video got a ton of airplay. So I'd call them a two hit wonder. But I'm still glad to have gotten this video.
Pete Burns turned himself into something frightening. I remember Charlie Brooker talking about how he had a reality show years back where (much like the Apprentice) people were competing to be his personal assistant, and one of the things he made them do (to test their devotion and loyalty to him) was he threw a tube of his lipstick in a dumpster and the first one to find it won that round. These people literally threw themselves in the trash for him. ARGH!
Might I just add that Charlie Brooker is my favorite person working in British television? I love the way he satirizes the UK media and Black Mirror is nothing short of brilliant.
But man, when the picture of him on reality TV first came up, I was like DAMMIT I'M EATING HERE!!! RIP guy but man is that a gross look to take. I'm fine with drag and I respect the androgynous look a lot of 'em were taking, but why couldn't you go the David Bowie route instead? "Grotesque" was right in every sense of the word. Meh, so it goes.
"Doofy simps like Rick Astley" Wow, not only did Todd use the word "simp" before it was cool in basically the exact same way it's used now, but he also said something that I entirely agree with while also being very mad at.
The one thing that Dead or Alive were not was one hit wonders. "Brand New Lovers", "Something in My House", "Lover Come Back to Me", and "In too Deep" filled the dance floor in both Gay and Straight Clubs. Rev George
Another difference between Pete Burns and Boy George is the fact that Boy George is gay, and Pete is Bisexual. Pete has been married twice; once to a woman and once to a man. I feel like bisexuals are often overlooked because we have a tendency to want to pigeon hole people into neat, specific, single categories.
There is something in my house, my house. It's just the ghost of a long-lost dead affair oh, there is something in my house, my house. I just keep hearing you running up and down my stairs but you're not there.......
I feel like Todd made the point that DoA being a one-hit wonder boiled down mostly to the fact that they never escaped the shadow of You Spin Me. Even if they did get other hits, none of them were ever big enough or popular enough for their legacy to be more than the first hit.
Real talk, Sophisticated boom boom, Youthquake, and Mad bad and dangerous to know are all solid, enjoyable albums. the later stuff is not to my taste but SBB has a solid darker vibe that i just dig on
I never realized how many Dead or Alive songs I hear regularly, and I'm not even counting their big hit. My job plays all their songs that Todd featured in the review..except for You Spin Me Round. Weird.
This is a really old comment but if you see this I have to know: where do you work (or were working) where they’re playing dead or alive deep cuts??? lol
I think you are wrong saying You Spin Me was the only good record the had. they sure did have other great songs that many people found even better. You Spin Me became a classic disco song also because of the right opportunity on a right time to become THAT big. songs like "Lover come back to me" ,"Brand New Lover" "Something In My House" and many more got great responses ....Pete was extremely talented and it troubled him, he had many issues. despite that, he was a brilliant singer with a great voice and the song "Sex Drive" in the 90's was and still is an awesome song, he wanted to create bouncy energy songs. what he did turned out great and amazing, but he wasn't about the music all the time, and people change and go through different things...as a person he's extremely interesting and as a singer very talented and it's a pity he didn't release much material in the 00'. but again, we can't be what people expected us to be, and Pete loved being different. so, you're wrong to say they didn't do well after Spin Me, they were fa mouse more in certain countries like Japan, Pete liked it better than that huge fame he had with Spin Me.
I don’t need more songs by them. You Spin Me Round is perfect. It’s fun, it’s provocative, it’e a banger. It’s a perfect freeze-frame of a specific feeling. For me the song and video are just the funniest and I love them.
This is one of those rare times where I have to disagree with you, I thought they deserved better, and that 'Sophisticated Boom Boom', 'Youthquake' and 'Mad, Bad, and Dangerous To Know' were great records, and 'Nude' and 'Nukleopatra' had some good tracks as well. "Baby Don't Say Goodbye" from 'Nude' even has one of my favorite lyrics ever, "You gave romantically a jacket studded with your name!" lol
RIP Pete Burns. He and Billy Paul were the first to go AFTER Todd covered them. A few subjects were long dead already but these two died after Todd gave them exposure.
Just because they only had two songs on the Billboard charts in America it doesn't mean somebody's not good! They were popular in The rest of the world, especially in Japan!
My favorite thing about the video is the other three band members looking like they'd rather be anywhere else while Pete Burns is clearly having the time of his life.
its really sad that doa's music didn't really get more attention outside of this song. Most of they're music that was produced from boom boom and after was soooooo good. Dead or Alive is definitely one of my favorites.
Pete Burns is my spirit animal and this song is fucking incredible. I have 16 covers of it on my phone and it was all I listened to back in 2009-2010 while I played RuneScape. It brings back so many amazing memories. It’ll always be a special song to me. RIP Pete.
Me and my family are from Liverpool and mum used to see Pete Burns all the time at Probe Records in the city centre in the early 80’s. Her friend also dated the bassist from Flock of Seagulls. Apparently it was crazy for pop stars in Liverpool back then.
I honestly thought “Brand New Lover” should have been the song they are remembered for. Nothing wrong with “You Spin Me…”, but I can listen to “Brand New Lover” every day. And the guitar work on the album version is 🔥🔥🔥
Another fun post punk/goth connection is that an early member of Dead or Alive (Wayne Hussey) went on to join The Sisters of Mercy for their first album and later made his own band, The Mission. Still one of my favorite music connections
The song itself went to #11 on the charts, pretty good. However, despite this song being one of those songs, their song "Brand New Lover" went to #15 on the charts in 1986. Not to mention, that one get played fairly well on 80s channels & others as well. False one hit wonder quite possibly, maybe a band that gets known for one or the other depending on the area hahaha, but definitely not even close to one hit wonder status.
One hit-wonder doesn't mean it in a literal sense. Dead or Alive definitely were only famous and remembered for one song sure some of their other songs may have charted in the distant past but people only know them for one song. One-hit wonder is a phrase that definitely applies to Dead or Alive.
Burns used to work in a record shop my Uncle used to frequent. Apparently, he used to refuse to sell records to kids, because he was a pretentious music snob, which makes me laugh.
I feel like this is what it would be like if Loki had a music career. Like inside of trying to kill his brother he channeled all that energy into forming a band
@@GabrielSilva-yc4uq Ah, okay. And yes it is! I love the synths, vocals, and Pete's outfit in that one! It's Pete's most masculine outfit I think lol. It's also about hedonism which I'm all for haha.
I mean I come from the underground metal community and Pete Burns, as a washed out pop star, made 10x what ill ever make on stage. So "sucessful" is relative in the music industry lol
Probably because it's a relic of internet's past, and there isn't much to say about it other than "y'all ever hear of meatspin?" "What's meatspin?" "here, check this out". It existed, but it doesn't really have a lot of staying power because it's not like you can just display an image of it anywhere you want, but I guess that goes without saying. Not like Rickrolling at least. The lack of a modern day equivalent is also a good reason why it's so irrelevant to folks.
"You Spin Me Round" was #11 in the US charts. "Brand New Lover" was #15 in the US charts as well. Both Dead or Alive songs were in the top 20. The songs are only 4 places apart from each other. Hmm... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 Yeah... One Hit-Wonder my a$$...
I am unironically kind of a fan of them and have been for some time. And I will say, I may have more of an ear for this music (I love me some punchy synth) and found an actually interesting progression in their sound. They *did* evolve, but more in the sense that the formula stayed the same but with different instruments, sometimes more refined and complex, sometimes more laid-back. Their absolute peak was in _Mad, Bad And Dangerous To Know_ (1986), which at least to me is a Hi-NRG masterpiece with every track being a sound landscape of both synths and drums, with a more mature and harmonic sound than the almost annoying, glittery synths in You Spin Me Round. Then after MBADTK, half the band split and only Pete Burns and Steve Coy remained in. The later albums from DOA are much less rich in sound and strangely are generally lower in energy, with some actually melancholic songs and even some ballads, but I can't say I enjoyed this era as much, as the songs were quite samey (even more so than before, as at least pre-split the drums were actually quite varied). Still, my recommendations from DOA are: - I'll Save You All My Kisses - Brand New Lover - Son Of A Gun - Hooked On Love - Special Star - Turn Around And Count 2 Ten - Your Sweetness Is Your Weakness - Hit N Run Lover - Rebel Rebel
I thought they only had 1 ballad which was Blue Christmas, also it would be interesting if they did ever change their formula in an alternate universe.
I remember watching that series of CBB (look, we had literally 5 TV channels, there wasn't much else on) and liking Pete a lot. Also he was probably my first exposure to someone who didn't conform to "traditional gender roles" (said with the biggest air-quotes ever) in his appearance. So, wild plastic surgery or not he certainly played a role in opening up my mind to the existence of the LGBTQIA+ community I'd find myself reaching out for just a couple of years later.
Well, Japan did love them even after Spin Me. He would sell out arenas until the early 90s. He also never wanted to be a successful pop star. He just wanted his music in gay clubs. And he got that lol. RIP Pete, I listen to your music everyday and it always makes happy ❤️
Apparently my coworkers and I thought it was a good idea to listen to this for 8 straight hours. This was over a year ago and that day still haunts me.
If you heard "Hit and Run Lover" (Dead or Alive song from the album "Fragile" released exclusively in Japan)... it's not like anything else... Rebel Rebel is also not like anything else (recorded as International Crysis and later released on Nukleopatra album, a cover of David Bowie song)... I mean... Dead or Alive tried to evolve.
Brand New Lover was the better song, imo. That wasn't a hit here? I think of them as a 2 hit wonder, gotta say. Still, great work as always. Your channel is excellent.
Actually, Brand New Lover was also a smash hit on the US pop charts which made them a two hit wonder. I am 51, and I kept track of American Top 40 and Rick Dees countdowns back then. The charts they used back then where Radio and Records or Mediabase. Those tracked the number of airplay spins, and Brand New Lover was a smash. It would be surprising that what Billboard considered one hit wonders are now calling the artists as two hit wonders after they took over Radio and Records charts.
I always come back to this video for your masterful setup and description of Stock-Aitken-Waterman, and you calling Pete Burns “a gay Tom Jones.” Also I always liked Brand New Lover, your 1986 example of their most representative output
I can name two other hits of theirs, that I remember: "Brand New Lover" and "Come Home with Me, Baby" - people are too liberal with their labelings of "one-hit wonders" when they don't remember the era or the mark that so many acts made other than the one song they're most known for.
The version of You Spin Me Round I have, the one from the "Rip It Up" compilation, has a slow build up as an intro, well as slow as Dead or Alive could probably get. I think it works if that's something you thought was missing.
Since this was recorded before Pete Burns passed away consider this a footnote for the curious - Boy George paid all of the costs for Burns' funeral out of pocket. True class.
Awww that's actually really sweet.
I did not know that he died
Top bloke! That's respect for you.
That's sweet. Boy George is still sus af as a person tho
That's very cool
I love how these one-hit-wonders reviews are more like documentaries
just means he did his homework
behind the music
AnieRrn the reason why other people and I watch Todd! 😃🙂😍
i only watch the first half before he goes off the rails
I love the resesrch value
I actually did a lot of research on this song years ago. Apparently, Pete wanted it to sound like the kind of music you'd hear in gay bars at the time. He himself was bi, being married to a woman for over twenty years and married to a man for three years after that. I hear the reason Pete got all that plastic surgery is because he simply liked the freedom of customizing his own body. He was an... interesting man.
Cool to know!
the plastic surgery kind of makes me sad, he looked good in the 80s, pity he decided to ruin his face
Reminds me of that artist who undergoes tons of body modification as a performance art.
He said in a interview that he wanted something that is permanent instead of make up
I will never understand why people think willfully going through plastic surgery like that makes them look good
I think Pete Burns' aesthetic can be best described as "genderfuck" rather than drag.
FABULOUS.
Never heard of it. TELL US MORE!
you are a genius
Honestly . . . Also my aesthetic. Thank you for naming it!!
Definitely not my aesthetic, but wow, that is some excellent wordplay right there
Boy George to his credit, paid for Pete Burns funeral.
That's cool. I read that Boy George said nice things about Pete Burns after he died. I had no idea he paid for his funeral.
it's not who got HIV first, it's who lived longer.
Boy George almost certainly had Burns murdered, so paying for the funeral is a smart way to deflect suspicion.
I’m going to guess, like many show business adversaries, they were probably good friends in real life. News is entertainment, so a good public feud helps draw attention to sell magazines, records, and concert tickets. It’s all part of the fantasy.
That is correct.
"Like a Gay Tom Jones." This is one of the best descriptions of Pete Burns ever.
LoL yeah, but Pete was actually bisexual.
He called Boy George “a gay Tom Jones,” not Pete Burns
@abbyhrabovsky3734 nah, he didn't. You obviously don't know who Tom Jones is because he and Boy George are nothing alike 😂
Rest in Peace, Pete Burns. He died in 2016 and no one even remembers. Well, I do. That's why I hope he rests in peace.
I was so bummed out by all the other celeb deaths that I didn't even notice. Damn...
Some of us remembered. Not only did I know Pete died last year, I also thought "Brand New Lover" did better. Looked it up. #15 on Billboard hot 100.. Dead or Alive was at least a 2 hit wonder. ;-)
I remember. Had a party with a few mates where we listened to dead or alive all night
wariodude128 Well said mate. Well said.
Yeah, I do. I randomly met him in London about a year before. He was super neurotic. Nice guy though - I thought he’d just be super bitchy haha
I just realized that Pete Burns is basically an anime character
+ferdinandstrat Totally.
You mean like a bishounen?
No but really, the guys from X (one of the biggest bands in japanese history) literally said in interviews that their look was inspired by him
Top 10 Sexiest Anime Characters
Lelouch Lamperouge?
The way he belts I NEED YOUR LOOOOOOOVE gets stuck in my head every time. Full force indeed.
Absolutely!
He actually has a really good voice!
"Its not who did it first, its who did it best"
...still Pete
I think this comment has been misattributed. I'm working from memory here, but I think that yet another 80 pop one-hitter, a guy using the name Marilyn, was the target of the 'its who did it best' comment, not Pete Burns. I could be mistaken. All those guys from the '80s... we need a name for them which isn't offensive but is descriptive. I think 'gender-bender' will just upset people. But whatever words we use to describe these lovely, 'feminine', flamboyant, and usually gay pop stars, a word is needed. Otherwise, people just say 'Gay 80's pop star', and some of them were not gay. At the time. That Marilyn guy I mentioned... He was the boyfriend of 90's rock also ran Gavin Rossdale from Bush. I don't know why I find that worthy to bring to your attention, it just seems like something you may like to know. Marilyn had a singular hit too. Don't know if it chated outside of the UK, but there is an episode there if you want it :-)
@@leehawkins616I think genderqueer would be an acceptable term. Certainly much better than calling them all gay when as you said, some were not. It's extremely reductive and I found that a little offensive in this video. Could have done with some more research and I daresay more respect for people's sexuality. Just because someone is a bit out there with their personal expression doesn't mean they deserve mockery. And erasing people's bisexuality when we get so little representation is not kool.
This song sounds awesome on piano.
+Robert Pysh Honestly, Todd can make even the shittiest song sound good with his piano. In fact, it'd be pretty cool if he did full covers of songs
+Yuri V Even Whip my Hair. He made it sound like a horrorpiece
+Yuri V You clearly didn't hear the OHW of Rico Suave. That song sounded like hell even on the piano.
chicagoakland Well, there is an exception to any rule, right?
Sigmund Fruit
Amazing!
Todd probably should have mentioned that "Brand New Lover" was a Top 20 single. It peaked at #15 in the winter of 1987, just 4 spots below where "You Spin Me Round" peaked, meaning Dead Or Alive's status as a one hit wonder is borderline at best.
I'm honestly surprised this is only a footnote when he came out to passionately suggest Hanson had more than one hit.
Yup. In fact people really got into this band
Brand New Lover imo is obviously the superior song. Probably one of my all time favorite pop songs. I never knew people considered DoA a one-hit wonder
@@Endrance88 I'm one of them, it's a shame people only care for YSMR honestly they have released some amazing songs
I agree with this and all of these sub comments. Brand New Lover was arguably better than You Spin Me Round. I feel like in this review, Todd was so busy reacting to Pete Burns appearance that he missed it on DOA.
Call me silly, but I LOVED Dead or Alive, and was infatuated with Pete Burns...EARLY career Pete.
+Giggstow he was married to a woman for 26 years so I guess some women found him attractive lol
+Giggstow she married him before he was famous and was a hairdresser lol. But I'm sure when he got the money it didn't hurt. ;)
+Giggstow Now that part I don't know.. But from what little I've seen on Pete Burns life he's always been that eccentric. However as long as she married him before all the terrible plastic surgery then I'm not judging haha.
+Giggstow however I think the most shocking thing isnt that women were into him but more (and I'm not trying to sound judgmental) that he was into women
+Giggstow is this 80s or recent Pete? Or both?
“He took my bathroom scales and broke it”- Pete Burns on Boy George. Boy George called him “third degree burns”
Later they laughed about it
That was cool that they managed that in the end. After all, Pete had accused George of copying his persona/style in the 80s, and George had said “its not who did it first, it’s who did it better”
mitch3996 II yes lol I’m glad it came around
Snice ! I think due to Petes surgery-related financial woes, George even paid for his funeral. Sure i heard that
mitch3996 II yes, that’s true.
Well at least Boy George paid for Pete Burns' funeral.
Was Boy George a fan of Pete Burns?
To Be Fair, "brand new Lover" and "In Too Deep" were huge 80's club bangers
Steve Coy, the drummer (also on guitars later on) and only other constant member of DoA aside from Pete Burns, died last month. RIP.
'You Spin Me Round' was number 11 in the US.
'Brand New Lover' was number 15.
Yes, I just recently discovered Todd, and when I saw this was a One Hit Wonderland video I was like, "No... no it's not."
I swear that I actually remember hearing "Brand New Lover" on the radio more than "You Spin Me Round".
exactly. Brand new lover was on the radio a lot more than spin me round
hurthim1 Spin me Round dominated the video channels though
THANK. YOU.
A few of their other songs also charted here too.
Pete had really beautiful eyes.
When he took the eyepatch off his chunibyo energy was charged to maximum.
Who can forget Adam Sandler singing this to open up "The Wedding Singer"? That's the movie that introduced me to him and Drew Barrymore, and I've been a diehard fan ever since!
"Brand New Lover" is pretty awesome. They were more like a two-hit wonder.
Definitely.
I agree Brand new Lover is their best song
There was also "Come Home with Me Baby" which came out in '88 (I even sang that tune in a nightclub band)
I recently discovered I Wanna Be A Toy, it's great
....in the USA. THEY HAD HITS IN EUROPE, AUSTRALIA, AND ESPECIALLY JAPAN
The sped up version of this song is exactly what my anxiety attacks feel like
Music aside....its tragic imo how badly he botched up his features with plastic surgery....I am watching these old videos thinking nonstop 'what a hot total beauty'.... Both from a het-female crushing on a man-hunk way, and a bi-female crushing on an androgynous female/drag queen guy way...He had really sublime features that he could have made unironically attractive in some many ways, even with all the ridiculous 80s getup he looks still potentially good...and while I don't know how gracefully he would have aged years down the road (and no idea how heavy his drug/alcohol abuses were but I am sure they were the standard level of 80's pop diva debauchery so I doubt Time would have been very good to him anyway) ....it STILL would have to have been better than what he ended up looking like. He went from artsy-fartsy Calvin Klein model to an abused looking Muppet. Sad. :(
yeah amen
I'm a straight white man and I try to respect other subcultures I don't have a firm grasp on. I wasn't going to really comment about his appearance in his later years because that's not something I really understand...but you're right: it is sad what he did to himself. Especially when you hear that he went broke paying for cosmetic surgery and cosmetic surgery to fixed previous botched cosmetic surgery. I dunno. Like I said it's not really my thing and I've always been comfortable in my own skin. What I look like to people is pretty much what I am. It must be difficult for some people going through life if that's not the case.
Or to put it another way: if Pete Burns wanted to look more feminine, that's totally cool. But he ended up looking like a grotesque caricature of a woman. That's kind of odd to me.
2:21 Did she introduce them as "Dead AND Alive"?
Yes. Yes she did.
Alfonso La Pulce Northerner here and she undoubtedly said “Dead and Alive” 😂
To be honest, that would be a cooler name.
Alfonso La Pulce
No
I heard INXS announced on TV as ‘inks’ very early on in the piece. Lol.
I'm pretty sure all the other band members are being held hostage, that's why they're tied to a poll
Hot Take: "Brand New Lover" is a way better song than "You Spin Me Right Round" and you also could have at least mentioned that NUKLEOPATRA (the "1996 album" you mentioned) was released on legendary goth label Cleopatra Records in the US and featured a much more dramatic shift in tone than you implied.
Yeah I also thought that when I heard the 90s song. Like, what is he talking about, this sounds totally 90s and completely different !?
Yeah he massively underplayed how versatile Dead or Alive were, Post-Punk, New-Wave, Goth, Techno, New Jack Swing, Chicago House and Nu-Disco, seems Pretty Evolved too me
"Lady Gaga in 30 years?" Nah, try Jeffree Star. 😏
and now we see the origin of visual kei in Japanese rock-n-roll.
Damn, I wanna say this but apparently I was 2 years late
DOA was extremely big in Japan in the late 80's / early 90's - probably bigger there than anywhere else. They had at least one album that was only released there (I had to get it via import).
Looks more like a Japanese koi
his dress made me think Mana immediately and gothic lolitas of 2000s.
Glam rock is way older than this.
Pete Burns looks very similar to David Bowie from Labyrinth
Imagine if Pete actually played Jareth in an alternate universe, that would be so cool. Now I want to draw Pete dressed as Jareth lol (7 years late ik)
I honestly love dead or alive, I love how their sound was ''turn everything to 10 and have the freak sing very loud over it'' and have a fair few of their albums, though I think their first is their best. Plus Pete Burns was just a character and always interesting to listen to. And yes they were big in japan.
Some of my favorite tracks:
I would do anything
Sit on it
My heart goes bang
Something in my house
Come home with me
I cannot carry on
Pete died last year, such a bummer that they had to go out like that...
Though it fizzled in England, "Brand New Lover" hit #15 here (it was #1 on the dance charts) and was huge -- nearly as big as "You Spin Me Round" -- on MTV. The video got a ton of airplay. So I'd call them a two hit wonder. But I'm still glad to have gotten this video.
they also had alot more dance chart hits not to mention their MASSIVE success in japan (4-5 number ones)
I went to look Pete up after watching this only to find out he passed away late last year 😥
The almost shot-for-shot recreation of this video with Paul Rudd as Pete - even doing his own singing - is amazing.
Pete Burns turned himself into something frightening. I remember Charlie Brooker talking about how he had a reality show years back where (much like the Apprentice) people were competing to be his personal assistant, and one of the things he made them do (to test their devotion and loyalty to him) was he threw a tube of his lipstick in a dumpster and the first one to find it won that round. These people literally threw themselves in the trash for him. ARGH!
Might I just add that Charlie Brooker is my favorite person working in British television? I love the way he satirizes the UK media and Black Mirror is nothing short of brilliant.
Miss ScreenWipe.
This is horrible but it is also the most John Waters real life thing I've ever heard
Pete had humour and satirized the quest for fame and success. He was a true punk.
But man, when the picture of him on reality TV first came up, I was like DAMMIT I'M EATING HERE!!!
RIP guy but man is that a gross look to take. I'm fine with drag and I respect the androgynous look a lot of 'em were taking, but why couldn't you go the David Bowie route instead? "Grotesque" was right in every sense of the word. Meh, so it goes.
I love this song and will never stop.
All this video made me decide is I need to incorporate a piano version of this into my wedding.
Soo... Have you married anyone??
D-did you do it?
It's amazing how this look likes a Visual Kei band. Huge Buck-Tick or early X-Japan vibes
Pete Burns was so gorgeous before all his surgery. Especially during the Brand New Lover era.
"Doofy simps like Rick Astley" Wow, not only did Todd use the word "simp" before it was cool in basically the exact same way it's used now, but he also said something that I entirely agree with while also being very mad at.
I think he meant "synths" as in synthesizers.
synths*
"Oh look, if it isn't the Simps!"
Pretty sure simp as short for simple or simpleton has been an unpopular but extant phrase for ages
That song is so over the top gay, it's great. I love it.
The one thing that Dead or Alive were not was one hit wonders. "Brand New Lovers", "Something in My House", "Lover Come Back to Me", and "In too Deep" filled the dance floor in both Gay and Straight Clubs.
Rev George
As a child growing up on the internet all I can think of when I hear this song is Meatspin.
Another difference between Pete Burns and Boy George is the fact that Boy George is gay, and Pete is Bisexual. Pete has been married twice; once to a woman and once to a man. I feel like bisexuals are often overlooked because we have a tendency to want to pigeon hole people into neat, specific, single categories.
Thanks for introducing me to their cover of That's the Way (I Like It), it is my favorite thing in the entire world.
There is something in my house, my house. It's just the ghost of a long-lost dead affair oh, there is something in my house, my house. I just keep hearing you running up and down my stairs but you're not there.......
Dude, Brand New Lover charted as high as 15 in 1986 and was huge in the club scene for freakin ever. I'd say that he had two smashes.
I feel like Todd made the point that DoA being a one-hit wonder boiled down mostly to the fact that they never escaped the shadow of You Spin Me. Even if they did get other hits, none of them were ever big enough or popular enough for their legacy to be more than the first hit.
Their album "Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know" is so good I still spin it
Real talk, Sophisticated boom boom, Youthquake, and Mad bad and dangerous to know are all solid, enjoyable albums.
the later stuff is not to my taste but SBB has a solid darker vibe that i just dig on
Don't forget Nude, that one is good af.
I never realized how many Dead or Alive songs I hear regularly, and I'm not even counting their big hit. My job plays all their songs that Todd featured in the review..except for You Spin Me Round. Weird.
This is a really old comment but if you see this I have to know: where do you work (or were working) where they’re playing dead or alive deep cuts??? lol
I think you are wrong saying You Spin Me was the only good record the had. they sure did have other great songs that many people found even better. You Spin Me became a classic disco song also because of the right opportunity on a right time to become THAT big. songs like "Lover come back to me" ,"Brand New Lover" "Something In My House" and many more got great responses ....Pete was extremely talented and it troubled him, he had many issues. despite that, he was a brilliant singer with a great voice and the song "Sex Drive" in the 90's was and still is an awesome song, he wanted to create bouncy energy songs. what he did turned out great and amazing, but he wasn't about the music all the time, and people change and go through different things...as a person he's extremely interesting and as a singer very talented and it's a pity he didn't release much material in the 00'. but again, we can't be what people expected us to be, and Pete loved being different. so, you're wrong to say they didn't do well after Spin Me, they were fa mouse more in certain countries like Japan, Pete liked it better than that huge fame he had with Spin Me.
One hit wonder? I recognize at least 2 of those songs (other than "You Spin Me Around"), and I don't live in the UK or even like that kind of music.
I don’t need more songs by them. You Spin Me Round is perfect. It’s fun, it’s provocative, it’e a banger. It’s a perfect freeze-frame of a specific feeling. For me the song and video are just the funniest and I love them.
So sad. I know a lot of people found him attractive no matter their sexuality. He did not have to do that.
Sabrina his choice
He did say he just enjoyed the freedom of customizing his body, so fair play to him.
I mean my 60 year old mother got plastic surgery because she wanted to look nicer, not because she wanted to attract a mate
I don't know man, "Big Daddy of Rhythm" is probably the best song off of that album, plus "Something in my House" is pure brilliance.
This is one of those rare times where I have to disagree with you, I thought they deserved better, and that 'Sophisticated Boom Boom', 'Youthquake' and 'Mad, Bad, and Dangerous To Know' were great records, and 'Nude' and 'Nukleopatra' had some good tracks as well. "Baby Don't Say Goodbye" from 'Nude' even has one of my favorite lyrics ever, "You gave romantically a jacket studded with your name!" lol
RIP Pete Burns. He and Billy Paul were the first to go AFTER Todd covered them. A few subjects were long dead already but these two died after Todd gave them exposure.
Wesley Hunt so you’re saying Todd is... A MURDERER?!?!
"Brand New Lover" deserves more credit!
To quote RuPaul "we're all born naked and the rest is drag."
Just because they only had two songs on the Billboard charts in America it doesn't mean somebody's not good! They were popular in The rest of the world, especially in Japan!
Todd is very clear on this show that he covers music from an American perspective, where he is from.
I wonder how many people were introduced to this song through Meatspin? 🤔
My favorite thing about the video is the other three band members looking like they'd rather be anywhere else while Pete Burns is clearly having the time of his life.
its really sad that doa's music didn't really get more attention outside of this song. Most of they're music that was produced from boom boom and after was soooooo good. Dead or Alive is definitely one of my favorites.
Todd used the word simps way before it was big, impressive
This had heavy rotation on MTV. I was 16 at the time, and developed appreciation for androgynous guys.
Pete Burns is my spirit animal and this song is fucking incredible. I have 16 covers of it on my phone and it was all I listened to back in 2009-2010 while I played RuneScape. It brings back so many amazing memories. It’ll always be a special song to me. RIP Pete.
Me and my family are from Liverpool and mum used to see Pete Burns all the time at Probe Records in the city centre in the early 80’s. Her friend also dated the bassist from Flock of Seagulls. Apparently it was crazy for pop stars in Liverpool back then.
“Anybody who confuses it for the Flo Rida song will get punched”
*slams fist*
THANK YOU!!
I honestly thought “Brand New Lover” should have been the song they are remembered for. Nothing wrong with “You Spin Me…”, but I can listen to “Brand New Lover” every day. And the guitar work on the album version is 🔥🔥🔥
Another fun post punk/goth connection is that an early member of Dead or Alive (Wayne Hussey) went on to join The Sisters of Mercy for their first album and later made his own band, The Mission. Still one of my favorite music connections
The song itself went to #11 on the charts, pretty good. However, despite this song being one of those songs, their song "Brand New Lover" went to #15 on the charts in 1986. Not to mention, that one get played fairly well on 80s channels & others as well. False one hit wonder quite possibly, maybe a band that gets known for one or the other depending on the area hahaha, but definitely not even close to one hit wonder status.
One hit-wonder doesn't mean it in a literal sense. Dead or Alive definitely were only famous and remembered for one song sure some of their other songs may have charted in the distant past but people only know them for one song. One-hit wonder is a phrase that definitely applies to Dead or Alive.
Burns used to work in a record shop my Uncle used to frequent. Apparently, he used to refuse to sell records to kids, because he was a pretentious music snob, which makes me laugh.
I love this song so much. It’s genuinely so good.
agree. It really is like a fairground for the ears.
that beautiful and overwhelming Pete Burns.
I feel like this is what it would be like if Loki had a music career. Like inside of trying to kill his brother he channeled all that energy into forming a band
Thanks, Todd! This video helped me find one of my favorite songs: "Brand New Lover."
and what is your favorite song now?
@@GabrielSilva-yc4uq LOL, how'd you know I changed it? It's some other 80's song now, lol.
@@NRF3703 Haha, well, most of people occasionally change their favorite songs, but Brand New Lover is such a great tune!
@@GabrielSilva-yc4uq Ah, okay. And yes it is! I love the synths, vocals, and Pete's outfit in that one! It's Pete's most masculine outfit I think lol. It's also about hedonism which I'm all for haha.
big brother Pete Burns is the accurate liverpool representation we need lol
i dont understand what the big deal about lil nas x is
if this has been a thing in the mainstream for 40 years...
Selective memory / recency bias
has become a big trend since the 2000s.
Kinda like how people whine about rap's lyrics no different than the 80's-90's
I mean I come from the underground metal community and Pete Burns, as a washed out pop star, made 10x what ill ever make on stage. So "sucessful" is relative in the music industry lol
More like 100x
What were your thoughts of his review of Alien Ant Farm?
This is and always was (as the kids in the UK are saying) a banger.
Some of you don't immediately associate this song with the shocker site "meatspin" and it shows.
Never heard of it.
@@timkramar9729 bless your innocent soul. dont google it
@tc 2452 I didn't look it up.
Probably because it's a relic of internet's past, and there isn't much to say about it other than "y'all ever hear of meatspin?" "What's meatspin?" "here, check this out". It existed, but it doesn't really have a lot of staying power because it's not like you can just display an image of it anywhere you want, but I guess that goes without saying. Not like Rickrolling at least. The lack of a modern day equivalent is also a good reason why it's so irrelevant to folks.
@@actualhyena I think the modern day equivalent would be gore sites.
"You Spin Me Round" was #11 in the US charts.
"Brand New Lover" was #15 in the US charts as well.
Both Dead or Alive songs were in the top 20. The songs are only 4 places apart from each other.
Hmm... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Yeah... One Hit-Wonder my a$$...
I am unironically kind of a fan of them and have been for some time.
And I will say, I may have more of an ear for this music (I love me some punchy synth) and found an actually interesting progression in their sound. They *did* evolve, but more in the sense that the formula stayed the same but with different instruments, sometimes more refined and complex, sometimes more laid-back.
Their absolute peak was in _Mad, Bad And Dangerous To Know_ (1986), which at least to me is a Hi-NRG masterpiece with every track being a sound landscape of both synths and drums, with a more mature and harmonic sound than the almost annoying, glittery synths in You Spin Me Round. Then after MBADTK, half the band split and only Pete Burns and Steve Coy remained in. The later albums from DOA are much less rich in sound and strangely are generally lower in energy, with some actually melancholic songs and even some ballads, but I can't say I enjoyed this era as much, as the songs were quite samey (even more so than before, as at least pre-split the drums were actually quite varied).
Still, my recommendations from DOA are:
- I'll Save You All My Kisses
- Brand New Lover
- Son Of A Gun
- Hooked On Love
- Special Star
- Turn Around And Count 2 Ten
- Your Sweetness Is Your Weakness
- Hit N Run Lover
- Rebel Rebel
I thought they only had 1 ballad which was Blue Christmas, also it would be interesting if they did ever change their formula in an alternate universe.
Those hands in the music video always gave me the creeps....
I know who Julian Cope is. The Teardrop Explodes' "Reward" is a great song.
*You Spin Me Round exists*
Flo Rida: time for me to make money off your hard work
If you hate everything, does that mean you hate yourself?
I remember watching that series of CBB (look, we had literally 5 TV channels, there wasn't much else on) and liking Pete a lot. Also he was probably my first exposure to someone who didn't conform to "traditional gender roles" (said with the biggest air-quotes ever) in his appearance. So, wild plastic surgery or not he certainly played a role in opening up my mind to the existence of the LGBTQIA+ community I'd find myself reaching out for just a couple of years later.
I don't care what ANY of you people think, THIS SONG IS FANTASTIC!!!!!!
Oh my god. Their video for That's The Way (I Like It) is truly something to behold.
Well, Japan did love them even after Spin Me. He would sell out arenas until the early 90s. He also never wanted to be a successful pop star. He just wanted his music in gay clubs. And he got that lol. RIP Pete, I listen to your music everyday and it always makes happy ❤️
Apparently my coworkers and I thought it was a good idea to listen to this for 8 straight hours. This was over a year ago and that day still haunts me.
Pete Burns vs Joan Rivers in the Plastic Surgery Horror Story battle of the decades! Gentlemen and ladies, place your bets!
... damn, Pete's pretty damn hot... er, used to... I feel bad saying that... damn.
Pete, baby, what'd you do to yourself...
The internet ruined this song. You know why
Well thankfully TR-8R has fixed that a little bit...
+Toonami4Life Meatspin?
Thomas Martin Code Geass memes?
UA-cam Poop?
Thomas Martin MEATSPIN
Maximum FABULOUS!
If you heard "Hit and Run Lover" (Dead or Alive song from the album "Fragile" released exclusively in Japan)... it's not like anything else... Rebel Rebel is also not like anything else (recorded as International Crysis and later released on Nukleopatra album, a cover of David Bowie song)... I mean... Dead or Alive tried to evolve.
Brand New Lover was the better song, imo. That wasn't a hit here? I think of them as a 2 hit wonder, gotta say. Still, great work as always. Your channel is excellent.
Flat Accord Music if I remember correctly it came really damn close since it reached 15 on the charts
10:24 the absolute best part about this clip is the blaring 2008 fall out boy song in the background
Actually, Brand New Lover was also a smash hit on the US pop charts which made them a two hit wonder. I am 51, and I kept track of American Top 40 and Rick Dees countdowns back then. The charts they used back then where Radio and Records or Mediabase. Those tracked the number of airplay spins, and Brand New Lover was a smash. It would be surprising that what Billboard considered one hit wonders are now calling the artists as two hit wonders after they took over Radio and Records charts.
I always come back to this video for your masterful setup and description of Stock-Aitken-Waterman, and you calling Pete Burns “a gay Tom Jones.”
Also I always liked Brand New Lover, your 1986 example of their most representative output
I can name two other hits of theirs, that I remember: "Brand New Lover" and "Come Home with Me, Baby" - people are too liberal with their labelings of "one-hit wonders" when they don't remember the era or the mark that so many acts made other than the one song they're most known for.
The version of You Spin Me Round I have, the one from the "Rip It Up" compilation, has a slow build up as an intro, well as slow as Dead or Alive could probably get. I think it works if that's something you thought was missing.