Worldwide - Everything But The Girl

...out Album number six. Entitled Worldwide this Album was released in 1991 and follows on pretty much from where its predecessor, the Language of Life left off.

The Album contains 11 tracks as below:

Old Friends
Understanding
You Lift Me Up
Talk To Me Like The Sea
British Summertime
Twin Cities
Frozen River
One Place
Politics Aside
Boxing And Pop Music
...Old Friends. This is the only song that was released as a single from the Album. It is a song about former friendships, a theme that re-appears on this Album again and again. This is an Album about looking back on happy times, remembering friends, places that have been visited, relationships and personal memories. "When there was just a gang of us, storming the town by train and bus, a moment of thought this heart sends, to old friends." ... more

With five Albums already under their belt Everything But The Girl wasted no time in putting out Album number six. Entitled Worldwide this Album was released in 1991 and follows on pretty much from where its predecessor, the Language of Life left off.

The Album contains 11 tracks as below:

Old Friends
Understanding
You Lift Me Up
Talk To Me Like The Sea
British Summertime
Twin Cities
Frozen River
One Place
Politics Aside
Boxing And Pop Music
Feel Allright

The Album opens with Old Friends. This is the only song that was released as a single from the Album. It is a song about former friendships, a theme that re-appears on this Album again and again. This is an Album about looking back on happy times, remembering friends, places that have been visited, relationships and personal memories. "When there was just a gang of us, storming the town by train and bus, a moment of thought this heart sends, to old friends."

Understanding is a beautiful song. It is a sweet serenade to a love that has stood the test of time, and Tracey's voice is rich and smooth.

You Lift Me Up is the third track on the Album and the first one that actually makes you sit bolt upright and listen. It would be unfair to describe to the first two tracks on this Album as standard songs, as these are good tracks but that there is something right from the beginning of You Lift Me Up that makes you sit up and take notice.
This is a happy song:" When the light fades on a long bad day, I sometimes weaken. Then I turn to see you've been waiting for me, and I know I'm not beaten. 'Cause you lift me up."

Twin Cities is probably my favourite track on this Album, along with British Summertime. This is a very catchy song and about as close to a pop song that Everything But The Girl will ever get. It is a song about their travels across America, a country that Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, the couple that comprise the Band, had fallen in love with.
"Now we're in twin cities, where the Mississippi rises and then falls, one is Minneapolis and the other though less famous is St. Paul, there are stray dogs on the highway, and the local farmers moan about lack of rain." As is often the case with Tracey's fantastic lyrics they are very observational. "Last time in New York was with Mandela and Madonna, Icons of an era, that's about as famous as it gets around here."

Frozen River is another standout track for me on this Album. Here the lyrics simple yet clever. This is a song about growing up and the innocence of childhood. "I'd never been skating on a Frozen River, Jodie and Jane made it sound so cool"

One Place is a song about moving from one place to another and wanting to settle down. "I would like to live like anybody else, in one place, and I could be happy and fulfilled, in one place." This is also another very observational song about watching what is happening in other people's lives: "A summer evening, I walk past the window, a baby's crying, someone's cooking dinner, there's laughter on the TV, Someone's learning the violin, how at home it feels."

There was a rumour that Politics Aside would be released a single but this never materialised. There is no doubt that this is a catchy enough track to have picked up Radio play, but in my opinion at only 3 and a half minutes long it would have been a little bit too short to put out as a single. Here Tracey's voice is crisp and clear as she reminisces about being content within a relationship. The message here is that a lit bit of bickering now and then is healthy and there is nothing like an argument to make a bond stronger: "And then it strikes me every time, that politics aside, we always get on fine."

Boxing and Pop Music is a song written by Ben and sung by Ben, with Tracey just providing backing vocals.

The Album ends with Feel Allright a nice upbeat song that leaves you feeling inspired and wanting to listen to this Album all over again.

Shortly after this Album was released Everything But The Girl released a covers EP which featured four tracks, all of them covers of other people's songs. This put the Band back into the top 10 singles chart and in response to this the leading track from this EP, Love Is Strange was added to this Album and the Album was reissued. This song is not however on the CD that I own.

I bought this CD when it was first released and I still listen to it today fairly regularly.

Overall I think that this is an excellent Album and a perfect follow up to the Language of Life, which saw Everything But The Girl finally find an identity for themselves and return to form.

Thank you for reading.

 

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