Corrections: Your boy got his early 2000s Discovery channel shows mixed up and said "Hot Rod" instead of "Chopper" -- my apologies to Paul, Junior and Mikey 😂
Well to be fair, a motorcycle is a motor vehicle and the OED definition doesn't specify automobile. So yeah if you're adding more power to your bike, it could be fair to say it's hot rodded. Still I did cringe
Even on streaming sites they never push obscure old stuff. If you tell it to play similar music to third eye blind for example you’re just gonna hear the same 100 songs.
I always felt like Disco never really "died" it just evolved into Electronica and EDM. Basic vibe is clearly still there. But I hadn't realized how much of a stark difference there was between american and European scenes, which is quite telling! And it also explains all those massive raves (as well as a huge UG scene) happening in Europe as far back as the late '80's, to which the U.S. spent several years playing catch-up.
It absolutely never died. Think of the late 90s/early 2000s stuff by Kylie Minogue. And even in the 80s disco still persisted, especially in Eastern Europe.
@@80ssynthfan48 even Kylie's 80s music is italo-disco/hi-nrg, disco never died in europe but as new technologies came out they were incorporated into the genre which created the italo-disco sound, that classic 70s disco sound didn't come back until the 90s/00s but it always feels like america only likes dance music genres for a very short time even though multiple genres can co-exist at the same time
As a teenager in small town Oregon growing up in the 80’s we always had foreign exchange students from Europe and around the world. We had a French student live with our family so I got to meet and befriend students from all over the world at regional meetups. I loved their colorful new wave style and they introduced me to so much music I wouldn’t have heard otherwise. I never heard Vanessa but I did hear a lot of music with that vibe. It definitely left me with the impression that Western Europe was a fun and uninhibited place to be young! I’ll check out Vanessa…
Northern European countries had this strong tradition already established by the 1960s and 1970s called "schlager," basically very light uptempo pop with simple, often silly lyrics about love and life. By Vanessa's time, it had become a reliable bastion for the disco sound. Only one band made anything like the impact in America using that model that they had in Europe: ABBA. And they were mold-breakers who still managed one #1 here.
Disco music in the USA transitioned into 'post-disco' rather than disappearing, adapting and evolving similarly to its European counterpart with tracks like "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" by Indeep, "Get Down on It" by Kool, and "Thanks to You" by Sinnamon. These tracks were notably popular in NYC clubs like Paradise Garage, and among the city's gay nightclubs where Hi-NRG music also found a footing. Moreover, Chicago's nightclubs continued to play disco and post-disco into the early 1980s and beyond, contributing to the evolution of house music, techno, and eventually EDM.
@@yurypozdnyakov5177 I've been trying to think of who else would have been able to pull off that brilliant soundtrack to Metropolis that this dude did. Zimmer would probably be the only answer.
I think this video should have been about the European big tit bimbo’s that tried to make a career in music during early eighties with silly songs. The Dutch had Vanessa, UK had Samantha Fox, Italy had Sabrina. I can’t think of a German equivalent right now.
Same, in the early 80s I listened to a lot of new wave / synthpop and lived in Germany, and never heard of her when I know dozens of other europop artists that never made it to the US (or are one-hit wonders over there), e.g. every other group in the video, like Boney M. Maybe she was big in the Netherlands, but she clearly was as much a nobody in wider Europe as in the US. This video seems to overstate her popularity by a lot.
So I googled for her a bit, and she only ever entered the charts in Netherlands and Belgium. Her albums didn’t do much there either, but she had some successful singles. As to the rest of Europe, we ignored her, just like the US
Can you do a video about Sandra, europop singer and her then husband Micheal Cretu who spearheaded the Enigma project, and the world beat/ new age music genre?
Sandra was absolutely who I guessed he would be talking about if it was a woman and not a band, and in the latter case I figured it was Modern Talking, who as far as I can tell were basically the Beatles of synthpop yet somehow I never heard of them once before I started actively seeking foreign music online
btw Vanessa later married one of Dutch richest man (they are now divorced) and adopted children who later on, robbed them, and Vanessa forgive them. She is an amazing woman with a bizarre life-story.
Her album was only released in the Netherlands and some singles also in Spain and Italy. To have a hit in Holland you only need to sell a few thousand records. Even in neighboring Germany she is totally unknown. Where did you find her?
A year ago I was making these shorts where I'd visit record stores and add snippets of audio as I'm flipping through the bins. It was a ton of effort to create and the videos never really took off, but I discovered A LOT of cool stuff this way: ru-vid.comi183s8JqQbA?si=ZzIGVj-To1WK1iy4
The single was actually released in Germany, as well as Spain, Italy, France, Portugal and Brazil. But who knows how many of these were even printed 🤷 www.discogs.com/master/96072-Vanessa-Upside-Down-Dizzy-Does-It-Make-Me
I was kinda shocked to see a Bandsplaining about her. As a guy growing up in the NL in the 80s/90s, I mainly knew her for being married to one of the richest guys in the Netherlands, owner of the former largest chain of record shops (Free Records Shop, whose first shop was
I've been eager to see what the reaction would be from Dutch viewers, and that all makes a lot of sense 😂. I was anticipating there might be some responses of "her?! really?!"
I immediately wondered if this video was going to be about Sandra or Modern Talking, which really goes to show how many absolutely huge synth artists there were in Europe who America just refused to give a chance
The Soviet synth scene was also huge but unfortunately many of the great artists and bands from those times are not very well known outside the ex Soviet Union countries. I have found plenty of good Soviet synth music from RU-vid and Spotify. But those are just a tip of the Iceberg.
Patricia Paay, was another attractive Dutch singer in the late 70's/early 80's who never broke into the U.S. (Malibu, Beggin')she was formerly married to Adam Curry of MTV headbangers ball, and Patricia posed in Playboy in 2009 at 60.
The Flirts were one of the few "Italo" acts of the US, I think... Tony Carrasco has been involved with projects considered Italo-Disco. Linda Jo Rizzo of The Flirts fame visited Finland last summer (I think it was her first gig here) in an Italo event, hosted by a Finnish record label owner who publishes old and new Italo-Disco. She also spoke a bit about the weirdness of making disco music in a country that wasn't very accepting to it at the time. Laura Branigan made an Italo cornerstone internationally known by her cover of Raf's Self Control - to the point that many people think her recording is the original. Even I did. Baltimora's Tarzan Boy got around some, but I think it was quite all about his exo-European success - not even all Italo enthusiasts consider him really worthwhile in the genre.
So can we get a sequel dedicated to the unlikely Eurodisco crossovers that *did* do something in the US? Thinking specifically of Tarzan Boy and Laura Branigan covering Raf.
honestly i'd love a video showing the parallel between the american and the european music scenes in great detail from then to now since there's quite a few interesting divergences as you've said (with the disco demolition ending it in the US at least on the literal side and yet thriving and evolving to great extents in europe), as well as how some artists you'd have thought they could've easily passed for the other like the case for vanessa (even if i thought it was about sandra initially, guess we have the same view among the commenters lmao). sure most of you will be like "but europe can't be counted as one knowing there's a bunch of countries inside it, different cultures, traditions, sounds, etc etc", yes, true, but there are some similarities that have transcended the language barrier and have become cult classics and chart toppers. there's like a ton of examples to base upon, from the arisal of several music movements and also their "demise" as a chart reigner, to artists who managed to have transitioned well internationally to have a fruitful career abroad but not as big in US (and i think it also applies viceversa?), and if there is anyone i feel like could do this topic justice it's bandsplaining. good video. sure i don't think i've heard of her (even if upside down sounds a bit familiar) but it's an interesting perspective of how you'd think an artist has the it factor to gain popularity abroad and yet it didn't work. in her case i think her label and management didn't market her anywhere else but netherlands and a handful of countries nearby and seemed fine with the little fame she had.
Forgive me if you already covered them since I’m a new subscriber, but, I think one of the biggest “Europeans” who deserves a mention is Jennifer Rush. Imagine, an American who tries to make it big internationally, has hits around the world, fails to break it in North America, but ends up singing and writing one of the biggest songs at the time, and eventually, having it covered by one of the biggest artists of the 90s, Celine Dion. The song being “The Power of Love”
It is Europeans not "Europeans". It is inexplicable that Jennifer Rush was not highly successful in America. The Power Of Love was a massive hit in Britain and elsewhere, and she had other hits in Europe. Her sound is not dissimilar to other music of the eighties and early nineties and her voice is next level. I think she is the best female vocalist ever to record pop/ rock music- others are very good but her voice is unbelievably rich and powerful. Much, much better than Celine Dion.
euro disco - Italo disco has evolved to be a significant part of the European cultural identity...it was a blessing that this kind of music was not appreciated in the U.S accordingly as this made the dinstiction between the two cultural worlds much more definite and enhanced even more clearly what it means to be a refined European despite the fact that in most tracks some kind of english is used as the main languange...when in the States were idolizing Madona we were dancing with Sandra...when in Europe were (and still are) finding melancholic mystery and electric dancing charm in an alternative sound like for ex.:Helicon's You see"...in the U,S they didht even know what is this about.....that has been one of the privilleges to be European
She was very obscure here in Canada. I listened to Sandra and I had alot of her records in the 80's, she wasn't that big over here but Vanessa was unknown. There are a few other 80's artists that were not well known here in North America but were in Europe, like Vicious Pink.
Two things: 1. Disco didn't die in the USA. Songs just weren't referred to as Disco, that's all, like Pop Music by M and Funky Town by Liips Ins. 2. Giorgio M won an Oscar fior best soundtrack for Midnight Expeess in 1978. The most famous track, The Chase and others, are like EDM.
It is so simple to understand why Samantha was not succesful in North America: her image was so cheesy! Teenagers and young adults of early eighties were fascinated by synthpop artists who was looking cool. No A&R rep will risk his reputation for Samantha. This has nothing to do with talent but image.
Dear American. Don't worry too much if you never heard about this girl. Europeans didn't either. I've been following music for over 40 years and never ever heard about this girl before.
Excellent video, being a fan of Euro electronic disco as well as US disco, I noticed US never really jumped onboard with the futuristic electronic dance sound like Euro dance groups have done. There were some exceptions such as Rinder & Lewis, Arpeggio, Patrick Cowley who used sequencers and synthesizers a lot but otherwise US dance groups stuck to their big band sound with a bit of Arp synth in between, whilst it sounds brilliant, in comparison to the futuristic sounds of Giorgio Moroder, Dan Lacksman, Space, Kraftwerk etc. it was a bit behind the curve! Never heard of Vanessa before surprisingly, very attractive woman, good singer and she had a great healthy outlook on life being a celebrity from what I see in this video!
If this Stuff was so not compatible in the USA, how come Donna Summer was so big in the USA? Discotheque was always a French Word. Not even the English Spelling in the USA can hide that. The T.K. Sound of Miami was Producers Music, so was Proto Disco from Philly. The Netherland Pop of the 70ties had a bad Repetutation in Europe too.
Disco didn't totally die in the US either. It went underground and reappeared most directly as Techno and House in the mid 80s. We even had popular "post Disco" artists like Michael Jackson, earlier Prince and (sort of) Madonna. Disco reappeared in mainstream charts with the advent of Freestyle and New Jack during the late 80s, but those scenes had a big Latin/ Hip-hop influence and lost the bounce bass and 4-on-the-floor beat.
This difference between USA and Europe lasted all the way into the 90s. I remember going to the US in my teens and being shocked they had hardly any eurodance, which was the only music I listened to.
Simple. The U.S. in the early 80's was moving more toward the New Wave, Metal and Rap era and away from what many in the U.S. would call the Bubble Gum music which included the eurodance music. Americans wanted music that wasn't so light and fluffy like gag me with with a spoon valley girlish kind of music. Americans wanted to see actual bands with wild hair, spandex and spinning and playing electric guitars. I grew up as a kid in the 80's in the U.S. and trust me where I lived you better not be playing that eurodance stuff unless you want to get beat up or people thinking you were gay. The U.S. was doing it's own thing and left that euro stuff back in the 70's during the 80's and in the 90's we left the hair Metal scene and went to Grunge with bands like Alice IN Chains and Nirvana. in the USA we felt that we have moved on but we weren't sure why Europe didn't.
Since we’re all here, I just want to give a shoutout to Desireless and “Voyage Voyage”. I had never heard this song during its active radio rotation, but, thanks to P2P networks in the early 2000s, I gained access to European compilations that opened my ears to a lot of music that never crossed the Atlantic. Desireless had three things that appealed to me: she was French, a female vocalist, and the beat was pumping, without the vapidness of most EuroDance music from that era. Voyage Voyage is on my permanent endless playlist because it hits as hard as Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” while, to my ears at least, it doesn’t suffer from being overplayed. Worlds away from the Europop sound of Desireless is a random, but cherished, find that I wanted to share: Agnetha Fältskog’s “Jag var så kär”. It’s the B side to her 1967 single, “Följ med mig”, made several years prior to her association with ABBA. “I Was So In Love”, as its English translation suggests, was a tender ballad she wrote about the breakup of a relationship. Its melancholic tone instantly reminded me of “Flower of Carnage” by Meiko Kaji, which plays over the death of O-Ren Ishi-i in Kill Bill Volume 1. I could totally see Tarantino using “Jag var så kär” in one of his films. Keep bandsplaining!
Disco didn't necessarily die in America during the late 70s/early 80s, because its largest consumer base--Black, Latino, and/or LGBTQ+ folks--were still listening to its derivative versions, e.g. Dance, Synth-Funk, or even Hip Hop. Much of these new, emerging sounds incorporated electronic music but KEPT the soul. We can hear this marrying of sounds in "Super Freak," "Planet Rock," or "Computer Love." However, I think, the removal of Soul from Euro Synth-Pop made it less appealing to these groups in America.
Great point. There was a similar argument I remember from Peter Shapiro's book. He quoted an American journalist at the time who called Eurodisco "music with a metronomelike beat-perfect for folks with no sense of rhythm-almost inflectionless vocals, and metallic sexuality" (He was one of these soul/funk diehards you are referring to)
From what I know it fell from favour in the mainstream but eventually mutated into house. Similar story in Europe where italo disco, synth pop, industrial music & new beat were the building blocks of trance in Goa.
I'm from Belgium, we speak the same language and share a lot of culture with our neighboring country, yet I have never even heard of her. I love your video's, but this one seems a little strange to me. It's like you are blowing her fame and influence out of proportion
Understandable criticism! Perhaps I should have been clearer: Vanessa's records were released in a few neighboring countries and I believe she made a TV appearance in Italy, but her "superstar" status was limited to The Netherlands. The premise I was more going for was about how the *entire genre* of electronic disco was popular in Europe, yet virtually unknown in North America. That includes artists like Telex, Giorgio Moroder, Cerrone, etc. in addition to lesser-known ones like Vanessa. It's always difficult to summarize a complex premise like this into a title that will also be clickbait-worthy. So I usually suck it up, simplify it, then hope viewers will appreciate the complexity of the video itself 😂
Vanessa's "Upside Down" was obviously an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Olivia Newton-John's worldwide smash hit "Physical". Their music videos are also practically identical. Both songs tapped into the aerobics craze of the eighties, as exemplified by Jane Fonda's Workout and Pat Benatar's sweaty headband. Personally, I rather enjoy this tune. It's got that catchy early 1980s new wave sound, which La Bionda and other such proto-Italo Disco artists did so well.
Thanks for introducing me to Vanessa! I'm sure I've seen here LPs in crates growing up as I was looking for Metal and hard rock. After my teenage years in DNB and Techno I want to hunt them down. Just the allure alone is worth a buy.
i think a lot of pop music acts outside of the usa who didn't make it in the states is because they were "made for tv." they had videos and studio recordings but they could not tour the clubs and play their music live.
This. They were totally artificial and had no substance to them whatsoever. Apparently Europeans loved this, but Americans wanted to listen to music made by actual *people*.
In case you ever want to make another video about other European/American curiosities, how about the myriad German hiphop crossovers with popular US rappers of the 90s and early 00s that I feel like nobody knows about outside of Germany. There are so many from RZA to Lil Kim to KRS One, GZA and many more. RZA in particular had a huge number 1 hit over here.
I love the lyrics to Tiger Baby by Silver Convention, they're adorable, all 2 lines.--- Tiger baby, ahahh you're driving me crazy Tiger baby ahahh, why are you so lazy?
Absolutely positively bonkers that this was about Vanessa! I love it. As a Dutch man, I could easily see why you picked her. It could have also been easily about Sandra from the Czech Republic (?)
I've never heard of her before. I love all the 80's synth pop stuff. I grew up listening to Yazoo and Thompson Twins. It's always the rare and obscure stuff that's the best. I would have bought her music had it been available. Thank you.
I could perfectly understand a video about Sandra Cretu (undeservedly nothing in the UK or US but huge all over Europe). Vanessa, on the other hand, I personally don't really see the appeal other than the obvious 'assets'. Nice to see someone giving some love to a potentially overlooked and obscure act though, whoever they are. So kudos for that.
When I think of Dutch artists who were trying to make it big… I also think of of Lisa Boray. I only stumbled on to her a few years ago but she had some bangers. “Break It Out” being one. I also enjoy her cover of Angela Bofill’s “Something About You.” Still trying a full copy of her Searchlight album.
After hearing her music the question seems less about why she didn't make it in the US and more about how she made it in the Netherlands. "Commercial" is the word I would use to describe her sound. It's like music for a sugary cereal for kids. I bet her album came with a secret plastic toy. No offense, but definitely doesn't sound like it was made for adults.
Oh. Also: Tatjana Simic is a Dutch-Croation singer in much the same vein, although she did it the other way around, acting first and then making some pop songs, including an album with Mike Stock and Matt Aitken.
She was unknown in the UK too, like a lot of Euro pop bands churned out in the 80s. A lot of those euro songs just weren't strong enough to break the UK. However Brits had their own acts like that, like Samantha Fox, who had a huge talent or two. And later all the Stock, Aitken, Waterman acts which IMHO were in a totally different league to euro pop Vanessa.
Uk also had Sonia, Sabrina, Sinitta all PWL produced as well and the occasional Spagna style etc. Basically anyone with a one word name beginning with “S” and ending with “A”
You’re build-up is misleading because the disco sound in America simply evolved differently than in Europe. At the same time Europe was making electronic disco and Italo disco, America was inventing techno, house music, electro beat, and hip hop … all based on mostly single producers using technology and modern equipment. At one point you show a picture of Madonna and Moroder (I think?) to show the dichotomy? In reality, go listen to the first Madonna album: it’s deeply rooted in electro beat and the new “disco” electronic dance scene in New York. The example is even worse considering that Moroder was extremely active in American music as well: he was a prominent producer and composer of soundtracks in America. My point is … it’s probably true that Italo disco never really popped off in America, but there are examples of the opposite being true as well. That’s probably simply the difference of living in a pre-internet world, not some great mystery? However, if you listen to the cutting edge electronic music being made in America in the early 80’s, it’s pretty obvious why the cheesier, less in your face style of many Italo disco records didn’t translate as well for American audiences. And even outside of the emergent house music, electro beat, and techno music spheres, our major pop music at the time (MJ, Madonna, Prince) was state of the art and sophisticated in the use of electronic instruments in the production. Listening back now, Italo disco has a unique charm to it. But you can understand why Italo disco wouldn’t have hit as hard when Purple Rain, Thriller, and Madonna’s self titled debut album we’re ruling the charts. And yet, something like Moroder’s Never Ending Story, Scarface, Flashdance scores were immediately beloved.
Hey thanks for watching and digging in so thoroughly! You bring up some great points and I'd like to address a few of them and share what I've come across from my research. On the first point, America did indeed develop it's own electronic dance music, but it happened much later than Europe. Eurodisco started going electronic in 1976-77. In the states, techno and house didn't appear until almost a decade later. Likewise, hip-hop in the 70s was to my knowledge all sample-based until electro tracks like Planet Rock circa 1982. (I know you can always find exceptions, like Silver Apples or Suicide, but the point remains; in Europe it was topping the charts; in the US it was extremely niche.) Electro is the closest comparison since it was being developed in the early 80s, but as you pointed out it's very distinct from Eurodisco. To my ears at least, electro sounds like funk music where the live instruments are simply replaced with digital ones. Eurodisco makes more use of sequencers and filter sweeps that don't have a direction "acoustic" comparison. That's why, in my opinion, Eurodisco is more radical and innovative. But obviously just my two cents. I also don't think electro was all that popular in the states, or at least not initially. When I checked the dance charts from '82, it was mostly British new wave, or "traditional" funk like Stevie Wonder or Hall & Oates. Obviously there are some exceptions in there, like Prince -- and in the following year, Madonna. But it seems like America was still much slower to accept the all-electronic sound.
I hate to kick a cream puff when she's down, but this episode really comes across like a Second City TV skit. I mean, things like "Vanessa's first album, titled... MY FIRST ALBUM"?!? You can't write comedy better than that.
Always loved her Italio Disco music though only recently discovered her song Dont Say A Word. I think its one of the most gorgeous sad songs, sunset girl is really amazing and Dynimate and upside down are classics. The synth work is still really AMAZING.
An excellent artist at the moment is @ALIKAMUSIC, well known in Estonia and who gained some additional exposure through Eurovision. But beyond a widespread fan base, has little popular exposure. It has always been the case that there are good music stars in many European countries who do not get the exposure that they deserve elsewhere in Europe, let alone in the USA. I cannot see that this Vanessa even broke the UK, and sadly I do think that exposure in the UK does increase the likelihood of exposure in the US. Looking at her Wikipedia page, I would have said that Vanessa was a relatively minor pop star even in the Netherlands with Upside-Down being her biggest hit.
Wow I admire Vanessa/Connie. By the way, her life approach reminds me of Donna Summer's: she also preferred living as a normal mother/housewife and became a businesswoman when her prime ended. I think they're right when you see other "has-been" celebrities that can't live without fame and attention, but are no longer popular.
As a Dutch man I can say she was famous in Holland. And I am sure in Belgium too. But I am surprised that there is a RU-vid video about her from non Dutch origin.
such a hillarious video. An american wondering why a random popstar that was relevant in a random european country for a short period in time did not make it in the us lmao
i mean are we rlly shocked that a 30 year old dutch woman who looked like a receptionist and mother of 2 did not have big success in the US record industry, an industry that’s obsessed with young popstars, with a style of music that was considered passé by then????
Ok, after watching this, I have a new appreciation for her. But she still scares me a bit. Also, Italo/Euro Disco might make a good subject for a video.
Based on what we hear of her in the video, the mystery is why she was successful in Europe. A friend of mine from the middle east was really surprised that I'd never heard of Boney M - they're superstars all over Europe and the surrounding areas. Actually, when he played it for me, I realized I'd heard a few of their songs and found them totally uninteresting. Like this chick, their music is really reminiscent of German Schlager music, which has a "fun for the whole family" kind of sound. In America, we really don't sit in pubs with our Moms and Dads and drink and all sing along to the jukebox.
For some reason I feel I have heard this song before, think early RU-vid had a lot of this old euro disco electro pop songs circulating around and thats how I came about it
I really love your videos but I did not understand correctly the point with this one. Vanessa sounds pretty generic and lame and her success was pretty limited to a couple of european countries (she did not even had any hits in Latin America like Falco or Modern Talking) and apparently influenced by the little fact of being married to a rich guy. I mean, I get the idea that the disco music did not die in Europe (And not in the US really, and in Latin America the eurodisco was huge through the 80's)... But there were a lot of better artists to exemplify the thesis. Falco would be a better topic, he was a really good musician with an interesting career.
I Feel Love , Supernature & From Here To Eternity are big hit singles which have aged well for 45 yr old pieces of pop music . Britain was pretty well saved from the Total Cheeseyness of Eurodisco though . Some of the sophisticated electronica which Yello were making from 1981 has also stood the test of time . 😁👍
Not everybody was into dark doom and gloom metal heads back then. I was both at that time. Artist Sandra from Germany was my top favorite. I find this cheesy 80's stuff more uplifting than today's crap. They're just quite unable to make it like they used to.
Far stranger things got popular in the same era she was putting her albums out. That said, there's a definite 'ABBA but a few years too late' feel to the music she made.
