Just Like Fred Astaire

Just Like Fred Astaire, the second single from the Millionaires album, was seen as potentially the biggest single on Millionaires. Saul commented “It’s huge and has an enormous amount of crossover potential as a crossover tune to a public we haven’t really had before – although we may have touched to an extent with the Best Of.”

The b-sides of the single featured three new tracks – I Defeat, Long To See and Mary – plus Goal Goal Goal, recorded in 1994 for the Gloryland official World Cup album. I Defeat, previewed on the December 1998 tour, was a duet between Tim and Sinead O’Connor. The second CD additionally featured the CD-ROM video for the single and excerpts from four tracks off the Millionaires album. Artwork was provided by Subliminal and featured a romantic old couple – plans to use Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were thwarted by Fred’s estate.

The band hired the rundown and closed West Pier at Brighton to film the video which was again to get regular rotation on MTV. The traditional Radio 1 A-listing and TFI Friday performance followed along with an excruitiatingly embarrassing performance on Weekend Watchdog.

With hindsight, choosing to release the single only a week before the album did not help the sales of the single. By the time the band appeared on Top of the Pops, the album was already in the shops. The single peaked at a disappointing number 17.

Reviews

More

A jaw-dropping ballad that, in a word, is perfect. It’ll go down as one of the band’s all-time greats.

Heat

A sparkling rock anthem that flies on a heart-warming thermal of tingly guitars. The “doctor help me, I’m lovesick” lyric trick has been done before but Tim Booth adds poetic touches of his own. Fall in love to a soaring chorus of Booth declaring “When I hold her in my arms, I feel like Fred Astaire”

Boyz 5/5

The second cut from the new James album Millionaires, is a sweeping, delicious slice of orchestral rock. Stereotypically James in style, there’s nothing new in these grooves, but it harks back to such past glories as Say Something and She’s A Star. It’s so damn beautiful and heartfelt, that only the bitterest of cynics could fail to be won over by its charms. Singer Tim Booth’s in love again, and when he holds her he feels “just like Fred Astaire” (who for the benefit of our younger pop-culturally illiterate readers, was an old Hollywood toe-tapper). Aah sweet. Here’s hoping it puts them back in the Top Ten.

Smash Hits

Every so often, ye olde Manc rockers James knock out a soar away anthem. She’s A Star was one, this is another.

The Express

Things are toned down a bit with James Just Like Fred Astaire, a beautiful old-fashioned love song-cum-ballad which sees James serve up one of the greatest songs of their career. Moving stuff.

University Of Teeside

James’ latest single ‘Just like Fred Astaire’ is by no means a let-down.  Taken from their new album ‘Millionaires’ it echoes the artistic quality of Booth, that we have all come to love.  However, for a live taste of the true charismatic vigour of James, Newcastle on the 8th December is a must, as just one of the seven dates on their UK tour.

• Goal Goal Goal :1994
• I Defeat :1999
• Just Like Fred Astaire :1999
• Long To See :1999
• Mary :1999

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• Just Like Fred Astaire