Thursday 4 June 2009

Tracey Ullman 'My Guy's Mad At Me'

Chart Peak: 23

YouTube

Her fourth single, released on 20 February. The previous three were all Top 10 smash hits.

Ah well, some of them you don't guess right. I suppose that's the risk of trying to be up to the minute.

It probably doesn't need to be pointed out that 'My Guy's Mad At Me' [or just 'My Guy' on the label] is a cover version of 'My Girl' by her labelmates Madness. The original had been a Top 3 hit less than four years earlier, and maybe that's one reason this version underperformed. The big problem, though, is that this interpretation just doesn't have the same effect as 'They Don't Know' did. 'My Girl' as sung by Suggs (or Mike Barson) is a song of surprising, and surprised vulnerability. It's a cocky young man realising that he has feelings after all; the line where "now she says I'm weak" is obviously meant to be be a real body-blow to him.

Ullman tries to turn the song into some sort of 'Leader Of The Pack'-style camp. But it doesn't quite pay off because they haven't gone all the way over the top with it. I do wonder how this track would have sounded to somebody who'd never heard (of?) the original version, but that's something I can't test.

Also appearing on: Now 1
Available on: The Best of Tracey Ullman

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