Ever So Lonely (song)
Encyclopedia
Ever So Lonely is a single written by Steve Coe and originally recorded by Monsoon
with Sheila Chandra
on vocals. The song went on to be a #12 hit in the UK.
Monsoon’s
"Ever So Lonely" was the first “world music
” hit. It was a hit in the UK, Europe and Australia but was never released as a single in the USA. Sheila Chandra
was just 16 and she’d just left school and her first single was a massive landmark hit.
The single was originally released by Indipop Records. After they were signed to Phonogram
it was released under the label "Mobile Suit Corporation". Several different remixes were made including 3 by Monsoon, 2 by Ben Chapman, and several by Jakatta) named "So Lonely", one of which reached #8 in the UK.
Sheila became the first Asian singer to appear on the BBC TV’s longstanding chart show Top Of The Pops
. Even though Sheila wore a sari
on “Top Of The Pops” to underline how proud she was of this, many Asians refused to believe she was Asian.
Sheila nearly never made it to “Tops Of the Pops” - she was in hospital with appendicitis
the week before "Ever So Lonely" entered the Top 20.
Just before the single was released, the record company decided they wanted Sheila to change her name to “Boo”. She politely declined.
Some people thought Sheila’s name was ”Monsoon” - Sheila sang all the songs, did all the interviews and the publicity shots by herself.
Sheila Chandra was the only Asian artist to have mainstream chart success in the 1980s.
Contrary to popular belief "Ever So lonely" was never released as a single on the Indian Subcontinent.
Actually on a trip to India in 1985, Sheila discovered that the track had been pirated and included in a South Indian Telegu film called “Darling, darling, darling”. The soundtrack quality was poor.
Monsoon (band)
Monsoon was an early to mid 1980s UK progressive rock trio that consisted of singer Sheila Chandra, record producer Steve Coe, and bass guitarist Martin Smith...
with Sheila Chandra
Sheila Chandra
Sheila Chandra is an English pop singer of Indian descent.-Indian-Western pop fusion period:Sheila Chandra first came to public attention as an actress, playing Sudhamani Patel in the BBC school drama Grange Hill from 1979 to 1981.As a teenager she formed the band Monsoon with Steve Coe , and...
on vocals. The song went on to be a #12 hit in the UK.
Monsoon’s
Monsoon (band)
Monsoon was an early to mid 1980s UK progressive rock trio that consisted of singer Sheila Chandra, record producer Steve Coe, and bass guitarist Martin Smith...
"Ever So Lonely" was the first “world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
” hit. It was a hit in the UK, Europe and Australia but was never released as a single in the USA. Sheila Chandra
Sheila Chandra
Sheila Chandra is an English pop singer of Indian descent.-Indian-Western pop fusion period:Sheila Chandra first came to public attention as an actress, playing Sudhamani Patel in the BBC school drama Grange Hill from 1979 to 1981.As a teenager she formed the band Monsoon with Steve Coe , and...
was just 16 and she’d just left school and her first single was a massive landmark hit.
The single was originally released by Indipop Records. After they were signed to Phonogram
Phonogram
Phonogram may refer to:* Phonogram , a comic book by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie* Phonogram , a grapheme which represents a phoneme or a combination of phonemes...
it was released under the label "Mobile Suit Corporation". Several different remixes were made including 3 by Monsoon, 2 by Ben Chapman, and several by Jakatta) named "So Lonely", one of which reached #8 in the UK.
Sheila became the first Asian singer to appear on the BBC TV’s longstanding chart show Top Of The Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. Even though Sheila wore a sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
on “Top Of The Pops” to underline how proud she was of this, many Asians refused to believe she was Asian.
Sheila nearly never made it to “Tops Of the Pops” - she was in hospital with appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
the week before "Ever So Lonely" entered the Top 20.
Just before the single was released, the record company decided they wanted Sheila to change her name to “Boo”. She politely declined.
Some people thought Sheila’s name was ”Monsoon” - Sheila sang all the songs, did all the interviews and the publicity shots by herself.
Sheila Chandra was the only Asian artist to have mainstream chart success in the 1980s.
Contrary to popular belief "Ever So lonely" was never released as a single on the Indian Subcontinent.
Actually on a trip to India in 1985, Sheila discovered that the track had been pirated and included in a South Indian Telegu film called “Darling, darling, darling”. The soundtrack quality was poor.