Everything but the Girl
Encyclopedia
Everything but the Girl (often shortened EBTG) was a two-person English
band
, formed in Hull
during 1981, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist
Tracey Thorn
(born 26 September 1962) and guitarist, keyboardist
, and singer Ben Watt
(born 6 December 1962). They are currently inactive although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may reform someday. They have not performed publicly since 2000
Watt and Thorn are also a couple; they are very private about their relationship and personal life. It was not a publicised fact for some time that they were a couple, or that they had married subsequently. The duo have expressed a strong desire to raise their three children with as much privacy as possible.
, and both had contracted with the independent record company
, Cherry Red Records, as solo
artists
. Thorn was also a member of the trio
, Marine Girls
, and Watt contributed a photograph to the cover of their first album, Lazy Ways.
The pair each had solo album releases through Cherry Red: Thorn's 1982 LP was A Distant Shore
, an eight-track mini-album. Watt's LP was entitled North Marine Drive.
They formed a duo and adopted their name 'Everything but the Girl' from the slogan of well-known Hull shop, Turners' " Furniture, on Beverley Road
. The store had originally built a window sign that read, "for your bedroom needs, we sell everything but the girl," the last part of which was later added to the shop's main signage.
, a cover version
of Cole Porter
's "Night and Day
", was released during June 1982. After steady sales and exposure from the Pillows & Prayers
compilation album
, the single was re-issued during August 1983. Their first album was released during 1984 in the UK
as Eden
. During 1984 they also released the singles "Mine", and "Native Land" in the UK. Their first UK successful single, "Each and Every One", had a jazz
y sound, and EBTG was considered part of the jazz/popular
music style known as "sophisti-pop
" that included other British
acts like Swing Out Sister
, Sade
, Matt Bianco
, and The Style Council
, on whose Café Bleu
album they guested. EBTG and Sade both worked with record producer
Robin Millar and engineers
Ben Rogan and Mike Pela for their debut albums.
Although Eden was released in the UK, a different recording, Everything But the Girl
, was released in the United States
. The U.S. release contained about half the tracks from Eden, along with some different tracks, including "Mine" and "Native Land".
Subsequent releases underscored EBTG's versatility and range. Their 1985 album Love Not Money
included a cover version of The Pretenders
' song "Kid" (although this was not on the original UK release).
The next year they released the self-produced Baby the Stars Shine Bright
, an album of original popular music songs recorded with an orchestra
. They revealed the album's inspiration by their choices of B-sides
for its single releases: songs from Bacharach
and Jimmy Webb
on the 12"
versions (as well as a cover version of Patsy Cline
's "I Fall to Pieces
"). The first single from the album was "Come On Home", followed by "Don't Leave Me Behind".
During 1988, EBTG released Idlewild
, a collection of songs that began a trend towards "middle-of-the-road", adult-oriented contemporary music. A cover version of Danny Whitten
's "I Don't Want to Talk About It
" (previously a success by Rod Stewart
) was released as a single; it achieved a strong position in the UK Singles Chart
and was added to the latter issues of the album. Around this time, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
asked Thorn to contribute vocals to the song "Big Snake" on their final studio
album Mainstream
.
Tommy Lipuma produced the band's 1990 album The Language of Life
, which featured the single "Driving". Stan Getz
contributed a tenor sax
solo on the song "The Road". Next was Worldwide
, and its single "Old Friends" during 1991.
During 1992 they produced another successful UK single with the release of the Covers EP
The lead track was "Love Is Strange
", and the EP
featured cover versions of Bruce Springsteen
's "Tougher Than the Rest"; Cyndi Lauper
's "Time after Time
" and Elvis Costello
's "Alison
". These four tracks were included on the U.S. only album, Acoustic
. In 1993, EBTG released a cover version of Paul Simon
's "The Only Living Boy in New York
" as a single in the UK.
The duo were forced to curtail recording
and touring for a few years when Watt contracted Churg-Strauss syndrome
, an autoimmune disease (he subsequently wrote a memoir, Patient
, about his ordeal). The next work of original music was not until 1994, when EBTG released Amplified Heart
. Producer Todd Terry
remix
ed the track "Missing
", and when EBTG released the remix as a single, it became an international success. It reached the top ten around the world, including the US, where it peaked at #2 in the Billboard Hot 100
.
The success of that track, along with a collaboration Thorn had with Massive Attack
and Deep Dish
, influenced them and helped usher the band into a more electronic
sound. Having completed contractual
obligations to WEA, they were free to shop their recordings and had complete ownership of their future recorded works. They signed licensing deals with Virgin Records
for the United Kingdom and Europe, and Atlantic Records
for the United States and Canada. Their subsequent albums Walking Wounded and Temperamental, showed the band's musical progress as well as establishing Watt as a dance music
producer. Between the two albums he produced "Stars All Seem To Weep" for Beth Orton
.
The group curated compilations of their material in 2002 and 2005, but there have been no new recordings as Everything But the Girl since 1999. According to Thorn, the group is "currently mothballed". Watt played guitar and other instruments for some filmed performances of Thorn's solo material in 2010 which have appeared on YouTube.
In an April 2011 interview, Thorn was questioned about whether she would work together with Watt, and do more Everything But The Girl. Thorn responded, "Yes, we do keep saying we are nearly ready to maybe do some work together again. There are certain obstacles, some practical, some psychological, that we would need to overcome. But it may well happen."
In October 2011, Thorn released a cover version of the xx
's Night Time, on which Watt played guitar and sang backing vocals. This was their first recording together in a decade, although it was not an Everything But The Girl release.
Their most recent release is a double album
of remixes, highlighting their electronica-influenced music including a trio of newly commissioned remixes.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, formed in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
during 1981, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Tracey Thorn
Tracey Thorn
Tracey Anne Thorn is an English pop singer and songwriter. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl, which is currently on extended hiatus.-Personal life:...
(born 26 September 1962) and guitarist, keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
, and singer Ben Watt
Ben Watt
Benjamin Brian Thomas Watt is a British musician, DJ, and record producer, best known as one half of the duo, Everything but the Girl.-Family:...
(born 6 December 1962). They are currently inactive although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may reform someday. They have not performed publicly since 2000
Watt and Thorn are also a couple; they are very private about their relationship and personal life. It was not a publicised fact for some time that they were a couple, or that they had married subsequently. The duo have expressed a strong desire to raise their three children with as much privacy as possible.
Early career
When Thorn and Watt met, they were both attending the University of HullUniversity of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
, and both had contracted with the independent record company
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, Cherry Red Records, as solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. Thorn was also a member of the trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
, Marine Girls
Marine Girls
Marine Girls were a post-punk group from Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The group was formed in 1980, by two sixth form school friends: Tracey Thorn and Gina Hartman. Originally, Thorn just played guitar and Hartman was the lead vocalist and percussionist. Thorn overcame her shyness and started singing...
, and Watt contributed a photograph to the cover of their first album, Lazy Ways.
The pair each had solo album releases through Cherry Red: Thorn's 1982 LP was A Distant Shore
A Distant Shore
A Distant Shore is Tracey Thorn's first solo album, released in 1982. Recorded by Pat Bermingham for just £138, the album reached number two in the UK Indie Chart in 1983...
, an eight-track mini-album. Watt's LP was entitled North Marine Drive.
They formed a duo and adopted their name 'Everything but the Girl' from the slogan of well-known Hull shop, Turners' " Furniture, on Beverley Road
Beverley Road
Beverley Road is one of several major roads that run out of the city of Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It runs North from Hull city centre and carries the designation of A1079. Upon leaving the city boundaries, Beverley Road continues north towards the town of Beverley becoming the...
. The store had originally built a window sign that read, "for your bedroom needs, we sell everything but the girl," the last part of which was later added to the shop's main signage.
Everything but the Girl
EBTG's debut singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
's "Night and Day
Night and Day (song)
"Night and Day" is a popular song by Cole Porter. It was written for the 1932 musical play Gay Divorce. It is perhaps Porter's most popular contribution to the Great American Songbook and has been recorded by dozens of artists....
", was released during June 1982. After steady sales and exposure from the Pillows & Prayers
Pillows & Prayers
Pillows & Prayers is compilation album released Christmas 1982 featuring artists on the Cherry Red record label at the suggestion of A&R head Mike Alway...
compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, the single was re-issued during August 1983. Their first album was released during 1984 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as Eden
Eden (Everything but the Girl album)
Eden is the debut album by Everything But The Girl, released in 1984. It contains their first UK Top 30 entry, the #28 hit "Each and Every One"...
. During 1984 they also released the singles "Mine", and "Native Land" in the UK. Their first UK successful single, "Each and Every One", had a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
y sound, and EBTG was considered part of the jazz/popular
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
music style known as "sophisti-pop
Sophisti-pop
Sophisti-pop was a sub-genre of pop that flourished in the UK between the mid-1980s and early 1990s, incorporating elements of soft rock, jazz, and blue-eyed soul. The genre made extensive use of electronic keyboards, synthesizers, and polished arrangements, particularly horn sections. Acts were...
" that included other British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
acts like Swing Out Sister
Swing Out Sister
Swing Out Sister are a British "sophisti-pop" group best known worldwide for their 1986 song "Breakout". Other hits include "Surrender", "Twilight World", "Waiting Game" and a remake of "Am I the Same Girl?" Though album sales in the U.S. and Europe have levelled off since the early 1990s, the...
, Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
, Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....
, and The Style Council
The Style Council
The Style Council were an English band, formed in 1983 by the ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller, with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also...
, on whose Café Bleu
Café Bleu
Café Bleu is the official debut album released by the band The Style Council in March 1984, reaching number 2 in the UK charts. It followed the compilation Introducing The Style Council, which was released only in the Netherlands, Canada and Japan....
album they guested. EBTG and Sade both worked with record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Robin Millar and engineers
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Ben Rogan and Mike Pela for their debut albums.
Although Eden was released in the UK, a different recording, Everything But the Girl
Everything but the Girl (album)
Everything but the Girl is the first US release by the musical duo Everything but the Girl from Hull, England that was released in 1984. It contains six tracks from their UK debut, Eden, two UK singles and four alternate tracks.-Track listing:...
, was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The U.S. release contained about half the tracks from Eden, along with some different tracks, including "Mine" and "Native Land".
Subsequent releases underscored EBTG's versatility and range. Their 1985 album Love Not Money
Love Not Money
- Track listing :All tracks composed by Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt; except where indicated# "When All's Well" # "Ugly Little Dreams" # "Shoot Me Down"# "Are You Trying to Be Funny?"# "Sean" # "Ballad of the Times" # "Anytown"...
included a cover version of The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
' song "Kid" (although this was not on the original UK release).
The next year they released the self-produced Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright is the third album by Everything but the Girl, released in 1986.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt; except where indicated# "Come on Home"# "Don't Leave Me Behind"# "A Country Mile"...
, an album of original popular music songs recorded with an orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. They revealed the album's inspiration by their choices of B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
for its single releases: songs from Bacharach
Bacharach
Bacharach is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not within its bounds....
and Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He wrote numerous platinum selling classics, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park"...
on the 12"
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
versions (as well as a cover version of Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
's "I Fall to Pieces
I Fall to Pieces
"I Fall to Pieces" is a single released by Patsy Cline in 1961, and was featured on her 1961 studio album, Patsy Cline Showcase. "I Fall to Pieces" was Cline's first #1 hit on the Country charts, and her second hit single to cross over onto the Pop charts...
"). The first single from the album was "Come On Home", followed by "Don't Leave Me Behind".
During 1988, EBTG released Idlewild
Idlewild (Everything but the Girl album)
Idlewild is the fourth album by British music duo Everything but the Girl. It was released in 1988.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt; except where indicated# "I Don't Want to Talk About It"...
, a collection of songs that began a trend towards "middle-of-the-road", adult-oriented contemporary music. A cover version of Danny Whitten
Danny Whitten
Daniel Ray Whitten was an American musician and songwriter best known for his work with Neil Young and Crazy Horse, and for the song "I Don't Want To Talk About It", a hit for Rita Coolidge, Rod Stewart and Everything but the Girl.- Biography :Whitten was born on May 8, 1943, in Columbus, Georgia....
's "I Don't Want to Talk About It
I Don't Want to Talk About It
"I Don't Want to Talk About It" is the name of a song written by Danny Whitten. Whitten's band, Crazy Horse released it as a track on their 1971 eponymous album....
" (previously a success by Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
) was released as a single; it achieved a strong position in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and was added to the latter issues of the album. Around this time, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions were a British pop band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1982. Between 1984 and 1989, the band scored four Top 20 albums and five Top 40 singles in the UK...
asked Thorn to contribute vocals to the song "Big Snake" on their final studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
album Mainstream
Mainstream (Lloyd Cole album)
Mainstream is the third and final studio album released by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. It was produced by Ian Stanley and released in 1987 by Capitol Records in the US and Polydor in the UK. It conained the hits "From the Hip", "My Bag", and "Jennifer She Said"...
.
Tommy Lipuma produced the band's 1990 album The Language of Life
The Language of Life
The Language of Life is the fifth album by Everything but the Girl, released on February 20, 1990.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Ben Watt; except where indicated# "Driving"# "Get Back Together"# "Meet Me in the Morning"...
, which featured the single "Driving". Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
contributed a tenor sax
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
solo on the song "The Road". Next was Worldwide
Worldwide (Everything but the Girl album)
Worldwide is the sixth album by Everything but the Girl, released on October 1, 1991.-Track listing:# "Old Friends" # "Understanding" # "You Lift Me Up" # "Talk to Me Like the Sea" # "British Summertime"...
, and its single "Old Friends" during 1991.
During 1992 they produced another successful UK single with the release of the Covers EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
The lead track was "Love Is Strange
Love Is Strange
"Love Is Strange" was a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label.The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams. The co-writers of the song are of some dispute...
", and the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
featured cover versions of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's "Tougher Than the Rest"; Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
's "Time after Time
Time after Time (Cyndi Lauper song)
"Time After Time" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released as the second single from her album She's So Unusual. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 9, 1984, and remained there for two weeks...
" and Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
's "Alison
Alison (song)
"Alison" is the fifth track on Elvis Costello's first album, My Aim Is True, released in 1977. Because "Alison" was recorded before Elvis Costello and the Attractions formed, his backing band was Clover...
". These four tracks were included on the U.S. only album, Acoustic
Acoustic (Everything but the Girl album)
- Track listing :# "Love Is Strange" # "Tougher Than the Rest" # "Time After Time" # "Alison" # "Downtown Train" # "Driving"...
. In 1993, EBTG released a cover version of Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
's "The Only Living Boy in New York
The Only Living Boy In New York
"The Only Living Boy in New York" is a song written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon and Garfunkel. It is the eighth track from the American pop duo's fifth and final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water...
" as a single in the UK.
The duo were forced to curtail recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
and touring for a few years when Watt contracted Churg-Strauss syndrome
Churg-Strauss syndrome
Churg–Strauss syndrome is a medium and small vessel autoimmune vasculitis, leading to necrosis. It involves mainly the blood vessels of the lungs , gastrointestinal system, and peripheral nerves, but also affects the heart, skin and kidneys. It is a rare disease that is non-inheritable and...
, an autoimmune disease (he subsequently wrote a memoir, Patient
Patient (memoir)
Patient is the name of a 192-page memoir by musician Ben Watt. It was published May 1, 1997 by Penguin Books . The book dealt largely with Watt's experience with a rare disease, Churg-Strauss syndrome, and his recovery....
, about his ordeal). The next work of original music was not until 1994, when EBTG released Amplified Heart
Amplified Heart
Amplified Heart is the eighth studio album by Everything But The Girl.Primarily an acoustic-driven set, Amplified Heart brought Everything But The Girl to mainstream audiences via the dance-floor remix of "Missing"...
. Producer Todd Terry
Todd Terry
Todd N. Terry is an American DJ, producer, and remixer.-Career:Terry's productions extensively used samples blending the sounds of classic disco, the Chicago sound, and elements of hip-hop....
remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed the track "Missing
Missing (Everything but the Girl song)
"Missing" is a song written and recorded by British pop music duo Everything but the Girl. The song was released as a single from the band's 1994 album Amplified Heart...
", and when EBTG released the remix as a single, it became an international success. It reached the top ten around the world, including the US, where it peaked at #2 in the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
The success of that track, along with a collaboration Thorn had with Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
and Deep Dish
Deep Dish
Deep Dish is a duo of DJs and house-music producers consisting of Iranian-American members Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi. Based in Washington, D.C., Shirazinia and Tayebi are well known for providing house or dance remixes of tracks of famous stars such as Madonna, Cher and Gabrielle,...
, influenced them and helped usher the band into a more electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
sound. Having completed contractual
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
obligations to WEA, they were free to shop their recordings and had complete ownership of their future recorded works. They signed licensing deals with Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
for the United Kingdom and Europe, and Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
for the United States and Canada. Their subsequent albums Walking Wounded and Temperamental, showed the band's musical progress as well as establishing Watt as a dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
producer. Between the two albums he produced "Stars All Seem To Weep" for Beth Orton
Beth Orton
Beth Orton is a BRIT Award–winning English singer-songwriter, known for her 'folktronica' sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers in the mid 1990s. However, these were not Orton's first...
.
The group curated compilations of their material in 2002 and 2005, but there have been no new recordings as Everything But the Girl since 1999. According to Thorn, the group is "currently mothballed". Watt played guitar and other instruments for some filmed performances of Thorn's solo material in 2010 which have appeared on YouTube.
In an April 2011 interview, Thorn was questioned about whether she would work together with Watt, and do more Everything But The Girl. Thorn responded, "Yes, we do keep saying we are nearly ready to maybe do some work together again. There are certain obstacles, some practical, some psychological, that we would need to overcome. But it may well happen."
In October 2011, Thorn released a cover version of the xx
The xx
The xx are an English indie pop band, formed in London in 2005. The band's members met while studying at Elliott School, the same school that produced Hot Chip, Burial and Four Tet. They became a trio when their second guitarist and keyboardist, Baria Qureshi, departed in late 2009. In September...
's Night Time, on which Watt played guitar and sang backing vocals. This was their first recording together in a decade, although it was not an Everything But The Girl release.
Collaborations and other work
- ProtectionProtection (album)-Sound:Protection was featured in the top ten of Rolling Stone magazine's 'Coolest Albums of All Time List,' calling it "great music for when you're driving around a city at 4 am," due to the 'chill out' nature of the album...
(with Massive Attack) - Batman Forever Soundtrack – "The Hunter Gets Captured by the GameThe Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" is a 1966 song recorded by The Marvelettes for the Motown label, from their self-titled album released that year....
" (with Massive Attack) - Back to Mine – tracks selected by Everything But the Girl
- She's Having a BabyShe's Having a BabyShe's Having a Baby is a 1988 American romance film directed by John Hughes.The film portrays a young newlywed couple, Kristy and Jake Briggs played by Elizabeth McGovern and Kevin Bacon, who try to cope with being married and what is expected of them by their parents. Jake must also deal with the...
soundtrack - Apron Strings - In 1996, EBTG contributed to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + RioRed Hot + RioRed Hot + Rio is a compilation album produced by Paul Heck as part of the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series intended to promote AIDS awareness. This installment is a contemporary tribute to the Bossa nova sound, especially the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim...
produced by the Red Hot OrganizationRed Hot OrganizationRed Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
, performing " Corcovado" (Quiet Night of Quiet Stars). - Watt has concentrated on being a DJDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and producer/remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
er, finding success as one half of Lazy Dog with partner Jay Hannan, before going solo and launching Buzzin Fly records and The Neighborhood (a dance club). He has helped to produce two albums for Beth OrtonBeth OrtonBeth Orton is a BRIT Award–winning English singer-songwriter, known for her 'folktronica' sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers in the mid 1990s. However, these were not Orton's first...
. His latest track, "Guinea Pig", came out in 2008 and incorporated the vocals of Julia Biel. - During late spring 2005, Thorn recorded her first vocals in three years, on the song "Damage" on the album, Eat BooksEat BooksEat Books is Tiefschwarz's third album. The album was released in 2005 by Fine Records. It features many guest vocalists and collaborators including Matty Safer of The Rapture, Ed Laliq, Chikinki, Smallboy, Malte, and Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl.Wait & See was released as a...
, for the GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
band TiefschwarzTiefschwarzTiefschwarz is an electro house group comprising brothers, Alexander "Ali" and Sebastian "Basti" Schwarz, which formed in Stuttgart in 1996. Peter Hoff, who runs the Benztown studios in Stuttgart, joined later, and completed the first Tiefschwarz production team...
, for which she also wrote the lyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
and melodyMelodyA melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
. - Thorn's second full solo album, Out of the WoodsOut of the WoodsOut of the Woods is the second solo album from Everything but the Girl singer Tracey Thorn - her first since 1982's A Distant Shore - released on 5 March 2007 on Virgin Records. The album charted on the Billboard 200, peaking at #172 on 7 April 2007.The majority of the album's production was by...
was released in March 2007. Her third solo album, Love and Its OppositeLove and Its Opposite-Charts:-Opposites EP:An EP of remixes, Opposites, was released digitally on 24 August 2010. It contains three songs from Love and Its Opposite, in original and remixed forms.# "Swimming" # "Swimming"...
was released in 2010.
Their most recent release is a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
of remixes, highlighting their electronica-influenced music including a trio of newly commissioned remixes.
Discography
- EdenEden (Everything but the Girl album)Eden is the debut album by Everything But The Girl, released in 1984. It contains their first UK Top 30 entry, the #28 hit "Each and Every One"...
(1984) - Everything but the GirlEverything but the Girl (album)Everything but the Girl is the first US release by the musical duo Everything but the Girl from Hull, England that was released in 1984. It contains six tracks from their UK debut, Eden, two UK singles and four alternate tracks.-Track listing:...
(US only) (1984) - Love Not MoneyLove Not Money- Track listing :All tracks composed by Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt; except where indicated# "When All's Well" # "Ugly Little Dreams" # "Shoot Me Down"# "Are You Trying to Be Funny?"# "Sean" # "Ballad of the Times" # "Anytown"...
(1985) - Baby the Stars Shine BrightBaby the Stars Shine BrightBaby, the Stars Shine Bright is the third album by Everything but the Girl, released in 1986.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt; except where indicated# "Come on Home"# "Don't Leave Me Behind"# "A Country Mile"...
(1986) - IdlewildIdlewild (Everything but the Girl album)Idlewild is the fourth album by British music duo Everything but the Girl. It was released in 1988.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt; except where indicated# "I Don't Want to Talk About It"...
(1988) - The Language of LifeThe Language of LifeThe Language of Life is the fifth album by Everything but the Girl, released on February 20, 1990.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Ben Watt; except where indicated# "Driving"# "Get Back Together"# "Meet Me in the Morning"...
(1990) - WorldwideWorldwide (Everything but the Girl album)Worldwide is the sixth album by Everything but the Girl, released on October 1, 1991.-Track listing:# "Old Friends" # "Understanding" # "You Lift Me Up" # "Talk to Me Like the Sea" # "British Summertime"...
(1991) - AcousticAcoustic (Everything but the Girl album)- Track listing :# "Love Is Strange" # "Tougher Than the Rest" # "Time After Time" # "Alison" # "Downtown Train" # "Driving"...
(1992) - Amplified HeartAmplified HeartAmplified Heart is the eighth studio album by Everything But The Girl.Primarily an acoustic-driven set, Amplified Heart brought Everything But The Girl to mainstream audiences via the dance-floor remix of "Missing"...
(1994) - Walking WoundedWalking WoundedWalking Wounded is a 1996 album by Everything but the Girl, their ninth studio release. It is their highest charting album to date, reaching number 4 in the UK and number 37 in the U.S....
(1996) - Temperamental (1999)