Mouth (song)
Encyclopedia
"Mouth" is a pop
song written by Merril Bainbridge
, and produced by Siew for Bainbridge's debut album The Garden
(1995). It was released as the album's first single in the end of November 1994 in Australia
, then was re-issued on 13 March 1995. It became her biggest hit to date peaking at number-one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart for six consecutive weeks. The song also became a Top 5 hit in the United States.
There were two music video
s for the song, both directed by one of Gotham Records founders Ross Fraser. The first video is a simple video with no plot, shot in both black and white and colour. Scenes included Bainbridge flirting with a man in a car and singing to camera wearing a black lingerie
dress with a red heart in the middle of it. This video was released in Australia. The second video is in black and white and is just Bainbridge in a car kissing a man for the whole video, looking at the camera three times. This video as well as the first, was released around the world. The first music video can be found on the special edition of The Garden
as a CD Rom.
Singles Chart at number forty-two and after just six weeks it achieved the number-one position and stayed there for six consecutive weeks. This feat gave Bainbridge the accolade of having longest running number one by an Australian female in the 90's. "Mouth" spent a total of twenty-one weeks in the charts, was the fourth highest selling single for 1995 and was accredited platinum by ARIA
. The song was nominated for five ARIA Awards
in 1995 - "Single of the Year", "Best Female Artist", "Best New Talent", "Breakthrough Artist - Single" and "Best Pop Release" but failed to win.
The song was released in the United States
on 20 August 1996 and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number sixty-seven and eventually peaked at number four. Success in the American music industry was, and still is, a relatively rare occurrence for Australian artists and the success of "Mouth" in the U.S. gave Bainbridge superstar status in her home country for a period. Ross Fraser stated that he thought she would have had more chance of success in Europe
and what happened in the U.S. came as a surprise. The song spent a total of thirty weeks in the U.S. charts and was the thirty-seventh highest selling single for 1996. It was accredited gold by RIAA
selling 600,000 copies around the U.S.. After the success of the song, Bainbridge toured the U.S. and during that tour she played at Madison Square Gardens in New York
with Sheryl Crow
. The song did not enjoy the same success in the UK, peaking at fifty-one in the charts during its eight week run in the top two hundred. The song also went top five in Japan
, Hong Kong
and the Philippines
.
U.S. CD single
The Remixes
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...
song written by Merril Bainbridge
Merril Bainbridge
Merril Bainbridge is an Australian pop music singer and songwriter. Her debut was in 1994 with the single, "Mouth", which peaked at number-one for six consecutive weeks in Australia and became a top five hit in the United States.- Early career :Bainbridge started performing when she was at the...
, and produced by Siew for Bainbridge's debut album The Garden
The Garden (Merril Bainbridge album)
The Garden is the first album by Australian singer Merril Bainbridge, released in Australia on 31 July 1995 by Gotham Records. The album has a main genre of alternative pop songs — some written by Bainbridge herself, Owen Bolwell, Stan Paulzen and Siew...
(1995). It was released as the album's first single in the end of November 1994 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, then was re-issued on 13 March 1995. It became her biggest hit to date peaking at number-one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart for six consecutive weeks. The song also became a Top 5 hit in the United States.
Content and music videos
The song, a playful and suggestive tune, was often referred to having something related to sexual themes. Bainbridge stated that "(Any sexuality on "Mouth" was) not deliberate - it was definitely not a sexual song. It's just honest - about a relationship, how you feel in a relationship. Sometimes you feel you're in control and the next thing, you're insecure - it's the role playing thing. To me, it's not about straight up sexuality. It doesn't bother me if people connect with that, because obviously it's there, but it wasn't something I was aware of".There were two music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s for the song, both directed by one of Gotham Records founders Ross Fraser. The first video is a simple video with no plot, shot in both black and white and colour. Scenes included Bainbridge flirting with a man in a car and singing to camera wearing a black lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
dress with a red heart in the middle of it. This video was released in Australia. The second video is in black and white and is just Bainbridge in a car kissing a man for the whole video, looking at the camera three times. This video as well as the first, was released around the world. The first music video can be found on the special edition of The Garden
The Garden (Merril Bainbridge album)
The Garden is the first album by Australian singer Merril Bainbridge, released in Australia on 31 July 1995 by Gotham Records. The album has a main genre of alternative pop songs — some written by Bainbridge herself, Owen Bolwell, Stan Paulzen and Siew...
as a CD Rom.
Chart performance
It was first released in Australia in 1994 but disappeared quickly due to lack of interest and airplay, becoming lost in the annual flood of releases that occur around Christmas. The song was repackaged and reissued in 1995 and with the help of airplay and more promo it became the biggest song of her career. It debuted on the Australian ARIAAustralian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
Singles Chart at number forty-two and after just six weeks it achieved the number-one position and stayed there for six consecutive weeks. This feat gave Bainbridge the accolade of having longest running number one by an Australian female in the 90's. "Mouth" spent a total of twenty-one weeks in the charts, was the fourth highest selling single for 1995 and was accredited platinum by ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
. The song was nominated for five ARIA Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
in 1995 - "Single of the Year", "Best Female Artist", "Best New Talent", "Breakthrough Artist - Single" and "Best Pop Release" but failed to win.
The song 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...
on 20 August 1996 and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number sixty-seven and eventually peaked at number four. Success in the American music industry was, and still is, a relatively rare occurrence for Australian artists and the success of "Mouth" in the U.S. gave Bainbridge superstar status in her home country for a period. Ross Fraser stated that he thought she would have had more chance of success in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and what happened in the U.S. came as a surprise. The song spent a total of thirty weeks in the U.S. charts and was the thirty-seventh highest selling single for 1996. It was accredited gold by RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
selling 600,000 copies around the U.S.. After the success of the song, Bainbridge toured the U.S. and during that tour she played at Madison Square Gardens in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
. The song did not enjoy the same success in the UK, peaking at fifty-one in the charts during its eight week run in the top two hundred. The song also went top five in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Track listing
CD single- "Mouth" — 3:27
- "Being Boring" — 3:53
- "Song for Neen" — 2:41
- "Mouth" (off the track mix) — 2:17
U.S. CD single
- "Mouth" — 3:25
- "Julie" — 3:54
The Remixes
- "Mouth" (aversion mix) — 4:03
- "Mouth" (di version mix) — 5:41
- "Mouth" (conversion mix) — 7:18
- "Mouth" (reversion mix) — 3:58
- "Mouth" (inversion mix) — 3:58
- "Mouth" — 3:25
- "Julie" — 3:54
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 17 |
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
| Canada Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
1 |
| 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 ... |
51 |
| U.S. 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... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 23 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 2 |
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
| Germany Singles Chart | 71 |
Year-End Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 4 |
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 53 |
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 42 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
21 November 1994 | Gotham Records | CD CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... |
74321-23641-2 |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
21 February 1996 | BMG Japan | CD | BVCP-8822 |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
20 August 1996 | Universal Records Universal Records Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:... |
CD | 74321431012 |
| United Kingdom 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... |
11 November 1996 | Arista Records Arista Records Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records... |
CD | 74321431012 |