Who Did It Better? On A Night Like This

Who Did It Better?

On A Night Like This

Sometimes an artist can get there first - being the first to record a given song - but not get to enjoy the hit. Such is the case with Today's Who Did It Better selection. In a matter of months, three versions by three separate well-established pop/dance artists would hit the market. However, only one would get the nod, be released as a single and go on to spin gold. 

On a Night Like This is a song written in 1999 by by Steve Torch, Brian Rawling, Graham Stack and Mark Taylor. It was originally created for Swedish pop/dance sensation Pandora, who had enjoyed a string of Top 40 hits in Sweden and Finland since 1993.  The song was included on her sixth  album. 1999's No Regrets, but not released as single. It seems Stack and Taylor, who also produced the track, weren't happy with the results, feeling it wasn't commercial enough, so, believing they had a hit on their hands, they looked elsewhere.

That's when they approached Parlophone, Kylie Minogue's record label at the time, with the suggestion that Minogue record a version of the song using the same backing track they'd created for Pandora. 

Anna Vissi, the bestselling Greek recording artist of all time, was putting together her next album and obtained rights to record the song, as well. It appeared on her 20th studio album, Everything I Am. The album was intended to break Vissi into western markets, which it succeeded in doing, with the track Call Me, which to the #1 spot on Billboard's Dance Club Play Chart.  

While Minogue's and Pandora's versions share the same backing track, Vissi's features a significantly different production and a new arrangement. 

On A Night Like This was released as a single by Parlophone on September11, 2000. It was the second single from  Minogue's seventh album, Light Years. It debuted at #1 in Australia and #2 in the UK. It also hit #2 in Scotland, #16 in Ireland and #35 in New Zealand. Ironically, it would also make the Top 40 in both Sweden and Finland.  

But don't feel too badly for Pandora. After a bit of a dry spell, she returned to the charts in Sweden in 2006 with a string of hits from an album titled, Celebration - a remix collaboration with United DJs. Among the tracks chosen for the project? On A Night Like This, which in it's remixed form would peak at #3 in her native country. 

And that's the whole story.

Now? On to the competition!

The Song: On A Night Like This

The Competitors: Pandora vs. Minogue vs. Vissi

On A Night Like This - Pandora

 

On A Night Like This - Kylie Minogue

On A Night Like This - Anna Vissi

Pandora

I remember dancing to this song, but the club mixes would remove 90% of the vocals, so it was not nearly as much fun. I can't say which version it was... 

This version?

A luscious Spanish-style guitar rings out beneath a loop of Pandora singing "on and on and on..." A nice scatter synth, clapping and a basic beat. All good. 

Her voice - on key - has a flat sound to it. It's where her voice hits her face, which is just below the nose, hence the flattened nasal tone. She reminds me a lot of Amber, although Amber can bring out a lightness in her sound I'm not hearing in Pandora's voice.

As we move into the chorus, that pointed sound begins to pierce. The vocals are conspicuously treated, but I have to question how this is a desired affect. 

As we move through the chorus, this is so similar to things Amber was singing in 1999, I keep thinking it is her. That Jew's Harp synth wah-wah is the center of this arrangement and, while I still enjoy it on a nostalgic level, it's wearing out its welcome fast.

Man, those vocals are overtreated. And there is no warmth to be found. I still like it. It's very driving, I merely wish the vocals had a rounder tone to them. Or maybe a bit of breath. Her sound is very strident and a bit tuneless. 

I love that they throw in a disco whistle. That is a scream. Those synths on the bridge are very Pet Shop Boys, also a nice touch. 

The similarities between this and Amber's work during that same year continues to grow. 

The drop out happens exactly where expected... and then we just coast until the end. Well, the voiceover bits are fun. 

Predictable stuff, and the hook is slight, but I like it. It contains all the elements of dance music at that time and this happens to be one of my favorite periods of dance. 

Kylie Minogue

Wow. When I learned they had her sing over the same backing track... I really didn't expect it to be exactly the same. Wow. Lazy?

Kylie's vocals are super treated, but then, they always have been. That said, she's tucked into the mix a bit too much. Lots of breathy fun. Let's see what they do with the chorus.

She's also multi-tracked like crazy. And while she pops a bit more on the chorus, she's still well-tucked in there. I don't know. I think I enjoyed how Pandora sat firmly on top of the track. And although I have issues with Pandora's tone, at least I get a sense she's a real singer. Kylie? Well... this is more of an acting job. 

Her vocals. So multi-tracked and treated, they sound like breathy mush. 

I know I accused Pandora's version of being a bit chilly, but this? This is bloodless. And a bit lifeless. I don't like the mix at all. It's muted or something?

Only on the breakdown do we get any sense that Kylie is not a sex robot. That lovely lilt and perfect pop sheen she possesses is allowed to peek through - for a single phrase. 

I like Kylie. Love some of her stuff.

This. Very disappointing. 

Anna Vissi

Oh, all that mechanical gurgling and scratching, overlaid with a a schmoozey guitar? That's a lot of clatter going on... but it's also got a bit of muscle to it. 

I actually own this CD. Target was set to try and break her into the states, so I had a copy given to me by a vendor. I played it quite a bit - Call Me was getting a lot of play at the clubs. 

This strikes me as very noisy and there's not a great deal of separation in the mix. That causes my ear to meld some of the scratchier elements in the arrangement with Vissi's voice, which is too bad because the lady has a great set of pipes. 

Weirder still? By the time we get to the second verse, I want to dance. And this is the third time I've heard this song... but now I'm feeling it. I think it's her voice. It has so much more character than the other two singers. 

Okay, they do that thing where the vocals dissolve into a Morse code like cadence and it's a bit shrill. But this whole thing has more life than the other two. More muscle. 

I've been trying to place who she reminds me of... and it's Idina Menzel. They utilize some of the same phrasing techniques. 

I don't care much for the play out. Very forced. 

The Verdict

Oh, dear. 

I thought this was going to be a slam dunk for Kylie, but... I like hers the least. It feels lifeless. It's cute. And inoffensive. But... dull. And if there's one thing a dance floor burner cannot be its dull.

Pandora's version is the cleanest of the lot and I actually don't mind her vocals. I think I'm attracted to it because it reminds me so much of Amber's work. But, it, too, strikes me as a bit on the dull side. A bit too much by the numbers, I'm afraid. Predictable. It's a great listen, but I don't want to dance to it.

Vissi's? Yes. It is noisy. It gets shrill. But it's alive. And it gets my arms reaching upward. I like the surprises. I like the shredding. And her voice has a lot of character. Is it perfect? No. I'd want to remix it and drop some of the noise from time to time. 

But for me? And I may well be wrong here...  I'm going with Vissi. 

Now... excuse me. 

I just came here to dance...

(P.S. - Check out Pandora's remix by United DJ's. It's a total winner.)

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And that's enough of me.

Okay, your turn. Leave your choice and thoughts in the comments section. You know I love to hear a differing opinion. 

That's all for now...

Until next time, thanks for reading... and listening!

On A Night Like This - Kylie Minogue

On A Night Like This - United DJs vs. Pandora

Call Me - Anna Vissi