Wonderland Burlesque's Down The Rabbit Hole: The Eyes Of Don Johnson

Wonderland Burlesque's 

Down The Rabbit Hole: 

The Eyes Of Don Johnson

 
Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.

Today, we take a look at the short-lived pop group Twenty One and their lone release, The Eyes Of Don Johnson. What a guilty little pleasure!

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I'm always fascinated by these little bubbles of pop music that have previously escaped my attention. I stumbled on this one quite by accident. 

Twenty One was a  band formed in the Netherlands in early 1987, featuring members Lyane Hegemann, Safak (Shafa), and Pedük, Ewa. Their sole recording was The Eyes Of Don Johnson. The song was written and produced by T. Hendrik and K. Hartmann (K. van Haaren), producers and writers for numerous German releases from 1976-2000, primarily for  the Ariola and Coconut labels.

In 1987, this Italo-disco song was recorded at Ariola Studios, and released on the Coconut label in Germany as a 12" and in Europe as a 7". To promote the single, Twenty One made at least two appearances on German television programs. 

The single was created and released, no doubt, in the hope of taking advantage of the popularity of the American television program Miami Vice, starring Don Johnson and Phillip Michael-Thomas and girl groups, such as Bananarama. 

The Eyes Of Don Johnson - Twenty-One

The Eyes Of Don Johnson - Twenty-One

dieSpielbude

1987

Well, obviously they made a conscious decision to forego group choreography from time to time and simply said, "just dance around, girls"! That's what appears to be happening in the promo vid. But by the time they are being filmed behind a venetian blind (?) for television, they seem to have their act quite together. Also, by then, they seemed to have decided to become flight attendants for some reason. It's very confusing; from the waist up, flight attendants, from the waist down, pineapple adorned pajamas. Costume budget crisis, perhaps? Or maybe they couldn't decide which direction to go, so went with a little of each?

Also, if you notice, there's a difference between the television program appearances and the promotional video. For the television programs, the taller of the three is assigned the lead, which seems a shame, because the blonde girl with the curls strikes me as a bit more bubbly in the promo video. The brunette is spot on, too, I'd say. The tall blonde on the other hand? Not their strongest performer, but fine and a type members of the opposite sex are sure to respond to. Also: symmetry!

The song owes a bit to Kim Wilde's version of The Supremes' You Keep Me Hanging On, which is especially noticeable on the fade out of the regular version (there is also a 'Miami Vice Dub' mix).. Perhaps that is why the single wasn't hyped more stateside, because it certainly is catchy and timely. 

And... that's all I could find out about this one. If you have an inkling - like did this chart? - please leave your info in the comments section. I'm curious what happened to the girls. Lyane Hegemann (the statuesque blonde) went on to release a series of singles starting in 1990 all the way to 2023 - but I have no idea if she actually had any hit power. Know something? Drop it in the comments section.

I think it's a shame this never made it stateside. It was timely, cute, and had enough of a hook where it would have gotten some attention. With a bit of splicing and a decent mix, it could have been at least a minor hit at the very least. 

As I said, I just love this kind of stuff. So, you can expect to more of the same, down here, in the rabbit hole.