electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
group
Inner City
The term inner city (also called the hood) has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Soc ...
Virgin
Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...
as the first single from their debut album, ''
Paradise
In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...
'' (1989). The song went to number one on the US ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Dance Club Play chart for one week and was the first of five releases by the band to reach the top spot. "Big Fun" also peaked at number 50 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Black Singles
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...
chart. In the United Kingom, it was a top-10 hit, peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
Critical reception
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
editor John Bush described "Big Fun" as a "surprise crossover success" in the United Kingdom.
Stuart Maconie
Stuart John Maconie (born 13 August 1961) is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of pop music and popular culture. He is a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music where, alongside Mark Radc ...
from ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' wrote, "'Big Fun' is a dream of a record. Sparse and alienated but with a heart of pure raspberry ripple. Heard under the right circumstances at around 1am you may well mistake it for the voice of God." Another ''NME'' editor, John McCready said, "
Kevin
Kevin is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; ; ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ).
The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicised from , an Irish diminutive form.''A Dictiona ...
's production, the musical input of James Pennington and the smooth vocal stylings of
Paris Grey
Inner City is an American electronic music group that formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1987. The group was originally composed of the record producer and composer Kevin Saunderson (born September 5, 1964) and the Chicago, Illinois, vocalist Paris ...
are instinctive."
Impact and legacy
''
LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...
'' listed "Big Fun" at number seven in their list of "The 20 Best Dance Music Tracks in History" in 2015, saying, "'Big Fun' was
electronic dance music
Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...
's first pop moment. But beyond its obvious commercial impact, 'Big Fun' was also a milestone in the way it mixed a catchy lead vocal and synth hook with what was essentially a
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...
backing track. Electronic dance music, for better or worse, would never again be a wholly underground phenomenon." ''
Mixmag
''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights.
History
The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was printe ...
'' ranked it as one of "The 30 Best Vocal House Anthems Ever" in 2018, stating that the song "marries
Paris Grey
Inner City is an American electronic music group that formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1987. The group was originally composed of the record producer and composer Kevin Saunderson (born September 5, 1964) and the Chicago, Illinois, vocalist Paris ...
's celebratory vocals with
Kevin Saunderson
Kevin Maurice Saunderson (born September 5, 1964) is an American electronic dance music DJ and record producer. He is famous for being a member of a trio, along with Juan Atkins and Derrick May, who came to be known as the Belleville Three, w ...
's vibrant production that's packed full of fun flourishes. One of the most surefire party-starters in the crate of any DJ."
British public service broadcaster
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
included the song in their ranking of "30 Tracks That Shaped Dance Music Over the Last 30 Years" in 2019. They wrote, "As one of house music's most infectious crossover hits 'Big Fun' was a hit for young dancers and older ravers alike. It transformed dance music from something found in club basements to a genre that could move an entire nation."
Other versions and homages
*The song was sampled (and backmasked) in “Just a Techno Groove” by
Frank De Wulf
Frank De Wulf (born 1968) is a Belgian DJ, musician and record label owner. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Belgian new beat and techno scene.
Life and career
Frank De Wulf was born in 1968 as the youngest of three sons.Terri B! on Carrillo Records. This version peaked at number one on the US dance chart.
*
Rick Astley
Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, radio DJ and podcaster. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album ''Whenever You Need Somebody'', which sol ...
's 1988 UK top 10 single " Take Me To Your Heart" was heavily inspired by "Big Fun", according to its writer and producer
Matt Aitken
Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as part of the 1980s/early-1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman.
Biography
He beg ...
, who described the track as "a homage", before adding, "You can't copyright a synth pattern."