"Number One" is a song by Italian singer Alexia, released as the third single from her debut album, ''

Fan Club A fans club is an organized group of fans, generally of a celebrity. Most fans clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to support them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the p ...

'' (1997). Co-written by Alexia, it was her third successive top 5 hit on the Italian singles chart. Also in both Finland and Spain, it peaked within the top 5. A set of Spanish versions were released, although these were not specifically for the Spanish market.

Releases and formats

The song was released in Italy on CD and 12" (coded DWA 96.06), with releases in other European countries following. Once again the German edition would be released by ZYX, the Spanish release by

Blanco Y Negro Blanco y Negro Records (Spanish: "White and Black"), a subsidiary of WEA Records Ltd., was established in 1983 by Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records and Mike Alway of él Records. Michel Duval of Les Disques du Crépuscule was also involved ...

, the French release by Panic (a subsidiary of

Polygram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be ...

, the Finnish release by K-Tel and the Brazilian release by Spotlight. A full set of releases were commissioned for Europe by

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, once again on their Dancepool label; a Maxi CD, 2 track CD and 12" release (Sony code 663995). Two remix releases followed; the 'Happy Remix and Spanish versions' remix release and a second release entitled 'remix'. All the tracks across these two vinyl releases were later released on one CD. This would be Alexia's second American release, once again through Popular Records in 1997, with " Me and You" being added on the releases. The American promotional 12" contained a new remix of "Me and You", though it was mistakenly labelled the 'Extended Euromix'.

Chart performance

"Number One" went on to become an international hit on the charts in Europe. It reached number two in Finland, and was a top 5 hit also in Italy and Spain, peaking at number three and four. In Italy, it stayed within the singles chart for a total of nine weeks. Additionally, the single was a top 40 hit in Flemish Belgium and France. On the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, it climbed to number 60 in December 1996, as its highest position on that chart.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

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'' wrote that "import enthusiasts are already big fans of this fast-paced

Italo-disco Italo disco (variously capitalized, and sometimes hyphenated as Italo-disco) is a music genre which originated in Italy in the late 1970s and was mainly produced in the early 1980s. Italo disco evolved from the then-current underground dance, p ...

ditty. Alexia is a charming ingénue with the potential for great things, as evidenced in a performance that has more natural flair and earthy grit than is normally found on records like these. Producer Robyx surrounds her with a strobing dance beat and fluttering

flamenco guitar A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar but with thinner tops and less internal bracing. It usually has nylon strings, like the classical guitar, but it generally possesses a livelier, more gritty sound compared to the cl ...

s, à la No Mercy's " Where Do You Go". One of several festive, hit-worthy jams on Alexia's forthcoming debut album, ''

Fun Club ''Fun Club'' is the debut release by British punk rock band Gnarwolves. Released as a double EP on Tangled Talk Records, it features five original tracks, as well as four cover songs from Green Day, AFI, Black Flag and Converge Converge may re ...

''." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' described the song as "vocal dreamhouse by Italo producer Robyx. In the Club Short Mix, the usual piano is replaced by an acoustic guitar which gives the song that lucky holiday feeling."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for "Number One" was directed by Italian director Alessandra Pescetta. It first aired in January 1997.

Track listing

* 7" single, Germany #"Number One" (Radio Mix) — 3:47 #"Number One" (Club Short Mix) — 3:42 * 12" single, Italy #"Number One" (Euro Mix) — 7:49 #"Number One" (Galaxy Mix) — 8:30 #"Number One" (Club Mix) — 7:02 #"Number One" (Acapella) — 3:42 * CD single, Italy #"Number One" (Radio Mix) — 3:47 #"Number One" (Club Short Mix) — 3:42 * CD maxi, Europe #"Number One" (Radio Mix) — 3:47 #"Number One" (Club Short Mix) — 3:42 #"Number One" (Euro Mix) — 7:49 #"Number One" (Club Mix) — 7:02 #"Number One" (Galaxy Mix) — 8:30 #"Number One" (Acappella) — 3:42

Charts

References

{{Alexia 1996 singles 1996 songs Alexia (Italian singer) songs English-language Italian songs Eurodance songs Songs written by Roberto Zanetti Songs written by Alexia (Italian singer)