Storms gather, thunderclouds ripen, droplets fall like one of those ‘soft noise for sleep’ playlists… B*Witched are getting moody.
Blame It on the Weatherman, by B*Witched (their 4th and final #1)
1 week, from 21st – 28th March 1999
Before we get stuck into the meat of this next number one, can I ponder for a second what the most used non-musical sound effect is in pop music? I’m sure it must either be rainfall or revving motorbikes, but any other suggestions are welcome. The storms here are soon replaced by an acoustic guitar, and not for the first time I’m getting an unexpected Beatles flashback from a B*Witched number one. This time it’s ‘In My Life’ buried within the opening chords…
In fact this whole song is a game of spot-the-influences. The verses remind me of other late-90s indie-pop acts like Tin Tin Out and Catatonia, and most of all Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’. Then the new-age, Enya touches from ‘To You I Belong’ return for the chorus… The rain goes on, On and on again… Meanwhile the bad-weather-as-metaphor-for-heartbreak is a trope as old as pop music, from ‘Raining in My Heart’ to ‘Rhythm of the Rain’.
Since the ridiculous ‘C’est la Vie’, B*Witched have matured with each successive single, to the point that I’ve been quite impressed with how much I’ve enjoyed it when they’ve popped up in recent weeks. I’d still rank ‘Rollercoaster’ as my favourite, but this has some nice harmonies in the choruses and the middle-eight.
‘Blame It on the Weatherman’ was the group’s fourth consecutive #1 single, matching the Spice Girls’ achievement from a couple of years earlier. (In fact they bettered that record by having all four singles enter at the top; ‘Wannabe’ having climbed to its peak.) It would be their last though, as none of the singles from their second album came close. It’s interesting, actually, how quickly the B*Witched bubble burst. If we fast-forward exactly a year, in March 2000 we’d find ‘Jump Down’ struggling to a #16 peak.
They split in 2002, after being dropped by Sony despite having a third album in the works. More recently they have reformed and toured with other ‘90s pop acts (including recent chart-toppers 911), and have even tentatively released some new material, that hasn’t come close to troubling the charts. All a long way from the late-nineties, when B*Witched at the height of their powers were scoring four #1s across barely nine months. All together now: what were they like?
PS. I’m adding this in a couple of days after publishing, but I’ve just realised that when this record knocked Boyzone from the top it was probably the first and only time that two siblings have replaced one another at number one (Boyzone’s Shane Lynch and B*Witched’s Edele and Keavy Lynch). Let me know of any others!
The UK Number Ones Blog 
I’d quite forgotten about this one. Being reminded of their stellar run of four No. 1s before their sudden fade into oblivion makes me think that they might have had a longer chart history if only they’d been guided rather better and given a chance to mature. If those records were no more than here today gone tomorrow pop disposables, they were probably better than anybody else’s from the fag-end of the 90s. The fact that they’ve got back together again – even if their recent songs have been nothing special – suggests that given stronger material, more proactive management and promotion, they might have stayed the course. But I don’t think anybody would put money on them making a comeback a quarter of a century later somehow…
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Yes, the drop off was swift and sudden, and I’m not sure why. Though I can remember none of the singles from their 2nd album, despite being a big pop music follower at the time, which might be the reason… I have enjoyed their #1s more than I though I would (‘C’est La Vie’ excepted, which we can agree to disagree on!) but in each one I can hear little bits that they’re borrowing from other acts
I really liked this group, man. I had their first couple songs that came on my monthly DJ music service way back when. This one is unfamiliar, but I like it!
This is my least favourite of their 4 chart-toppers, but I do think it’s a good song. Actually, relistening to it, this is a very good song, though it ends a bit too quickly for me. Feels like the song was just getting into gear. Again, every music video, they look completely different. Almost unrecognisable from their first music video. Wow, “In My Life” is my favourite Beatles song yet I didn’t recognise the opening chords are very similar. A big problem with B*Witched is that despite having catchy tunes, the group just didn’t have the personality or charisma to sustain a long career. I’ve seen their interviews and they come off as nice girls – well, back then, they’re much older than me – but they don’t have that A-factor you need to be icons. Good looks and catchy songs can only get you so far. Just ask Katy Perry. It’s also pretty hard to pin this group down musically. But I am shocked how quickly the bubble burst.
I don’t know why I keep hearing Beatlesy bits in BWitched’s number ones… I’m not looking for them!
Maybe the girls were just too nice, compared to the charismatic Spice Girls or the cool, sassy All Saints? And maybe they were aimed too much at the sort of pre-teen kids who outgrow things very quickly, i.e. in the space of a year or two…
Godawful tripe. The absolute bottom common denominator of late 90s/early 2000’s ‘push-button’ so-called music. Emetic.
Havent heard this in decades, though I did remember it as being a relatively laid-back ballad. It’s quite pleasant but fairly forgettable, and I can’t support blaming the messenger of ill-tidings 🙂