Yet MORE boyband balladry…
You Needed Me, by Boyzone (their 6th and final #1)
1 week, from 16th – 23rd May 1999
Following on from our last post, if I’d wanted an example of how drippy late-nineties boybands from the British Isles were compared to their American counterparts, then I couldn’t have planned it better. Straight after Backstreet Boys’ era-straddling classic ‘I Want It That Way’ comes Ronan and the lads’ final, and perhaps most insipid, number one.
‘You Needed Me’ was originally a Billboard #1 in 1978 for Canadian singer Anne Murray (it made #22 in the UK). If you ever want to listen to ‘You Needed Me’, then listen to her version. And you should want to listen to it, as in its original form it’s a nice slice of Carpenters-esque, late-seventies soft rock. There are no circumstances under which you should ever need to listen to the Boyzone cover instead, unless you find yourself writing a blog in which you force yourself to listen to every single number one single…
Ronan Keating takes lead vocals (of course he does), and he goes through his full repertoire of grunts, growls, and rasps, as if well aware that this is Boyzone’s last hurrah. And it’s not that he and his bandmates completely ruin the song. It’s more that nothing here is an improvement on the original: not the vocals, not the karaoke reverb ‘n’ tinkles production, not the extra backing singers chucked in at the end. My favourite bit of both versions, and which I’m happy Boyzone kept, exaggerated even, is the overstated ending.
I say that this is Boyzone’s most insipid number one but it of course has competition. ‘No Matter What’ is their best by far, ‘A Different Beat’ at least had some interesting, world music elements, while we were simply glad that their cover of ‘When the Going Gets Tough’ was NOT A BALLAD! Maybe then ‘You Needed Me’ can tie with their cover of ‘Words’, and ‘All That I Need’ as their dullest. The video to this one, though, is worth noting as it features lots of different couples in lots of different picture frames, at least two of whom appear to be same-sex, which feels very progressive for the time. It was probably tied to the fact that Stephen Gately had just come out as gay.
Many didn’t expect ‘You Needed Me’ to make number one, as it was up against Geri Halliwell’s highly anticipated solo debut ‘Look at Me’. Boyzone, though, edged the race by a narrow 748 copies, which many put down to the fact that they released two different CD versions compared to Geri’s one. Ginger Spice would have her day at the top of the charts, but was made to wait a few months longer than she might have wanted.
Boyzone meanwhile had one final Top 10 hit after this before calling it a day for the best part of a decade. We will of course hear Groanin’ Ronan’s unmistakeable tones again at the top of the charts, as he was quick to launch a successful solo career. Stephen Gately and Mikey Thomas also tried it alone, with less success, while Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch had a go as a duo. They reformed in 2008, returned briefly to the Top 10, and have released several albums in the years since. Gately tragically died from a heart condition in 2009, aged just thirty-three.
The UK Number Ones Blog 
Geri’s ‘Bag It Up’ did make it to the top spot the following year – it was her debut single ‘Look at Me’ that was kept from the summit by Boyzone.
Ah, thanks for pointing that out. I always get those two songs mixed up in my head. I’ve changed it now.
Their usual turgid rhymes with flight, HOWEVER… the single had a fantastic club remix that makes me still hum it now and again even to this day. It was an epic banger for the bars when I was a young gayling at the time, and having just checked it out on YT, it would still make me wear a too-tight top and terpsichore on a podium now.
Probably the least likely candidate for a club remix… Do you mean the Jewel and Stone remix? I’ve just checked it out and yup that’s… something!
OMG yes Jewel & Stones!! I’d forgotten all about them remixing chart hits of the time. Thank you so much for invoking mega nostalgia binge 🤗🤗
Wow, I know it’s Boyzone and we shouldn’t expect anything from Ireland’s runner-up boy band, but this is a truly huge step-down from the previous chart-topper. But then again, I doubt many songs would’ve been able to live up to “I Want It That Way”. Don’t have much to say since it’s just a typical Boyzone ballad. I dunno whether Ronan Keating is beating me into submission, but his vocals don’t irritate me like they used to anymore. I still things he enucinates and inflexes his words weridly – he’s enucinating like a post-grunge rocker while doing a pop-soul impression.
I can’t believe I’m missing Take That. Ah well, at least they make a comeback with some damn good pop songs (are they one of the few acts who’s post-comeback outside it better than their original era)
I’m not convinced that Take That were much better post-comeback. They cameback very strong, but after a couple of albums settled into pretty MOR stuff.
As for Groanin Ronan, luckily for you while Boyzone’s run might be up, there’s still plenty of solo Keating to come.
On the one hand I was glad that the song found a new audience, as it had topped my charts in early ’79 for the fab Anne Murray, beloved of Family Guy’s Stewie and Brian. It was only ever a minor UK hit, sadly, and even her iconic Snowbird wasn’t a big hit here. Bit of a fan here, stuff like Danny’s Song and Son Of A Rotten Gambler, among many classy ballads, should have become well-known, but haven’t. However…
Ronan covering any singer is always going to do a song no favours, he just isn’t that good, and always lacks in comparison. Give him a full-production on a great pop tune, though, and it’s another thing entirely. This indeed falls into the bland-drivel bucket head-first, but it’s still a great song underneath. Stephen Gately would have done a much better job, he could hit the notes and charm vocally.
Again…decent ballad…I’ll give them that. Man…this is like boyband hell that you can’t get out of!
Yes, three boybands in a row. This one can’t compete with the original, though.
I agree…I agee with that most of the time….one exception would probably be Badfinger’s original Without You compared to Harry Nilsson’s cover.