Two raunchy pop records trade places at the top of the charts. At first glance they’re pretty similar tunes, sung by women, all about getting jiggy… But therein lies the mystery of music. What makes the Sugababes sound, to my ears, sublime, but this next #1 ridiculous?
Kiss Kiss, by Holly Valance (her 1st and only #1)
1 week, from 5th – 12th May 2002
I mean ridiculous in the best possible way, though: trashy, catchy, OTT. It also has a distinctly Middle Eastern feel, with Arabian strings and flourishes not usually found in Western pop. It had originally been released, under the title ‘Şimarık’ by Turkish star Tarkan, in 1997, before being turned into ‘Kiss Kiss’ by Greek-American singer Stella Soleil in 2001. This extended journey to becoming a British hit had left Holly Valance with pretty distinctive debut hit on her hands.
Given how love and lust has inspired so much of the pop canon, it’s mildly surprising that this is the first number one single to use the classic kissing sound as a hook. The song title doesn’t feature in the lyrics, instead it’s represented, over and over, by either a mwah or a kissing-your-granny-on-the-cheek kind of sound. It’s very camp. But as good as the Arabian strings and the kissing are, my favourite part is the break, where the strings and the kisses are chopped up and topped off with a heavily vocoded aw yeah. My biggest complaint though, is that the ending is all set up to end on a big smacker… yet doesn’t.
Holly Valance had been familiar to Brits for a few of years as Flick Scully in ‘Neighbours’. (As an avid Ramsey Street aficionado through the late-nineties and most of the noughties, it’s my personal favourite ‘Neighbours’ era.) And in the tradition of Kylie, Jason, Natalie Imbruglia and Stefan Dennis, the pop career was never far away. This record actually puts ‘Neighbours’ clear of ‘Eastenders’ as the most successful soap on the singles chart, by three (Kylie, Jason, Holly Valance) to two (Nick Berry, Martine McCutcheon). However, we could also accept Wendy Richards, who featured at #1 in 1962, albeit many years before she started playing Pauline Fowler in Albert Square, to make it a tie.
Flick may have been helped to the top of the charts by the video in which she appeared naked but for some accurately applied strip-lighting. It’s a classic ‘the nice girl you thought you knew is all grown up’ move. And, hey, sex sells. I can confirm it was quite the hot topic in the school playground at the time. In fact, the boy I was in love with, aged sixteen, was obsessed with Holly Valance. It’s taken me until today, listening to this trashy classic of its time, to make my peace with her. I’m less willing to endorse Holly’s post-pop career. Her Wiki page now lists her as singer, model, right-wing activist…
Like I said at the start, Sugababes gave us pop to stand the test of time. Holly Valance gave us pop that stands the test of its three and a half minute run-time. But both are great in their own ways. Valance also struggled to have the longevity of the Sugababes, but scored two further Top 3 hits from her debut album, ‘Kiss Kiss’ being followed by ‘Down Boy’ and ‘Naughty Girl’ (I’m noticing a theme…)
The UK Number Ones Blog 
Holly understood that sex sells. And now, sadly, seems to understand that political controversy also sells.
Gone down the Jim Corr, Right Said Fred route of ‘if I can’t still be famous for my music, then I’ll be famous for spouting guff…’
She’s one of Trump and Farage’s major cheerleaders. Her boyfriend/ husband ( not sure which) is a far right firebrand. Absolutely awful, especially when considering that the other ex Neighbours singers (Kylie, Jason, Natalie and Delta) are probably among the most liked people in showbiz. The song was crap too!
The song is crap, but enjoyable crap as far as I’m concerned. Apparently she’s split from her husband recently, so wonder if she’ll come to her senses… Maybe she’ll go far left if she thinks it’ll keep her relevant!
Yeah, this song, I heard this all the time during the 2000s. Even into the early 2010s you’d hear it. Sexy song and sexy aritist, though her politics are not so sexy.
An an Australian, I’m always surprised to be reminded how big Neighbours was in the UK. I dunno why it resonated so much in the UK especially. It’s always been there here in Australian – it was around long before I was born – so it feels part of the culture for me so I just take it for granted. I feel pretty comfortable saying it’s much bigger in the UK than it is in Australia. The UK was the only reason it kept going since like the early-2010s since Australians we long lost interest in it by then. Olympia’s half-sister also starred in the show.
Neighbours was essential viewing for me, my friend group, my family, in the mid-90s to mid-00s. Loved it. And yeah, it only survived that long because Channel 5 in the UK funded it. There’s a pretty simplistic reason for its success, same as Home and Away: sunny location, hot people, the sex god that is Dr Karl Kennedy… Pure escapism from rainy Britain.
It’s interesting because here in Australia around 2009 it was demoted to a secondary digital TV channel Channel Eleven – it was originally on Channel 10 – and most people stopped caring about the show (only when the final season happened people who grew up on Neighbours paid a bit of attention again), whereas Home and Away continued to be played – and still does play – on Channel 7 one of the major Aussie TV stations. I had no idea Home and Away was also quite popular in the UK until recently too. I can totally see the appeal of both shows though given how dreary and rainy the UK’s weather is generally, though the suburbs portrayed in Neighbours and Home and Away don’t really represent the majority of Australia anymore (hasn’t since the late-90s honestly).
The thing is, I’ve been to Melbourne… and it’s climate isn’t very different to much of the UK. But Neighbours always made it seem gloriously sunny!
It’s fine, liked the Turkish rhythms, but wouldnt call it a classic. The only Aussie Soap I watched was The Sullivans, during two years on the dole. I became gripped by the daytime TV war-time-setting soap for some reason, but I think that means I can claim vague Kylie awareness ahead of the rest of the UK 🙂
I just checked and didn’t realise she had been a child actor! Did you actually make the connection when she launched her pop career, though…?
I wish I could claim that, but no I didnt make the connection until she’d had some hits and the show got mentioned in an article (I never watched Neighbours!) 🙂