Eighth Wonder (band)
| Company type | Pop ensemble / Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1983 in London, England |
| Founder | Jamie Kensit, Patsy Kensit |
| Defunct | 1989 |
| Headquarters | London , England |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Eighth Wonder was a British pop ensemble established in London in 1983, originally composed of singer, model, and actress Patsy Kensit, her sibling Jamie Kensit, Steve Grantley, Geoff Beauchamp, Nigel Davis, Jake Walters, and Lawrence Lewis. The group initially found success in Japan and Italy between 1985 and 1987 before making a breakthrough in the UK and European markets in 1988 with their hit track "I'm Not Scared".
Formation and Early Development
The origins of Eighth Wonder trace back to a band named Spice. In 1983, Jamie Kensit invited his 15-year-old sister Patsy to take on lead vocals. The band’s lineup featured Patsy (vocals), Jamie Kensit and Geoff Beauchamp (guitars), Lawrence Lewis (bass), Jake Walters (drums), and Nigel Davis (percussion). Spice began performing live shows in the autumn of 1983 to garner interest from record companies.
By the end of 1984, Nigel Davis departed to start Slipstream, and keyboardist Alex Godson joined the group. The band then adopted the name Eighth Wonder, with Patsy starting to contribute songwriting. Their inaugural gig under this new identity took place in November 1984 in Wimbledon, London. Continued performances attracted industry notice; notably, film producer Stephen Woolley and director Julien Temple cast Patsy as Crepe Suzette in the 1986 musical film Absolute Beginners. Eighth Wonder also provided a song for the film’s soundtrack.
Achievements in Japan and Italy
In April 1985, Eighth Wonder secured a deal with CBS Records and commenced recording sessions in London while Patsy was filming Absolute Beginners. Their debut single "Stay With Me," released in October 1985, reached number one in Japan and climbed to number four in Italy by early 1986 but only managed number 65 on the UK singles chart. Shortly after this release, Lewis and Walters exited the band, which then relied on drum machines and keyboards for bass elements.
August 1986 saw them recording new material for their first album Fearless in Los Angeles with producer Mike Chapman, renowned for his work with Blondie. They attracted interest from prominent songwriters including Dave Stewart, whose composition was ultimately unused, as well as successful writers Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly.
The Chapman-produced single "Will You Remember," released in February 1987, peaked at number 83 in the UK but secured a Top 10 position in Italy following their notable appearance at the Sanremo Music Festival. In Japan, they achieved another chart-topper with "When The Phone Stops Ringing," penned by Holly Knight and Bernie Taupin, which also entered the Top 30 in Italy. "Will You Remember" later enjoyed success upon its release in Japan, accompanied by Brilliant Dreams, a mini-album exclusive to the Japanese market featuring singles and B-sides.
Breakthrough in the UK
During the album’s production phase, drummer Alex Godson was replaced by Steve Grantley. Production duties were mainly handled by Pete Hammond except for "I'm Not Scared," co-produced and composed by the Pet Shop Boys alongside Phil Harding. Released across Europe, this single achieved significant success: number one in Italy; Top 10 placements throughout Europe; and reaching number seven on UK charts. The Pet Shop Boys subsequently recorded their own version for the album Introspective.
Following up in May 1988 was "Cross My Heart," which attained number six in Switzerland, number ten in Italy, number thirteen both in the UK and France, and number fifty-six on US charts — marking the band's sole Top 75 hit stateside.
Their album Fearless launched in July 1988 and had sold close to half a million copies worldwide by October.
The next single "Baby Baby" reached number sixty-five on UK charts and number thirteen in Italy — marking their last chart entry there. In 1989 they scored one final hit in Japan with "Use Me" before disbanding as Kensit turned her attention toward marriage and an acting career. Additionally, Hong Kong artist Elvina Kong produced a Cantonese cover of "Baby Baby" in 1988.
Studio albums
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Rankings | Sales Figures | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | FIN | GER | IT | JPN | SPA | SWE | SWI | |||
| Brilliant Dreams |
|
— | — | — | — | 11 | — | — | — |
|
| Fearless |
|
47 | 15 | 31 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 40 | 19 |
|
| "—" indicates albums that either did not enter the charts or were not issued in that region. | ||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Compilation Title | Release Details |
|---|---|
| The Best Remixes |
|
| The Remix Anthology |
|
Singles
| Single Title | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions Achieved | Sales Numbers | Associated Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
AUS |
FIN |
FRA |
GER |
IT |
JPN |
SPA |
SWI |
US | ||||
| "Stay with Me" | 1985 | 65 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 30 | — | — | — |
|
Brilliant Dreams |
| "Having It All" (Japan-exclusive release) | 1986 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 88 | — | — | — |
| |
| "When the Phone Stops Ringing" | 1987 | "106" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "17" | "24" | "—" | "—" | "—" |
|
Brilliant Dreams / Fearless |
| "Will You Remember" | "83" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "9" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |||
| "I'm Not Scared" | 1988 | "7" | "—" | "4" | "8" | "5" | "1" | "100" | "2" | "2" | "—" |
|
Fearless |
| "Cross My Heart" | "13" | "116" | "3" | "13" | "17" | "10" | "—" | "2" | "6" | "56" | |||
| "Baby Baby" | "65" | "113" | "20" | "—" | "—" | "7" | "—" | "10" | "—" | "84" | |||
| colspan=14 style=font-size:8pt;"—" signifies singles that did not chart or were not launched in that market. | |||||||||||||
External links
- [Biography at Allmusic.com]
- [Artist profile on Discogs]
- [IMDb artist page]