Wake Up Boo!

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"Wake Up Boo!"
Single by the Boo Radleys
from the album Wake Up!
Released27 February 1995 (1995-02-27)[1]
StudioRockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales
GenreBritpop[2]
Length3:37
LabelCreation
Songwriter(s)Martin Carr
Producer(s)The Boo Radleys
The Boo Radleys singles chronology
"Lazarus (re-release)"
(1994) 		"Wake Up Boo!"
(1995) 		"Find the Answer Within"
(1995)
Music video
"Wake Up Boo!" on YouTube

"Wake Up Boo!" is a song recorded by British indie band the Boo Radleys for their fourth album, Wake Up! (1995). Released in February 1995 by Creation Records, it was by far their biggest hit both in the UK and internationally. The track is an upbeat guitar-pop song about the change from summer to autumn, contrasting the narrator's optimism ("Wake up, it's a beautiful morning") with his companion's pessimism ("You have to put the death in everything"). Part of the song was used as a jingle by Chris Evans for his BBC Radio 1 breakfast show in the mid nineties.

Composition and recording[edit]

According to Martin Carr, he spent a year working on the song's music. He described the lyrics of the song as being "about staying up all night".[3] In a 2021 interview, Sice said that "Wake Up Boo!" was "about grabbing the last of summer while you can", and described it as a reflection of Carr's personality: "He can be very up and ebullient – 'Wake up, it’s a beautiful morning' – and then he can have that drop: 'You have to put the death in everything'". The band first recorded the song at Real World Studios in a heavier, more downbeat arrangement, which Tim Brown described as "a bit underwhelming". After pressure from Creation Records, they re-recorded it at Rockfield Studios, where they were inspired to use a Motown beat after listening to a Style Council b-side. They also recruited Tom Jones' brass section to play on the track.[4]

Versions[edit]

On the album version of the song, the "Wake up, it's a beautiful morning" refrain is performed as an a cappella round as a prelude to the main track; this is absent from the single edit, which is otherwise identical. The second CD single and 12" feature a version called "Wake Up Boo!: Music for Astronauts" which has three distinct segued sections: the standard radio edit in full, followed by a version of the a cappella round, and finally a mostly instrumental electronic dance track reprising musical elements of the main song. It was this "Music for Astronauts" version which later featured on the group's self-selected "best of" compilation, Find the Way Out, along with the B-side, "Blues for George Michael". The basic single version has never appeared on a Boo Radleys album (their other greatest hits collection Best of The Boo Radleys contains the album version) though it has appeared on many various artist collections.

Critical reception[edit]

In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton said, "All of a sudden the bunch of Liverpudlians have turned on the magic and released what has to be the best single of the year so far, and then some. Quite simply it is the perfect piece of exuberent pop, an exquisite pastiche of the Liverpool beat bands that inspired a whole generation before them, complete with Beatlesque harmonies and a melody that could have been lifted from every Monkees record ever made."[5] Caitlin Moran from Melody Maker named it Single of the Week, praising it as "the First Pop Moment of 1995, and it's horny and glorious and confident". She added, "This is so obviously going to be a Huge Hit you can practically hear the traffic news coming up over the fade-out."[6]

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "If you're young in the UK you either make dance or '60s-inspired pop. In the latter category the uncrowned champions the Boo Radleys deserve an equal share of the media attention as Oasis."[7] Music Week gave it five out of five, naming it Single of the Week. The reviewer also described it as "a Wham!-style upbeat, summer song", adding that "it's a song to make you smile".[8] Dele Fadele from NME felt the "cool slices of whimsy don't come any slicker than this: "Wake Up Boo!" is both an anti-slacking song and a tune that laments the passing of the seasons. With Motown beats, sprightly horns, Mamas and Papas harmonies and a positive — ie, non-depressing — lyric, The Boo Radleys are at one with nature, offering you a near-perfect lump of sugar. Go on, try some."[9] Jonathan Bernstein from Spin found that on the "horn-drenched" track, "they're capable of forging a foot-stomper as exuberant" as Haircut 100's "Fantastic Day".[10]

Music video[edit]

The promotional music video for "Wake Up Boo!" was filmed at Battersea Power Station.[citation needed]

Track listings[edit]

CD One

All tracks are written by Martin Carr

No.TitleLength
1."Wake Up Boo!"3:09
2."Janus"3:08
3."Blues For George Michael"8:49
4."Friendship Song"5:26
Total length:20:32

CD Two

All tracks are written by Martin Carr

No.TitleLength
1."Wake Up Boo!: Music For Astronauts"8:55
2."...And Tomorrow The World"4:37
3."The History Of Creation Parts 17 & 36"4:37

12-inch

All tracks are written by Martin Carr

No.TitleLength
1."Wake Up Boo!: Music For Astronauts"8:55
2."Janus"3:08
3."Blues For George Michael"8:49

Credits and personnel[edit]

  • Martin Carr – writing, backing vocals, guitar, keyboards,
  • Sice – lead vocals
  • Tim Brown – bass, piano, keyboards
  • Rob Cieka – drums
  • The Boo Radleys – production
  • Andy Wilkinson – engineering
  • Stephen A. Wood – cover art

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 25 February 1995. p. 43. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  2. ^ Glen, Anna; Rabid, Jack (1998). "The Boo Radleys". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 143.
  3. ^ Alexander, Michael (31 August 2018). "Why Martin Carr of The Boo Radleys is too 'embarrassed' to perform the band's most famous track in Fife". thecourier.co.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  4. ^ Simpson, Dave (13 September 2021). "'It seemed to capture a wave': How the Boo Radleys made Wake Up Boo!". theguardian.com. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  5. ^ Masterton, James (5 March 1995). "Week Ending March 11th 1995". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  6. ^ Moran, Caitlin (11 February 1995). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 32. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  7. ^ "New Releases > Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 25 March 1995. p. 9. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Reviews > Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 18 February 1995. p. 26. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  9. ^ Fadele, Dele (11 February 1995). "Singles". NME. p. 44. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  10. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (December 1995). "Heavy Rotation". Spin. p. 30. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 12. 25 March 1995. p. 15. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  12. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  13. ^ "The Boo Radleys – Wake Up Boo!" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (29.4. '95 – 5.5. '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 29 April 1995. p. 26. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Wake Up Boo'". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  17. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Árslistinn 1995". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1996. p. 25. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  19. ^ "British single certifications – Boo Radleys – Wake Up Boo". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
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