Taking a look back at all the big movements of the UK charts of 25 years ago, this is The Story of Pop: 1998. This week: one of the 90s’ most iconic indie anthems get a third stab at chart glory…
- Artist: James
- Song: Sit Down
- Released: 19/06/1989 (Original) / 18/03/1991 (Reissue) / 09/11/1998 (’98 Remix)
- Writers / Producers: Tim Booth / Jim Glennie / Larry Gott / Gavan Whelan / Gil Norton
- Highest UK Chart Position: #77 (1989) / #2 (1991) / #7 (1998)
- Weeks on Chart: 21 (Combined from all releases)
There are some songs so woven into the fabric of the public consciousness – and which are so synonymous with the artist behind them – it is hard to know where to start. Particularly if said song is one of the defining tracks of the genre where the 90s is concerned.
But it may surprise you to learn that the story of the best known song of Manchester indie rock band James actually started life back in the previous decade. Formed in 1982 in Whalley Range, and releasing their debut album Stutter in 1986, they had had a troubled road to their eventual success that beckoned.
After parting company from Sire Records following their second album, and a self financed live album, it was somewhat appropriate that their third studio album, 1990’s Gold Mother, was when they finally struck gold. It had already produced a handful of top 40 hits for the band – amongst them, “Come Home” and “How Was It For You”.
But then came the decision for them to re-record and release “Sit Down”, an eight minute version of which had previously been released through Rough Trade Records two years previously in 1989, and which had narrowly inched into the bottom of the top 100.
Written for the most part by the band’s lead singer, Tim Booth, in a 2004 interview he said: “”Sit Down” is about me feeling so alone in my 20s and reading books by a writer called Doris Lessing which made me realise I wasn’t. It was about being awake at 4am and having no-one to talk to.”
With its call to arms feel and reassuring lyrics, it was little surprise that on reactivation, “Sit Down” scorched it’s way into the charts at #2 in the spring of 1991. Added to a reissued version of the Gold Mother album, it eventually sold over 100,000 copies, and immediately widened their already loyal fanbase and reputation as one of the country’s greatest live bands.
Cut forward to 1998, and James were arguably riding the crest of a wave; their record label Fontana had elected to put out the band’s first retrospective. The Best Of James was released at the end of March that year, and went straight to the top of the charts, giving the band their first ever UK number one album.
The two new songs recorded for the album, “Destiny Calling” and “Runaground” had both been top 30 hits, and by the end of the year, it had been inside the top 40 of the album chart for over six months. And as the last quarter of the year drew near, it was decided to reactivate “Sit Down” once more.
Called in for remix duties for “Sit Down ’98” were Apollo 440, the Liverpudlian electronic dance group, who had enjoyed success with “Krupa” and “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Dub”, and had hit the top 10 themselves that year with their reworked take on the theme to the big screen version of cult 60s TV favourite Lost In Space.
Their remix was an almost stomping, glam rock take on proceedings. Fortunately, for those who saw the remix as sacrilege, it was at the least accompanied by the original version of “Sit Down” as one of the B-Sides to the single.
As a result, “Sit Down ’98” zoomed back to the top 10 once more in November 1998, peaking at #7, meaning it is one of a few select songs in UK chart history to have been a top 10 hit on more than one occasion.
And it did the trick on ensuring The Best Of James was a steady seller and ultimately one of 1998’s biggest selling albums, being certified 3 x Platinum for sales of over 900,000 copies. Not that it needs any introduction, but if you don’t already know of James and “Sit Down”, now might be the time to discover them.
Don’t forget to follow our brand new playlist on Spotify – updated weekly so you never miss a song from the story of pop in 1998. And you can leave your memories of the songs below in the comments, Tweet us or message us on Instagram, using the hashtag #StoryofPop1998.
The Niche Reference 