Ep 55: We Should Be Dancing to Use It Up And Wear It Out

A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman

Her time at PWL might not have yielded any hits, but the short-lived pop career of Japanese singer Kakko is the stuff of legend. We take a deep dive into the story behind her debut single, "We Should Be Dancing”, hearing from PWL’s David Howells and Nicki L’Amy Brée about how the aspiring performer learnt the ropes at the label before being sent into the studio with both Mike Stock and Matt Aitken, and Phil Harding and Ian Curnow, all of whom also recall the project. After an aborted first attempt with a song called "Stop The Clock”, Stock and Aitken settled on “We Should Be Dancing”, which is one of the most polarising SAW singles of all time. While Kakko didn’t trouble the UK chart, the latest releases from Big Fun, Sonia and Pat & Mick kept the Hit Factory in the top 40, although not always at positions the artists had become accustomed to. As musical trends changed dramatically in 1990, we hear from engineer Peter Day about SAW’s latest trick to keep their tracks club-friendly: the ubiquitous “woo! yeah!” sample, which featured on both Big Fun’s “Handful Of Promises” and “Counting Every Minute” by Sonia. Pat Sharp and Mick Brown also join us again to reflect on the unexpected achievements of their remake of “Use It Up And Wear It Out”.

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