FEATURE:
Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure
Shampoo - Trouble
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I am focusing on a song…
that might have been considered a guilty pleasure in the 1990s more than it is now. I do not believe any song can be a guilty pleasure, though there are those that people write off or feel embarrassed about liking. I am including Shampoo’s Trouble, as it was a song that receive some hate when it came out in 1994. I have also seen the song on a couple of guilty pleasure song lists. Shampoo were a British duo, formed by Jacqueline Blake and Caroline Askew. Maybe, as Trouble came out in 1994, it was at a time where Britpop ruled. I think 1994 is the best year for music. I associate it with a whole range of sounds and magnificent albums. Perhaps Trouble was a song that didn’t fit in - or that it was seen as a novelty. Although 1994’s We Are Shampoo was an album that did not shoot up the charts, I think it is one that people should check out. Before moving on, it is worth discovering more about the release and reception of Trouble:
“The US promotional campaign for Shampoo, which centred on the single "Trouble", was described by Billboard as a massive effort. In addition to releasing the song as a promotion single for the Power Rangers film, 15,000 promotional cassettes of "Trouble" were given away at Wet Seal stores, as were coupons for the full album, and a video-reel containing music videos for "Trouble" and Shampoo's other singles, "Delicious" and "Viva La Megababes" was made, with the hopes of finding in-store play at over 200 music retail outlets.
Tom Demalon from AllMusic said that within seconds of hearing the track "most listeners will either be gleefully giggling along with the girls or scrambling for the stop button." While reviewing the Jawbreaker soundtrack, Doug Stone from Allmusic spoke favourably of the track, and Jonathan Bernstein from Spin described it as Shampoo's version of "No Sleep till Brooklyn", stating the song catapulted them to success, particularly in Japan.Billboard stated the song was just as goofy as the Power Rangers film it was supporting, and that it would probably only be of interest to children and top 40 radio as a novelty. Music & Media wrote, "Please meet Jacqui & Carrie. Headmasters beware of these schoolgirl versions of Polly Styrene (X-Ray Specs) and exTransvision Vamp Wendy James provoking with punky bubble gum pop." Robbert Tilli compared their style to the likes of Bananarama, Transvision Vamp and Fuzzbox. Alan Jones from Music Week said, "Taking their cue from the B52's, circa Love Shack, Shampoo are not one of the most original bands around, but they are good fun. Sure to score”.
If there was some discrimination and negative waves aimed at Shampoo and Trouble, the years since have seen the song cast in a slightly different light. I think that it has plenty of attitude and pop! It is not a novelty hit by any means. The performance is incredibly strong and, if you read the lyrics, they are very strong and funny. I especially like this passage: “We tried to drive a car but we soon realised/We got on the road/None of us could drive!/A police car came along and they took us for a ride/And when we get home/We're gonna get, gonna get, gonna get fried!”.
There was so much powerful and timeless Pop created during the 1990s. I feel Trouble is one of the anthems from the decade. It is definitely not a guilty pleasure or song that anyone should avoid! Reading this article from The Forty-Five, and I always assumed that Shampoo and groups like the Spice Girls arrived at the same time. Shampoo were there first. Although there was some very cool and great Pop in 1994 (and the earlier years of the ‘90s), maybe things improved in the second half of the decade. Influencing modern-day artists like Charli XCX, Shampoo warrant new inspection. This is what The Forty-Five wrote:
“Looking like a band long before they’d ever actually become one, it made total sense for the duo to start their own musical project. They claimed that Shampoo was so named after their excuse for turning down dates – because they were busy washing their hair, of course. Their debut single arrived in 1993, a clattering punk-pop trio of songs – ‘Blisters and Bruises’ backed by ‘Paydirt’ and ‘I Love Little Pussy’ – which slipped under the radar in the wake of the tougher riot grrrl sounds emanating out of Brighton’s Huggy Bear and London’s Mambo Taxi.
A rethink was needed but a year later Jacqui and Carrie returned with the glossy genius of ‘Trouble’. A perfect pop song, it was a flashy and brash Roy Lichtenstein painting come to life, all primary colours and giddy excitement delivered by two knowing blonde women in immaculate outfits. It landed them a Number 11 chart placement and the pair duly appeared on Top of the Pops, stood in front of a neon sign bearing their bubblegum pink logo. There were no dance routines and no choreographed cutesiness, but rather power stances, indoor sunglasses and ruby red lipstick that looked like a threat rather than a come-on. In fact, Shampoo had more in common with the likes of Liam Gallagher than they did any other girl groups of the era. The timing was perfect; Oasis had made their Top of the Pops debut a couple of weeks earlier and Shampoo’s nonchalant sass was the perfect pop response to Liam’s confrontational approach.
“In the summer of 1994, ‘Trouble’ was impossible to escape. When I was let loose in Tammy Girl one memorable afternoon, I was allowed to buy an outfit that I thought made me seem as if I was an auxiliary third member of Shampoo; a pair of tartan trousers and a crop top emblazoned with the words ‘This Bitch Bites Back’ that I’m pretty sure my mum only let me wear around the house. It was enough for me, I was now cool. I got the CD of their debut album, ‘We Are Shampoo’, for my birthday and was delighted to discover that ‘Trouble’ wasn’t their only incredible song. There was a raggedy cover of East 17’s ‘House of Love’, a surprisingly melodic ode to throwing up a kebab in the back of a cab and a banger about Gameboys. A quarter of a century later and I still wish I was in Shampoo. Now, where did I put those tartan trousers…”.
I want to spend a bit of time with a song that gained some unfair attack in 1994. Not only is Trouble an underrated song; I think that it is one of the best of the 1990s. It sounds infectious and irresistible all these years later! Maybe we do not quite have anything like Shampoo today, though there are Pop acts that have the same spirit and verve. If you are someone who has not heard the song or feel that it is a bit cringey, then give it another listen and it will definitely…
WIN you round.