Written by Yello's Boris Blank and Dieter Meier with The Associates' Billy MacKenzie, 'The Rhythm Divine' was released in 1987 as a single by Yello with Shirley Bassey. It actually featured Billy MacKenzie on backing vocals. The song was said to have been written specially with her voice in mind.
Bassey's vocals were recorded at Yello's studio in Zurich. The song
blends the electro-pop sound of the 1980s with a classic big Bassey
ballad. It reached number 54 in the UK singles chart, number 24 in the Netherlands and number 21 in Switzerland.
My collection: 7" single no. 5418 Found: unknown Tracks: 'The rhythm divine' / 'Dr. van Steiner'
One of the gay anthems of all time was recorded by Shirley Bassey. 'La vita' was originally written in Italy by Bruno Canfora and Antonio Amurri. Shirley Bassey's version included English lyrics by Norman Newell and was called 'This is my life'.
The track first appeared in 1968 on Bassey's album of the same name. In 1979, she released the album 'The magic is you', another album featuring 'This is my life'. The track was released as a single and reached number 4 in the Dutch Top 40. It has since been adopted by gay rights activists as a statement of independence and pride.
My collection: 7" single no. 4523 Found: Any old time, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010 Cost: 0,1 euro Tracks: 'This is my life (La vita)' / 'The magic is you'
The lyric of 'The rhythm divine' was written by Billy MacKenzie, from the Associates. No wonder, then, that it stands out from Yello's repertoire as a more melodic and passionate song. The lead vocals were performed by Shirley Bassey, which made the track even more memorable.
I got the single as a birthday present from my sister in August 1987. Not long after that the cd-single became the third cd-single I ever bought.
