Their first single, the ambient house track "Der Erdbeermund", with a spoken vocal in German by Jo van Nelsen, peaked at number 11 on the German singles chart. Versions in English and French were also released (titled "Cherry Lips" and "Les lèvres cerises", respectively). An instrumental version was also a club hit in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 55.
Shortly afterwards, Culture Beat recruited New Jersey-born rapper Jay Supreme and singer Lana Earl to front the act. While the second single "I Like You" reached number 22 in the Netherlands, their fourth single "No Deeper Meaning" managed to reach as high as number 5 in the Netherlands and number 3 on the Canadian RPM Dance Chart. They released their first album, Horizon, in 1991 which went with only minor success.
Lana was replaced by British singer Tania Evans in 1993, and the act took a harder Eurodance sound. "Mr. Vain" became their biggest hit to date, reaching number-one in 13 countries including Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom. It was also their first mainstream hit in the United States, peaking at No.17 on the Hot 100. The single was certified three times Gold in Germany for selling over 750,000 units, it also managed to reach a Gold status in several other countries including US.
Subsequent singles "Got to Get It" and "Anything" were also pan-European hits, and their second album Serenity was awarded at the ECHO award for being the Best-selling German Act Abroad, with more than two million copies sold. This also got Torsten Fenslau nominated in the same year at the Echo for being the Best Producer of the Year, who also walked away as a winner.
On November 6, 1993, Culture Beat's founder Torsten Fenslau was killed in a car accident in Messel (district of Darmstadt) at age of 29. His brother Frank Fenslau took over the act as producer and manager.
The group returned the act in 1995 with a third album called Inside Out, preceded by a single of the same title "Inside Out" which reached number 5 in Germany and number 32 in the UK.
In 1997, Frank decided to take Culture Beat in a different musical direction diverging the act from the Eurodance sound into a more commercial pop sound. He also replaced Tania with Kim Sanders, who had previously scored a hit with "Impossible" by Captain Hollywood Project. Jay Supreme remained with the act for a short time after Tania's departure, but during recording of the next album he decided to leave the group and the Rap-vocals on the next album (only a few tracks contained Rap) were produced by rapper Next Up. Although, in 1998, the album Metamorphosis managed to reach No.12 at home, it was a minor chart success as it remained in the top-20 of the album chart for only four weeks, and spent overall 10 weeks appearing on the chart.
Three years later, Jacky Sangster replaced Kim as the fourth female lead singer for Culture Beat. The single called "Insanity" was released in 2001 which flopped in Germany; however, reached No. 1 in Israel. In 2003, to commemorate ten years since the release of the group's biggest hit, a new version of "Mr. Vain" was issued in Germany and reached No.7 in the singles chart. In 2004, a Greatest Hits package was released ahead of a planned new album with Jacky as vocalist, but was canceled before "Can't Go on Like This (No No)" was released. This single had minor success as well.
In January 2013, a compilation album was released, "The Loungin' Side of", which contains acoustic and lounge versions of hits taken from Inside Out and Metamorphosis.
Official website: http://www.culture-beat.com
Blue Skies
Culture Beat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you want it enough
And I believe truth is stranger than fiction
When it comes down to love
Every picture has a story
Every man a price they say
Every cloud a silver lining
And it's gonna come and save my day
In a word I could call it thunder
In a feeling I'd call it high
It's a miracle - it's a wonder
Like blue skies
And in time I would say forever
In my heart baby it's the same
It's a feeling when we're together
Like blue skies in the rain
Beauty is in the eyes of the lover
When love's bigger than life
And you know when you belong to each other
Something tells you it's right
Every picture has a story
Every man a price they say
Every cloud a silver lining
And it's gonna come and save my day
In a word I could call it thunder
In a feeling I'd call it high
It's a miracle - it's a wonder
Like blue skies
And in time I would say forever
In my heart baby it's the same
It's a feeling when we're together
Like blue skies in the rain
I believe in you - I believe in me
I believe in blue skies I can see
There's a brighter way - gonna save the day
Gonna take away all the rain
In a word I could call it thunder
In a feeling I'd call it high
It's a miracle - it's a wonder
Like blue skies
And in time I would say forever
In my heart baby it's the same
It's a feeling when we're together
Like blue skies in the rain
The lyrics of Culture Beat's song Blue Skies convey a message of optimism, perseverance and love. The singer believes that with enough determination, anyone can overcome any challenge, even move mountains. Love, in particular, is portrayed as a powerful force that can defy logic and rationality. The singer sees the world through the eyes of a lover, where everything has a deeper meaning and a silver lining. When two people belong together, they can create their own blue skies, even when it rains.
The lyrics also emphasize the importance of belief in oneself and in others. The repetition of the phrase "I believe" in the chorus reinforces this idea of faith and confidence. The singer suggests that by believing in blue skies, by seeing the brighter way, and by taking away all the rain, one can make a difference and save the day.
Overall, Blue Skies is a song that encourages us to see the world in a positive light, to pursue our dreams, and to hold on to love no matter what. It reminds us that even when we face obstacles and challenges, there is always a way to find the silver lining and make our own sunshine.
Line by Line Meaning
I believe you can move any mountain
If you want it enough
Belief and determination can help you achieve anything, no matter how difficult it may seem.
And I believe truth is stranger than fiction
When it comes down to love
Love is often unpredictable and surprising, more so than any fictional story.
Every picture has a story
Every man a price they say
Every cloud a silver lining
And it's gonna come and save my day
Everything in life has meaning, and even difficult situations can have positive outcomes that will bring salvation.
In a word I could call it thunder
In a feeling I'd call it high
It's a miracle - it's a wonder
Like blue skies
And in time I would say forever
In my heart baby it's the same
It's a feeling when we're together
Like blue skies in the rain
Love is an intense feeling that is difficult to describe but can be compared to a thunderstorm or a high feeling, and it is a miraculous wonder that will last forever in the heart even in difficult times, like blue skies shining through the rain.
Beauty is in the eyes of the lover
When love's bigger than life
And you know when you belong to each other
Something tells you it's right
Love is subjective and unique to each individual, and when it is bigger than life, it is undeniable and instinctual, telling you that you and your partner belong together.
I believe in you - I believe in me
I believe in blue skies I can see
There's a brighter way - gonna save the day
Gonna take away all the rain
Believing in oneself and one's partner is important in love, and together, they can overcome any obstacles and bring happiness, like the blue skies that can take away all the rain.
Contributed by Jonathan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.