Just for You (song)

"Just for You"
Single by M People
from the album Fresco
B-side	Remixes
Released	22 September 1997
Format	12" maxi CD single, cassette
Genre	Pop/Soul
Length	4:01
Label	Deconstruction
Writer(s)	Mike Pickering, Paul Heard Heather Small
Producer	M People
M People singles chronology
"Itchycoo Park " (1995) " Just for You" (1997) "Fantasy Island" (1997)

Just for You is the fifteenth overall single from British band M People. It is the lead single single from their fourth album Fresco (1997). Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 22 September 1997. The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.

Composition

The intro to the song is led by an orchestral string movement, soon combined with a slow strummy guitar and Heather’s vocals.

"Just for You" is a love song with Heather singing about the exultations of love and the lengths that she would go to always be there; to support, to sacrifice and to guide singing the insistent refrain at the end of every line of the verses: "Just for You".

Airplay

The single was serviced to radio some weeks before the release date on Monday 11th August 1997. Radio stations all over the country were quick to play the single and it received the Highest New Entry to the chart in its first week. This was due to enormous support from nationwide stations: Capital Radio Group, BBC Radio 2, Atlantic 252 and The Galaxy Network, to name but a few. It entered the Airplay chart straight in at number 38, the highest ever new entry for any M People single.

The single made a rapid chart trajectory as more or less every pop and chart music station in the country added the single to their playlist. And the remixes, particularly the Frankie Knuckles mix were being heavily rotated on Dance Stations. In the second week, the single climbed to 29, moving to 15 to 11 and swiftly to number 4 the week before release. This then made "Just for You" the highest charting M People single before physical release. In the actual week of release, the single climbed to number 1, with in excess of 100,000 plays in one week on UK radio equalling the airplay success of their biggest selling single "Moving on Up". This was then surpassed in its second sales week after another Top 10 sales chart placing with over 150,000 plays, making "Just for You" the most successful airplay single for the band.

Radio support for the song continued despite its number 8 sales chart peak to remain atop the airplay chart for one more week with 90,000 plays far outplaying the number two single: Dario G’s Sunchyme and Will Smith’s Men in Black at number 3. It stayed in the Top ten for a further five weeks not leaving the Top 75 until the beginning of December after a total of 15 weeks on the chart.

The single became their 15th consecutive Top 40 Airplay hit and their 10th consecutive Top 10 Airplay Hit, it also became their fifth Airplay number 1.

Promotion

The video was premiered on Friday 12 September 1997 on music channel The Box (UK TV channel), a music show called Good Stuff on 23 September and Videotech on ITV on 25 September.

The band themselves first performed the song live on Chris Evans’s Channel 4 show TFI Friday on Friday 19th September and GMTV on the day of release. They also made their fourteenth promotional appearance on Top of the Pops on Friday 26th September and the video was played in full on The Chart Show the next day.

Music Video

The video was shot overnight in Los Angeles over the weekend of 24/25 August 1997. The four main members of the band featured prominently in a coolly-lit disused warehouse. In the fore, is Heather Small, sat on a blue silk draped sofa on a round stage surrounded by cables on the floor and speakers either side, singing the camera up above wearing a black nightdress. Also on the subtly-lit raised stage, is Shovell on drums, Paul Heard on guitar and Mike Pickering on bass guitar. The band are surrounded by a large orchestra playing in front of them strings and flutes adding to the relaxed tempo of the song, with silhouettes of the backing singers.

While the band and orchestra play along to the music various creatures are also present: frogs sit on various instruments, crickets climb the face of the flutist, butterflies perch on the violins and worms move through the mixing desk controls adding to the organic nature of the song.

Heather is the focus of the video and her eye contact is very much enhanced by her unwavering gaze as she sings and repositions herself on the couch. The cameras, camera men, microphone booms and lighting are all also seen as the video progresses as well as sound monitors and tape recorders are all working away.

Remixes

There were four main remixes that appeared on the single. Firstly by the legendary New York DJ Frankie Knuckles, a remix by Manchester boys Rae & Christian, London’s own premiere Producers C-Swing and Bristol’s DJ’s and Producers: Way Out West (musicians). Also included on the single are the radio edit and album versions.

Live

When performed live, the song is always performed in the second half of the band’s shows, where Heather normally dedicates this song to her son and all the children in the audience.

They never perform the album version of the song with the longer second verse, but they do extend the song by creating a "false" ending after what sounds like of the final chorus, only to launch back into the song with an exhilarating and soaring 60 second proclamation as the backing vocalists chant: "Highest mountain, reach the top. Highest mountain, never stop", and Heather belting out "People keep climbing!!"

Finally, Heather launches into a call and response: Heather - "I wanna take you..." Audience/backing vocalists - "...Higher!"

Track listings

CSS

1. Just for You (Radio Edit) 4.01
2. Just for You (Rae + Christian Remix) 6.49

12" Maxi

1. Just for You (Rae + Christian Remix) 6.49
2. Just for You (C-Swing’s Master Mix) 6.45
3. Just for You (Knuckles’ Classic Gospel Mix) 9.30
4. Just for You (Way Out West Remix) 6.14

CD Maxi

1. Just for You (Radio Edit) 4.01
2. Just for You (Rae + Christian Remix) 6.49
3. Just for You (C-Swing’s Master Mix) 6.45
4. Just for You (Knuckles’ Classic Gospel Mix) 9.30
5. Just for You (Way Out West Remix) 6.14
6. Just for You (Album Version) 6.00