She once sang “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now”, and it didn’t in the 80’s, but what happened and where is Sam Fox these days?
You will remember Sam Fox for two things(!) her music career and…erm…something else that she did to earn a few pennies! But we here at talkaboutpopmusic.com are just here to…talk about Sam’s pop music. It’s easy to underestimate Sam’s music career compared with her massive…erm…career, but she achieved huge sales across the world, particularly in America where she made the top ten THREE times and also charted three times on the album chart!
Samantha Karen Fox was born in London in 1966 and began her career as a model at the age of 16 in 1983. But it was in 1986 that she crossed over into the music scene, signing to Jive Records and releasing her debut single “Touch Me (I Want Your Body)” that topped the charts in eight countries worldwide and made the top ten in a further nine including the US (No.4) and at home in the UK, where it peaked at No.3 and became one of the year’s biggest sellers globally.
She followed this up with “Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me)” which did pretty much the same worldwide, becoming her second consecutive number one in Sweden and reaching the top ten in the UK, Finland, Germany, Norway and Switzerland. It fared less well in the US where it stalled at No.87.
Sam released her debut album “Touch Me” in the Summer of 1986 and it quickly shot up the charts around the world peaking at No.17 in the UK, No.24 in the US and top ten all across Europe, as well as charting high in Australia and Canada (No.5). Two further singles were released from the album, “Hold On Tight” (UK No.26) and “I’m All You Need” (UK No.41).
In 1987 Sam went to work with the rising hitmaking team of Stock Aitken and Waterman at their Hit Factory Studios in London and recorded “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now”. Topping the chart in Finland (her second number one there) and making the top ten in fourteen countries worldwide, classified it as another huge hit, although it could only get as far as No.80 in America, nobody was undually concerned as the song shifted tons of copies the rest of the world.
Sam returned to the same hitmaking team of her first album for its follow up “I Surrender (To The Spirit Of The Night)” that Summer which reached No.25 in the UK and made the top ten in Finland and Switzerland. Both tracks preceded her second, self-titled studio album that arrived later that month. The album would chart at No.22 in the UK and No.51 in The States but performed much better once again across Europe, where it reached the top ten in Finland, Norway and Switzerland.
Three more singles were lifted from the album, “I Promise You (Get Ready)”, “True Devotion” and “Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)”, which reignited her career in America when it peaked at No.3 there in 1988, eclipsing her debut single one place higher! It made No.31 in the UK and charted top ten in Canada, New Zealand and Finland.
Sam retired from modelling in 1987 to concentrate on her music career and in 1988 returned with her third studio album “I Wanna Have Some Fun”, from which the title track gave Sam her third US top ten hit single when it peaked at No.8 at the end of the year. She released the song “Love House” in the Autumn of 1988 in the UK which reached No.32 as well as the top ten in The Netherlands and Finland.
The album made No.37 in the US, somewhat higher than its predecessor and No.46 in the UK. She reunited with Stock Aitken and Waterman for her version of Dusty Springfield’s “I Only Want To Be With You”, re-titled “I Only Wanna Be With You” which was released in early 1989. It made No.16 in the UK and No.31 in the US and charted top ten across Europe, becoming her last hit of the 1980’s.
To many critics and industry moguls, Sam has surprised everyone with her success, but although she was one of the biggest selling British acts of the late 1980’s, the 1990’s would not be so kind. Her fourth studio album “Just One Night” was released in 1991 and included the cringe-worthy single “(Hurt Me! Hurt Me!) But The Pants Stay On” , together with “Another Woman (Too Many People)”, “Spirit Of America” and the title track. Perhaps unsurprisingly, neither the album nor any of the singles did particularly well. In fact they all flopped completely!
By 1992, Sam had been releasing records for six years and it was time to reflect on the many highs and hits that had been achieved. Her “Greatest Hits” album of that year contained seventeen tracks, twelve of which had been chart hits the world over! Although sales were now non-existent, Sam continued to record and release both singles and albums throughout the remainder of the 90’s achieving one more UK top 40 hit in 1998 with DJ Milano on their version of Croatian singer Tatjana’s 1995 song “Santa Maria”, which just made it to No.40. Fox’s version reached No.31!
In 2010 she teamed up with former Italian model Sabrina to perform the song “Call Me”, which reached No.4 in Sabrina‘s home country, her first top ten hit there for twenty years and Sam’s first for twenty three!
But…
Sam is making a return this year! She has just released her brand new song “Hot Boy“, and it’s available to hear online, digitally NOW!
Welcome back Sam!
Stay in touch with Sam through her WEBSITE and her FACEBOOK page
Talk About Pop Music 