2001: From Toto to techno, the surprising stories behind the hits
2001: From Toto to techno, the surprising stories behind the hits
2001: From Toto to techno, the surprising stories behind the hits
Gary Oberholzer
2001: From Toto to techno, the surprising stories behind the hits
What do an American rock band, a French electronic duo, a Hollywood legend and an Oasis superfan have in common? They all have unexpected connections to some of the biggest music of 2001 – a year when familiar sounds found new audiences, pop stars crossed paths in surprising ways, and unforgettable hits came with some extraordinary stories.
It’s the featured year on this week’s HOT Classic Countdown with Steve Bishop, taking place every Sunday from 12 to 3pm on HOT 102.7FM.
Take Roger Sanchez’s dancefloor classic Another Chance. That beautiful, yearning vocal wasn’t recorded especially for the track. It came from Toto’s 1982 ballad I Won’t Hold You Back, featuring the voice of guitarist Steve Lukather.
Sanchez discovered the record while hunting for musical inspiration, and transformed a fragment of an Eighties rock ballad into a house anthem that topped the UK charts. Two completely different generations of music, connected by a few seconds of singing.
And he wasn’t alone in finding treasure in the past.
Daft Punk’s One More Time, which appeared on their groundbreaking Discovery album in 2001, borrowed elements from More Spell on You, a 1979 disco recording by Eddie Johns.
The French duo chopped and rearranged the original’s brass sounds, giving a largely forgotten recording an extraordinary second life.
Did You Know?
Michael Jackson’s video for You Rock My World was practically a Hollywood production. The extended 13-minute film featured comedian Chris Tucker, actor Michael Madsen and legendary screen star Marlon Brando, in one of his final filmed acting appearances.
Jackson wasn’t simply making a music video – he was creating a miniature movie!
Elsewhere, Nelly Furtado was enjoying a breakthrough year with songs including Turn Off the Light. But here’s an unlikely musical connection: she was such a huge Oasis fan that she’d written a fan letter to the band years earlier. In August 2001, she finally met Noel Gallagher backstage at Scotland’s T in the Park festival. Imagine going from fan mail to sharing a festival line-up with your musical hero!
It wasn’t just the music creating memorable moments. In 2001, Wikipedia made its debut, the world’s first space tourist travelled to the International Space Station, and South Africa hosted the historic World Conference Against Racism in Durban.
Meanwhile, South African artists were writing their own chapter in the year’s musical story. Danny K’s Hurts So Bad and Garth Taylor’s Why brought homegrown voices to the airwaves, alongside Semisane’s Life, Weslee’s These Sparks Will Fly and Bright Blue’s World Turns.
There was also plenty to sing along to.
Janet Jackson’s All for You, Mary J. Blige’s Family Affair and Jennifer Lopez’s Love Don’t Cost a Thing kept the energy high, while Train’s Drops of Jupiter and U2’s Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of offered a more thoughtful soundtrack.
And in a year when George Harrison and Aaliyah were tragically lost to the music world, we were reminded how lasting a great musical legacy can be.
Twenty-five years later, these songs still stir memories. But hearing the stories behind them makes revisiting 2001 even more rewarding.
Join Steve Bishop this Sunday, 25 October, from 12 noon to 3pm on HOT 102.7FM, for 30 classics and a fascinating journey back to 2001.
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