Merril Bainbridge
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| Merril Bainbridge | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Merril Bainbridge | |
| Born | June 2, 1968 (age 38) | |
| Origin |  Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
|
| Genre(s) | Pop, alternative | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer | |
| Instrument(s) | Singing | |
| Years active | 1994—2003 | |
| Label(s) | Gotham Records, Universal Music | |
Merril Bainbridge (born June 2, 1968) is an Australian singer of pop music based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is best remembered for her 1995 hit, "Mouth", from her album The Garden (Gotham Records).
Contents |
[edit] Early career
After six years of performing in a variety of bands in Australia, and doing backup vocal work in exchange for studio time, Bainbridge began a solo career under the tutelage of producer Siew. She also worked a day job before quitting to concentrate solely on music.
[edit] Music career
[edit] The Garden: 1994-1997
In 1994 Bainbridge was signed to Ross Fraser and John Farnham's newly-formed Gotham Records label. Fraser first heard Bainbridge when he received a tape in the mail and was taken by the combination of voice and guitar. "Mouth" was Bainbridge's debut release and the first song released from her debut album The Garden by Gotham Records. "Mouth" was released in Australia on November 1994 but was lost in the Christmas shuffle. It was reissued in February 1995 where it became to be the biggest song of Bainbridge's career, peaking at number one in Australia for six consecutive weeks before becoming the fourth highest selling single in Australia for 1995. The second song released from The Garden was "Under the Water" which is a song about a lover who drowned, released in Australia in June 1995. The song was not as big as "Mouth" but was still successful peaking at number four in Australia and accrediting platinum by ARIA. The Garden was released in Australia in July 1995, were it debuted at its peak position at number five on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart and certifying two times platinum selling 140,000 copies around Australia. On October 1995 the third song off the album was released titled "Power of One" which was not as big but still charted in Australia at number twenty-one. The fourth and final song "Sleeping Dogs" was released in Australia in February 1996 and featured Bee Gees song "I Started a Joke" which was used for the bridge of the track. The song only peaked at number fifty-five in Australia.
Bainbridge signed herself to Universal Music record label in the United States by 1996. "Mouth" was released in the United States on August 20, 1996 and debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number sixty-seven. After twelve weeks, the song peaked at number four. It spent a total of thirty weeks in the charts selling 600,000 copies and earning a gold single. The album was released on September 24, 1996 and debut on the Billboard 200 at number one hundred and sixty-one and after six weeks just missing the top one hundred it peaked at its peak position of one hundred and one. "Mouth" was the only release that Bainbridge released in the United Kingdom. It was released in November 1996 but did not show great success peaking at number fifty-one and spending eight weeks in the top two hundred. "Under the Water" was released in the United States on February 18, 1997 and at first debut at number one hundred and seven on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and after two weeks it broke into the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-seven. It took the song four weeks to reach its peak position of number ninety-one and fell out of the chart from then on spending six weeks in the Hot 100.
[edit] Between the Days: 1998-1999
Bainbridge had another chance to release material and did so in 1998, with the album Between the Days. The first single released from it was "Lonely" which received wide radio airplay on FOX FM upon its release but only managed a peak at forty in Australia, number eighteen on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and number twenty-five in Japan. Later that year, she released a cover of "I Got You Babe" featuring a small contribution from Shaggy (which appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Welcome to Woop Woop), the song only reached number sixty-two in Australia. Two more songs were released from the album "Between the Days" and "Walk on Fire" but both failed to chart.
In 1999 Bainbridge participated in John Farnham's "I Can't Believe He's 50" tour with Kate Ceberano, Ross Wilson, James Reyne, Human Nature, and Nana-Zhami, she covered Farnham's tracks "Burn for You" and "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head".
[edit] 2000-present
In 2000 Bainbridge recorded a song named "Friends" for the Australian film The Magic Pudding which is featured on its soundtrack. Bainbridge attempted a comeback in 2003 with the song "Girl Next Door" and an album which was untitled but the song failed to chart and so the album got shelved. She is often mentioned in "Where Are They Now?" lists on television. She has been working backstage as a composer for other Australian pop artists.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
The Garden
|
Between the Days
|
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | Australia | United States | United Kingdom | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Mouth" | 1 | 4 | 51 | The Garden |
| 1995 | "Under the Water" | 4 | 91 | — | The Garden |
| "Power of One" | 21 | — | — | The Garden | |
| 1996 | "Sleeping Dogs" | 55 | — | — | The Garden |
| 1998 | "Lonely" | 40 | 118 | — | Between the Days |
| "I Got You Babe" (featuring Shaggy) |
62 | — | — | Between the Days | |
| "Between the Days" | — | — | — | Between the Days | |
| 1999 | "Walk on Fire" | — | — | — | Between the Days |
| 2003 | "Girl Next Door" | — | — | — | Single-only |
[edit] Miscellaneous
- "2000 Miles" (1995) — a Christmas song written by Chrissie Hynde, and recorded for the compilation The Spirit of Christmas 1995.
- "Friends" (2000) — a song from the soundtrack to the Australian animation The Magic Pudding.
[edit] Awards and recognition
| Year | Award-giving Body | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | ARIA Award | Single of the Year (Mouth) | Nominated |
| 1995 | ARIA Award | Best Female Artist (Mouth) | Nominated |
| 1995 | ARIA Award | Best New Talent (Mouth) | Nominated |
| 1995 | ARIA Award | Breakthrough Artist - Single (Mouth) | Nominated |
| 1995 | ARIA Award | Best Pop Release (Mouth) | Nominated |
| 1996 | ARIA Award | Highest Selling Album (The Garden) | Nominated |
| 1996 | ARIA Award | Highest Selling Single (Under the Water) | Nominated |
| 1996 | ARIA Award | Breakthrough Artist - Album (The Garden) | Nominated |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b "The Garden certification". ARIA. Retrieved January 4, 2007.
- ^ "The Garden - U.S. chart position". All Music Guide. Retrieved January 4, 2007.
| Merril Bainbridge |
|---|
| Studio albums |
| The Garden • Between the Days |
| Singles |
| "Mouth" • "Under the Water" • "Power of One" • "Sleeping Dogs" • "Lonely" • "I Got You Babe" • "Between the Days" • "Walk on Fire" • "Girl Next Door" |
