I bought Aneka's 'Ooh shooby doo doo lang' less than two months ago, and I actually quite liked it. I also discovered back then that there's a 12" single of the song, but I was unlikely to buy it online because of the shipping costs that would be added to even the cheapest copy.
And so, I was pleasantly surprised to find a good copy at a record fair yesterday. The seller had a decent selection of 12" singles, but thanks to the Now 12" series they are now available on CD - or will be. However, this one was not included in the 1982 compilations, and so I grabbed this copy. It's a nice extended version of a nice pop song.
Aneka was very successful with her debut single 'Japanese boy', but the song saddled the single up with an image that she couldn't really shake. Her second single 'Little lady' only reached number 50 in the UK singles chart.
A third single was released in early 1982. This was 'Ooh shooby doo doo lang', which told a light-hearted tale of a singer bemoaning the fact that she has been relegated to backing vocals; the lyrics go on to mention Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder and both 'Japanese boy' and 'Little lady'. The song missed the UK chart; however in Europe it gave her a third hit. After a few more unsuccessful singles, Aneka then dropped the Aneka title and continued with the folk-singing career she had begun before her fame. She has since confirmed her retirement from music, and was last known to
be working as a part-time tour guide for the Scottish city of Stirling.
Scottish folk singer Mary Sandeman recorded the song 'Japanese boy' in 1981. Realising that the name didn't fit the song, they decided to come up with a name to put to the single. Leafing through the telephone directory, they came upon the name of Aneka. This was then released as a single and Sandeman came up with a Japanese image under which to perform the song. To their surprise, the song became a major hit when it eventually reached No. 1 in August 1981. The song went on to become a hit all over Europe and beyond, although according to Sandeman, it failed to chart in Japan itself because 'they thought it sounded too Chinese.'
The success of the single proved to be a problem however, as Sandeman was left with a dilemma of what to do as a follow-up, now that her image was so firmly associated with one song. She modified her image and kept the Aneka name, but future single releases failed to chart highly in the UK, although she did score two follow-up hits in many countries in Europe. 'Japanese boy' sold almost half a million copies in the UK, making it one of the best-selling singles of 1981, and the second-best seller by a solo female artist (behind Kim Wilde's 'Kids in America').
My collection: 7" single no. 5366 Found: unknown Cost: unknown Tracks: 'Japanese boy' / 'Ae fond kiss'
