"Good Tradition"
Single by Tanita Tikaram
from the album Ancient Heart
A-side"Good Tradition"
B-side"Valentine Heart (Demo Version), Poor Cow, Cathedral Song"
Released1988
Recorded1988
GenreFolk rock
Length2:52
LabelWEA
Songwriter(s)Tanita Tikaram
Producer(s)Peter Van Hooke, Rod Argent
Tanita Tikaram singles chronology
"Good Tradition"
(1988)		 "Twist in My Sobriety"
(1988)

"Good Tradition" is a song, written and originally recorded by British pop/folk singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, released as the first single from her debut album, Ancient Heart (1988). When it was released, it went largely unnoticed and attracted little media attention. The song therefore did not get much airplay, but weeks after its release, the single started climbing up the charts and finally reached #10 at the UK Singles Chart in August 1988.[1]

Background

To celebrate, WEA records released a limited edition design by Tikaram in which she tells the brief story of the song, the song's success on the charts, and thanks everyone that supported the song. In the design Tikaram notes each Sunday week ending date from the first week of single release, alongside its position on the UK Singles Chart for that week in question. The positions noted by Tikaram are 149-163-80-67-36-23-15-10, all up to the point the single made the top 10.[2]

At the time of compiling the charts, Gallup only had around 3,000 record stores connected to their EPOS (electronic point of sale) system and estimated the rest of the country's shops on an average basis compared to sales in those registered. Tikaram did indeed enter the UK Top 40 singles chart at #36 as broadcast on 31 July 1988 by Bruno Brookes on BBC Radio 1's Live Chart Countdown and on BBC1's live broadcast of Top of The Pops on 4 August 1988.

In recent years, the Official Charts Company have revised historical charts due to more precise data and record sales being available. "Good Tradition" now shows as entering at #39. The rest of its chart run has been unaffected.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "An up-tempo country-tinged number by this 'exciting new-comer. Her voice is strong, full of personality and has the same sort of deadpan quality as Chrissie Hynde."[3]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Good Tradition" features Tikaram playing in front of judges at an audition, following on from an unsuccessful auditionee. At first shy, Tikaram strikes a couple of notes and the song begins and, as it develops, the judges (including one played by Anthony Head) and the crew from the theatre start dancing to the tune. At the end Tikaram is shown smiling.

Charts

Chart (1988–1989) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4] 142
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[5] 39
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 46
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 4
UK Singles (OCC)[1] 10

Cover versions

With lyrics in Swedish by Keith Almgren, the song was covered by Kikki Danielsson & Roosarna on the 1990 album På lugnare vatten as I god tradition ("In good tradition").[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Official Charts > Tanita Tikaram". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  2. ↑ "The Story of Good Tradition (as told by Tanita Tikaram)". c2i.net. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 July 1988. p. 11. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Response from ARIA re: Tanita Tikaram ARIA singles chart history, received 19 September 2017". Imgur.com. Retrieved 19 September 2017. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the single's peak on the national chart.
  5. ↑ "Ultratop Vlaanderen > Zoeken naar: Tanita Tikaram (songs)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for Tanita Tikaram (from irishcharts.ie)". Imgur.com (original source published by Fireball Media). Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  7. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl > Tanita Tikaram in Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "swedishcharts.com > Tanita Tikaram in Swedish Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  9. ↑ "På lugnare vatten" (in Swedish). Swedish mediadatabse. 1988. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
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