Music Monday #6: Everytime We Touch by Cascada

Raising the tone from the sombre note where the last post in this series left off, in contrast 'Everytime We Touch' by Cascada released in 2007 marks a return to cheesy music, Eurodance at its peak and really the first proper taste of Electronic music in this list.  Natalie Horler is the lead singer in Cascada and to me still reigns as the Queen of Eurodance, with Manuel Reuter [DJ Manian], and Yann Peifer [Yanou] by her side unchallenged.  The closest contemporary in terms of Eurodance I'd say was Jonas Attberg better known as Basshunter but even he plays second fiddle to the Cascada's dominance.

Eurodance is often assumed to simply be EDM - Electronic Dance Music - but Eurodance is a specific genre of music which although hard to define is instantly recognisable to those who follow it.  The title track of the album is 'Everytime We Touch' which for a time was ubiquitous in the gay bars and clubs that I frequented.  2007 was my second year of University, a time when I got pretty messed up in more ways than one.  Almost every track on the album reminds me of that time but the title track in particular serves as quite a literal reminder of what I went through, when I fell for a guy who I had a whirlwind romance with that left me dazed and confused; the lyrics of the song read "Everytime we touch I get this feeling, And everytime we kiss I swear I could fly, can't you feel my heart beat fast I want this to last, need you by my side" - word for word this is what I felt in his presence and even now despite the fact it ended well over a decade I still smile when I think of him and I've reached a point where I can look at how badly I feel for him and laugh about it because what else can you do.

Eurodance has always been a very upbeat genre and Cascada in particular created music that was high energy and uplifting, despite the emotions the song taps into it still makes me happy and it's still a go-to when I need a pick-me-up.  'How Do You Do', 'Bad Boy', and 'Miracle' hold special places in my heart too but 'Wouldn't It Be Good' is the track I find myself singing the most, itself a cover of the original by Nik Kershaw.  Wouldn't It Be Good is a track that I sing, I hum, and I find slipping into my mind every now and then, both the Cascada version and the original.  Nik Kershaw himself serves as another artist I quite like although I struggled to pick an album filled with tracks I liked, his music is more of a pick and mix for me, with 'The Riddle' serving as my personal favourite.

Cascada also holds a special place in my heart because they are a group that have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest.  Cascada represented Germany with the song 'Glorious' which Natalie performed in Malmö, Sweden at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest; Emmelie de Forest however won the contest with 'Only Teardrops' representing Denmark.  Eurovision is something of an obsession for me, I have watched it ever since I was a child and Eurodance often features in the contest but only a few winners have actually had Eurodance hits, most winners tend to be pop artists or the pursue some gimmick that wins votes, or if you're the UK you send someone no-one has ever heard of and then act confused as to why nobody votes for them - yes you're sensing bitterness, Eurovision is one of those things that divides opinion in the UK, you either love it or you hate it and the people who hate it constantly argue that we shouldn't take part in it despite the fact the same people seem perfectly happy to take part in the World Cup something the UK hasn't won since 1966, whereas Eurovision the UK has actually won 5 times - Ireland has won it 7 times and holds the record, just putting that out there as someone born in Northern Ireland and therefore a dual national of Ireland and the UK technically acts representing me have won 12 times so that's a nice feeling.

Cascada despite performing in Eurovision did not become famous because of it, as their fame preceded participation however they follow in the footsteps of some pretty big artists who have performed in the contest the most notable for me personally being Celine Dion, who won in 1988 representing Switzerland - who coincidentally beat the UK entry by a single point.  Celine Dion remains one of my favourite artists of all time, and the fact she won in the year I was born also makes me smile.