bittersweet b-side

It's not often a b-side captures my attention. Sometimes they are clearly a throwaway in order to fill up space on a single. But some acts take great care to ensure their bonus tracks are high quality recordings. ABBA and Pet Shop Boys immediately come to mind. Many of their b-sides are worthy of a-side status.

So, it came to my surprise that Sophie Ellis-Bextor installed an amazing, non-album b-side on "Bittersweet", her recently released single. "Sophia Loren" originally began life in a commercial for Rimmel. I know. I giggled like a 12 year old, too.

Here's the original make-up advert.



Could SEB be MORE gorgeous? That angular jawline could cut glass.

Here's "Sophia Loren" in it's full b-side beauty. Camp lyrics with a zippy, synthy undercarriage. Love it!



The song was written by powerhouse pop songsmith, Cathy Dennis. You can even hear he singing the backing vocal parts throughout. This really bodes well for her forthcoming longplayer.

However, the chart position for the single might prove otherwise. "Bittersweet" debuted at #25 and then crashed out of the chart. There's sure to be murder on the dancefloor! Hardy har har.