Rescue Me (Bell, Book & Candle song)

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"Rescue Me"
Single by Bell, Book & Candle
from the album Read My Sign
B-side"Rhapsody in Blue"
Released9 June 1997
Genre
Length
  • 3:24 (Radio Edit)
  • 4:04 (Album Version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Andy Birr
  • Hendrick Röder
Producer(s)
  • Bernd Wendlandt
  • Ingo Politz
Bell, Book & Candle singles chronology
"Rescue Me"
(1997) 		"Read My Sign"
(1998)
Music video
"Rescue Me" on YouTube

"Rescue Me" is a song recorded by German band Bell, Book & Candle, released in June 1997 by Arista, BMG and Logic Records as the first single from their first studio album, Read My Sign (1998). The song is written by Andy Birr and Hendrick Röder, and produced by Bernd Wendlandt and Ingo Politz. It is sung by Jana Gross and was an international hit, peaking at number two in Austria, number three in Germany and Spain, number six in Switzerland and number eight in Sweden. "Rescue Me" was awarded platinum status in both Germany and Austria, and gold status in Sweden and Spain.

Critical reception[edit]

AllMusic editor Tom Demalon described the song as a "Celtic-tinged march", noting further that the lyrics "are long on affairs of the heart and Gross' delivery manages to give them mileage when they become trite."[1] Chuck Taylor from Billboard viewed it as a "pure delight" and a "full-bodied anthemic midtempo number, which at times is as reminiscent of new age vocalist Enya as it is of rockers the Cranberries." He remarked that the melody is "simply enchanting and instantly accessible without crossing too far into pure pop territory. Given the right care and a serious marketing campaign from Blackbird".[2] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "After a slow start, this Berlin trio's epic rock ballad has taken off in a big way—but it was touch and go for a while." A reviewer from New Straits Times complimented the song as "refreshing and expressive".[3] Music Week named it Single of the Week, noting its top 10 success in Austria, Spain, Switzerland and Germany. The reviewer added, "This single comes across sounding a little like one of the Cranberries' poppier tunes, and should do reasonably well on local radio over here [in the UK]."[4]

One of the first programmers to feature the song was Bernhard Hiller, head of music at CHR station 104.6 RTL in Berlin. He recalled, "We started playing "Rescue Me" because they're a local band and we thought it would suit our format. But our research showed that it wasn't going down well with our audience. At first we couldn't believe it, but by the time it should have been all but dead, it started to take off in a big way." Hiller suggested that the fact that the band and the station cooperated on promotional activities on the record may have played a major role in its eventual success. He stated that "Now it's one of our very best-testing records."[5]

Music video[edit]

A music video was produced to promote the single. It begins with a little boy, running across a grainfield to an old house. There he finds a ship model in the attic and blows the dust off it. It appears as if the band is performing inside the ship itself. Every time the boy moves it, the room where the band stands starts to rock. And as the boy puts the ship on a tub of water and splashes with the water, it makes the band performing with water splashing to all sides.

Track listing[edit]

  • CD single, Europe
  1. "Rescue Me" (Radio Version) — 3:23
  2. "Rescue Me" (Unplugged) — 3:24
  • CD single, UK & Europe
  1. "Rescue Me" (Radio Edit) — 3:24
  2. "Rescue Me" (Unplugged) — 3:24
  3. "Rhapsody in Blue" — 3:03
  • CD maxi, Germany
  1. "Rescue Me" (Radio Edit) — 3:24
  2. "Rescue Me" (Unplugged) — 3:24
  3. "Rescue Me" (Album Version" — 4:04
  4. "Rhapsody in Blue" — 3:03
  • Cassette single, UK & Europe
  1. "Rescue Me" (Radio Edit) — 3:24
  2. "Rhapsody in Blue" — 3:03

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Demalon, Tom. "Bell Book & Candle - Read My Sign". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  2. ^ Taylor, Chuck (19 December 1998). "Single Reviews: New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. p. 21. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  3. ^ "The Iglesias of R&B/Sou". New Straits Times. 23 May 1998. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Single reviews — Single of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. 25 April 1998. p. 24. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. 29 November 1997. p. 20. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Bell Book & Candle – Rescue Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 6 December 1997. p. 12. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  8. ^ "Bell Book & Candle – Rescue Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Major Market Airplay - Week 51/1997" (PDF). Music & Media. 20 December 1997. p. 27. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. 28 March 1998. p. 15. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Bell Book & Candle – Rescue Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Bell Book & Candle – Rescue Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  15. ^ "1997 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 27 December 1997. p. 7. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
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