I've Got The Music In Me - Music

Kiki Dee Born Pauline Matthews 6 March 1947 Little Horton Bradford West Yorkshire England Is A Singer-Songwriter With A Career Spanning More Than 40 Years. She Is Best Known For Her 1976 Duet With Elton John Entitled "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" Which Went To Number 1 Both In The UK Singles Chart And The U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart. In 1993 She Performed Another Duet With Elton John For His Duets Album A Cover Version Of Cole Porter's "True Love" Which Reached #2 In The UK. Career Kiki Dee Began Singing With A Local Band In Bradford In The Early 1960s. Her Recording Career Began As A Session Singer. She Sang Backing Vocals For Dusty Springfield Among Others And Was Well-Regarded By Other Singers But Did Not Achieve Solo Success In The UK For Many Years. However Her 1965 Release "Why Don't I Run Away From You" Was A Big Hit On Radios London And Caroline In 1965 And Her 1968 Release "On A Magic Carpet Ride" Which Was Originally A B-Side Has Remained Popular With The Northern Soul Circuit. Hit Songwriter Mitch Murray Came Up With Her Stage Name And Also Penned Her First Single "Early Night". 2 In The United States She Became The First White British Artist To Be Signed By Motown 1 Releasing Her First Motown Single In 1970.
In The Days Before BBC Radio 1 Dee Was A Regular Performer Of Cover Versions On BBC Radio And She Starred With A Group Of Session Singers In The BBC Two Singalong Series One More Time. She Also Appeared In An Early Episode Of The Benny Hill Show In January 1971 Performing The Blood Sweat And Tears Hit "You've Made Me So Very Happy". Nevertheless It Was Only After She Signed With Elton John's Rocket Records That She Became A Household Name In The UK. Her First Major Solo Hits Were "Amoureuse" Written By Véronique Sanson With English Lyrics By Gary Osborne 1973 And "I've Got The Music In Me" Written By Tobias Stephen Boshell The Latter Credited To The Kiki Dee Band 1974 . In Addition To Her Burgeoning Career As A Lead Vocalist She Could Sometimes Be Heard Singing Backing Vocals On Various Elton John Recordings Such As "All The Girls Love Alice" On "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" And Various Tracks On Rock Of The Westies. Her Biggest Hit Came When She Recorded A Duet With John "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" In 1976. The Single Reached #1 In Both The UK And US Remaining At The Top For Six Weeks In The UK. After A Quiet Period In The Late 1970s Dee Launched A Comeback In 1981 Releasing One Of Her Biggest Hits "Star" - A Song Written By Doreen Chanter Of The Chanter Sisters. This Later Became The Theme Music To The BBC One Programme Opportunity Knocks Between 1987 And 1990. Also In 1981 Dee Joined Forces Again With Elton John Recording A Cover Of The Four Tops' Song "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever". Both Of These Were Included On Her Album Perfect Timing Which Became A Modest Hit On The Album Chart. In 1983 She Supplied Backing Vocals To Elton John's Album Too Low For Zero. Dee Also Sang The Song "What Can't Speak Can't Lie" 1983 Composed And Recorded By The Japanese Jazz Fusion Group Casiopea And With Lyrics By Gary Osborne. In 1985 She Performed At Live Aid Reprising "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" With John And Performing Backing Vocals On The Other Songs In His Set. Dee Has Also Appeared In Musical Theatre - Notably In The Lead Role In Willy Russell's West End Musical Blood Brothers In Which She Took On The Role Originally Played By Barbara Dickson For The 1988 Production And Recording. She Received An Olivier Award Nomination In 1989 For Her Acting Skills. In 1990 She Contributed To The Last Recording Studio Collaboration Between Alan Parsons And Eric Woolfson On The Album Freudiana Performing "You're On Your Own". In 2008 Dee's First DVD Was Released. Under The Night Sky Was A Collaboration With Guitarist Carmelo Luggeri Filmed Live At The Bray Studios In London And The Music Was Produced By Ted Carfrae. That Same Year Several Albums From Her Earlier 1970s-1980s Rocket Catalogue Were Re-Released By EMI Records Including An Expanded Edition Of Almost Naked With Extra Tracks Including A Cover Of Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold" And A New Take On "Sugar On The Floor". The Latter Song Had Previously Appeared As A Full Band Version By Dee A Piano/vocal Version With Slide Guitar From Davey Johnstone By Elton John A Bonus CD Track On Rock Of The Westies That Was The B-Side To "Island Girl" And A Jazz Version By Etta James. She Has Released 39 Singles Three EPs And Twelve Albums To Date. She Still Tours And Occasionally Makes Guest Appearances On Television In Shows Such As Never Mind The Buzzcocks. She Has Recorded With Other Artists Such As Dave Stewart And Guitarist Carmelo Luggeri. Discography Albums
1968 I'm Kiki Dee Fontana 1970 Great Expectations Motown 1973 Loving & Free Rocket 1974 I've Got The Music In Me Rocket §
1974 Patterns Philips 1974 Kiki Dee MFP/Sound Superb 1976 I've Got The Music In Me Reissue Rocket §
1976 Loving & Free Reissue Rocket 1977 Kiki Dee Rocket - #24 UK
1979 Stay With Me Rocket 1980 Kiki Dee's Greatest Hits Warwick 1981 Perfect Timing Ariola - #47 UK
1987 Angel Eyes Columbia 1991 Spotlight On Kiki Dee Greatest Hits Rocket 1994 The Very Best Of Kiki Dee Polygram TV - #62 UK
1995 Almost Naked Tickety-Boo 1998 Where Rivers Meet Tickety-Boo 2005 Love Makes The World Go Round The Motown Years Universal/Motown 2005 The Walk Of Faith Spellbound 2008 Cage The Songbird EMI § - Credited To The Kiki Dee Band Singles
1965 "Aspetta Domani" San Remo Festival Entry 1981 "Warte Bis Morgen" German Version Of "Aspetta Domani" 1971 "Love Makes The World Go Round" - Rare Earth - #87 U.S.
1973 "Amoureuse" - Rocket - #13 UK
1974 "I've Got The Music In Me" - Rocket - #19 UK #12 U.S. §
1975 "How Glad I Am" - Rocket - #32 UK #74 U.S. §
1975 "Once A Fool" - Rocket - #82 U.S.
1976 "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" - Rocket - #1 UK #1 U.S. †
1976 "Loving And Free" / "Amoureuse" - Rocket - #13 UK
1977 "First Thing In The Morning" - Rocket - #32 UK
1977 "Chicago" - Rocket - #28 UK
1981 "Star" - Ariola - #13
1981 "Perfect Timing" - Ariola - #66
1981 "Midnight Flyer"
1981 "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" †
1983 "The Loser Gets To Win"
1984 "Amoureuse" Re-Issue - #77
1986 "Another Day Comes Another Day Goes "
1987 "I Fall In Love Too Easily"
1987 "Stay Close To You"
1993 "True Love" - Rocket - #2 UK #56 U.S. †
§ - Credited To The Kiki Dee Band † - Credited To Elton John And Kiki Dee DVDs
2008 - Under The Night Sky Live - New Wave Pictures Produced By Ted Carfrae ±
± Credited As Kiki Dee And Carmelo Luggeri read less