90s Stand Out Singles: EMF “Unbelievable” (1990)
In the early 90s my friend Meredith Dimenna told me a story of how she and Geoff Madden went to the box office of Irving Plaza in NYC to buy tickets to an EMF concert. The person working the booth informed them that the ticket price was “$20.” “$20,” Geoff replied, “for one song?”
The booth attendant laughed, cause Geoff was right.
EMF wasn’t all that good, nor are they much of a memorable band. They came and went pretty quickly. And nowadays we might think of them as a blind squirrel that found an acorn. But let’s be fair, it was a pretty cool acorn.
“Unbelievable” dropped in 1990. Its timing was impeccable as it had enough of the 80s to not seem unfamiliar and enough of what would be the 90s to seem fresh and new. If there ever was a successful venture into “alternative pop,” this might be it. Now, walking the line between cool and commercial can lead to confusion and backlash. Some people might have been predisposed not to like the song. But what played out was the fact that this well produced single with its infectious bass line and more than a few hooks temporarily won the world over.
The song climbed to the top of the UK charts in EMF’s home country and then went on to be a #1 Billboard hit in the US. The subsequent tours and lack of a follow up hit probably exposed this group…
