Martika - C/D, POO, S&D, etc.

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Toy Soldiers is on the radio right now. When I was about 9 I owned a lot of her singles and also her Martika's Kitchen album, which I loved because it was called Martika's Kitchen, but also because I thought it was really great at the time.

I still think very highly of More Than You Know, Love... Thy Will Be Done, Coloured Kisses, If You're Tarzan I'm Jane, among others, but I've not really heard many of them for a while. Who/what/where/when/why/how?

― Alex in Rotherham (Alex in Doncaster), Friday, 23 May 2003 08:45 (twenty-two years ago)

she was hot - i've never heard 'If You're Tarzan I'm Jane' tho, sounds hilarious - 'Toy Soldiers' and 'Martika's Kitchen' (written by Prince if i'm not mistaken) are the picks

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 23 May 2003 08:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Martika's Kitchen. That was the first CD I owned!

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 23 May 2003 09:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Erm, she was on TOTP2 last night. The announcer said something to the effect of, "a great song, from a very strange girl". Was she strange?

― marianna, Friday, 23 May 2003 09:39 (twenty-two years ago)

more "kooky" I think.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 23 May 2003 09:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Toy Soldiers was great. Never bought any albums, though. Just had the cassette single.

Was she the one who started on the tv show Kids Incorporated? I remember getting up early to watch that when I was young, and if she's the one I'm thinking of, I had a crush on her.

― Jonathan, Friday, 23 May 2003 12:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Her s/t album was one of my best recent eBay purchases. If You're Tarzan I'm Jane, More Than You Know, Toy Soldiers, You Got Me Into This, It's Not What You're Doing = all grebt.

― Richard (avoid80), Friday, 23 May 2003 12:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Dud, Dud, Sanctimonious Dud. She was cute, though.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 23 May 2003 18:21 (twenty-two years ago)

four months pass...

revive!

― adaml (adaml), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 18:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I downloaded Martika's Kitchen today and I can confirm that it is an unforgivable pile of shit. And I really had my hopes up...

― adaml (adaml), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 04:29 (twenty-two years ago)

But no! I haven't heard Martika's Kitchen properly for ages but for every A Magical Place there is wondrous cascading torrent of Spirits and Temptations and and and Don't Say U Love Mes and things. And the horrible sleeve is really great too.

― Alex in Leeds (Alex in Doncaster), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 08:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I am in disappointed in Mr Skillz. The other nite me and Mrs The Nipper has a special Martika Moment where we listened to 'Toy Soldiers', 'Love, thy will be done' and 'Martika's Kitchen' all in a row. This was only spoiled by seeing her on TotP II recently doing a horrible version of some Carole King song.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 08:28 (twenty-two years ago)

seven years pass...

Martika's Kitchen sounds pretty good from here, I gotta say. (Never had heard it at the time.)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 4 August 2011 17:18 (fourteen years ago)

"Love...Thy Will Be Done" is a creepy song. I love her vocal performance, especially when she indulges in these crazy swoops near the end.

― livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 4 August 2011 17:18 (fourteen years ago)

and I give her the credit for it, not Prince; she wrote some crazy lyrics for her debut.

― livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 4 August 2011 17:19 (fourteen years ago)

As long as we're talking about that song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpOW4LLRRTA

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 4 August 2011 17:21 (fourteen years ago)

did you find a used copy of the album?

― livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 4 August 2011 17:22 (fourteen years ago)

Indeed, sitting in Amoeba's dollar bin.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 4 August 2011 17:23 (fourteen years ago)

'love thy will be done' used to bore the tears out of me at time. it was a really massive single that kind of got played to death. listening to it now, it sounds a little too earnest in its plays for high stakes in the drama department, but it's also pretty sophisticated y'know.

i have a bizarre retro-crush on her these days.

― charlie h, Thursday, 4 August 2011 19:31 (fourteen years ago)

Have always loved 'Love Thy Will Be Done'. She's looking very Winona in that video eh?

― Quantum of Pie (NickB), Thursday, 4 August 2011 19:43 (fourteen years ago)

"Love...Thy Will Be Done" got NO airplay down here.

― livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 4 August 2011 19:48 (fourteen years ago)

it was a really big song in australia, where i grew up. got crazy airplay and spent weeks and weeks at number one.

― charlie h, Thursday, 4 August 2011 20:09 (fourteen years ago)

quite winona, yes.

i really like this interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjBXe0mU1vY

― charlie h, Thursday, 4 August 2011 20:10 (fourteen years ago)

btw "Toy Soldier" has dated quite well – I remember how weird it sounded on the radio at the time (WONCHA COME OUT AND PLAY WITH ME?). I just cast from my mind that it's about drug abuse.

― livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 4 August 2011 20:13 (fourteen years ago)

she was really cute

― om nom nom nnamdi asomugha (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 4 August 2011 20:35 (fourteen years ago)

woooow this is a really timely thread revival, i have had "love thy will be done" on repeat for the past few days. beautiful beautiful song imo.

"toy soldiers" is good too. the first line ("it wasn't my intention to mislead you") always strikes me, though i'm not sure why. and then the pre-chorus "won'tcha come out and play with me" is kinda creepily haunting.

― teledyldonix, Friday, 5 August 2011 06:28 (fourteen years ago)

i don't remember 'love thy will be done' being a hit in aus - toy soldiers absolutely was though. massive.

― he shit me and it felt like a piss (electricsound), Friday, 5 August 2011 06:32 (fourteen years ago)

apparently it was though, there you go

― he shit me and it felt like a piss (electricsound), Friday, 5 August 2011 06:34 (fourteen years ago)

"Love Thy Will Be Done" always felt like the OTT version of Prince's "I Wish U Heaven" to me. I like his demo of it, though.

― Vendo Caramelos A Veces Sin Dinero (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, 5 August 2011 06:55 (fourteen years ago)

Prince nicked his own song: relisten to the opening of his "One Of Us" cover.

― livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 5 August 2011 11:44 (fourteen years ago)

"Love Thy Will Be Done" always feels weirdly familiar-not-familiar to me because of the way Texas quoted it in "Say What You Want".

― Tim F, Friday, 5 August 2011 12:26 (fourteen years ago)

three years pass...

For some reason I have decided now is the time to reassess Martika's singles.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 August 2014 06:31 (eleven years ago)

Had no idea about Prince's involvement in "Love, Thy Will Be Done"!

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 August 2014 06:33 (eleven years ago)

Would love to see someone like Kiesza totally go for this sound.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 August 2014 06:35 (eleven years ago)

I feel like Kitty sort of does, at least on some tracks.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 13 August 2014 06:36 (eleven years ago)

er, Kitten

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 13 August 2014 06:37 (eleven years ago)

Really? I've seen Kitten live but never listened to their albums.

I guess by "this sound" I am referring to "Love, Thy Will Be Done" and "Toy Soldiers." "Martika's Kitchen," which I'm listening to right now, is reminding me mostly of Jane Child.

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 August 2014 06:40 (eleven years ago)

(But not nearly as good as "Don't Wanna Fall in Love," which is k-classique!)

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 August 2014 06:40 (eleven years ago)

(Sorry to channel like 2002-era ILM there.)

― jaymc, Wednesday, 13 August 2014 06:41 (eleven years ago)

http://open.spotify.com/album/6ZkDP9Sw48nJ0eLQ2JEbhs

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 13 August 2014 13:50 (eleven years ago)

one thought that has crossed my mind a couple times while listening to kitten (and generally failing to appreciate it) was 'this is reminding me of martika but not really enough'

― dyl, Wednesday, 13 August 2014 17:06 (eleven years ago)

one year passes...

omg this is baaaaaaad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amanv4ZaVYk

― Hammer Smashed Bagels, Wednesday, 25 November 2015 22:50 (ten years ago)

her pitch I mean....

― Hammer Smashed Bagels, Wednesday, 25 November 2015 22:50 (ten years ago)

Her kitchen: Classic.
Her music: Dud.

― Turrican, Thursday, 26 November 2015 21:50 (ten years ago)

five months pass...

and I give her the credit for it, not Prince; she wrote some crazy lyrics for her debut.
― livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, August 4, 2011 12:19 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

he wrote all the music and lyrics FWIW

now that you can find the prince demo on youtube, it's pretty clear that she followed his guide vocal closely. that might be an understatement.

the synth arrangement on this track is beautiful.

― wizzz! (amateurist), Thursday, 5 May 2016 19:39 (nine years ago)

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