Saint Etienne & Paul Van Dyk's "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)"

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A question for all you fervent Saint Etienne cultists (I'm not one...yet): your thoughts on this 2000 thumper? A most curious collaboration. It sounded dated then, but the post-millenial ecstasy of the arrangement underscores Sarah Cracknell's vocal. The title refrain's fragility is unexpected; the band aren't turned into ravers so much as Van Dyk's backing track and keyboard swells become wistful, melancholy, and, well, Cracknell-ized.

It's one of my four or five favorite Saint Etienne projects.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 7 July 2006 01:36 (nineteen years ago)

Obscure? It was a top 10 hit in the UK! It's very nice, though.

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 7 July 2006 01:48 (nineteen years ago)

I think its trance sound, which was already considered slightly cheesy when it came out, hurt its reputation.

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Friday, 7 July 2006 01:51 (nineteen years ago)

Obscure? It was a top 10 hit in the UK!

Sorry. Blame my nativism.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 7 July 2006 02:05 (nineteen years ago)

I liked it because it was nice to hear Sarah's voice over something catchy, rather than all that aimless, pointless musical hot air that was "Sound Of Water".

Was all of the Et involved in it, really, or just Sarah?

What about "Sunset Spirals" by Exploding Plastix featuring Sarah Cracknell? That was also a lovely guest vocal thing.

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 7 July 2006 02:07 (nineteen years ago)

the cd single had pvd and the three st etienne members on the cover, if i recall correctly. it seemed to me to be mostly pvd music-wise, but maybe stanley and wiggs had some input?

regardless, it's a fine track. i like st etienne's trancier side, which can also be found on 'burnt out car', 'stormtrooper in drag', and 'angel'. and their italo-house track 'seven ways to love'.

― gear (gear), Friday, 7 July 2006 02:25 (nineteen years ago)

"Sunset Spirals" is brilliant, as was Sarah's guest twirl on Cheapglue's "You Just Won Me Over."

I'm not sure I would consider "Burnt Out Car" or "Stormtrooper" (and certainly not "Angel") trancey -- they're a bit more Europop -- but "Tell Me Why" is not quite as good as any of them.

How about the PVD remix of "How We Used To Live"? That was sort of useless.

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Friday, 7 July 2006 02:58 (nineteen years ago)

yeah it is more europoppy i reckon. all epic songs, whatever the genre they'd slip into.

― gear (gear), Friday, 7 July 2006 03:01 (nineteen years ago)

Oh man, it's definitely trancey as hell. For some reason I listened to that Paul Van Dyk album several times after having my wisdom teeth out. I was taking a lot of hydrocodone pills, though. Best way to "get" cheesy trance I've found.

― miguelito (mike h.), Friday, 7 July 2006 03:11 (nineteen years ago)

their italo-house track 'seven ways to love'.

What? Cola Boy was Saint Etienne?! Nobody told me that!

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 7 July 2006 07:40 (nineteen years ago)

I remember at the time of release PvD outed himself as a fervent Field Mice fan.

― braveclub (braveclub), Friday, 7 July 2006 08:00 (nineteen years ago)

Cola Boy was a Stet production, it wasn't actually them.

Mind you, Sarah wasn't the fulltime Stet singer either, back then.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 7 July 2006 08:06 (nineteen years ago)

the cd single had pvd and the three st etienne members on the cover, if i recall correctly. it seemed to me to be mostly pvd music-wise, but maybe stanley and wiggs had some input?

Cracknell and Stanley do indeed get songwriting credit.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 7 July 2006 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

Cola Boy was a Stet production, it wasn't actually them.

given this was dance music, if they produced it, it's them, no?

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 7 July 2006 11:58 (nineteen years ago)

Well, I meant it as "It wasn't Sarah singing", that sort of thing.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 7 July 2006 12:00 (nineteen years ago)

But you can find her version on the new Nice Price comp...

― carson dial (carson dial), Friday, 7 July 2006 12:08 (nineteen years ago)

Clearly they've always gone for similar sounding girls; I don't think it was obvious to me at the time that Only Love Can Break Your Heart had a different vocalist from their other singles.

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 7 July 2006 12:09 (nineteen years ago)

I like "Tell Me Why". If I'm not mistaken this has been the highest charting track Saint Etienne have been involved in.

― daavid (daavid), Friday, 7 July 2006 17:51 (nineteen years ago)

if y'all search for me on myspace on this email address you'll find me and on my blog i just posted YSI links to "7 ways to love" (sarah vocal) and the original, europoppier mix of "angel".

― gear (gear), Friday, 7 July 2006 18:47 (nineteen years ago)

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Saint Etienne & Paul Van Dyk's "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)" - Unjustly Obscure?