Let's talk about "Toca's Miracle"

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"Toca's Miracle" (commonly incorrectly referred to as "I Need A Miracle") is a dance music single by Fragma that peaked in the UK charts in April/May 2000. Featuring the vocals of a singer named Coco, the record is actually a remixed combination of two previously existing tracks, "I Need A Miracle" and "Toca Me", the titles of which were combined to name the new single.

While the original version of "Toca's Miracle" was an illegal bootleg that became popular in Ibiza after the release of "Toca Me", Fragma quickly adopted the track themselves and released an official single version. The song received large amounts of radio airplay and remained popular throughout the following months.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:21 (seventeen years ago) link

1) With the exception of "Rock DJ" and "Can't Get You Out of My Head", this song probably had the longest shelflife of any of the early part of this decade's #1s: I was still hearing it in shitty nightclubs up until early 2005
2) That "To-ca-meh" bit at the start is the only bad part of this song
3) Best parts: "Eh-yea-eh-eh, eh-yea-eh-eh, miracle miracle, miracle miracle" and "It's more spiritual what I need"
4) When did was the baton passed for chart dance from these kind of "My heart is on fire, I need your devotion" kinda weird quasi-goffy emotional hardship stuff to yr modern day "put your hands up for detroit" kinda stuff? Is this just a "European producer/American producer" divide? Like how Swedish indie bands always have cute-but-clunky lyrics?
5) With the exception of "Ignition (Remix)", this is probably my favourite #1 of the decade.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:24 (seventeen years ago) link

conveniently ignored in mash-up folklore

― blueski, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:30 (seventeen years ago) link

As was Nigel and Marvin's "Follow Da Leader"

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:32 (seventeen years ago) link

Surely the reigning chart dance paradigm is Prydz-style holiday house with an FHM-friendly video? Which I always like, but Put Yr Hands Up feels like an oasis of tracky sophistication in comparison.

― Groke, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:33 (seventeen years ago) link

Dom might have a point tho. Bring back emo-bag.

― blueski, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Where does "Destination Calabria" fit in that landscape then? Halfway between the two or closer to Prydz?

xp

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Tom do you like those Cascada singles?

― blueski, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:37 (seventeen years ago) link

There's still a lot of emo-bag out there I think.

Calabria is about halfway, you're right.

xpost Yes!

― Groke, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:38 (seventeen years ago) link

I don't love them but I like them.

― Groke, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:38 (seventeen years ago) link

bring back loveable emo-bag.

― blueski, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:40 (seventeen years ago) link

My favourite recent emo-bag is "Never Trust A Stranger" by Belle Lawrence. (She also did one written for her by David Sneddon, speaking of lost #1s of the 00s.)

― Groke, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:42 (seventeen years ago) link

Re Fragma's "Toca's Miracle": Great song, and amazing to dance to in a group - really the highpoint of millenial trance-pop, at least until "Boys of Summer" came along. I loved its irrelevant video clip.

― Tim F, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:57 (seventeen years ago) link

I haven't heard this for a few years, in my mind, it had turned into one of those epic pomp trance things that seemed to be big for a while. I looked at youtube, and found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVRYki3Y-X0

It's OK, but a bit, I don't know, hesitant? I wanted it to rise and rise and rise and rise (etc) until I FEEL THE EUPHORIA. Look at the video though! A classic of the pop club-hit "spend as little as possible" ethos, it looks like it cost $100, maximum.

― Pashmina, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 12:58 (seventeen years ago) link

I hated it at the time but then I hated all millennial trance-pop at the time except Sandstorm, which I don't think counts.

I can't work out whether the reign of this sort of stuff in the charts abruptly died or sort of petered out.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 13:08 (seventeen years ago) link

I quite enjoyed hearing that again. I like the string plucky sound.

I wanted it to rise and rise and rise and rise (etc) until I FEEL THE EUPHORIA.

I bet this happens in the eight minute extended mix.

― chap, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:12 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.soundrevolt.com/images/interviews/rui_da_silva.jpg

this guy also had a #1 single in the 00s with a resonant heart-tugging club anthem

― blueski, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:15 (seventeen years ago) link

of course "sandstorm" friggin counts.

― strongohulkington, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:19 (seventeen years ago) link

it was even a hit over here!

― strongohulkington, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:19 (seventeen years ago) link

r.i.p. dj sammy u_u

― strongohulkington, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:19 (seventeen years ago) link

This is making me fondly nostalgic for the days when the charts were dominated by crappy trance anthems and two-step rather than crappy guitar rubbish.

― chap, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:20 (seventeen years ago) link

I don't think "Toca" was typical of chart-dance stuff at the time. Wasn't it more the "Sandstorm", "9PM", even "Doom's Night" trancier stuff that made up the majority of hits? (NB As Dom points out this stuff is mainly consumed in shit nightclubs and therefore a, my memory is fucked, and b, the provincial mentalist east-coast timewarp here may be confusing me.)

― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:24 (seventeen years ago) link

chap OTMFM x 1 Gazilliong

― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:24 (seventeen years ago) link

i love 'toca's miracle'. also key rui da silva's 'touch me' and sonique's 'it feels so good'.

'sandstorm' is better than all of those but a different beast entirely, there are no emo divas in the throes of desperation on it

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:25 (seventeen years ago) link

"Toca's Miracle" was actually pretty typical I think - isn't it basically the exact midpoint between Chicane and Ian Van Dahl?

― Tim F, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:26 (seventeen years ago) link

I always thought Sonique was really boring, for some reason. It might be because I heard the album, which is really, really boring, and its boringness got smeared all over the one decent single.

― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:27 (seventeen years ago) link

'It Feels so Good' had a nice beat.

― chap, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:28 (seventeen years ago) link

All of Perfecto's 21st century releases = over-rated shite?

― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:29 (seventeen years ago) link

'it feels so good' had blah verses but a killer chorus

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:29 (seventeen years ago) link

The chorus is good that's true but mainly because it wakes you up I think.

― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:31 (seventeen years ago) link

All of Perfecto's 21st century releases = over-rated shite?

That PPK track was OK

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:32 (seventeen years ago) link

I think I'm mainly hating on "Bullet in the Gun" there.

― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:34 (seventeen years ago) link

the main problem with 'bullet in the gun' was it was Oakie milking that 'Orange' thing for the nth time.

― blueski, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:39 (seventeen years ago) link

The vocal on "Bullet in the Gun" was so weirdly bad wasn't it, like, it had no reason to be that annoying (versus, I don't know, the supremely annoying but probably quite clever and effective synth sound in "Better Off Alone").

― Tim F, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:41 (seventeen years ago) link

'better off alone' and 'sandstorm' are the bottom of the barrel afaiac

― blueski, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:42 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost

It just seemed like such a big empty dirge, and you remembered "Not Over Yet", and you cried a little inside.

― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:43 (seventeen years ago) link

We're missing the Tiesto mix of 'Silence'.

― chap, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Tiesto/Tiesto's popularity is a mystery to me. and i had some time for Ferry Corsten.

― blueski, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:45 (seventeen years ago) link

I love "Touch Me"... and also "iiO – Rapture"

I can't really remember this tune except that there was a definite geezer-bird in the video

― fandango, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:48 (seventeen years ago) link

The new Tiesto song is some weird stab at depressive Cure style new wave, complete with histrionic vocals - a kind of logical counter-riposte to haircut house I guess. It's not bad. Weirdly the Dirty South (who I hate) remix is pretty good, at least for the first half before the guitar break.

― Tim F, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Where does "Destination Calabria" fit in that landscape then?

It's the worthy successor:
- a mashup
- of two five year old Ibiza anthems
- the hook of which is by now permanently imprinted in the mind of every casual clubber

these kind of "My heart is on fire, I need your devotion" kinda weird quasi-goffy emotional hardship stuff
Armin and the rest of Armada are still hitting the charts occasionally with that stuff.

― Siegbran, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 16:57 (seventeen years ago) link

Does 'Castles In The Sand' fit in here?

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 17:00 (seventeen years ago) link

'Will I' was better!

― blueski, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 17:01 (seventeen years ago) link

wasn't this one of the guys from Hardfloor?

either way it's pretty great. "encore une fois" was also good.

― Ronan, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 17:12 (seventeen years ago) link

Ramon Zenker of Hardfloor co-produced 'Toca Me'

― blueski, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 17:13 (seventeen years ago) link

'encore une fois'! ecoutez exercises 4eva

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:11 (seventeen years ago) link

This thread = awesome. I looked at the title and instantly started bouncing up and down in my seat remembering the song, and then at least half the songs subsequently mentioned made e just fucking BEAM.

― HI DERE, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 03:18 (seventeen years ago) link

three years pass...

also key rui da silva's 'touch me'

I'M ALWAYS THINKING OF YOU

― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Friday, 3 December 2010 19:01 (fourteen years ago) link

HEY-Y-Y-Y-YEAH-EH-YEAH

I am still praying for someone like Soulja Boy or Flo Rida to sample "Sandstorm" and give it a new lease of life in the charts

― o0o00h really? (boxedjoy), Friday, 3 December 2010 20:55 (fourteen years ago) link

six years pass...

Toca's Miracle vs. Castles in the Sky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2Z2aAODH9Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZn2wK3tErI

― crüt, Tuesday, 7 November 2017 15:58 (seven years ago) link

i love both but i think i'd go with fragma

― dyl, Tuesday, 7 November 2017 23:43 (seven years ago) link

I always think "Toca's Miracle" (and the follow-up which is nearly identical, "Everytime You Need Me") have this really weird structure which comes from their club roots - they follow verse-chorus-verse but the actual music in the background doesn't really follow the same pattern and just builds up more and more. Compared to the EDM pop of this decade which is much more obvious (verse is the build up, chorus is the drop, etc).

― boxedjoy, Saturday, 11 November 2017 19:18 (seven years ago) link

^^^ This is something that I find really appealing now, it's not trance-pop but one of my favourite tracks of the year Taylor Alxndr's "Night Work" has the same feel for the same reason.

― Tim F, Saturday, 11 November 2017 22:09 (seven years ago) link

they follow verse-chorus-verse but the actual music in the background doesn't really follow the same pattern and just builds up more and more.

Well tbf Toca's Miracle is literally a mashup of a verse-chorus-verse pop song with an unrelated trance instrumental

― crüt, Saturday, 11 November 2017 22:44 (seven years ago) link

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