Kakko - We Should Be Dancing

Kakko (real name Anju Suzuki) was born in Japan in 1969 and is one of Stock/Aitken/Waterman's most infamous acts. She started off as a tea-girl for the PWL studios, like Rick Astley, and eventually she got a record contract. S/A/W wanted a Japanese act to have success in Japan, but it didn't quite go the way they planned...

She released 2 singles in 1990, "We Should Be Dancing" which was written and produced by S/A/W, and "What Kind Of Fool" which was from the PWL stable of Harding/Cunrow/Clift.

"We Should Be Dancing" hit the dizzy heights of #101 in February 1990. S/A/W called it one of the biggest mistakes they ever made, and some S/A/W fans have called it the worst S/A/W song ever. (A Bit harsh in my opinion!) Even so, it's one of the rarest S/A/W CD singles, and has been known to go for three figures on Ebay. Rumour has it that Kakko couldn't pronounce the letter "R" properly, and Mike Stock had a hell of a time trying to figure out lyrics that didn't feature the "R" sound prominently!

Somehow, she managed to get a second single "What Kind Of Fool" (no, not the Kylie song) which was written and produced by Harding/Cunrow/Clift, who at the time worked at the PWL studios. The song didn't chart. And that was it for dear Kakko...

Apparently, locked away in the vaults of PWL HQ is about half an album's worth of unreleased Kakko songs that will never see the light of day. Whether you think that's a good or a bad thing is your opinion!

These days, Kakko goes by her real name and she has done a lot better over in her native Japan, and is a popular TV actress, and has appeared in lots of dramas. She even appeared on the Japanese version of "This Is Your Life", on which Pete Waterman even appeared!

"We Should Be Dancing" was released in February 1990, and I can still remember her performing it on TV-AM all those years ago. I still can't work out what the hell she is singing though...