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Faces (2 Unlimited song)

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"Faces"
Widely distributed variant of the standard artwork
Single by 2 Unlimited
from the album No Limits!
Released23 August 1993 (1993-08-23)[1]
GenreEurodance
Length
  • 3:48
  • 3:30 (single remix)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Phil Wilde
  • Jean-Paul De Coster
2 Unlimited singles chronology
"Tribal Dance"
(1993) 		"Faces"
(1993) 		"Maximum Overdrive"
(1993)
Music video
"Faces" on YouTube

"Faces" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited,[2] released on 23 August 1993 by Byte, Zyx and PWL as the third single from their second album, No Limits! (1993). The song was co-written by band members Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, with Phil Wilde and Jean-Paul De Coster who produced it. "Faces" peaked at number two in the Netherlands, number eight in the United Kingdom and at number six on the Eurochart Hot 100. The accompanying music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and filmed in London.

Release

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The single version of "Faces" is a radio edit of the album version included on the No Limits! album internationally. "Faces (Radio Edit)" substitutes the less-palatable, harsh synth lead with a milder rendition of the same riff. In the United States, this radio edit of "Faces" was included on the No Limits! album instead of the album version found on all international pressings. In the UK, the radio edit of "Faces" omitted the main rap, but like their previous single "Tribal Dance", the song left in more vocals from band member Ray Slijngaard. The UK album version instead deletes Slijngaard's vocals during the main raps, but kept his spoken vocals during the break.

Chart performance

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"Faces" scored chart success in many European countries, peaking at number two in their homeland of the Netherlands,[3] behind 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up?", number three in Belgium,[4] number four in Spain,[5] and number five in Finland.[6] The song debuted at number 40 on the Dutch Single Top 100 before peaking five weeks later, spending 12 weeks within the chart. It also entered the top 10 in Austria (10),[7] Germany (8),[8] Ireland (7),[9] Lithuania,[10] and the United Kingdom (8). In Germany, "Faces" spent a total of 19 weeks within the German Singles Chart.

In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number eight in its second week on the UK Singles Chart on 5 September 1993.[11] The single spent two weeks at that position, and 7 weeks within the UK Top 100. It also peaked at numbers six and 28 on Music Week's Dance Singles and Airplay charts, as well as number 30 on the Record Mirror Club Chart in the same period.[12][13][14] "Faces" was a top-10 hit also on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number six on 25 September,[15] after debuting on the chart at number 20 three weeks earlier.[16] On the European Dance Radio Chart by Music & Media, it reached number two, being held off the top spot by Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover".[17] In France, Italy and Sweden, the song was a top-20 hit, peaking at numbers 16, 13 and 11, respectively. Outside Europe, "Faces" charted in Australia, reaching number 54 on the ARIA singles chart.[18]

Critical reception

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In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "This new single if anything contains more depth than their average work, with changes of tempo rife throughout."[19] Alan Jones from Music Week felt it was "a more complex than usual offering from the Dutch duo who eschew their simple and highly effective straight-ahead rave style in favour of a tempo-changing and less instant song." He added, "They'll pay the price at retail with one of their smaller hits to date, though the Top 20 is still a cert."[20] Gail Heritage from Port Lincoln Times named it a "favourite" of the album, remarking that it "opens the door to recognising people for their own individuality."[21] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update described it as a "techno synth buzzed but unrushed tinkling blippy sweet loper".[22] Toby Anstis reviewed the song for Smash Hits, stating that "this is just a taster of what the album sounds like". He added that "it'll be a hit".[23] Australian Woroni named "Faces" an "obvious highlight" of the No Limits! album, along with "No Limit" and "Tribal Dance".[24]

Music video

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The music video for "Faces" was directed by British director Nick Burgess-Jones and produced by Spidercom Films.[25] It was filmed in Park Royal film studio in London.[25] The backdrop of the video depicts a futuristic desert landscape where band members Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels are surrounded by machines and screens, where different faces are shown. Sometimes the duo is seen in black-and-white, with the surroundings still in colours. "Faces" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe in September 1993.[26] There were made two different edits of the video; the rap version and the no rap version. The rap version was later made available on 2 Unlimited's official YouTube channel in 2014, and had generated more than three million views as of early 2024.[27] Burgess-Jones previously directed the videos for "No Limit" and "Tribal Dance".

Track listing

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  • 7-inch single
  1. "Faces" (Radio Edit) (3:37)
  2. "Faces" (Album Version) (3:49)
  • Belgian 12-inch maxi
  1. "Faces" (Radio Edit) (3:47)
  2. "Faces" (Extended) (5:55)
  3. "Faces" (X-Out Remix) (5:17)
  4. "Faces" (Trance-Aumatic Remix) (5:20)
  5. "Faces" (Automatic Breakbeat Remix) (5:30)
  • Netherlands 12-inch maxi
  1. "Faces" (Extended) (5:55)
  2. "Faces" (X-Out Remix) (5:17)
  3. "Faces" (Trance-Aumatic Remix) (5:20)
  4. "Faces" (Automatic Breakbeat Remix) (5:30)
  • UK 12-inch maxi
  1. "Faces" (Extended) (5:55)
  2. "Faces" (X-Out Remix) (6:17)
  3. "Faces" (Trance-Aumatic Remix) (5:20)
  4. "Faces" (Automatic Breakbeat Remix) (5:30)
  5. "Faces" (Original Version) (4:43)
  • US 12-inch maxi
  1. "Faces" (Extended Mix) (5:55)
  2. "Faces" (X-Out Remix) (5:17)
  3. "Faces" (Radio Edit) (3:37)
  4. "Faces" (Trance-Automatic Remix) (5:20)
  5. "Faces" (Automatic Breakbeat Remix) (5:30)
  6. "Faces" (Spanish Radio Version) (3:37)
  • UK CD single
  1. "Faces" (Edit) (3:34)
  2. "Faces" (Extended) (5:57)
  3. "Faces" (X-Out Remix) (5:18)
  4. "Faces" (Trance-Aumatic Remix) (5:22)
  5. "Faces" (Automatic Breakbeat Remix) (5:32)
  6. "Faces" (Original Version) (3:47)
  • European CD maxi
  1. "Faces" (Radio Edit) (3:37)
  2. "Faces" (Extended) (5:55)
  3. "Faces" (X-Out Remix) (5:17)
  4. "Faces" (Trance-Aumatic Remix) (5:20)
  5. "Faces" (Automatic Breakbeat Remix) (5:30)

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ "Single Releases". Music Week. 21 August 1993. p. 23.
  2. ^ "AllMusic: 2 Unlimited (Biography)". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  3. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Faces" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  4. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Faces" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  5. ^ a b Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  6. ^ a b Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  7. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Faces" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  8. ^ a b "2 Unlimited – Faces" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  9. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Faces". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b "M-1 Top 40". M-1.fm. 19 September 1993. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2022. See LW column.
  11. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 4 September 1993. p. 26. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  13. ^ a b "The Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 11 September 1993. p. 28. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 28 August 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 39. 25 September 1993. p. 21. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  16. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 37. 11 September 1993. p. 13. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  17. ^ a b "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 42. 16 October 1993. p. 26. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  18. ^ a b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 288.
  19. ^ Masterton, James (29 September 1993). "Week Ending September 4th 1993". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  20. ^ Jones, Alan (28 August 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 18. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  21. ^ Heritage, Gail (8 July 1993). "High Beat Techno Cult". Port Lincoln Times. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  22. ^ Hamilton, James (28 August 1993). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 6. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  23. ^ Anstis, Toby (18 August 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 47. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  24. ^ "Music". Woroni. 1 September 1993. p. 35. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  25. ^ a b "2 Unlimited - Faces music video (1993)". Eurokdj.com. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  26. ^ "Station Reports > MTV Europe/London" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 38. 18 September 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  27. ^ "2 Unlimited - Faces (Rap Version) (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  28. ^ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 40. 2 October 1993. p. 22. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  29. ^ "2 Unlimited – Faces" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  30. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "2 Unlimited".
  31. ^ "2 Unlimited – Faces". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  32. ^ "2 Unlimited – Faces". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  33. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  34. ^ "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  35. ^ "1993 Year-End Airplay Charts: European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 18. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  37. ^ "Single top 100 over 1993" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  38. ^ "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
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