I was singing in the studio and I was opening my mouth really wide when I was singing, trying to sing my heart out. The producers were making fun of me, saying, "We should call it The Mouth since you have such a big mouth." And I'm like, "Ha ha, very funny, I don't think so." Then Frank, one of our producers, says, "Okay, what about La Bouche? That's French for 'the mouth.'" I thought he was still joking, but we liked it.
Whether you know them by name or not, you probably recognize La Bouche's hit Eurobeat single "Be My Lover." Fake, computer-enhanced, probably not particularly skilled with any instrument, and hey, isn't that why everyone likes them? Well, upon listening to their best-of album, I've noticed that they've made many attempts at doing slow, non-dance music, all of which were terrible. That's too bad, and so there goes the illusion that I really enjoyed their music.
Lane McCray, Jr. and Melanie Thornton, both Americans, started their music career as La Bouche in Germany. They complemented each other well — they had a female vocalist and a guy rapping ridiculous rhymes (Lovin' you, not like your brother/Aw yeah, I wanna be your lover).
The duo took off in Germany with a single entitled "Sweet Dreams." A Sweet Dreams album came out in 1995 and became #5 on German charts.
La Bouche didn't realize success Stateside till the American relase of "Be My Lover." The song reached #6 on the charts. For a time in the mid-'90s, you could scarcely turn on a television or radio without hearing the catchy dance beat. Striking while the iron was hot, they subsequently released "Fallin' in Love" and "Sweet Dreams." Afterward, the band slowly faded into obscurity (remember when "You Won't Forget Me" was a big hit? Me neither.).
Melanie Thornton began a solo career and released one album, Ready to Fly, but died in a plane crash in Switzerland in November 2001.
Discography
Sweet Dreams
- Be My Lover
- Sweet Dreams
- Fallin' In Love
- Where Do You Go?
- I'll Be There
- Do You Still Need Me?
- I Love To Love
- The Heat Is On
- Poetry In Motion
- Shoo Bee Do Bee Do (I Like That Way)
- Nice 'N' Slow
- Fallin' In Love (Spike Mix)
- Be My Lover (House Mix)
- Tonight Is the Night (by Le Click)
All Mixed Up
- Be My Lover (Club Mix)
- Fallin' In Love (Soul Solution Vocal Dub)
- Sweet Dreams (Spike Mix)
- Forget Me Nots (Club Mix)
- Be My Lover (Spike Mix)
- Fallin' In Love (Full Harmony Club Mix)
- I Love To Love (Club Mix)
- Tonight Is the Night (Dance Mix) (by Le Click)
- Sweet Dreams (Stylin' Free Mix)
- Megamix
S.O.S.
- You Won't Forget Me
- Unexpected Lovers
- S.O.S.
- A Moment Of Love
- Whenever You Want
- I Can't Stand The Rain
- On A Night Like This
- Bolingo
- Body & Soul
- Say You'll Be Mine
- Don't Let the Rain
- Sweet Little Persuader
- Say It With Love
- You Won't Forget Me (Original Mix)
Best of La Bouche
- Sweet Dreams
- Be My Lover
- In Your Life
- Love How You Love Me
- Makin' Oooh Oooh (Talking About Love)
- Take Me 2 Heaven 2 Night
- Falling in Love
- Say You'll Be Mine
- Bolingo
- Unexpected Lovers
- A Moment of Love
- Heartbeat
- Shoo Bee Do Bee Do
- Where Do You Go
- Do You Still Need Me
- Forget Me Nots
- S.O.S.
- Whenever You Want
- No Tears
- You Won't Forget Me
- Sweet Dreams (Video—data track)
Sources
La Bouche: Albums. VH1. 21 June 2004 <http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/la_bouche/albums.jhtml>
La Bouche: Biography. VH1. 28 May 2004 <http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/la_bouche/bio.jhtml>.
La Bouche Interviews and Reviews!. 28 May 2004 <http://members.tripod.com/~geckogirl1/interviews.html> .