Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit

"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" is the Grammy Award-nominated debut solo single by Australian singer Gina G. The song was written by British songwriters Simon Caldwell and Steve Rodway, and was released as a single on 25 March 1996. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart almost two months later and was also a number-one hit in Israel. In the US, the song peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was the United Kingdom's entry in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest. The song finished in eighth place in the contest, staged in Oslo, Norway, on 18 May, and was very successful on the charts in Europe, Australia and the US.

"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit"
Single by Gina G
from the album Fresh!
Released
  • 25 March 1996 (UK)
  • 12 November 1996 (US)
Recorded1995
Genre
Length3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Steve Rodway
Gina G singles chronology
"Love the Life"
(1992)		 "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit"
(1996)		 "I Belong to You"
(1996)
Music video
"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 1996 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Simon Tauber
Conductor
Ernie Dunstall
Finals performance
Final result
8th
Final points
77
Entry chronology
◄ "Love City Groove" (1995)   
"Love Shine a Light" (1997) ►

BuzzFeed listed the song at No. 25 in their list of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s in 2017.[4]

Critical reception

Aberdeen Evening Express described the song as a "slice of cheesy Europop", adding that "you'll grow to either love or hate it!"[5] AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it a "great guilty pleasure".[6] Austin American-Statesman noted it as "perky".[7] J. D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun said that "from its Moog-style synthesizer hook to the galloping electrobeats that drive the chorus, Gina G's "Ooh Aah . . . Just a Little Bit" is clearly a throwback to the sort of synth-pop that owned the airwaves in the late '80s."[8] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that "adorable Australian ingénue has already enjoyed massive pop success throughout Europe with this instantly infectious hi-NRG dance ditty. It's easy to predict this single scoring similarly high marks here, thanks in large part to her kewpiedoll vocals and the song's tasty, sugarcoated melody. You'll be singing along to the song's chorus before the track's close, while a bevy of meaty remixes will have you happily twitching around the room."[9]

In his review of Fresh!, Richard Paton from The Blade labeled the track as a "smash", that "kicks off" the album of "vibrant dance pop".[10] CantStopThePop described it as a "rollicking tour-de-force" and "relentless, dizzying rush from start to finish". They noted that "the timing of Ooh Aah…Just A Little Bit was perfect; it bottled the Eurodance sound of the early '90s and siphoned it down into a traditionally structured pop song."[11] Swedish newspaper Expressen called it a "sticky yummy pop pastry".[12] Tom Ewing from Freaky Trigger wrote that it is a "glossy hi-tack" song. He added, "It's brisk, good-quality bubblegum: a springy keyboard part, a chugging rhythm, and a few fine lines – "Every night makes me hate the days" – laid down with enough conviction to cross the line between corny and effective."[13]

Göteborgs-Tidningen described it as a "danceable naughty pop song".[14] NME called it a "frenzy of techno-friendly tunefulness"[15] and noted its "unshakeable" chorus.[16] People Magazine stated that Gina G's adding a "dusky undercurrent and a teasing touch of sultriness" to the song.[17] Pop Rescue said it is "incredibly catchy".[18] Dan Barrow from The Quietus wrote that the song "enters the realms of unguilty pleasure mostly through its chorus, where the vocal drops registers of excitement to an almost-whisper, just as the arpeggios hit their peaks of Euro-trance intensity, the memory of house piano – the signifier of anticipation and release – leaking through the chorus. The high, almost toxic sheen of its opening fanfare of notes, a gateway drug to more louche pleasures."[19] Charles Aaron from Spin called the song a "synthy magic carpet".[20]

Chart performance

"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" initially entered the UK singles chart at No. 6 on Sunday 31 March and two weeks later climbed to No. 2. The song spent another five weeks in the top 3, climbing to No. 1 (in its 8th week) the day after Gina's performance at Eurovision, on 19 May[21] and would spend a further 15 weeks in the top 75. As of 2020, the song is still the last Eurovision entry of the United Kingdom to peak at the top of the country's chart.

In Israel the single reached No. 1. In Australia, Denmark, Hungary and Norway it peaked within the top 5. And in Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Scotland and Sweden the song peaked within the top 10. On the European Eurochart Hot 100 it peaked at No. 9.

The song was also successful in the United States, a rarity for Eurovision entries. Released in the US in November 1996, it peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1997, and spent a total of 30 weeks on the Hot 100. It also reached No. 13 on the Rhythmic Top 40, No. 5 on the Mainstream Top 40, No. 25 on the Adult Top 40, No. 4 on the Hot Dance/Club Play Songs, and No. 11 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. It is the sixth highest charting Eurovision entry in the US behind "Nel blu dipinto du blu (Volare)" (No. 1 in 1958), "Love Is Blue" (No. 1 in 1968), "Al Di Là" (No. 6 in 1962), "Waterloo" (No. 6 in 1974) and "Eres tú" (No. 9 in 1974).

Such was the song's success in the United States, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 1998 Grammy Awards.

In 2012, "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" was ranked No. 45 in NME's list of the 50 best-selling tracks of the 90s, adding that the song sold 790,000.[22]

Performance at Eurovision 1996 final

On the night of the Eurovision 1996 final – held on 18 May 1996 in Oslo Spektrum, Norway – "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" was performed 2nd in a field of 23 songs being preceded by the Turkish entry: "Beşinci Mevsim", with the Spanish entry: "¡Ay, qué deseo!", following as the 3rd entry of Eurovision 1996. Conductor Ernie Dunstall orchestrated and conducted "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" on stage with a minimal orchestral accompaniment. A tiny string accompaniment was added to the backing track produced by Rodway.[23] Two female dancers dressed in pink and yellow backed up Gina G, dressed in a short thigh-skimming glittery metal dress.

Gina G's Eurovision dress was originally custom made for Cher by Paco Rabanne, but she left it unused hanging in the offices at Warner Bros. Records until Gina G stumbled across it just a few days before the contest. The dress was then shortened slightly for Ms G.[24]

In 1996, the rules required every instrument used on the backing track to appear on stage. The backing track used for the UK entry relied heavily on computer generated sounds and techno beats. As a result, two Apple Mac personal computers were on the stage - one beside each synthesizer.

United Kingdom and Gina G received 12 points from two countries: Portugal and Belgium. The song finished in 8th place overall,[25] the winner being Ireland with The Voice, sung by Eimear Quinn. The result led to a big overhaul in the contest's voting system, with the introduction of televoting in several participating countries the following year, a practice rolled out across the board in 1998.

The single's "Vintage Honey" remix was used as the main jingle for People's Television Network in The Philippines from 2007 to 2011.[26]

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Fruit Salad with photography directed by Peter Sinclair.[27] It features Gina G with three background female dancers performing in a passageway with a brightly lit ceiling, teasing a pair of well-dressed guys. The song's lyrics are used in a sexually suggestive, but playful manner.[28]

While it had airtime on several music video channels globally, the video would also be the first song to be "banned" after being voted on by MTV's 12 Angry Viewers in 1998, despite never receiving much airtime on the US channel. MTV's sister channel VH1 gave the video more moderate airplay time.

Track listings

UK: CD Maxi (WEA041CD)

  1. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Motiv8 Radio Edit) – 3:24
  2. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Motiv8 Extended Vocal Mix) – 6:43
  3. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (The Next Room's Rip 'Em Up Mix) – 6:08
  4. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Motiv8 Vintage Honey Mix) – 6:46
  5. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (The Next Room's Pukka Dub Mix) – 6:08

UK: CD Maxi: Dance Mixes (WEA041CDX)

  1. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Eurovision Song Contest Version) – 3:00
  2. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Motiv8 Vintage Honey Mix) – 6:46
  3. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Jon of the Pleased Wimmin'... Chase the Space Mix) – 7:40
  4. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (The Next Room's Pukka Dub Mix) – 5:00
  5. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Motiv8 Extended Vocal Mix) – 6:43
  6. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Jon of the Pleased Wimmin'... Face the Bass Mix) – 7:40

Other versions

  • "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Soul Solution Main Vocal) – 6:49
  • "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Soul Solution Radio Version) – 3:50
  • "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Soul Solution Dub) – 6:28
  • "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Soul Solution Instrumental) – 6:50
  • "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Hysteric Ego Vocal) – 8:16
  • "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (Hysteric Ego Dub) – 8:13
  • From the US promotional 12" vinyls

Charts and certifications

References
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  3. Eurovision: the best losers, from Gina G to Baccara - Telegraph
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