It’s August 2026. For the first time in weeks, we have new music from the band New Radicals. Let’s listen, shall we?
This song has an interesting history. Initially recorded by New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander, famed music executive Clive Davis vetoed the track because he thought it would do better with a female vocalist. The song was re-recorded with Tina Turner…and that version (while eventually released on greatest hits compilations) was shelved because she wouldn’t make a music video for it. The song was re-recorded a second time with Macy Gray as the vocalist; that version was also rejected and has never been released. Finally, they settled on Michelle Branch and that’s the version that was actually released. The music video Tina Turner wouldn’t make was actually a big deal; it includes appearances by Jennifer Garner, Helen Hunt, and Wesley Snipes. The 2026 release completes the circle, because it draws heavily from Alexander’s original demo.
One more thing – this video of New Radicals performing the song at the 2005 BMI Awards is notable because it’s a rare appearance of Alexander without the bucket hat. When the band broke up in 1999 Alexander said “[o]ver the last several months, I’d lost interest in fronting a ‘One Hit Wonder’ to the point that I was wearing a hat while performing so that people wouldn’t see my lack of enthusiasm.”. But in 2026, Alexander seems to be at peace with the band and his role in it, and they’re even working on a new album. It probably helps that in the interim Alexander built a successful career as a songwriter and producer, including an Oscar nominated song and a Sophie Ellis-Bextor hit.
Have fun posting!