5 July 2009. For most it’s not a date of much significance. But five years ago it represented the end of the first full week of music sales following the death of Micheal Jackson. With 27 of his tracks surging into the UK top 75, a posthumous number one seemed inevitable. However, things didn’t quite pan out that way. Here’s what the BBC had to say in advance of the chart countdown:
What you would be well advised to do, in fact, is listen to this week’s chart rundown with the idea that anyone who has managed to outsell a Michael Jackson song this week has probably reached the equivalent of a Madonna-level of chart success on any other week, and should therefore be treated as some kind of musical royalty – a stand-in King of Pop, if you like. As I said, nothing will be revealed here, except to say Cascada are possibly due some sort of jewelled hat. That is all.
Yep, you read correctly. Cascada! The King of Pop was defeated by the Anglo-German euro-dance trio. None of his greatest hits could withstand the might of “Evacuate the Dancefloor”.
At the time, this wasn’t overly shocking. Since 2004, Cascada had built up an impressive collection of hits, including “Everytime We Touch”, “Miracle” and “What Hurts The Most”. And their success wasn’t just in Europe. They were a global phenomenon, scaling the charts in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and even the United States. “Evacuate the Dancefloor” was simply cementing their status as bona fide music royalty. However, a trip to the crown makers would have been premature.
Astonishingly, this was Cascada’s last ever chart hit. They never again broke into the US Billboard 100. In the UK their biggest post Evacuate track was “Pyromania”, which peaked at a lowly 60. It was as if the group had spent their early years climbing pop’s equivalent of Mount Everest, only to fall off the instant they reached the summit. Not even a Eurovision stint in 2013 could revive their fortunes.
Representing Germany with “Glorious”, they came 21st – the country’s worst result since 2008. Unable to capitalise on the renewed public awareness, both of their subsequent singles, “The World Is In My Hands” and “Blink”, came and went without much fanfare.
From pop’s elite to the bargain bin, few acts have experienced such a spectacular drop in popularity. Where did it all go wrong? It would be easier to explain if they had simply been a one hit wonder. Sure, there’s the law of diminishing returns, but that usually kicks in gradually. In the space of one album Cascada went from global megastars to hasbeens. When you step back, the rapidness of their decline is mind-boggling.
What do y’all think? Any explanations? Are Cascada a spent-force? Will they ever return to the higher echelons of pop?
Photo: Cascada
the reason why they failed in eurovision was because they weren’t prepared well for eurovision. the performance was one of the worst in 2013, boring and awkward. the camera shots were a mess and Natalie looked nervous. She sounded like she was shouting and the stairs didn’t help either. Overall, it looked like a poor performance. I love the song though. However, the general public thought it was a Euphoria copy which eventually killed the song’s chances. it came 16th in televoting.
They should have done eurovision earlier before Euphoria…
@ Ranting Ruby: I think the hair makes her look older (or at least older than she could look with different hair)
My explanation: Natalie Horler is nowhere near as hot as she thinks. She’s probably a really nice person, but dyed-blonde sex-bomb is SO last decade …
Glorious had the potential to break top 10. Even before Eurovision 2013 started I thought it was going to be between Germany, Denmark and Ukraine for the top 3 places.
But, sadly, it was Natalie Horler’s vocals that destroyed Germany’s chances, she wasn’t really able to hit the high notes and she rushed through the song, maybe due to nerves, but still, it was very noticeable.
Glorious was also ruined when the edited, shortened version of the song was released because the original exceeded the EBU’s rules.
People in my surroundings – nonESC fans – thought it was an Euphoria copy…
Although this article is accurate on a lot of fronts, Cascada is honestly starting to make a comeback here stateside. Her latest single “Blink” charted number sixteen on our charts over here. “Original Me”, her last album after “Evacuate the Dancefloor”, was a moderate success, but that’s because of lack of promotion and a shift in music style. I think Cascada is making a comeback, and I think her label over here in the states is doing a lot to make it that way. As for the UK, although there hasn’t been a hit in a while, she’s got tons… Read more »
I can not tell you why they have declined overall but Cascadas performance at Eurovision failed because the lead singer did do her best on the night. she was not singing with the music at times and her performance overall was weak in Malmö. They should have definitely been able to make a much more interesting performance than that. for sure.