Stock Aitken Waterman

Stock Aitken Waterman
OriginLondon, United Kingdom
Genres
Years active
  • 1984–1993
  • 2005–2010
  • 2015–present
Labels
Members

Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW and also known as The Hit Factory) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through to the early-1990s. SAW is considered one of the most successful songwriting and producing partnerships of all time by the Guinness World Records,[1] scoring more than 100 UK Top 40 hits (many of which were also worldwide successes) and earning an estimated £60 million in royalties.[2] The trio had thirteen UK No. 1 singles including three consecutive UK No. 1's and three US No. 1 singles. They also had at least one record in the UK Top 100 Singles Chart every week between March 1986 and October 1990.[3]

The group have sold 400 million units globally,[4] and they also received a Brit Award for Best British Producer in 1987 along with nine Ivor Novello Awards between 1988 and 1990.[3] In 1990 SAW picked up three Ivor Novello Awards for Songwriter of the Year, Most Performed Work for Donna Summer's "This Time I Know It's for Real" and Best Selling A-Side for Jason Donovan's "Too Many Broken Hearts".[5]

SAW started producing underground club hits, but earned worldwide success with a mixture of hi-NRG-influenced sound, romantic Motown lyrics and Italo disco melodies with singles from Rick Astley, Bananarama, Mel and Kim, Donna Summer, Sinitta, Dead or Alive, Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue. During 1984–1989, their musical style was labelled Eurobeat. They also put swing shuffle elements into their songs.[6] The producers' legacy has been increasingly positively reassessed, with contemporary analysts praising the quality and enduring impact of their music.[7][8][9][10][11]

  1. ^ McWhirter, Norris D. (1990). The Guinness Book of Records : 1991 (37th ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Pub. ISBN 0-85112-374-0.
  2. ^ Return of the hitmen, Alexis Petridis, The Guardian, London, 12 March 2005, reproduced at Cafe 80s website Archived 11 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed: 4 May 2008.
  3. ^ a b "Home: Stock Aitken Waterman". www.stockaitkenwaterman.co.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  4. ^ "About Pete". pwl-empire.com. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Journal on the Art of Record Production " Undervalued Stock: Britain's most successful chart producer and his economy of production". Arpjournal.com. 15 November 2005. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  6. ^ Classic Tracks: Rick Astley 'Never Gonna Give You Up' – Sound on Sound. Retrieved on 2 July 2010.
  7. ^ "Stock Aitken Waterman: it's time to reassess the '80s hit factory - The Sydney Sentinel". 10 March 2023. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  8. ^ "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  9. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (1 June 2020). "The 100 greatest UK No 1s, No 5: Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs - Classic Pop Magazine". www.classicpopmag.com. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Stock Aitken Waterman - time to reconsider the pop classics of the SAW hit factory". Getintothis. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2023.