Pan-European Supermodel Song (Oh! Gina)

Album: Borrell 1 (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the lead single from Borrell 1, the debut solo album by former Razorlight frontman, Johnny Borrell. The record was originally recorded on a 4-track recorder by Borrell and a group of musicians including Razorlight bass player Freddie Stitz, Brazilian saxophonist Joao Mello and Darren Berry. After debuting the songs live, Borrell decided to re-record them in London with the legendary producer Trevor Horn.
  • Borrell's band goes under the name 'Zazou,' which was a radical French movement during the German occupation of France in World War II. The followers expressed their individuality by wearing big or garish clothing and dancing wildly to Swing Jazz and Bebop.
  • The titular Gina is a friend of Johnny Borrell. He told NME: "The song is about driving eight hours from the south of France to Barcelona to see her sing."
  • The Borrell 1 album flopped upon its release, selling just 594 copies during its first week. The former Razorlight frontman's label, Stiff Records, turned the less than pretty sales figures into a LOL in a press release: "First week sales of 594 makes Borrell 1 the 15,678th best-selling album of the year to date," commented the record company's spokesperson. "So far we've achieved 0.00015% sales of Adele's 21 – and 0.03% sales of this week's #1 album from Jahmene Douglas – so we feel like it's all to play for as we move into the all-important week two. We might even break the Top 100."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Booker T. Jones

Booker T. JonesSongwriter Interviews

The Stax legend on how he cooked up "Green Onions," the first time he and Otis Redding saw hippies, and if he'll ever play a digital organ.

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."