Michaela Strachan

Occasionally, I mention a tune in TOTW that, for some reason or the other, can't actually make it for TOTW. However, it's still a brilliant track, and worth mention. When I heard Michaela Strachan you broke my heart on Jon Holmes' 6 music show yesterday though, I knew it was going to be one of those tracks. So worth a mention, I'll give it a post all of its own...

I remember hearing an interview with Roy Stride (lead singer from Scouting for Girls) a few months back, so knew about the track, but had never actually heard it. He was talking about when he'd met the Wacaday presenter:

"We had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Miss Strachan at our Brighton gig,
"She came backstage and we took loads of photos and got her autograph. She was awesome, she is the TV people's princess.
"No one's ever had a bad word to say about her - and she's still quite a looker!"

-BBC Berkshire

You have to wonder if she'd be a bit creeped out having a song about pre-pubescent crushes in her honour, but thankfully - as you'd almost expect from her TV style - she's anything but.

"I bought 10 of their albums for Christmas presents for people because I thought it was so funny," she giggles.
"I'm at an age now where my friends just find it funny rather than thinking I'm completely egotistical.
"At least Roy was a child when he was watching the Wide Awake Club," she continues.
"I mean, there were an awful lot of adults watching it at the time and we used to get the most filthy letters. Terribly shocking!"

-Manchester Evening News

In some ways, it's a great shame that it's only a hidden track on the album. I'm sure I've said in the past that their single releases are now getting a bit samey. Michaela Strachan is different - it's not the most engineered or complicated of tracks, but it's a fantastic idea for a song. The line "I fancied you heaps, and so did my Dad" is inspirational; and how many songs can possibly fit in the recurring chorus "You put the meaning in Wacaday"?

However, given what the average age of SFG fans must be, they must be praised for putting it on the album in any shape or form - as Timmy Mallett's podcast proves (Wow, I never thought I'd ever be saying that phrase on this blog), they've almost certainly got no idea who Michaela Strachan is.

From interviews, and the music itself, you do get the feeling that SFG are a friendly group, fairly unstruck by fame. I think the story behind this song proves it, so I don't think anyone can really begrudge their recent success.