The Story of Pop: 2000 (Chapter 25)

Taking you back to the sights and sounds of the UK charts as they were two whole decades ago, this is The Story of Pop: 2000. And would you believe it – we’re at the halfway point of the series already, so let’s crack on with this week’s entry…

A collaboration of two Italian DJs – Enrico Ferrari and Ciro Sasso – Black Legend were formed after coming across an old sample of a track originally recorded by the Walrus of Love himself, Barry White.

Said track, ‘You See The Trouble With Me’ (originally a #2 hit here in 1976) was a sample from a live recording from 1979 in Belgium. It quickly became a sensation across dancefloors in Europe, with the single charting here on import sales alone.

But the UK release was delayed, because they found that the estate of Barry White were wanting more in royalties than what was being offered for the sample use. Negotiations broke down, but salvation arrived in the form of notable Walrus of Love soundalike Elroy ‘Spoonface’ Powell.

With the vocal issue resolved and re-recorded, ‘You See The Trouble With Me’ thundered to number one upon its full UK release on 11th June, making Black Legend the fifth Italian act after Black Box, Livin’ Joy, The Tamperer and Eiffel 65 to score a chart topper on our shores. It was their only such hit of this scale, but remains a floorfiller to this day.

Don’t forget to follow our brand new playlist on Spotify – updated weekly so you never miss a song from the story of pop in 2000. And you can leave your memories of the songs below in the comments or Tweet us, using the hashtag #StoryofPop2000.