Wow

Wow may refer to:

Games, toys, etc.

Music

Albums

Songs

Wow! (online service)

Wow! (styled WOW!) was an online service run by CompuServe.com in 1996 and early 1997. Started in March 1996, it was originally thought to be an improved version of CompuServe's software, but it was later announced that it would be a user-friendly stand-alone "family" online service and was widely advertised on TV as such. Wow! was the first internet service to be offered with a monthly "unlimited" rate ($17.95) and stood out because of its brightly colored, seemingly hand-drawn pages.

The first release of this program was quite buggy, with many random shutdowns of the service and loss of email messages. The service developed a small, but very loyal fan base. However, this was not enough and the service was shut down on January 31, 1997.

There is a strong group of "WOWIES" who have fought on for years after its demise, to stay connected through chat groups, and a webring. This group believes they were "sold out" by Compuserve because the service was being bought out by AOL, who began offering a $19.95 unlimited service as it was shutting down WOW.

Wow (Kate Bush song)

"Wow" is a song by English singer Kate Bush. Originally released on her second album Lionheart in 1978, it was issued as the album's second single in March 1979. It was a top 20 hit in the UK.

"'Wow' is about the music business," she told her KBC fan club magazine in 1979. "Not just rock music but show business in general. It was sparked off when I sat down to try to write a Pink Floyd song – something spacey."

The lyrics include a reference to Vaseline.

Overview

The single version is an edited version of "Wow", although it is not labelled as such on most editions. On all European "Wow" singles, the first 12 seconds of synthesiser chords have been removed. Brazil and Canada used the full-length LP version. The Canadian single featured a unique sleeve and was pressed on transparent yellow vinyl. The song was a moderate hit on Canada's Adult Contemporary singles chart in RPM Magazine.

The song was released in the UK on 9 March 1979 and peaked at number 14 in the UK Singles Chart, remaining on the chart for ten weeks. This was an improvement on Bush's previous single, "Hammer Horror" which had stalled at No.44 a few months earlier. A video was filmed for the release, featuring Bush performing the song in a darkened studio, and then backed by spotlights during the chorus. She also made a guest appearance on the TV Special ABBA in Switzerland, where she performed this song in April 1979. Also around the time of this release, Bush embarked on her first of only two live concert tour. Due to this and the release of the single, Bush's second album Lionheart saw a resurgence of interest in the UK albums chart, by making a re-entry into the top twenty for several weeks. The song became a hit in other countries such as Ireland where it reached No.17. "Wow" was a target for comedian Faith Brown who parodied it on her show. In 2012 The Guardian called "Wow" the "undisputed highlight" of the Lionheart album.

Pure

Pure may refer to:

Computing

Companies and products

Literature

Pure (The Lightning Seeds album)

Pure is a compilation album by pop band The Lightning Seeds, released in 1996 and reaching #27 in the UK Albums Chart.

The first of what would turn out to be five compilations Ian Broudie released from 1996 to 2006, Pure, The Lightning Seeds' first release by Virgin, is almost a reissue rather than a compilation, since it consists of all but three of the songs released by Epic on the first two albums, Cloudcuckooland from 1990 and Sense from 1992; the only songs missing are one song from the first album ("Control the Flame") and two from Sense: ("Where Flowers Fade" and "Marooned").

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Ian Broudie; except where indicated. 

Charts

Certifications

References

Pure (Hayley Westenra album)

Pure is the first internationally published album by Christchurch, New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra. Her previous albums were released only in New Zealand and nearby Australia. This album also received professional consultation from the legendary Sir George Martin who helped to create its "unique appeal". In 2004, it was the highest selling New Zealand Album and so it privileged Hayley with an award from the New Zealand Music Awards of 2004. It was published by the Decca Music Group label in 2003. It was distributed in the United States by Universal Classics in 2004. During its first week of sales it sold 19,068 copies. As of 2007, Pure is the best selling classical album for the 21st century in the UK.

Pure gives a new freshness to well known classical repertoire, as well as exploring the world of pop and traditional Maori choral singing, including renditions of "Who Painted the Moon Black?", "Hine e Hine" (a song of the Māori, the natives of New Zealand), "In Trutina", from Orff's Carmina Burana, "Wuthering Heights" (a cover of the Kate Bush hit), and the perennial spiritual classic "Amazing Grace". Sir George Martin co-wrote the track "Beat of Your Heart" just for the album. Also on the album is "Pokarekare Ana", a New Zealand love song which has enduring popularity, and has become Hayley's signature song.