However, he followed Minogue by signing a recording contract with Mushroom Records in Australia, and with PWL in the UK. Although the production team of Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) initially resisted working with Donovan, fearing recording with a second Neighbours star would be "too tacky", the trio quickly warmed to him, recording his first single, "Nothing Can Divide Us", after it was rejected by Rick Astley. The track was released in 1988, reaching #5 in the UK and #3 in Australia.
Donovan's next single, a duet with Minogue, "Especially for You", was released in late November 1988. While the idea for a duet was at first rejected by SAW, who felt it too commercial, the producers changed their minds when retail chain Woolworths ordered 250,000 copies of the record. Donovan agreed to the duet with Minogue without reservation, feeling it would be good for his career. After spending four weeks at #2 in the UK, it hit #1 in January 1989. It was the fourth-highest selling single in the UK in 1988, and 17th in Australia for 1989. The track became SAW's biggest ever hit in the UK, ultimately selling in excess of one million copies. The issue of UK pop magazine Smash Hits that featured Minogue and Donovan on the cover to promote the release also sold one million copies. The song was accompanied by a widely noted image change for Donovan, who shed his trademark Neighbours mullet for a contemporary undercut.
Donovan's next single, "Too Many Broken Hearts", reached #1cin the UK in March 1989. The singer said he initially had no idea the song would go on to be so successful and thought it might just be an album track. He confessed to at first being underwhelmed by the video and was surprised by the ecstatic response it earned at his label. However, he now regards the track as one of SAW's best songs, as well as being his defining hit.
He released his début album, 'Ten Good Reasons', in May 1989, which also reached #1 (for three weeks). For two weeks, Donovan held the #1 positions in the singles chart and the albums chart simultaneously, when his next single, a cover of Brian Hyland's "Sealed With a Kiss", entered the UK charts at #1.
In December 1989, he took part in Band Aid II's version of "Do They Know it's Christmas", which also included Minogue, whose exit from Neighbours had by now been shown on screen in both Australia and the UK. His own exit from the show had by this stage been shown on Australian television, although it was not aired on British television until several months later.
Donovan released his second album, 'Between The Lines', in May 1990, again produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. He had greater creative input on the record, asking for more material that was within his range, after he struggled with some of the vocal requirements of certain songs on his debut album. He has stated that he believes the album's consistent lyrical themes of heartbreak and relationship breakdowns were references by songwriters SAW to his then recent split from Kylie Minogue.
Although the album reached Platinum status in the UK, it was less successful than his debut a year before, peaking at #2 and selling only a fifth as many copies. Assessing the performance of the album, Donovan concluded that while it was artistically a much stronger record than his debut album, he felt it was impossible to match the very high UK sales of 'Ten Good Reasons', describing his debut's extraordinary performance as "a moment in time". Five singles were released from the second album, and although they all reached the UK Top 30, they also signalled a decline in his popularity. Between 1988 and 1992, Donovan garnered 16 Top 40 hit singles in the UK.
He embarked on an extensive world tour in 1990, The "Doin' Fine Tour", against the wishes of his label, which wanted him available for promotional duties. The tour covered the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe, Australia, Singapore and other parts of South East Asia. The Dublin concert was recorded and released on VHS in 1990; and released on DVD in 2010. Donovan continued to act alongside his pop career, and in 1990 he appeared in his first feature film, Blood Oath (released in some countries as Prisoners of the Sun).
SINGLES
Nothing Can Divide Us
| 31 OCT '88 | #3 |
Especially for You
|
Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan
| 26 DEC '88 | #2 |
Too Many Broken Hearts
| 20 MAR '89 | #7 |
Sealed With a Kiss
| 19 JUN '89 | #8 |
Every Day (I Love You More)
| 2 OCT '89 | #43 |
When You Come Back to Me
| 11 FEB '90 | #40 |
Rhythm of the Rain
| 4 NOV '90 | #44 |
R.S.V.P.
| 23 JUN '91 | #97 |
Any Dream Will Do
| 11 AUG '91 | #92 |
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Donovan
top100singles.blogspot.com.au
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