In 1986, British production trio Stock, Aitken and Waterman were riding a wave of success and introduced a new act to the world.
Mel and Kim were sisters from East London who caught the attention of record executive Nick East, who introduced them to Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. The trio had already enjoyed success creating hits for Princess, Dead or Alive and Bananarama.
The sisters’ debut single, Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend), raced up the charts around the world following its release in 1986. The track embraced a Chicago house sound that was popular in underground dance clubs at the time. While it became a smash hit, it was not originally intended to be their debut release.
Initially, the pair recorded System as their first single. However, just before it was due to be pressed, Pete Waterman halted production and called the sisters back into the studio to record a different track. Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend) was written to better reflect the sisters’ loud and confident personalities.
“We got a call from Nick East, saying they had decided to scrap System and we were devastated,” Kim later recalled in an interview with the podcast A Journey Through Stock Aitken and Waterman.
“We thought we had done something wrong, but he explained that after hanging out with us in the pub, Pete went back to the studio the next day and said, ‘We need something completely tough. We need something with attitude.'”
The song the sister’s originally recorded was relegated to being the B-side of their debut single.
Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend) was accompanied by a memorable music video featuring Mel and Kim in distinctive red-and-black and black-and-white outfits. The sisters’ look was created by celebrated stylist Isabella Blow. Before long, teenagers were copying their style and learning their dance moves.
The follow-up single, Respectable, arrived a few months later and became a number-one hit. Another chart-topper followed with the title track from their album F.L.M., which stands for Fun, Love and Money.
The duo’s time at the top of the charts was tragically short. By this stage, Mel had been diagnosed with cancer and was too ill to appear in promotional videos. The sisters released one more single, That’s the Way It Is.
In 1990, Mel Appleby contracted pneumonia and died after her immune system was weakened by chemotherapy treatment. She was just 23 years old.
Kim Appleby went on to enjoy a successful solo career, scoring further pop and club hits in the UK including Don’t Worry, G.L.A.D., Light of the World and Free Spirit.
