One Hit Wondering – Gina G

One Hit Wondering is a series of columns where I listen to the album of a one hit wonder, and find three songs, other than the hit, that people should hear. 

In the ‘90s we all really wanted to dance. Acts like Ace of Base, Real McCoy, and La Bouche filled the Top 40 with thumping beats, and rhythm that, as Snap! informed us, was most certainly a dancer.

Added to that mix in 1996 was Australian singer Gina G, who gave us the dance pop hit “Ooh Aah… Just a Little Bit.”

The song was released in March of that year (predating Britney Spears’ use of ellipsis by a solid two years), but really started generating a buzz when she performed it as an entry in the Eurovision Song Contest that spring.

An undeniably catchy tune, the song peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Hot Dance Club Play, and #5 on the Mainstream Top 40, and wound up being nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards in 1998.

When all was said and done, “Ooh Aah… Just a Little Bit” wound up the fourth-highest charting Eurovision entry ever in the U.S., and it remains the last UK Eurovision entry to top the UK singles chart.

The joy, however, would be short lived, because when she should’ve been preparing for a night at the Grammys, Gina G was instead preparing to do battle in court, and fight her label for both unpaid royalties, and her freedom.

Gina G – real name Gina Gardiner – probably didn’t envision court cases when she started her career in the early ‘90s as a DJ in Melbourne, and a singer in the Australian dance music group Bass Culture.

Her first minor brush with fame was with Bass Culture, when she was the featured vocalist on the song, “Love the Life,” which was released in May of ’92. She was credited as Geena on the single, and subsequent album, 1993’s BC Nation.

In 1995 she packed up her things and moved to the UK, and after winning the A Song for Europe competition with “Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit,” she became the UK’s entry in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest.

Shortly after this she signed a contract with FX Music that turned out to have to really terrible fine print. The contract allowed label owner, and producer, Steve Rodway complete control over her career – she couldn’t even work with other producers unless Rodway agreed to it – and Gina was to provide recordings “for the territory of the World and the Solar System.”

Two days later FX Music had an agreement signed with Warner Music UK for Gina G, including the song “Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit” … but through Rodway, as his project.

Not knowing what was in store for her with the contracts, she prepared for Eurovision.

For the contest she performed in a dress that was originally custom made for Cher by Paco Rabanne, but Cher never wore. Gina saw it in the offices at Warner Bros. Records a few days before the contest, and it became hers.

Her performance earned her 77 points, and received the maximum 12 points from two countries, but she wound up finishing in 8th place overall.

The result led to an overhaul in the contest’s voting system. Eurovision had been using a panel of juries, but the following year several countries introduced fan voting via phone, and in 1998 this was used by every country.

Because of Gina’s performance at Eurovision, the Bass Culture single “Love the Life” found a second life, and Mushroom Records rereleased it, changing Geena’s billing to Gina G.

For Gina G, however, “Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit” was the wave she was about to ride.

As it climbed the charts, she released her debut album Fresh!, in March of 1997, the cover of which was shot by David LaChapelle, and has a chocolatey take on Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass’ Whipped Cream & Other Delights.

In a very strange bit of backlash, despite “Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit” not receiving heavy airplay on MTV, in 1998 the video became the first song to be “banned” by MTV’s short-lived show 12 Angry Viewers.

The show featured a public jury of music fans who voted on music videos, with the winner being put into heavy rotation on the network.

“Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit” was the first time they voted to ban a video.

While U.S. love wasn’t happening, Gina was experiencing plenty of success in the UK, scoring a number of follow up hits.

In the U.S. the closest she came was the single “Gimme Some Love,” which topped out at #46 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be long before Gina would find herself spending far more time in court than in the studio, because it turned out Rodway was taking more than “Ooh Aah… Just a Little Bit” of her and songwriter Simon Tauber’s money.

Tauber originally wrote “Ooh Aah… Just a Little Bit” in 1995, at which point Gina recorded it with the production team of Bob Wainwright and Richard Burton, who went by the name The Next Room.

Rodway came in as a new producer to remix the song, and signed a deal with Tauber that gave Rodway 30% of the songwriting copyright.

In March of ’96 Rodway inked Gina to the aforementioned recording contract that covered “the territory of the World and the Solar System.”

Those contracts, however, weren’t just bad deals, they were bad deals that Rodway didn’t even attempt to honor, and in 1998 both Gina, and Tauber took him to court, suing Rodway, and his record company FX Music, for unpaid royalties.

According to Gina, when her second album was due, Rodway completely disappeared, and did so with all the royalty money from Warner Music. Not only that, she wasn’t able to record anything until she was legally freed from her contract.

In February of 1999 a high court voided her recording contract after finding that she received less than £30,000 in royalties from the song, and Tauber won his case, as well, but they turned out to be winners in name only, as at that point FX Music had gone out of business.

Gina’s management contract took significantly longer to void, as the case was stuck in court for TEN YEARS.

Even while that contract was in court, she could once again record, and continue her career, but by 1999 the landscape of pop music had changed considerably. Britney Spears had burst onto the scene with “…Baby One More Time,” and there was both a new queen of ellipses, and a new pop sound.

It was the TRL era, and Gina G wasn’t part of it.

After recording, and releasing a few singles, Gina appeared on the reality show Reborn In The USA in 2003, where ten mostly-unknown British pop acts came to the U.S. in hopes of reviving their careers.

The show, of course, spawned an album, which featured the singers performing cover songs, including Gina G taking on “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”

Gina didn’t last long on the show, but she pressed on. In 2005 she made an attempt to qualify for the Eurovision Song Contest again, but didn’t make the cut. 

In August of that year, however, she was finally able to release her second album, Get Up & Dance, via her website.

After a few more years, and a few more singles, Gina G made a major life change, trading in the spotlight for the mom life.

Currently she lives in Southern California with her husband, Tommy Hudson, and their two children. Tommy and Gina (holy mother of God, they’re the couple from Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”) opted to raise their kids away from the show biz life, although Gina does have her own record label, Stuntgirl Music Ltd.

Speaking of records, in May of 2024 Gina’s Fresh! was re-released on purple vinyl, and double CD/DVD by 90/9 Records.

With a fresh edition of Fresh! ready for everyone’s ears, I gave the album a spin, and found three songs, other than “Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit,” that you should hear.

“Ti Amo”

 

Much like with her use of ellipses, Gina G was a bit ahead of her time with “Ti Amo.” 

A dance-pop song with some serious Latin flair, “Ti Amo” would’ve been a perfect fit for the Latin explosion that took place in 1999, when Ricky Martin had us all “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” and we were so starved for Latin music that even boxer Oscar de la Hoya was able to release an album. Unfortunately for Gina, “Ti Amo” was released in 1997, and the Ace of Base meets Latin pop tune never found a U.S. audience.

It’s a shame she wasn’t able to re-release the song a few years later, because there would’ve been plenty of love for “Ti Amo.”

“Missin’ You Like Crazy”

 

Who among us isn’t a sucker for a good pop ballad?

OK, maybe some of you aren’t, but I think most of us secretly dig the occasional sentimental pop tune, and with “Missin’ You Like Crazy” Gina G gave us a good one.

A post-break up song that could’ve been anthemic for teen girls everywhere, “Missin’ You Like Crazy” also could’ve positioned Gina G as something other than a dance pop artist.

Definitely a missed opportunity.

“It Doesn’t Mean Goodbye”

 

A pop song that starts with a very familiar sample, “It Doesn’t Mean Goodbye” is the story of what seems to be a bit of a toxic relationship with a broken man. Gina G, however, isn’t giving up on the guy, and knows he’ll be back.

This is one of those songs you discover as a deep album cut, and are really glad you didn’t skip.

Until next time, here’s to discovering more great music from one hit wonders!