{{About|the Belouis Some song|other songs|Target Practice (disambiguation){{!}}Target Practice}} {{Infobox song | name = Target Practice | cover = Belouis Some Target Practice 1984 Single Cover.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Belouis Some | album = Some People | released = 21 May 1984<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Another news-corner |date=15 May 1984 |magazine=Music & Media}}</ref> (1st version) | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = New wave, synth-pop | length = 4:16 | label = EMI, Parlophone | writer = Belouis Some | producer = * Ian Little * Peter Schwier * Steve Thompson * Michael Barbiero | prev_title = Lose It to You | prev_year = 1981 | next_title = Imagination | next_year = 1985 }}
"'''Target Practice'''" is a song by British musician Belouis Some, released on 21 May 1984 as his first major label single after his 1981 debut "Lose It to You". The song was written by Some, and produced by Peter Schwier and Ian Little.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Belouis-Some-Target-Practice/release/3532894|title=Belouis Some - Target Practice |date=1984 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref> "Target Practice" was re-recorded in New York in early 1985, with Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero as the producers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Belouis-Some-Target-Practice/release/1152995|title=Belouis Some - Target Practice |date=1985 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref> This new version was included on Some's 1985 debut album ''Some People''. It was also released as a single in 1986 and reached No. 16 on South Africa Springbok Chart in 1986, which was his third consecutive top 20 hit there.<ref>{{cite web|author=Brian Currin |url=http://rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_%28S%29.html |title=South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (S) |publisher=Rock.co.za |access-date=2014-02-04}}</ref> A music video for the 1986 release was directed by Brian Travers and produced by Annie Croft for PMI.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=1 February 1986|title=Music on Video - Promos|magazine=Music Week|page=29|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1986/Music-Week-1986-02-01.pdf|via=World Radio History|access-date=10 July 2021}}</ref>
==Background== In a 1984 interview with ''Sunday Sun'', Some stated, "Unfortunately, people may get the wrong idea about me from the single. It does sound like Bowie, but it is the only track on my forthcoming LP which does. I've been trying my hardest not to sound like Bowie, even though I'm a great fan of both him and Roxy Music."<ref>{{cite news |last=McKay |first=Neil |date=24 June 1984 |title=Some People go-it-alone |newspaper=Sunday Sun |page=27}}</ref>
==Critical reception== Upon its release, Paul Benbow of ''Reading Evening Post'' said of the 1984 version, "The voice sounds not unlike David Bowie at first but there the similarity ends. Straight pop song with a catchy hook line but no classic."<ref>{{cite news|last=Benbow|first=Paul|date=21 July 1984|title=Singles|newspaper=Reading Evening Post}}</ref> Linda Duff of ''Smash Hits'' noted the "strange, rather wordy lyric" and "clever take-off of Mr Bowie's singing style", but felt the song was otherwise "completely unremarkable".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Duff |first=Linda |date=5 July 1984 |title=Singles |magazine=Smash Hits |page=19}}</ref> Hugh Fielder of ''Sounds'' coommented, "Promising idea that gets lost because the singer can't stop sounding like Bowie and the chorus is so weak they have to resort to heavy phasing to pull it through".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Fielder |first=Hugh |title=Singles |magazine=Sounds |date=16 June 1984 |page=30 |issn=0144-5774}}</ref>
In a review of ''Some People'', ''Voice of Youth Advocates'' described the re-recorded track as "electro power pop a la Power Station" and one that "sounds like a hit."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vNQcAQAAMAAJ&q=%22belouis+some%22+%22target+practice%22 |title=Voice of Youth Advocates: VOYA. - Google Books |year=1985 |access-date=2019-06-10}}</ref> ''Billboard'' considered the song to be one of the album's best tracks and noted it being "rockier" than the title track.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CyQEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22belouis+some%22+%22target+practice%22&pg=PT78 |title=Billboard - Google Books |date=1985-04-27 |access-date=2019-06-10}}</ref>
==Track listing== ===1984 release=== '''7–inch single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Target Practice |others=Belouis Some |year=1984 |type=UK 7-inch single sleeve |publisher=EMI |id=EMI 5462}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Target Practice |others=Belouis Some |year=1984 |type=European 7-inch single sleeve |publisher=EMI |id=1A 006-2001747}}</ref> #"Target Practice" – 4:04 #"Some People" – 4:15
'''12–inch single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Target Practice |others=Belouis Some |year=1984 |type=UK 12-inch single sleeve |publisher=EMI |id=12EMI 5462}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Target Practice |others=Belouis Some |year=1984 |type=Dutch 12-inch single sleeve |publisher=EMI |id=1A K062-20 0210 6}}</ref> #"Target Practice" (Extended) – 7:22 #"Some People" – 4:15 #"Target Practice" (Revisited) – 7:40
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Chart (1984) !Peak<br />position |- |UK Singles Chart<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ukmix.org/forum/chart-discussion/chart-analysis/10895472-uk-singles-charts-1984-including-chart-panel-sales |title=Gallup Top 200 Singles |magazine=Gallup |date=16 June 1984 |via=ukmix.org |access-date=19 September 2022}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|189 |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Belouis Some}} {{Authority control}}
Category:1984 songs Category:1984 singles Category:1985 singles Category:Belouis Some songs Category:EMI Records singles Category:Parlophone singles Category:Songs written by Belouis Some
{{1980s-pop-song-stub}}