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Solo

Introduction

Although brief, Ainslie's solo career showed great promise - not just to the fans which saw his spark in the BBC's Fame Academy, but also to more subjective music reviewers who were pleasently surprised by the quality of his first - and to date only - solo single release.

Keep Me A Secret was certainly a well crafted pop song. With a sing-a-long chorus, hooks reminiscent of The Cure's Friday I'm In Love and seemingly endless plays on the jukebox in the Queen Vic, even the most hardened music snob could fail to warm to Ainslie's infectious tune.

Take Out Time was even better, hailing back to Joshua Tree era U2. The driving B-side, written with Saul Davies and Mark Hunter of James fame, whet the appetite of much of Ainslie's fanbase, who were perhaps looking forward to a song other than Keep Me A Secret which Ainslie performed several times during the show.

Ainslie, however, felt his elevated position was almost fraudulant, that his 'fame' was found through taking a shortcut through the Fame Academy. Racked with self-doubt, Ainslie set himself extremely high standards in his work. At the same time, Mercury Records wanted to capitalise on the Fame Academy brand, so Ainslie was subjected to publicity rounds of kid's TV and regional radio stations to promote Keep Me A Secret. Perhaps more frustrating than all, Ainslie was obliged to participate in the nationwide arena tour with his fellow contestents - although it kept the reality TV show brand alive, it pushed Ainslie further and further away from the audience he craved to write for.

As time passed, it became evident that his debut album, code-named Coming Up For Air and later named About A Boy, was unlikely to be released. Mercury asked Ainslie to re-record parts of the album, seemingly unhappy with tracks deemed too risqué for a reality TV star. Ainslie was determined to keep the tracks, encouraged by a few inside Mercury who faught his corner.

Alas the album was never released, nor was Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls, widely expected to be the second single, or Katie, a track performed at a live performance at Itchen College in Southampton. Ainslie, along with a raft of other artists, was dropped from the Mercury roster in late 2003 as part of a wider Universal restructuring.

Ainslie managed to salvage the rights to the songs he wrote and recorded, but failed to finalise a publishing deal or attract interest for a recording contract, and the tracks remain unheard to this day.

Keep Me A Secret

About (in the words of Ainslie...)

"It was during the Fame Academy auditions and I was travelling home on the tube one night, the tube was almost empty and a girl came and sat in front off me - and it was the strangest thing, we got talking and there was suddenly a real connection between us.

She was a teacher actually and I often wonder if she remembers it, we sat speaking for about 10 minutes, and when I was getting of the tube, we decided to not swap numbers and not ever see each other again, and take it as a perfect meeting and not ruin it with a relationship - and kind of deny ourselves what we desired and leave it as it was."

Reviews

Keep Me A Secret Reviews Page

Single Tracklisting

CD Format:

Tape Format:

Lyrics

Keep Me A Secret

Trying not to feel you but
You just brushed by
And if you dare to cross that line, you know
My toes will step on fire

Mmmmm sizzle when it's face on face
And skin on skin
And I'm tryin to keep you out
And I'm trying to keep me in

One hundred million eyes behind these walls
Watching you, hearing you, knowing you

Keep me a secret
Keep me out your arms
Keep my kisses off your lipstick
Stop me swallowing your charms

Keep yourself a secret
Lock up all your doors
I'll keep you out of my dreams
And just you keep me out of yours

I’m needing not to notice you
But you grabbed my eye.
And don’t let embraces linger,
Try to keep our arms untied.

See, there you go again,
You’re making me mad.
Cause I’m drawn to this danger,
Always making me mad!

One hundred million reasons to ignore,
Wanting to be with you,
One hundred million eyes behind these walls,
Watching you, hearing you, knowing you...

Keep me a secret
Keep me out your arms
Keep my kisses off your lipstick
Stop me swallowing your charms

Keep yourself a secret
Lock up all your doors
I'll keep you out of my dreams
And just you keep me out of yours

All I'm asking
Is for nothing
And if nothing is enough for you
Leave it unsaid
Keep me inside your head
Under your breath

Keep me a secret
Keep me out your arms
Keep my kisses off your lipstick
Stop me swallowing your charms

Keep yourself a secret
Lock up all your doors
I'll keep you out of my dreams
And just you keep me out of yours

Take Out Time

Bring your eyes
Into contact with mine and now I’m waiting for a sign
A smile’s a sign
That you’re melting in the middle and you thoughts are matching mine

Look but don’t touch makes me mad
Yeah it makes me crazy (x2)

Take out time
Cant wait to taste and touch been waiting all night
Take out time
Cant wait to taste and touch been waiting all night

Find your eyes
Grab a gaze across a room and stretch our lust across a space
Count out time
Yeah I’ll be wasting every second til your minutes follow mine

Look but don’t touch makes me mad
Yeah it makes me crazy (x2)

Take out time
Cant wait to taste and touch been waiting all night
Take out time
Cant wait to taste and touch been watching all night

Lust creeps in I want more
Wanna knock down your door
Find you on the inside
Like never before
Like I can’t ignore
Oh strip down the days that make me wait
Oh won’t you

Take out time
Cant wait to taste and touch been watching all night
Take out time
Cant wait to taste and touch been waiting all night (x2)

Take out time
Melting in the middle
Melting in the middle
And your thoughts are matching mine (x2)

Melting in the middle
Melting in the middle
And your thoughts are matching mine (x2)

 
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