For one moment in time back in 2016, Dana Winner was the most downloaded artist on iTunes. Dana Winner, who is that? That’s a fair question if you’re not from the Netherlands, Belgium, Estonia, Germany, or South Africa. In the named countries, Winner became known after her Dutch-Top-40 one-hit-wonder, Westenwind (1995) found its audience. Westenwind is an adaptation of One Way Wind (1971) by the North Holland group, The Cats. Written by Arnold Muhren, One Way Wind was a hit across Europe.
Okay, back in February 2016, Dana Winner was on Liefde voor Muziek, a TV program showcasing Flemish music (along the lines of Dutch TV’s popular Beste Zangers). Winner sang Whitney Houston’s One Moment in Time. In the studio, she brought the house down. Two hours after the program went live, Winner’ live recording was “the most downloaded song on iTunes”. The video now has nearly 63M views on YouTube. That’s a lot of views for an artist you likely haven’t heard of. Let’s give it a watch.
Leon WP writes: “Stand, applaud, she absolutely deserves it”. Acknowledging that Winner’s impressive version interprets the original, Dorian Skylar comments, “Whitney Houston is a different story, but this gal Winner is off the hook.” Duncan Noe Smith concurs, stating “A beautiful rendition of a favorite song.” Patrick Conover enthuses: “The perfect package. She can sing incredibly, she is beautiful, and she knows how to perform”. Lori Hicks exclaims, “Oh my goodness! It has me tearing up.”
Music Man readers likely know that One Moment in Time (written by Albert Hammond & John Bettis and sung by Houston) was produced for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The song reached number one in the UK and number five in the US. It is one of Houston’s most beloved songs and it was a good fit for Dana Winner. So what about Winner’s other big cover, the song that made her name? Here is Westenwind.
The Dutch language is sufficient to explain the fact that the song didn’t crack the UK or the US markets. There is another reason. The original song, One Way Wind sung in English by The Cat’s, never charted in the UK or US but was a big hit in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and German. In its region, it remains popular. Over 150 different artists have covered the song.
I presume that you know Whitney Houston’s One Moment in Time but you may not know The Cats’ One Way Wind. How about we treat ourselves to vintage promo footage of the band on location in the tropics. It’s quite something. An authentic early 1970s artifact. It’s real groovy and this upload of the song has 28M views (there are other uploads, including time-capsule in-studio tv performances). Without further ado, here is The Cats with One Way Wind.
If you want to experience more from the incredible Dutch artist, Dana Winner, you can subscribe to her YouTube Channel for more awe-inspiring music. You can also follow her on Facebook and her official website for more updates about her music journey. Enjoy the magic of her vocal prowess and the connection she establishes with her audience through her music.