With Halloween just around the corner, I figured it’s prime time to trot out another skeleton from my pop-culture closet.

My first encounter with Urban Cookie Collective’s “The Key, The Secret” came at a Circuit City listening post in 1994. Listening to 100% Energy, a techno/rave compilation, there was something I liked about the track.

But as I was never a fan of this hyper style of dance music, today I can’t fathom what my attraction to “The Key, The Secret” was. (Maybe Circuit City had some really good headphones?) Still, I purchased 100% Energy solely on the basis of it. Hear here:

Having “The Key, The Secret” only on a mixed compilation, I searched unsuccessfully in the days that followed for a single. On an unconscious level, perhaps I knew the song was lacking and was really looking for some redemption by remix.

Urban Cookie Collective did take the song to #2 in England, and reached #5 in Germany. New mixes were issued in 2005, and the Manchester, UK group (which rates a surprisingly thorough Wikipedia entry) charted once again.

While I hope my cautionary tale advises otherwise, “The Key, The Secret” is available via iTunes, Amazon MP3.