Liverpool native Sonia - born Sonia Evans - became the first female artist in the U.K. to spin five hit singles off one album.  The album was 1990's Everybody Knows, and the singles were "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (No. 1), "Can't Forget You" (No. 17), "Listen to Your Heart" (No. 10), "Counting Every Minute" (No. 16), and "End of the World" (No. 18).  Now, Cherry Pop has put together a 6-CD box set based around those five singles, with a bonus disc featuring "You've Got a Friend," Sonia's other top 20 U.K. hit from 1990 featuring boy band Big Fun.  Each disc on Everybody Knows: The Singles Box Set features the original version of one song plus additional B-sides (some issued contemporaneously and some in subsequent years).

Everybody Knows was a product of the internationally successful Stock Aitken Waterman, or SAW, production and songwriting hit factory (Kylie Minogue, Rick Astley, Bananarama, Mel and Kim).  The teenaged Sonia had reportedly showed up at Pete Waterman's Liverpool studio, hoping for the chance to sing for the songwriter-producer.  He gave Sonia the opportunity to show her stuff on his weekly radio program, and soon SAW was crafting material just for her.  Initially, the trio tried "I'd Rather Jack" but they ultimately felt it was better suited to another of their discoveries, The Reynolds Girls.  Next was "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You."  Released in June 1989, it peaked at No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart the following month.  The success of the effortlessly catchy, altogether effervescent dance-pop ode wasn't relegated to England; it also reached the top ten of the U.S. Dance survey.  Sonia was just eighteen years old, and the youngest woman to hit the top spot in the U.K. since Mary Hopkin with 1968's "Those Were the Days."  Disc One of Cherry Pop's box has six remixes of "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" including an extended version, demo, and instrumental.  Even in demo form, the marriage of the irresistible track and Sonia's effusive vocal were clearly an ideal match.

"Can't Forget You," heard on CD 2, contrasted its ebullient predecessor with a lovelorn lyric.  But the spirited dance beats were still in place, and Sonia sold the sentiments with the requisite drama she would use to good effect as an actress on stage and screen.  Three mixes (original, Extended Version, and Instrumental) of "Can't Forget You" are joined by the bonus album track "Climb to the Top of a Mountain" (from SAW associates Phil Harding and Ian Curnow) in original and instrumental forms.  The third CD offers "Listen to Your Heart," another high-energy admonition which is backed with its original non-LP B-side, "Better Than Ever."  The disc features the original, extended, and instrumental versions of the A-side plus four versions of the B-side including long and short instrumentals.

The pulsating "Counting Every Minute" was the final track recorded for Everybody Knows and the fourth to be released before the album.  Its top 20 success helped catapult the album to a top ten berth in the U.K. and a Gold certification.  Five versions of "Counting Every Minute" are backed on CD 4 by the original and instrumental mixes of the LP's title track.

The most fascinating story behind the single belongs to CD 5's "You've Got a Friend" which teamed Sonia with the SAW-produced boy band Big Fun.  The original plan was for Sonia and the group to record a cover of Carole King's beloved 1971 anthem "You've Got a Friend" for a single benefiting the children's counselling service Childline.  But at the last minute, SAW opted to write a new song of the same name in a modern dance-soul vein.  Featuring veteran session saxophonist Gary Barnacle with a central riff seemingly inspired by Junior Walker and The All-Stars' Motown hit "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)," SAW's "You've Got a Friend" naturally espoused a similar sentiment to King's original (sample lyrics: "Don't you know that you've got a friend/Who is always there/When you need me/When you want me"..."I'll be there/On that you can depend/I won't let you down/Don't you know that you've got a friend") but can't help but exist in its shadows.  Sonia and Big Fun's recording of the Carole King original - a more than credible dance reinvention of the tender ballad - later surfaced and is included here along with four mixes of the SAW composition.  (As an aside, Big Fun had previously recorded Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move" with Phil Harding and Ian Curnow for SAW's PWL label.)

The final single in the box features Sonia's affecting cover of Arthur Kent and Sylvia Dee's "The End of the World," a 1962/3 hit from American country singer Skeeter Davis.  SAW had previously cut the melancholy paean with the group Brilliant, but Sonia brought emotion to her shimmering yet sad rendition without crossing into mawkish territory.  The nine-track CD 6 has four versions of "End of the World" including two instrumentals plus its original B-side "Can't Help the Way That I Feel" and its instrumental, and two versions of a Sonia Megamix.  This promotional mix blended "Can't Forget You," "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You," "Listen to Your Heart," and "Counting Every Minute."

Everybody Knows turned out to be Sonia's one and only album with SAW.  She's only released two more LPs to date (1991's Sonia and 1993's Better the Devil You Know) while a third languishes in the vaults (1998's Love Train: The Philly Album).  She represented Britain in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest where she finished second with "Better the Devil You Know" and has continued to appear on television and stage.  She's also sporadically released new music as fans clamor for a full album.

Cherry Pop's box includes a 24-page booklet with handwritten notes from Sonia, an essay from compiler and remastering engineer Tom Parker, full lyrics, and numerous photos and memorabilia images.  Each single is housed in a paper sleeve.  Everybody Knows: The Singles Box Set is a compelling companion to the album which was reissued by Cherry Pop in 2010.  It's available now at the links below.

Sonia, Everybody Knows: The Singles Box Set (Cherry Pop CRPOPBOX227, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (Chrysalis CHS 3385, 1989)
2. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (Extended Version) (Chrysalis CHS12 3385, 1989)
3. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (Sonia's Kiss Mix) (Chrysalis CHS12 3385, 1985)
4. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (XXX Kiss Mix) (released digitally, 2009)
5. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (Demo Version) (released on Cherry Pop CRPOP57, 2010)
6. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (Instrumental) (Chrysalis CHS 3385, 1989)

CD 2

1. Can't Forget You (Chrysalis CHS 3419, 1989)
2. Climb to the Top of a Mountain (Original Mix) (released digitally, 2010)
3. Can't Forget You (Extended Version) (Chrysalis CHS12 3419, 1989)
4. Can't Forget You (Instrumental) (Chrysalis CHS 3419, 1989)
5. Climb to the Top of a Mountain (Original Instrumental) (released digitally, 2010)

CD 3

1. Listen to Your Heart (Chrysalis CHS 3465, 1989)
2. Better Than Ever (Chrysalis CHS 3465, 1989)
3. Listen to Your Heart (Extended Version) (Chrysalis CHS12 3465, 1989)
4. Better Than Ever (Original Mix) (released digitally, 2009)
5. Listen to Your Heart (Instrumental) (Chrysalis CHS12 3465, 1989)
6. Better Than Ever (7" Instrumental) (released digitally, 2009)
7. Better Than Ever (Original Instrumental) (released digitally, 2009)

CD 4

1. Counting Every Minute (Chrysalis CHS 3492, 1990)
2. Everybody Knows (Chrysalis/PWL CCD 1734, 1990)
3. Counting Every Minute (The Don Miguel Mix) (Chrysalis CHS12 3492, 1990)
4. Counting Every Minute (Tick Tock Remix) (Chrysalis CHS12 3492, 1990)
5. Counting Every Minute (The King's Counting House Mix) (released digitally, 2009/10)
6. Counting Every Minute (Instrumental) (Chrysalis CHS 3492, 1990)
7. Everybody Knows (Instrumental) (released digitally, 2009/10)

CD 5

1. You've Got a Friend (Jive CHILD 90, 1990)
2. You've Got a Friend (Cover Version) (from Cherry Pop CRPOP45, 2010)
3. You've Got a Friend (Extended Version) (Jive CHILDT90, 1990)
4. You've Got a Friend (7" Instrumental) (Jive CHILD 90, 1990)
5. You've Got a Friend (12" Instrumental) (Jive CHILDT90, 1990)

CD 6

1. End of the World (Chrysalis CHS 3557, 1990)
2. Can't Help the Way That I Feel (Chrysalis CHS12 3557, 1990)
3. End of the World (Extended Version) (released digitally, 2009)
4. End of the World (Alternative Mix) (released digitally, 2009)
5. Megamix (Chrysalis SONIX 1 promo/released digitally, 2009)
6. Megamix (Hitman Roadshow Version) (released digitally, 2009)
7. End of the World (7" Instrumental) (released digitally, 2009)
8. End of the World (Alternative Instrumental) (released digitally, 2009)
9. Can't Help the Way That I Feel (Instrumental) (released digitally, 2009)