earlier, i had said:

all of this, plus he covers kylie's "hand on your heart," in earnest, on the b-side. (which, incidentally, i'd love to hear.)

now, i say:
jose gonzalez, "hand on your heart" (b-side to "stay in the shade" single, available for purchase as an import here).

kylie's version, available domestically on ultimate kylie, fits the mold of her late 80's work. the sheen provided by s.a.w. and kylie's delivery take the glass half-full view of the relationship: when her beau puts his hand on his heart, the words won't come (or he's just a bloody liar). gonzalez's version admits no such hope, as the catch in his throat on the word "heart" at :44 makes all too clear.

what's also quite clear is the respect gonzalez has for the tune; his cover is closer to marc almond's affectionate reading of "something's gotten hold of my heart" than travis's wink-wink, nudge-nudge "... baby one more time." it's a reasonable move by gonzalez, as "hand on your heart" demonstrates once again the pliancy and durability of the stock-aitken-waterman team; stripped of its gloss and, more importantly, kylie's megawattage, the song still generates power, though of a different, more low-key sort.