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Electricity (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Electricity
| cover = Electricity.gif
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
| album = Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
| B-side = Almost
| released = 21 May 1979
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = 3:32
| label =
| writer =
| producer =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Red Frame/White Light
| next_year = 1980
| misc =
}}
"'Electricity'" is the 1979 debut single by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), featured on their eponymous debut album the following year. Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys sing the lead vocals on the track together in unison. As with single "Messages" from the same album, the song features a melodic synthesizer break as opposed to a sung chorus.
The track is a holdover from defunct Wirral group the Id, who were led by McCluskey and Humphreys. Following OMD's release of "Electricity" on Factory Records, the band were offered a recording contract with Dindisc, who twice re-issued the single. An October 2019 re-release, through Virgin EMI, topped the UK Vinyl Singles Chart.
"Electricity" has been recognised as one of the most influential songs of its era, and has been praised by multiple recording artists.
Background
"Electricity" was the first song that Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys wrote together at the age of 16. It addresses society's wasteful usage of energy resources. Inspired by Kraftwerk's "Radioactivity", the track was described by McCluskey as "a faster, punkier version of 'Radioactivity' with a chorus." As with single "Messages" from the same album, a sung chorus is substituted for a melodic synthesizer break.
McCluskey and Humphreys originally recorded "Electricity" as members of OMD precursor group the Id, in early 1978. After OMD's first concert, opening for Joy Division in a 1978 appearance at Eric's Club in Liverpool, McCluskey was inspired to send a demo of the song to Factory Records founder Tony Wilson. They later heard that while he was not impressed with it, his wife was, so he bought it from them and released it as a single. Its ensuing success led to them receiving a seven-album record deal with Dindisc, worth over 250,000.
Reception
"Electricity" was a hit with veteran DJ John Peel, who gave the song regular play on his late-night radio show; as a result, the British music press quickly picked up on the song. Adrian Thrills of 'NME' cited it as "the best example of Factory Records to date excellent, melodic, synthesiser pop." He also lauded B-side "Almost", calling it "a doleful, heartsick slab of electronic angst." In a review of 1980 single "Enola Gay", Jonathan Green of 'The Canberra Times' described both it and "Electricity" as a "super pop song".
Conversely, Garry Bushell gave a negative review in 'Sounds', in which he remarked: "If Mike Oldfield was ten years younger and a Tubeway Army fan, this is what he'd sound like... who wants to listen to a bunch of Scousers whining about electricity anyway?" However, David Hepworth, who re-appraised the track in the same publication, opined that OMD's sound "commands your attention" and lauded the single for being "packaged with as much taste as it's played." "Electricity" peaked at no. 2 on the 'Sounds' Alternative Chart in the summer of 1979, and was later featured on 'NME's end-of-year list.
In a retrospective review, Ned Raggett of AllMusic described the song as "pure zeitgeist, a celebration of synth pop's incipient reign". Critic Dave Thompson called it a "perfect electro-pop number".
Legacy
Danny Eccleston of 'Mojo' recognised "Electricity" as important to "the dawn of UK synth-pop", while 'The Guardian's Mary Harron wrote that it "pioneered a new electronic pop". Author and musician Rudi Esch described "Electricity" as "a song that started a new movement"; Esch borrowed its title for his book, 'Electri_City: The Dsseldorf School of Electronic Music' (2016). Andrew Trendell of 'NME' identified the track as a "classic" and "one of the most influential singles of the post-punk era". AFI and Blaqk Audio frontman Davey Havok called the song "groundbreaking".Erasure bandleader Vince Clarke (formerly chief songwriter of Depeche Mode and Yazoo) told the BBC, "When I was 18 or 19 I heard a single called 'Electricity' by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It sounded so different from anything I'd heard; that really made me want to make electronic music, 'cause it was so unique." "Electricity" was a fixture in the DJ sets of Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes; bandmate John Taylor cited it as an early influence on the group. BBC Radio's Steve Lamacq has named the "wonderful" track as his inspiration to become a radio DJ, and musician Ian Devaney formed the band Nation of Language after hearing the song. Brett Wickens of Spoons and Ceramic Hello noted that he was "initially inspired" by the track, as well as its cover art.
"Electricity" has been praised by other musicians. Ted Ottaviano of Book of Love, a band heavily influenced by OMD, said of the song, "I've never heard anything so simple and sophisticated all at the same time... [It's] one of my all-time faves." Mute Records founder Daniel Miller wrote, "I remember thinking, 'My God, that's an amazing pop song'." Philip Oakey of the Human League called it a "brilliant single", and Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr admitted to being "downright jealous" of the track. David Balfe of The Teardrop Explodes recalled "admiring" the song.
The track has been covered by artists including NOFX, Apoptygma Berzerk and MGMT. 'Q' argued that "The Kids Aren't Alright", by punk rock band the Offspring, "borrows heavily" from the song; the magazine pointed to NOFX's punk cover of "Electricity" as evidence. In a poll of 8,180 'Slicing Up Eyeballs' readers, "Electricity" was voted the 69th-best track of 1980. KROQ ranked it the 23rd-greatest song of 1981, the year of its US release.
"Electricity" and "Almost" versions
There are many different versions of the two songs that were present on OMD's debut single. After the band left Factory Records, DinDisc attempted twice to score a hit with "Electricity". Consequently, four versions of "Electricity" and three of "Almost" exist.
;Version I
*"Electricity" (3:36) and "Almost" (3:50) were originally recorded at Cargo Studios, Rochdale and produced by Martin Hannett under the moniker Martin Zero, to be released by Factory Records.
;Version II
*The band felt Hannett had overproduced their songs somewhat, so they recorded new versions at Henry's Studio, Liverpool. These versions were produced by themselves and band manager Paul Collister under the moniker Chester Valentino.
*A compromise was reached for the versions used on the single. This first Factory single contains the band's version of "Electricity" (3:44) and the Hannett version of "Almost" (3:50).
*Version II of "Almost" (3:43) remained unreleased until appearing on the 2001 compilation; 'Navigation: The OMD B-Sides'.
;Version III
*The album versions of "Electricity" (3:39) and "Almost" (3:44) differ from the previous versions, and were used for the third and final release of the single. "Electricity" was remixed from the original Hannett version. It is also the version used on the 1988 'Best Of' and the 1998 'Singles' collections and is the best-known version of the song. The album version of "Almost" is similarly a remix of Hannett's version.
;Version IV ("Electricity" only)
*A fourth mix of "Electricity" (3:43) was produced by Mike Howlett. This version of "Electricity" was recorded during the 'Organisation' sessions when the band decided to extend the instrumental section in the middle of the song. It was initially released on the 'Dindisc 1980' compilation album in 1980. In 2003, it was released on CD as a bonus track on the re-issue of 'Organisation'.
;The Micronauts Remix
*A radical remix by dance music act The Micronauts was released in 1998 both as part of 'The OMD Remixes' release and as part of the bonus disc of the special edition 'The OMD Singles' (France only).
Release history
Singles
The following singles have been released:Albums
"Electricity" and "Almost" have been released on the following OMD albums:Sleeve design
The sleeve was designed by Factory's designer Peter Saville. The band and Saville met in a Rochdale pub and exchanged ideas. Saville told them about a book of avant-garde musical scores which he'd come across. Andy McCluskey said that he sometimes wrote down the tunes he composed in a similar shorthand. This led to the unusual graphics that feature on the sleeve. Saville suggested to use shiny black ink on black paper. Neither OMD nor Tony Wilson believed it could be done, but Saville persuaded a printer to do the job. The thermographic printing was a success, but the place set on fire three times, so eventually only 5,000 sleeves were printed. The reissue sleeves were standard white on black printed sleeves.
2019 re-release
A special edition of the single was released on 27 September 2019 by Virgin EMI, as part of the group's 40th anniversary celebrations. The A-side features the Hannett/Cargo Studios version of "Electricity", incorrectly listed as the Factory Records version, while the B-side has a new remix of "Almost" by Vince Clarke. The limited edition release is pressed on clear vinyl and the sleeve is an adaptation of the original Peter Saville design. This version debuted on the UK Vinyl Singles Chart at no. 1.
Track listing
1979 original release
2019 re-issue
Notes
References
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