There was a lot of talk singing in this kind of music. Singers of many genres would sing the track twice over to give it a fuller sound, and there were all kinds of filters and effects that could be applied, that were definitely not autotune.
Back then, singers recorded as many takes necessary in the studio until they got it right. Those who simply couldn't sing in tune at all usually didn't make it very far as a singer.
There was no auto tune in the 80s. This was one of the biggest hits of the 80s. It does have that 80s sound, early 80s. And it was one of the most popular dance songs. Lex couldn't stop moving and neither could we. Is it creepy? I don't think so. It's about a man who falls in love with a waitress, turns her into a star, and she dumps him. Most people in that situation would feel that but not act on it. We liked dark lyrics in the 80s but we weren't maniacs. Nobody in the 80s thought this was dangerously creepy. We liked it and we danced.
very well said. "creepy?!" I think this speaks to the entitlement of the current generation: they think they are entitled to be helped out by those more powerful and accomplished....for FREE (?!) you think being lifted up is a given? you think the good things in life dont have a cost? you think you can take and, then just walk away without paying the bill? the man - like a LOT of men - helped the waitress because he liked her. a lot. and she used that affection and discarded him when it suited her. this is a very old tale. to be thought "creepy," is a lack of life experience and a sense of entitlement. in the 80s....we didnt think it creepy. we liked the song. we danced to it.
@@slchance8839 I danced to this too in the 80’s without giving the lyrics a second though, but c’mon… 🎵I picked you out, I shook you up, and turned you around🎵 (picked her out, like some kind of object? She had nothing to do with turning it around, it was all him?) 🎵But don’t forget it’s me who put you where you are now, and I can put you back down too🎵 (blatant threat) 🎵You know I don’t believe you when you say that you don’t need me🎵 (she’s just a woman, incapable of making up her mind, incapable of making it on her own?) 🎵It’s much too late to find, you think you’ve changed your mind. You’d better change it back or we will both be sorry🎵 (blatant thread) …that’s creepy as fuck. Dudes a fucking psychopath. I’m not saying that it should be censored, banned, canceled, or whatever the hell kids are calling it now a days, but just admit what it is, a creepy 80’s song, lol🤷🏼♂️
@@norcodaev You got me there. I agree with you on those last two lyrics: they are a man broken hearted and petty. And yeah...that last line is definitely a blatant threat. cant argue. Respectfully, I cant agree with you on the first two lyrics. To me, it's a person who can network you into success from a waitress job being used and discarded. To me, it' s more "jilted" ex-boyfriend than "creepy." Creepy is "Every breath you take," by the Police or "In the air tonight," by Phil Collins. Creepy is Ted sleeping with the drunk prom queen in the Rolls Royce at the end of Sixteen Candles. All three songs? Very catchy. Didnt care about the lyrics. Loved and danced to all of them. It was a great decade to come of age.
I was a night club DJ in the early 80s and this was a big dance floor filler. Worked well with Gary Numan Cars, New Order with blue mondsy and Fade to Grey from Visage. among many
And then EVERYTHING changed in 1983-84.. With the UK invasion. I rem,eber the first time I heard U2's Sunday bloody Sunday or Pride on a dance floor or SHOUT later on!. People went NUTS..
I remember always hitting up the 80's Room in NYC clubs in the early to mid 90's. These songs were still amazing and popular. You could walk from room to room hearing House, Trance, Jungle & Hard Core, and then escape to the 80's Room for a while.
Happy sound, dark lyrics were a thing in the 80's. The era was huge into synth, but auto tune didn't come out until '97. There were different categories of new wave; more synth oriented (Depeche Mode/New Order, etc) and more guitar oriented (The Smiths/U2/The Police etc.). Love that ur checking into the 80's. Def a fun era!
This is a great observation: "happy sound, dark lyrics". There is a lot of music I thought was fun and positive but once you really focused on the lyrics, there were some dark, dark themes being expressed.
Yeah, while stuff like Supertramp's The Logical Song hinted at it, I remember this song was the one that twigged me to an emerging pattern of negativity in music that eventually descended, (emotionally, not musically), towards Punk, Grunge and Rap, which were all protests like rock had been. It's likely whey Lex finds music from the 50's-80's to be notably positive feeling. Wars were sung about as pleas for peace. Civil Rights created songs like The Beatles Blackbird. Even the negativity was all tainted with hope. By the mid 90's a lot of positivity wasn't in fashion.
Lex your *Absolute Joy* over this song is fantastic!!! I keep coming back to you two because you're so enthusiastic Lex and Brad is your perfect 'foil and straight man' to all these songs. It's very entertaining and refreshing honestly!!!
@@brendandurham3817 No, actually that's your opinion. It's a well-established fact that "Believe" by Cher is one of the signs of the Apocalypse. Don't get me wrong, her cover of "Walking In Memphis" is blasphemy beyond description, and a far greater offense to humanity as a whole, but we're talking about Believe.
The guy in the song is supposed to suck. Philip Oakey himself said that the song is about the nasty sexual power dynamics in relationships@@schizzo8959
This is seriously good shit man!! From their No.1 multi-platinum 1981 album DARE. Phil Oakey is the Man. Can someone tell Brad and Lex that there was no auto tune in the 80s, it was all genuine. These are top quality singers and musicians, unlike of recent years.
YESSSS!!! Im not sure how many times ive commented asking for you guys to listen to this. So glad you did. My favorite 80's tune. Glad you seemed to have fun with it.
Philip Oakey, the singer, got the idea for the lyrics of this song partly from a story in a magazine and partly from a film. Some years ago this song was voted as one of the eighties favourites in the UK in an ITV poll.
You guys have to do some Depeche Mode, Erasure, New Order if you want some real 80's "techno" or electronic. There was a ton of experimentation with new sounds, some of it not so great, but some of it is absolute gold ;)
What wonderful memories this tune brings back, my first year of high school at 11, me and my friends were all into mod revival, The Jam, The Beat, The Selecter, The Specials etc. Turning up to our first day in school in our parkas, and then all the new wave bands like this were appearing and wow, just wow, an era I'll always look back upon very fondly, and this tune, this video, just loved it, still love it, everything about it!
WOW what a blast from the past !!! I had this on cassette along with UB40 and The Motels. God the 80’s seem like a whole nother lifetime. Thanks for the memories !!! P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
Depeche Mode, The Human League, New Order and a few others were absolute pioneers of this shift to electronic music and it's so fantastic that they're still being appreciated 40 years later. Interesting that you comment on how Phil Oakey's voice sounds assisted in this track (and it does) because in concert his voice is still so strong. He is well into his 60s now and the Human League are still touring but his voice is as strong as ever.
Not autotuned, this was during the era of popular synthesizer "techno" songs like Flock of Seagulls I Ran, Gary Numan Cars, and The Romantics Talking in Your Sleep
Dr. Andy Hildebrand is the inventor of the voice pitch-correcting software called Auto-Tune. The first song published using Auto-Tune on the vocals was the 1998 song "Believe" by Cher.
I saw a 2022 You Tube of THE HUMAN LEAGUE in Concert and they sound brilliant. Phil's voice is still very strong, deep and rich in tone. All members were awesome in their sound and performance, I was moved to tears. Just remember, we all have a lot to be thankful to The Sex Pistols and Malcolm McLaren for starting the catalyst that inspired tens of thousands of aspiring musicians. Without the PUNK Movement, there wouldn't be The New Wave movement. Thus, making people's Teen years and their 20's an absolute joy and a pleasure.
He was doing a gig saw the girls dancing in the crowd and asked them to join the band and the rest is history 👍many more great tracks to choose from by them👍👍
In 1980 the original band split leaving just Phil Oakey and Adrian Wright. They recruited Joanne and Susan after seeing them dancing at the Crazy Daisy in Sheffield and asked them to join as backing singers and dancers. The rest is history.
I remember the first time I heard this song, summer of 1982, West Boggs Lake beach, Loogootee, Indiana. They had one of those huge water slides, music blasting loud from concession stand.
I was kid when this dropped... I remember it being a huge hit in the 80's played like 30x a day video & radio in NY.... I remember we all said " Yo he put chick on now she's bouncing... That's some foul Shiii" - LMBO
"Creepy" is how we feel about it today. At the time, this was an argument starter - was she obligated because of the 5 years he spent building her up? Was she in debt to him in some way? Was she really dissing him by ending the relationship? Then there's her side - she never intended this to be a dead end. She was moving forward no matter what happened in her personal life. Whose side you took in the debate exposed your viewpoint, and many, many conversations dealt with this, leading to us feeling "creepy" about it today.
The inspiration for this song supposedly was about the tragic story of Playboy playmate Dorothy Stratten in 1980. Hollywood later made a movie about it, Star 80.
Certain songs regardless of the instruments just hold up and transcend time. This is one of them. The songwriting is immaculate. And no, honey, there is no autotune.
Great reaction, thank you! In case no-one else mentions it, The Human League were originally a very dour hardcore electronic band in the late 70s made up of 4 males, one of whom just operated the slide visuals for the live shows! The 2 guys who wrote the music split to form Heaven 17 ( react to their song "Temptation" - you'd love it!), leaving Phil Oakey (the singer) and Adrian Wright (the slide guy.) They had a legal obligation to do a tour or they would have been sued into bankruptcy, so they called up a few friends to play the synths, and Phil went to a local disco and recruited the two girls, neither of whom had ever sung before, but he liked their clothes and the way they danced (they were still at school and had to get special permission to go on tour!) They then recorded the classic album "Dare!", and this was the 4th single from it and biggest hit, a real floor-filler at the time, with the whole crowd singing along to the chorus, fabulous to hear it again! :-)
In this episode of Brad and Lex, the gritty early 80,s synthesized sound from this league of humans catches Lex's ear at once giving her a smile while the analytical Brad adds depth by deeming the popular 80,s jam a bit stalkerish but still gives the tune a pass by displaying a little "boppy side to side sway" as Lex accepts the creep factor in exchange for a good time by showing her "happy 80,s bop" equipped with jolly giggles.
@@highpath4776 Yeah, exactly. If you forget gender the story could be about Elvis and Col Parker, or it could be Don Arden and the Small faces or Tony Visconti and The Move or Dolly Parton and Porter Waggoner - the list is a long one.
Love your channel guys here from the UK. Love how Lex dances to the songs and Brad concentrates hard on the lyrics then you both discuss the meaning of the songs.
The synthesizer was the instrument of choice in the 80's, as computers started to take hold in music and in many cases replaced actual real instruments.
Not autotuned. This is a big hit in the "new wave" craze (some called the music genre as "mod"). It was to the 80s as "alternative" was to the 90s. it was a new synth-pop craze - mostly popularized in Europe (U.K. specifically). It was typically a little darker (as a generalization) to the candy pop that dominated the charts (such as Madonna, Cindy Lauper, Lionel Richie) at that time. There were many many many bands/artists that hopped on this bandwagon - many of them one-hit wonders. In many cases, singing was not their strongpoint, and yeah it sounded a bit more like "talking" at times (Pet Shop Boys I'm looking at you), and so the music rode the backbone of the synth and cool keyboard and drum machine sounds. But not auto-tune. That fad started in the late 90s.
Lex - i'm not sure if you did it intentionally - but the way you danced with swinging your arms out at 3:55 is exactly how most people (white) used to dance in clubs back in the mid-80s. For most of us that were poor dancers - dancing usually required a couple of cocktails to loosen up first. If you two could go back in a time-machine and watch everyone dance in the clubs - you would both laugh - but still have a good time. A small part of the reason i loved both reggae and metal is that neither genre required advanced dance moves to join in the fun. Thanks for your reactions.
"But even then I knew I'd find a much better place \ Either with or without you" -- I like how Susan Ann Sulley's voice sneaks into the end of the Philip Oakey chorus right before she sings her verse. Her part gives the song staying power.
Fun fact about this group, they started out in late 70's and their message was much more serious. The members had a disagreement where they wanted to go musily so one part of the group splitted away and started Heaven 17 (Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh) and they left Phil with the name and bunch of dia pictures. They went to a club and found the two women there that they persuaded to go on a tour with them. Joanne and Susan was only 17 at the time. After the tour they recorded this song along with the album Dare. IIRC Adrian Philip Wright had one function in the band that was that he was responsbile for showing pictures at their shows
Fun fact: a couple of the band members hated the song, and fought with the label who wanted it released after 3 other successful singles had been released from the album. They eventually agreed to have it released if a free poster was added to make up to their fans for what they thought was a crappy song 🙂
The vocal is "layered" aka multi-tracked and not auto-tuned. Check out his "cleaner" vocal on Electric Dreams to see what a quality voice he has without the heavy over-tracking.
80s computers didn't have the processing power to do auto tune, hence even the synthesisers were internally processing analogue signals recorded to tape channels, computers were only used to orchestrate the different sound instruments via midi signals.
This song is definitely NOT autotuned, there are a lot of synthesizers and a "techno" sound to the music but nothing on the voice...
Autotune was invented in 1997. So yeah. DEFINITELY not..
At most, they're using reverb.
There was a lot of talk singing in this kind of music. Singers of many genres would sing the track twice over to give it a fuller sound, and there were all kinds of filters and effects that could be applied, that were definitely not autotune.
Back then, singers recorded as many takes necessary in the studio until they got it right. Those who simply couldn't sing in tune at all usually didn't make it very far as a singer.
@@TheRealMirCat yeah, they loved a bit of reverb, maybe a bit of echo. Stevie Nicks demanded this.
There was no auto tune in the 80s.
This was one of the biggest hits of the 80s. It does have that 80s sound, early 80s. And it was one of the most popular dance songs. Lex couldn't stop moving and neither could we.
Is it creepy? I don't think so. It's about a man who falls in love with a waitress, turns her into a star, and she dumps him. Most people in that situation would feel that but not act on it. We liked dark lyrics in the 80s but we weren't maniacs. Nobody in the 80s thought this was dangerously creepy. We liked it and we danced.
well said
very well said.
"creepy?!" I think this speaks to the entitlement of the current generation: they think they are entitled to be helped out by those more powerful and accomplished....for FREE (?!)
you think being lifted up is a given?
you think the good things in life dont have a cost?
you think you can take and, then just walk away without paying the bill?
the man - like a LOT of men - helped the waitress because he liked her. a lot. and she used that affection and discarded him when it suited her. this is a very old tale.
to be thought "creepy," is a lack of life experience and a sense of entitlement.
in the 80s....we didnt think it creepy. we liked the song. we danced to it.
@@slchance8839 I danced to this too in the 80’s without giving the lyrics a second though, but c’mon…
🎵I picked you out, I shook you up, and turned you around🎵 (picked her out, like some kind of object? She had nothing to do with turning it around, it was all him?)
🎵But don’t forget it’s me who put you where you are now, and I can put you back down too🎵 (blatant threat)
🎵You know I don’t believe you when you say that you don’t need me🎵 (she’s just a woman, incapable of making up her mind, incapable of making it on her own?)
🎵It’s much too late to find, you think you’ve changed your mind. You’d better change it back or we will both be sorry🎵 (blatant thread)
…that’s creepy as fuck. Dudes a fucking psychopath. I’m not saying that it should be censored, banned, canceled, or whatever the hell kids are calling it now a days, but just admit what it is, a creepy 80’s song, lol🤷🏼♂️
@@norcodaev You got me there. I agree with you on those last two lyrics: they are a man broken hearted and petty. And yeah...that last line is definitely a blatant threat. cant argue.
Respectfully, I cant agree with you on the first two lyrics. To me, it's a person who can network you into success from a waitress job being used and discarded.
To me, it' s more "jilted" ex-boyfriend than "creepy."
Creepy is "Every breath you take," by the Police or "In the air tonight," by Phil Collins.
Creepy is Ted sleeping with the drunk prom queen in the Rolls Royce at the end of Sixteen Candles.
All three songs?
Very catchy.
Didnt care about the lyrics.
Loved and danced to all of them.
It was a great decade to come of age.
I know...this was not remotely creepy...it was great music...people were interacting with other people and not their phones
I was a night club DJ in the early 80s and this was a big dance floor filler. Worked well with Gary Numan Cars, New Order with blue mondsy and Fade to Grey from Visage. among many
And then EVERYTHING changed in 1983-84.. With the UK invasion. I rem,eber the first time I heard U2's Sunday bloody Sunday or Pride on a dance floor or SHOUT later on!. People went NUTS..
New Order was a MONSTER back then!!!!
Damn! I would have loved to be at your gigs! Shove a little Gang of Four in their, and I would have been your groupie! 😂❤️✌️
@@TheJimprez Gary Numan, New Order and Visage who the OP mentioned were all from the UK, all before '83
I remember always hitting up the 80's Room in NYC clubs in the early to mid 90's. These songs were still amazing and popular. You could walk from room to room hearing House, Trance, Jungle & Hard Core, and then escape to the 80's Room for a while.
One of the best 80s dance songs. Still slays today. Crank it whenever jt is on.
Happy sound, dark lyrics were a thing in the 80's. The era was huge into synth, but auto tune didn't come out until '97. There were different categories of new wave; more synth oriented (Depeche Mode/New Order, etc) and more guitar oriented (The Smiths/U2/The Police etc.). Love that ur checking into the 80's. Def a fun era!
This is a great observation: "happy sound, dark lyrics". There is a lot of music I thought was fun and positive but once you really focused on the lyrics, there were some dark, dark themes being expressed.
The guy isn't stalky or menacing, he's sad and dejected. It's all in his intonation. His voice almost cracks when he says "Don't...don't you want me?"
Yeah, while stuff like Supertramp's The Logical Song hinted at it, I remember this song was the one that twigged me to an emerging pattern of negativity in music that eventually descended, (emotionally, not musically), towards Punk, Grunge and Rap, which were all protests like rock had been. It's likely whey Lex finds music from the 50's-80's to be notably positive feeling. Wars were sung about as pleas for peace. Civil Rights created songs like The Beatles Blackbird. Even the negativity was all tainted with hope. By the mid 90's a lot of positivity wasn't in fashion.
Richard and Karen Carpenter absolutely revolutionized the "happy sound, dark lyrics" vibe. Shoutout to the Carpenters
@@WereMike basically 80% of this genre is dark. Check Sweet Dreams.
Lex your *Absolute Joy* over this song is fantastic!!! I keep coming back to you two because you're so enthusiastic Lex and Brad is your perfect 'foil and straight man' to all these songs. It's very entertaining and refreshing honestly!!!
The first time most of we old-timers heard autotune was a bad Cher song but that wasn't until 1998.
oh lord I had blocked that from my memory...do you beEEeeeliieo000oEEeeiiIIve iN life blablahblah
OH YEAH!!! I had forgotten about that!!! DAMN IT!!! Now you've reminded me after 22 freakin years !!
Believe? A bad Cher song? This is your opinion, man. Not a fact.
@@brendandurham3817 Thank you for the correction. I think you are right that it was a Cher impersonator.
@@brendandurham3817 No, actually that's your opinion. It's a well-established fact that "Believe" by Cher is one of the signs of the Apocalypse.
Don't get me wrong, her cover of "Walking In Memphis" is blasphemy beyond description, and a far greater offense to humanity as a whole, but we're talking about Believe.
back in 80's remember I was around 6-7 years old and my grandmother in her 70's swaying to this song... great memories. Love you Nana RIP
We never thought it was creepy. Even as a guy I can feel the pain in the fellow's voice all these years later. It's a nice song, not weird at all.
A broken heart is one of the worst things in the world, so I can understand him a bit.
The guy in the song is supposed to suck. Philip Oakey himself said that the song is about the nasty sexual power dynamics in relationships@@schizzo8959
Even in the 80s, we knew the guy was a creepy stalker because of the line, "if you don't change it back, we will both be sorry".
@@jwb52z9 You missed the point of "we will both be sorry", it is meant as we will always be sorry, we never got back together.
I never thought of it as creepy, it was always just cool, and a big hit on the dance floor.
Such great memories, every single time I hear this song. They were surely great days.
synthesizers was the 80s thing....no autotune. raw talents
This is seriously good shit man!!
From their No.1 multi-platinum 1981 album DARE.
Phil Oakey is the Man.
Can someone tell Brad and Lex that there was no auto tune in the 80s, it was all genuine.
These are top quality singers and musicians, unlike of recent years.
3:39 LOL Lex saying "Creepy!" then getting right into the jam! Human League was a great band back in the 80's and check out Human League's = Human
Another vote for Human. Both of these songs have a story to them.
YESSSS!!! Im not sure how many times ive commented asking for you guys to listen to this. So glad you did. My favorite 80's tune. Glad you seemed to have fun with it.
This song is the story of the movie A Star is Born, which has been remade many times. Most recently with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.
Philip Oakey, the singer, got the idea for the lyrics of this song partly from a story in a magazine and partly from a film. Some years ago this song was voted as one of the eighties favourites in the UK in an ITV poll.
Love this!!! Danced away hours at the clubs with this song!!!! Love you guys
typical early 80s synth pop! great!
heard this song so many, many times....lol. Love from Portugal.
You guys have to do some Depeche Mode, Erasure, New Order if you want some real 80's "techno" or electronic. There was a ton of experimentation with new sounds, some of it not so great, but some of it is absolute gold ;)
Yes. Erasure.
+ Yazoo (US: Yaz)
@@lumpyfishgravy Vince Clarke in 3 of those bands, the guy doesn't get enough credit, he is half-responsible for the entire genre.
New Order - Blue Monday
That is all.
What wonderful memories this tune brings back, my first year of high school at 11, me and my friends were all into mod revival, The Jam, The Beat, The Selecter, The Specials etc. Turning up to our first day in school in our parkas, and then all the new wave bands like this were appearing and wow, just wow, an era I'll always look back upon very fondly, and this tune, this video, just loved it, still love it, everything about it!
WOW what a blast from the past !!! I had this on cassette along with UB40 and The Motels. God the 80’s seem like a whole nother lifetime. Thanks for the memories !!! P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
One of my favorite 80s songs.
02:16 No autotune whatsoever here! The girl is a bit pitchy, even.
Depeche Mode, The Human League, New Order and a few others were absolute pioneers of this shift to electronic music and it's so fantastic that they're still being appreciated 40 years later. Interesting that you comment on how Phil Oakey's voice sounds assisted in this track (and it does) because in concert his voice is still so strong. He is well into his 60s now and the Human League are still touring but his voice is as strong as ever.
Not autotuned, this was during the era of popular synthesizer "techno" songs like Flock of Seagulls I Ran, Gary Numan Cars, and The Romantics Talking in Your Sleep
A lot of groups went into the studio , and found there was a synth there and started playing with it , Yamaha 80s ?
Numan,,,
Vice City :D
The ROMANTICS never used Keyboards, all Guitar Rock.
Pretty much most British pop rock bands in the 80's had their own unique style. Human League was one of them!!!
"He had his black eyeliner" 😂 Been in a bad way lately, came back to this and instantly got a jolt of happiness. Thanks you two
Then I guess Prince was creepy too.
This song is used on a chip ahoy commercial that used to crack me up every time I saw it
Damn I remember roller skating to this song back in the day. Great beat to skate to.
80's new wave has a vibe for sure, and it always puts me in a good mood.
I used to Karaoke this song with a friend years ago. Always brought the house down!
A blast from the 80s!
Joe from Germany
Dr. Andy Hildebrand is the inventor of the voice pitch-correcting software called Auto-Tune. The first song published using Auto-Tune on the vocals was the 1998 song "Believe" by Cher.
I can't remember if you guys have reacted to 'Til Tuesday, Voices Carry, but that's another great song
They should definitely listen to that one.
Another Great "New Wave" song from back in the 80's! 💖😁 As someone Stated a big song back in the Bar days back then 😁😁😁👍💯💖 Great Times!!
I saw them live concert sounds like an album no auto tune pure talent
I saw a 2022 You Tube of THE HUMAN LEAGUE in Concert and they sound brilliant.
Phil's voice is still very strong, deep and rich in tone.
All members were awesome in their sound and performance, I was moved to tears.
Just remember, we all have a lot to be thankful to The Sex Pistols and Malcolm McLaren for starting the catalyst that inspired tens of thousands of aspiring musicians.
Without the PUNK Movement, there wouldn't be The New Wave movement.
Thus, making people's Teen years and their 20's an absolute joy and a pleasure.
He was doing a gig saw the girls dancing in the crowd and asked them to join the band and the rest is history 👍many more great tracks to choose from by them👍👍
In 1980 the original band split leaving just Phil Oakey and Adrian Wright. They recruited Joanne and Susan after seeing them dancing at the Crazy Daisy in Sheffield and asked them to join as backing singers and dancers. The rest is history.
I love you guys! Your work, comments and reactions- - all wonderful! You make me enjoy the music even more.
Auto-tune was first introduced in 1997 and Cher's song "Believe" was the first song to popularize the usage in 1998.
Sounded like a power drill in my ear drums.
I remember the first time I heard this song, summer of 1982, West Boggs Lake beach, Loogootee, Indiana. They had one of those huge water slides, music blasting loud from concession stand.
This is what we called "new wave" or "modern rock."
I was kid when this dropped... I remember it being a huge hit in the 80's played like 30x a day video & radio in NY.... I remember we all said " Yo he put chick on now she's bouncing... That's some foul Shiii" - LMBO
I’ve got a live version of this on one of my playlists from a few years back it’s actually really good
"Creepy" is how we feel about it today. At the time, this was an argument starter - was she obligated because of the 5 years he spent building her up? Was she in debt to him in some way? Was she really dissing him by ending the relationship? Then there's her side - she never intended this to be a dead end. She was moving forward no matter what happened in her personal life. Whose side you took in the debate exposed your viewpoint, and many, many conversations dealt with this, leading to us feeling "creepy" about it today.
Exactly. The de-evolution of society since the 80's.
The inspiration for this song supposedly was about the tragic story of Playboy playmate Dorothy Stratten in 1980. Hollywood later made a movie about it, Star 80.
If you like this one, another 80s synth-driven tune is Obsession by Animotion, which also has the male/female "duet" thing going on.
Good old 80’s British Synth pop.
I loved the Human League.
Here’s one for you both to check out, a 80’s band called Ultravox and their song Vienna.
huge hit...it was on the radio and early mtv hourly. 80s was the perfect blend of technology implemented into pop music.
Pretty sure Autotune was late 90's, not 80's. This definitely isn't autotuned. And yea, lots of pop music is creepy.
Think Cher’s hit Believe was the first big hit with autotune heavily featured 1997
New wave falls into post punk which has a lot of creepy.
"The Human League - (Keep Feeling) Fascination" is also a great track from this group.
Certain songs regardless of the instruments just hold up and transcend time. This is one of them. The songwriting is immaculate. And no, honey, there is no autotune.
There was no sequencers as well. It's all fast fingers as well.
Great reaction, thank you! In case no-one else mentions it, The Human League were originally a very dour hardcore electronic band in the late 70s made up of 4 males, one of whom just operated the slide visuals for the live shows! The 2 guys who wrote the music split to form Heaven 17 ( react to their song "Temptation" - you'd love it!), leaving Phil Oakey (the singer) and Adrian Wright (the slide guy.) They had a legal obligation to do a tour or they would have been sued into bankruptcy, so they called up a few friends to play the synths, and Phil went to a local disco and recruited the two girls, neither of whom had ever sung before, but he liked their clothes and the way they danced (they were still at school and had to get special permission to go on tour!) They then recorded the classic album "Dare!", and this was the 4th single from it and biggest hit, a real floor-filler at the time, with the whole crowd singing along to the chorus, fabulous to hear it again! :-)
Heck yeah,...
They should do "Temptation". ( By New Order and Heaven 17. )
Autotune was introduced in 1998 and the first song to use Autotune was "Believe" by Cher.
Human League, Heaven 17, New Order, B Movie (Nowhere Girl is a New Wave masterpiece), Thompson Twins all such good 80s awesomness. And ABC.
In this episode of Brad and Lex, the gritty early 80,s synthesized sound from this league of humans catches Lex's ear at once giving her a smile while the analytical Brad adds depth by deeming the popular 80,s jam a bit stalkerish but still gives the tune a pass by displaying a little "boppy side to side sway" as Lex accepts the creep factor in exchange for a good time by showing her "happy 80,s bop" equipped with jolly giggles.
I always read it as a typical pop producer controlling the output of their star singer who wants to break away and find their own direction
@@highpath4776 Yeah, exactly. If you forget gender the story could be about Elvis and Col Parker, or it could be Don Arden and the Small faces or Tony Visconti and The Move or Dolly Parton and Porter Waggoner - the list is a long one.
September 19, 1997, was when autotune was invented. This was all-natural.
Love your channel guys here from the UK. Love how Lex dances to the songs and Brad concentrates hard on the lyrics then you both discuss the meaning of the songs.
THE ICICLE WORKS "BIRDS FLY" (WHISPER TO A SCREAM)
I was 21 when this song hit the clubs. How did 40 years go by so fast?
No
Life goes by fast
Most of the 80s songs made people happy
It’s like you read my mind. Always wanted y’all to react to this song 🙂. You have to do their song Human.
Heart Like A Wheel (imho) is the next one for me :)
@@pdog547 Not sure how I never heard this song. Just listened it and loved it. Thank you ☺️
Perfect pop.
This is the first song I ever fell in love with, back in 1981 when I was 4 years old.
I recorded this music video using a "top loader" VCR that came equipped with a wired remote control. This was really wild when it came out!
Lol
I remember top loaders for music!
Another 80s defining song
Two of the best comments said by Lex and Brad. "Everyone is tired of it" and "everyone hates it" referring to tech. Couldn't agree more.
DONNY IRIS "AH! LEAH!" & "LOVE IS LIKE A ROCK"
Puscifer - “The Remedy” and “The Arsonist”
The cd also has a dance remix of this song that was played at all of the clubs where i live. Definitely worth a listen.
Lex: creepy
Also lex: *starts vibing*
The synthesizer was the instrument of choice in the 80's, as computers started to take hold in music and in many cases replaced actual real instruments.
New wave, guys.
Not autotuned. This is a big hit in the "new wave" craze (some called the music genre as "mod"). It was to the 80s as "alternative" was to the 90s. it was a new synth-pop craze - mostly popularized in Europe (U.K. specifically). It was typically a little darker (as a generalization) to the candy pop that dominated the charts (such as Madonna, Cindy Lauper, Lionel Richie) at that time. There were many many many bands/artists that hopped on this bandwagon - many of them one-hit wonders. In many cases, singing was not their strongpoint, and yeah it sounded a bit more like "talking" at times (Pet Shop Boys I'm looking at you), and so the music rode the backbone of the synth and cool keyboard and drum machine sounds. But not auto-tune. That fad started in the late 90s.
I love that laugh of yours! Happy New Year! This song has that reaction as people lol, I laughed when you said it was creepy lol
ah ha ha I never realised what they were saying in the video until I watched your reaction! lol I never noticed the words before.
Lex - i'm not sure if you did it intentionally - but the way you danced with swinging your arms out at 3:55 is exactly how most people (white) used to dance in clubs back in the mid-80s. For most of us that were poor dancers - dancing usually required a couple of cocktails to loosen up first. If you two could go back in a time-machine and watch everyone dance in the clubs - you would both laugh - but still have a good time. A small part of the reason i loved both reggae and metal is that neither genre required advanced dance moves to join in the fun. Thanks for your reactions.
"But even then I knew I'd find a much better place \ Either with or without you" -- I like how Susan Ann Sulley's voice sneaks into the end of the Philip Oakey chorus right before she sings her verse. Her part gives the song staying power.
Brad said ,,,, 😂 ohhh my goodness 😂😂😂 😄😄😄
Fun fact about this group, they started out in late 70's and their message was much more serious. The members had a disagreement where they wanted to go musily so one part of the group splitted away and started Heaven 17 (Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh) and they left Phil with the name and bunch of dia pictures. They went to a club and found the two women there that they persuaded to go on a tour with them. Joanne and Susan was only 17 at the time. After the tour they recorded this song along with the album Dare. IIRC Adrian Philip Wright had one function in the band that was that he was responsbile for showing pictures at their shows
DARE was a great album. Like Sports by Huey Lewis they contained multiple hits and all were popular videos on MTV, back when videos were on MTV.
This is very 80's no denying that. makes me feel like a kid again.
They had several other hits in the US like Fascination and Human. Fascination is a bit more club music where Human is more of a ballad.
I'm a big fan of " MIRROR MAN "
I can remember this is the 80's it was massive and it's not creepy in anyway.
Cher was the first to use auto tune. On her song Believe in 1999/2000
I think it was the cookie commercial where the younger people most likely heard song.
Fun fact: a couple of the band members hated the song, and fought with the label who wanted it released after 3 other successful singles had been released from the album. They eventually agreed to have it released if a free poster was added to make up to their fans for what they thought was a crappy song 🙂
This was like so new wave
This song is from 1981. Autotune was presented for the first time in 1996 bei Antares Company i think. CHER was a great Fan of Autotune.
The Gods of the NEW ROMANTICS,the most stylish wave ever came from GB.....time for some VISAGE,ULTRAVOX,ABC,HEAVEN 17,etc......
What makes this song so unique is the realistic depiction of a breakup.
Great tune,great reaction, U guys should check out "Keep feeling Fascination" by the same group, it's good too.
The vocal is "layered" aka multi-tracked and not auto-tuned. Check out his "cleaner" vocal on Electric Dreams to see what a quality voice he has without the heavy over-tracking.
80s computers didn't have the processing power to do auto tune, hence even the synthesisers were internally processing analogue signals recorded to tape channels, computers were only used to orchestrate the different sound instruments via midi signals.
I love your channel, your reactions are great and I look forward to the next one, best regards from Poland! :D
Way before auto tune was ever used ,great 80s band ,👍👍🤪 🙊🤣.
RIP Martin Rushent. His instrumental remixes of the Dare! album are worth a listen.
The genius behind Dare album.
Sometimes a Vocoder effect is used in conjunction with the vocals, this can create an almost auto tuned style effect.