Released as a single in 1982 off their first album Happy Families, Blancmange's "Living On The Ceiling" is, in my opinion, a perfect example of a surprise hit. Formed in the late '70s in the London borough of Harrow (to the far, far west of my girlfriend's northwest London flat in West Hampstead), Blancmange was one of the many synth-pop bands who missed the "wave," so to speak, and rather petered out after just a couple of albums (they released two others: 1984's Mange Tout, and Believe You Me from 1985). But one has to admit that "Living On The Ceiling" is one hell of a strong single. It's catchy and fun, and the lyrics are thoughtful and intelligent. It's also in possession of a rather goofy sensibility, propelled by Neil Arthur's deep and forceful voice.
Fun trivia item: Israel's Channel One program used the main theme of "Living On The Ceiling" as the introduction for their Arabic news program. Listen to the song - there's definitely an Arabic sound in the synths!
Here is Blancmange performing "Living On The Ceiling" on the UK pop music show, The Tube in 1982. Enjoy, dear readers! Happy March - and how about that hockey game? Was that awesome, or what?
No comments:
Post a Comment