"Brave New World" is a song by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

new wave band Toyah, fronted by

Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...

, released as a single in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

Safari Records Safari Records was a British independent record label based in London, England, and operating between 1977 and 1985. Safari Records was formed early in 1977 by Tony Edwards (former co-manager of Deep Purple), Andreas Budde (the son of German musi ...

. It promoted Toyah's 1982 studio album '' The Changeling'' and was a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

chart success in the UK.

Background

The song was written by

and

Joel Bogen Joel Bogen (born 3 September 1958) is an English rock and punk guitarist. He worked with Toyah Willcox from the late 1970s to 1983 as the guitar player in her eponymous band and was the co-writer on nearly all of the material they recorded. B ...

, and produced by

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Big ...

. Toyah has described it as "a sad love song, because I wrote most of it (...) after a tremendous row with my boyfriend. But I could never do a love song true to myself, because that's being selfish. I prefer what I call open lyrics, so that the kids can fit their own feelings to them... And so tis a love song, because I think everyone goes through the phase when they think no one in the world knows how hurt they are – experiencing a loneliness that no one knows, but everyone knows it". The singer also opined that Bogen's guitar line in the song would subsequently be copied on records by other bands, including U2. "Brave New World" was released in May 1982 as the first and only single from '' The Changeling''. It was available as a 7" vinyl single as well as a picture disc. The cover photograph was taken by Roger Charity and features Toyah in make-up painted by the artist Caroline Cohen. The single included the exclusive non-album song "Warrior Rock" on side B, which was included in the 1999 CD re-release of ''The Changeling''. The single edit of "Brave New World" featured on the 2005 compilation ''The Safari Singles Collection Part 2: 1981–1983''. The single made it to the

in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, peaking at number 21 in June 1982. It also reached number 4 in the

UK Independent Singles Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

. In March 2023, after its re-release on a limited 10" red vinyl, it entered a number of UK sales charts.

Music video

The "Brave New World"

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was directed by David Mallet and used a shorter version of the track. The opening scene where Toyah comes out of the sea was filmed in

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

. Other parts of the clip were filmed later that day in front of the

Battersea Power Station Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned Grade II* listed coal-fired power station, located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Nine Elms, Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, picturing Toyah riding a white horse. The video was inspired by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's " Ashes to Ashes" also directed by Mallet. Despite the apparent influence of Bowie's video, Toyah herself has denied any attempt to copy him: "I'd never dream of trying to be like Bowie, because he's the greatest".

Track listing

* 7" single :A. "Brave New World" – 3:41 :B. "Warrior Rock" – 3:29 * 10" single :A1. "Brave New World" (Razzmatazz Mix) :A2. "Street Creature" (Razzmatazz Mix) :B1. "Dawn Chorus" (6.55 Special Version) :B2. " Ieya 1982" (Edited Version)

Personnel

– vocals *

– guitar *

Phil Spalding Philip Spalding (born 19 November 1957, London, England) is an English bass player. He is best known as a session musician and player of Fender Precision Bass guitars. He has played and appeared with performing artists such as Mick Jagger, Sea ...

– bass * Simon Phillips – drums * Simon Darlow – keyboards

Charts

References

External links

''Brave New World'' – official audio stream
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

The official Toyah website
{{authority control 1982 singles 1982 songs Toyah (band) songs Songs written by Toyah Willcox Songs written by Joel Bogen Safari Records singles