"Disappointed" is the fourth single released by English

alternative dance Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the U.S.) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained American and worldwide expos ...

group

Electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

. Like their first single "

Getting Away with It "Getting Away with It" is the first single by the English band Electronic, which comprised Bernard Sumner of New Order, ex- Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, and guesting vocalist Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. It was first released in 1989. Comp ...

", it features

Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for ''Smash Hits'', and a ...

of the

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

as well as founding members

Johnny Marr Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerous ...

and

Bernard Sumner Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is a founding member of the bands Joy Division, New Order, and Electronic. Sumner was an early force in several areas, including the post ...

. It was released on 22 June 1992 on

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

soon after the demise of

Factory Records Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, the Duru ...

. The single was assigned the Factory catalogue number FAC 348, and the logo of the label remained on the artwork. Upon the song's release, it reached the top 20 in Germany, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, and it peaked within the top 10 on three US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts. In July 1992, the song was featured in the soundtrack of the live-action/animation hybrid mystery movie ''

Cool World ''Cool World'' is a 1992 American live-action/animated black comedy fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi and written by Michael Grais and Mark Victor. Starring Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne and Brad Pitt, it tells the story of a cartoonist w ...

''; its inclusion both in the film and on its soundtrack album was advertised on the US single release.

Composition

The song was based on a

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

by Marr's brother Ian; and worked up into a full backing-track by Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner. They decided to ask Neil Tennant to complete the song and he wrote the lyrics and vocal melody. Some of the words ("Disenchanted once more...") were partly inspired by

Mylène Farmer Mylène Jeanne Gautier (; born 12 September 1961), known professionally as Mylène Farmer (), is a Canadian-born French singer, songwriter, occasional actress, writer, and entrepreneur. Having sold more than 30 million records in France, she is ...

's 1991 hit "

Désenchantée "Désenchantée" (; feminine of ''désenchanté'', which is French language, French for "Disenchanted" or "Disappointed") is a 1991 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. The first Single (music), single from her third studio ...

". Tennant travelled to Manchester to record the lead vocal and a few weeks later went to Paris to attend the final mix of the song by Stephen Hague. "Disappointed" was conceived just before the recording of New Order's sixth studio album ''

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

'', and was performed live in December 1991 on Electronic's European tour: in Glasgow (sung by Bernard Sumner) and in London (sung by Tennant when Pet Shop Boys guested on three songs).

Single

"Disappointed" was the last Electronic single to be released on all four major formats (7-inch, 12-inch, CD, and cassette). The content of the single was more dynamic than its predecessors, however; it had only one

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

of the

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

(by

808 State 808 State are an English electronic music group formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson. They released their debut album, '' New ...

; titled "808 Mix" in the US and "12-inch remix" in the UK), an additional treatment of a 1991 album track ("Idiot Country", with

Ultimatum An ultimatum (; ) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series o ...

), and an earlier mix of "Disappointed" (called "Electronic Mix" in the US). The A-side of the single is itself a remix since producer

Stephen Hague Stephen Hague (born 1960) is an American record producer most active with various British acts since the 1980s. Early life Hague was born in Portland, Maine in 1960. Early career Hague started his musical career in the mid-1970s as a session ...

reworked the "Original Mix" for single release. Although Electronic would enjoy three more top-twenty singles in the United Kingdom, "Disappointed" was the last major commercial success for the band on an international level, becoming a dance chart hit in the United States and reaching the top 20 in Germany as well as number six in the UK, their highest-charting effort there. Until the release of '' Get the Message – The Best of Electronic'' in 2006, the track was not available on an Electronic album release. However, since "Disappointed" was featured in the 1992 film ''

'', the song was available on the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

'' Songs from the Cool World''.

Track listings

UK and German 7-inch :A. "Disappointed" (7-inch mix) – 4:22 :B. "Idiot Country Two" (edit) – 4:44 UK 12-inch :A1. "Disappointed" (12-inch remix) :B1. "Disappointed" (original mix) :B2. "Idiot Country Two" UK and European CD # "Disappointed" (7-inch mix) – 4:22 # "Disappointed" (12-inch remix) – 4:35 # "Idiot Country Two" – 6:24 # "Disappointed" (original mix) – 5:41 US 12-inch maxi-single :A1. "Disappointed" (Electronic Mix) – 5:39 :A2. "Disappointed" (

808 808 may refer to: Music * Roland-808, Roland TR-808, a drum machine * 808 (film), ''808'' (film), a documentary about the Roland TR-808 * 808 State, British electronic group * ''808s & Heartbreak'', the fourth studio album by American Hip hop artis ...

Remix) – 4:32 :B1. "Gangster" (FBI Mix) – 7:59 :B2. "Disappointed" (single mix) – 4:18 US maxi-single digipak # "Disappointed" (single mix) – 4:22 # "Disappointed" (Electronic Mix) – 5:40 # "Gangster" (FBI Mix) – 8:00 # "Disappointed" (808 Remix) – 4:31

Charts

Cover versions

American singer-songwriter State Shirt recorded a cover version of the song in 2009. The band Austin Apologue released a cover version of the song in 2019.

References

External links

feel every beat (unofficial website)

{{Authority control 1992 singles 1992 songs Electronic (band) songs Parlophone singles Music videos directed by Howard Greenhalgh Songs about loneliness Songs written by Bernard Sumner Songs written by Johnny Marr Songs written by Neil Tennant Warner Records singles Virgin Records singles