"Harlem Desire" is a single by Europop duo London Boys. It was originally released in 1987 to limited success. As a result of the success of "

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

" and "

London Nights "London Nights" is a song by British Europop duo London Boys, released in 1989 from their debut album, ''The Twelve Commandments of Dance''. The single was written and produced by Ralf René Maué, and its cover artwork features photography from ...

", the single was released again in 1989 and featured on the album ''

The Twelve Commandments of Dance ''The Twelve Commandments of Dance'' is the debut album by German-based English dance-pop duo London Boys, released in 1989. It reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart and stayed on the chart for 29 weeks. Other than the charting singles stated ...

''. It was written and produced by Ralf René Maué, and its cover artwork features photography from Julian Barton. The single peaked at number 17 in the UK. The B-side "Talk! Talk! Talk!" is a distant reworking of the track "Dance Dance Dance" which also appeared on ''The Twelve Commandments of Dance'' and was released as a 1987 single. The original 1987 release featured the track "Put a Meaning in my Life" which was written by Django Seelenmeyer and Ralf René Maué.

Critical reception

A review in Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' said about "Harlem Desire": "The London Boys are the Boney M of the late 80s. Bombastic Europop with a sledgehammer dance beat". More critical, David Giles, reviewer of '' Music Week'', presented the song as a "camp, throwaway Euro-disco/Hi-NRG" similar to the band's previous single, and added that its chances to get success would depend on the music video and its reception in clubs. Retrospectively, in a 2015 review of the parent album, the Pop Rescue website considered "Harlem Desire" is "a quite dancey", "wonderfully catchy and singalong" song, with "some great vocal harmonies" and "lots of stabbing synths scattered throughout", and a music recalling

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 ...

Chart performance

"Harlem Desire" met with some success, but not as much as London Boys' previous two singles, "Requiem" and "London Nights", failing to reach the top ten in their home-country. In the UK, it started at number 37 on 16 August 1989, reached number 17 two weeks later, and remained on the chart for seven weeks. In Ireland, it reached number six in September 1989 and appeared on the chart for four weeks. In addition, it was a top 20 hit in Finland, and charted for four weeks on the overall

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, with a peak at number 55 in its second week.

Formats

1987 release

* 7" Single # "Harlem Desire" - 3:45 # "Put a Meaning in My Life" - 3:40 * 12" Single # "Harlem Desire (Extended Mix)" - 8:18 # "Put a Meaning in My Life" - 3:40

1989 release

* 7" Single # "Harlem Desire" - 3:41 # "Talk! Talk! Talk!" - 3:20 * 12" Single # "Harlem Desire (Extended Mix)" - 8:21 # "Talk! Talk! Talk!" - 3:20 * CD Single # "Harlem Desire" - 3:44 # "Talk! Talk! Talk!" - 3:20 # "Harlem Desire (Extended Mix)" - 8:20 # "Kimbaley (My Ma-Mama Say)" - 4:14

Personnel

* Edem Ephraim - vocals * Dennis Fuller - choreographer, backing vocals * Ralf René Maué - writer, producer

Charts

References

{{authority control 1989 singles London Boys songs Songs written by Ralf René Maué 1989 songs Warner Music Group singles Teldec singles