"I Confess" is a 1982 song written and recorded by the Beat (known in the United States and Canada as the English Beat). The song was released as a single from the band's third and final studio album, ''

Special Beat Service ''Special Beat Service'' is the third studio album by British ska band the Beat, released on 1 October 1982 by Go-Feet Records. Like the rest of their material, it was released in the US under the name "the English Beat". It peaked at No. 39 on t ...

'', finding moderate chart success in the UK. Inspired by the romantic escapades of English tabloids and Wakeling's own personal relationships, the song featured a piano performance led by touring keyboardist Dave "Blockhead" Wright. As the album's third single, "I Confess" found moderate success on the charts, peaking at No. 54 in the UK. The song was praised by critics. A

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 ...

for the track was also produced, featuring the band's parody of the

New Romantic The New Romantic movement was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New ...

Background

Lyrically, "I Confess" was a mix of Beat frontman

Dave Wakeling David Wakeling (born 19 February 1956) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the band the Beat (known in North America as the English Beat) and General Public. Career Wakeling began his professional career ...

's personal experiences and sensationalized stories that he had read in magazines. Wakeling had been a frequent reader of these magazines; he recalled, "At the same time, I had a bit of an obsession with what was called 'Photo Love' in England. They were those teen magazines where they had photographs with bubbles coming out of their mouths. Broken hearts and redemption, that sort of thing. I loved the cloying, hyper-driven emotion of them, and I'd had my photograph as a pin-up in a couple of them". Wakeling then connected his "own tawdry tales of young love" with a tabloid story about a man who "had been caught having sex with his new bride's sister on their wedding day". Musically, the song had originated from a riff composed by Beat touring keyboardist Dave "Blockhead" Wright. Wright had filled in for Beat saxophonist Saxa and introduced a piano part he had composed to Wakeling. Wakeling explained, Wakeling compared David Steele's bass part to

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

Release and reception

"I Confess" was released as the third single from ''

'' (1982), with "Sole Salvation" on the B-side. The single peaked at number 54 on 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 ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Stewart Mason pointed to the song's atypical lyrics and musical style as off-putting for some Beat fans, leading to a level of skepticism toward the song. In the US, the track went to number 34 on the ''

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 ...

Dance/Disco Top 80 Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart. "I Confess" has seen positive critical reception since its release. Mason said of the track, "It's actually a startlingly well-constructed song, as well as one of the group's most unforgettable singles", while fellow AllMusic writer Jo-Ann Greene praised its " Joe Jackson-esque piano line". In a 1982 interview,

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

praised the song as "one of the most beautiful bits of singing I've heard all year". Wakeling had previously named Costello's "

Secondary Modern A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usually ...

" as one of his all-time top ten favorite songs.

Music video

The song's single release was accompanied by a music video. Wakeling recalled that the video satirized the "

" style that had been gaining in popularity during the early 1980s. He explained,

References

External links

* {{authority control 1982 songs 1982 singles The Beat (British band) songs Song recordings produced by Bob Sargeant