"Love in a Vacuum" is a song by American band

'Til Tuesday Til Tuesday (often stylized as til tuesday) was an American new wave band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The band, consisting of Aimee Mann (lead vocals, bass), Robert Holmes (guitar), Joey Pesce (keyboards), and Michael Haus ...

, which was released in 1985 as the third and final single from their debut studio album '' Voices Carry''. The song was written by

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

Michael Hausman Michael Hausman is an American musician and talent manager, known for his collaboration with former-girlfriend and bandmate Aimee Mann. Hausman attended Berklee College of Music and played with a Boston band called The Dark before becoming the ...

, Robert Holmes and Joey Pesce, and produced by

Mike Thorne Mike Thorne (born 25 January 1948) is an English record producer, arranger, composer, engineer, and musician. He started playing the piano at the age of 10. After studying physics at Hertford College, Oxford, in the late 1960s he worked as a ta ...

. "Love in a Vacuum" peaked at No. 88 on the US '' Cash Box'' Top 100 Pop Singles chart.

Background

'Til Tuesday first recorded "Love in a Vacuum" in 1983, before they had signed a record deal and shortly after winning the WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble in Boston. The band sent producer and engineer Ian Taylor a demo tape in the hope he would be interested in recording a demo with the band and generate awareness of them through his connections in the music industry. Taylor produced the "Love in a Vacuum" demo which was independently released in 1983 and gained heavy rotation on Boston's WBCN-FM. The band's victory in the Rock and Roll Rumble, along with the subsequent publicity and local airplay of "Love in a Vacuum", helped gain the attention of Epic Records, who signed the band in 1984. The band's debut album, ''Voices Carry'', was recorded with producer

and included a new recording of "Love in a Vacuum". As the album's third and final single, "Love in a Vacuum" failed to enter the US '' Billboard'' Hot 100, but did reach No. 88 on the '' Cash Box'' Top 100 Pop Singles chart. Guitarist Robert Holmes told ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' in 1986, "'Voices Carry' didn't sound like an obvious hit to me. If anything, I thought 'Love in a Vacuum' sounded like a big hit. And that totally died."

Music video

The song's music video was directed and produced by Ken Ross and Richard Levine. It received medium rotation on MTV. The video was influenced by Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 French crime-drama film '' Breathless''. Although Ross and Levine wanted to copy certain scenes and use quotes from the film, Mann insisted the video take a "more improvised" approach.

Critical reception

On its release as a single, '' Cash Box'' noted the song's "mysterious Fairlight synthesizer sound" and added that a "fuller production is in evidence on this cut than on the others rom ''Voices Carry'' with a heartier chorus". In a review of ''Voices Carry'', Cheryl Wenner of ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after '' The Express-Times''. In 2020, the newspaper permanently closed its ...

'' considered the song "especially worth a listen" and described it as "explosive" and "funky" with its "simple guitar-keyboards interplay". Eleni P. Austin of ''

The Desert Sun ''The Desert Sun'' is a local daily newspaper serving Palm Springs and the surrounding Coachella Valley in Southern California. History ''The Desert Sun'' is owned by Gannett publications since 1988 and acquired the Indio ''Daily News'' in 1 ...

'' wrote, "Insistent bass lines and hushed harmonies of 'Love in a Vacuum' get the LP off to a good start. Holmes' spacy guitar riffs puncture Mann's dainty vocals as she tells her boyfriend that his technique is wearing thin." Alexandra K. Mann of ''

The Daily Tar Heel ''The Daily Tar Heel'' (''DTH'') is the independent student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was founded on February 23, 1893, and became a daily newspaper in 1929. The paper places a focus on university news and sp ...

'' noted the band's "beautiful harmonies" which she felt were "especially evident" on "Love in a Vacuum", a song she described as "one of the best on the album". In a retrospective review of the song, Liana Jonas of

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 databa ...

felt the song was characterized by the "syncopated guitar lines", "driving slap bass" and "undeniably '80s-style synth pop". She added, "Mann emotionally and strongly sings of being stifled in an unhealthy relationship." Joe Viglione, in an AllMusic review of ''Voices Carry'', was critical of Thorne's production on the song in comparison to the "inspired and innovative" 1983 demo. Viglione noted, "The original was perfect, utthe Thorne version is over-produced, creating a good album track when the true follow-up hit was actually in hand."

Track listing

;7" single #"Love in a Vacuum" – 3:20 #"No More Crying" – 4:18 ;7" single (US promo) #"Love in a Vacuum" (Single Remix) – 3:20 #"Love in a Vacuum" (Long Version) – 3:35 ;12" (US promo) #"Love in a Vacuum" (Single Remix) – 3:20 #"Love in a Vacuum" (Long Version) – 3:35

Personnel

'Til Tuesday *

– vocals, bass * Robert Holmes – guitar, backing vocals * Joey Pesce – synthesizer, backing vocals *

– drums, percussion Production *

– producer * William Wittman – single remix of "Love in a Vacuum" * Domenic Maita – engineer * Mike Krowiak, Jeff Lippay – studio assistants * Harvey Goldberg – mixing engineer * Moira Marquis – mixing assistant * Jack Skinner – mastering Other * Deborah Feingold – photography

Charts

References

{{authority control 1983 songs 1985 singles 'Til Tuesday songs Epic Records singles Songs written by Aimee Mann Song recordings produced by Mike Thorne