"Locomotion" is a song by English

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 ...

band

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboar ...

(OMD), released on 2 April 1984 as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from their fifth studio album, ''

Junk Culture ''Junk Culture'' is the fifth studio album by English electronic music, electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 30 April 1984 by Virgin Records. After the commercial disappointment of the Experimental music, experime ...

'' (1984). It was one of the band's biggest European hits, charting within the Top 5 in the UK, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, while also peaking at No. 14 in Germany. "Locomotion" has been included on every OMD singles and greatest hits compilation album.

Background

"Locomotion" was recorded during the last week of sessions at

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

before the drums were overdubbed at ICP Studios in

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. The original song was combined with a steel drum rhythm that

Paul Humphreys Paul David Humphreys (born 27 February 1960) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who is best known for his contributions to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), a new wave band which he founded alongside Andy McCluskey in 1978. ...

had written the previous week and a bass line and piano that Gordian Troeller (the band's manager) contributed. The track was mixed and the brass added at

Wisseloord Studios The Wisseloord Studio is a recording studio in Hilversum, Netherlands. It was officially opened on 19 January 1978 by Prince Claus. The studios were founded by electronics company Philips, to enable their PolyGram artists to record in a prof ...

in the Netherlands; the brass arrangements were made by

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

. The song marries downcast lyrics with upbeat melodies. Jean-Pierre Berckmans shot the official video. Taking advantage of where they were living at the time, the band filmed this video in

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

and

. Frontman

Andy McCluskey George Andrew McCluskey (born 24 June 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer and bass guitarist of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he founded a ...

recalled, "Funniest part of it was trying to look like we were on a Caribbean cruise in the middle of Ostend harbour at 2 in the morning on that sailing ship and you can see the hot air coming out as breath when I'm singing!" The Belgian model Anne Beyens appears in the video. Live recordings of "Locomotion" have been issued on the 12" releases of the singles "

La Femme Accident "La Femme Accident" is a song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the third and final single from their sixth studio album '' Crush'' (1985). Like two of their previous singles, it references Joan of A ...

" (1985) " If You Leave" (1986) and the second CD single of "

Everyday Everyday or Every Day may refer to: Books * ''Every Day'' (novel), by David Levithan, 2012 Film * ''Every Day'' (2010 film), an American comedy-drama starring Liev Schreiber and Helen Hunt * ''Everyday'' (film), a 2012 British drama direct ...

" (1993), as well as on the ''Architecture & Morality & More'' and ''Live in Berlin'' albums.

Reception

"Locomotion", which marked a move toward more pop-oriented material for OMD, faced initial criticism – notably on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

's ''Round Table'' show. Conversely,

Tom Hibbert Tom Hibbert (28 May 1952 – 28 August 2011) was an English music journalist and film critic. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was a regular writer for music magazines such as ''Smash Hits'', '' Q'' and ''Mojo'', and reviewed films for ''Empire'' magaz ...

of ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' felt it was a return to form after the commercially unsuccessful ''Dazzle Ships''. He wrote, "Having failed to impress the world with songs about robots in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, OMD return in a lighter vein ..with no references whatsoever to genetic engineering. Pleasant." The ''

North Wales Weekly News The ''North Wales Weekly News'' is one of a group of newspapers published weekly in Llandudno. History The newspaper was first published on 14 February 1889 by local printer Robert Evans Jones as the ''Weekly News and Visitors’ Chronicle fo ...

'' called the single " MD'sbest since ' Enola Gay'."

KROQ KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The st ...

ranked it the 31st-greatest song of 1984. Critic Dave Thompson praised "Locomotion" in a retrospective review for

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 ...

, writing, " erything about this number spells lightness: the breezy melody, the tootling synths, the giddy keyboards, and — best of all — the band's effervescent harmonies.""Locomotion" review
at

Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...

'' journalist Paul Scott-Bates remarked, "In terms of a pop song, it borders classic – instantly recognisable from the first few seconds, a chorus that everyone knows and verses that were as memorable as choruses." OMD's former

Factory A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...

labelmate, Peter Hook, disapproved of the track, calling it a "dreadful offering". On the other hand,

Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reach ...

drummer

Tyler Stewart Tyler Joseph Stewart (born September 21, 1967) is the drummer for the Canadian music group Barenaked Ladies. Role in Barenaked Ladies Stewart met Steven Page, Ed Robertson, and Jim Creeggan at the Waterloo Busker Carnival in Waterloo, Ontario, C ...

contemplated "Locomotion" as his favourite OMD song, describing it as "darn good".

B-sides

All formats featured "Her Body in My Soul" on the

B-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 compan ...

. There is an additional track on the 12" vinyl and 3" CD singles, "The Avenue". Both songs can be found on the B-sides compilation album, '' Navigation: The OMD B-Sides'' (2001). "The Avenue" was the first song recorded at Montserrat and deals with the repetition of mistakes that people have made before you. The

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

used in the song is taken from the

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky ( rus, Андрей Арсеньевич Тарковский, p=ɐnˈdrʲej ɐrˈsʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ tɐrˈkofskʲɪj; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Russian filmmaker. Widely considered one of the greates ...

film '' Stalker'' (1979). "The Avenue" was placed at no. 5 in ''

Classic Pop Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

''s "Top 20 B-sides of the 80s".

Track listings

7" vinyl

* UK: Virgin / VS 660, VSS 660 (shaped picture disc) * West Germany: Virgin / 106 377 * USA: Virgin / AM-2671 * France:Virgin / 90115

12" vinyl

* UK: Virgin / VS 660-12 * France: Virgin / 80092 * USA: A&M Records / SP-12108 * Canada: Virgin / VDJ02 (promo)

3" CD

Released , Virgin / CDT 12.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

Lyrics
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Locomotion (Omd Song) 1984 singles Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark songs 1984 songs Songs about trains Virgin Records singles