"Operator" (a.k.a. "Operator Operator") is a song by British group Floy Joy, which was released in 1985 as the third and final single from their debut studio album '' Into the Hot'' (1984). The song was written by band members Shaun Ward and Michael Ward, and produced by

Don Was Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced so ...

. Floy Joy made their debut in 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 ...

in 1984 with "

Until You Come Back to Me "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" is a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version was not released as a single and did not appe ...

". In January 1985, "Operator" was released as the follow-up single and reaching No. 86, remaining in the Top 100 for four weeks.

Promotion

A music video was filmed to promote the single, showing the group performing the song in a bar-like venue. The music video featured two additional performers; Desi Campbell on backing vocals (the band's unofficial backing vocalist and bongo player) and Kenny Crawley on drums. Campbell would later become the lead vocalist for the group following Thompson's departure.

Critical reception

On its release, Paul Massey of the '' Evening Express'' stated, "Their last single should have been a hit, and this change of style might do it. Snappy, rhythmic, and great vocals again from Carroll Thompson." Jerry Smith of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' described the song as "an excellent, funky dance track" and noted Thompson's "smooth, soulful vocal" and the "dynamic, lively production" by Was. He felt the song should provide Floy Joy with their first hit. Chris Heath of '' Smash Hits'' commented, "Floy Joy seem to be everybody's tip for the top this year. I'm not sure that this will be the one to break them though. It energetically mixes funk, soul, and jazz but the actual song is a bit weak." Frank Hopkinson of ''

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

'' wrote, "A lacklustre record from a group tipped for great things. Floy Joy attempt to give us their new soul vision but are hampered by a beat that's far too slow and a song that's desperately dull."

Track listing

;7" Single #"Operator" - 3:53 #"Mission" - 3:04 ;7" Single (UK limited edition release with "Until You Come Back to Me" single) #"Operator" - 3:53 #"Mission" - 3:04 #"Until You Come Back to Me" - 4:12 #"Theme from the Age of Reason" - 1:22 ;12" Single #"Operator (Extended Version)" - 5:40 #"Mission" - 3:50

Personnel

Production * Don Was – producer, engineer * John 'Tokes' Potoker – mixing * Steve 'Doc Ching' King – assistant engineer *

Michael Brauer Michael Brauer is a New York-based mix engineer. He received a Grammy for "Best Pop Vocal Album" for his work on John Mayer's '' Continuum'', "Best Alternative Album" for Coldplay's ''Parachutes'', and also "Best Rock Album" for Coldplay's ''Viva l ...

– drum engineer Other * Simon Crump – sleeve

Charts

References

{{Floy Joy (band) 1985 singles 1984 songs Floy Joy (band) songs Virgin Records singles Song recordings produced by Don Was