"Reap the Wild Wind" is
Ultravox
Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...
's first single from the ''
Quartet'' album, recorded in
Air Studios
Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...
, in London and Montserrat and released on
Chrysalis Records on 16 September 1982.
"Reap the Wild Wind" was also the opening song for Ultravox when they performed at the 1985
Live Aid concert.
Midge Ure said in 2018: "'Reap the Wild Wind' is all about the melody and the rhythm of the song. We used the words and the voice, as a rhythmic sound, almost like an instrument itself. But actually, most of my old songs is a canvas of words. One line does not necessarily connect to the next. Take "Reap the Wild Wind" - it's really not about anything at all!"
The promo video was directed by Midge Ure and Chris Cross.
It is the only single of its album that charted on the
US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Track listing
7" version
# "Reap the Wild Wind" – 3:44
# "Hosanna (In Excelsis Deo)" – 4:21
12" version
# "Reap the Wild Wind" (Extended Version) – 4:43
# "Hosanna (In Excelsis Deo)" – 4:21
Chart performance
References
1982 singles
Ultravox songs
Songs written by Midge Ure
Songs written by Warren Cann
Songs written by Chris Cross
Songs written by Billy Currie
Song recordings produced by George Martin
Chrysalis Records singles
1982 songs
{{1980s-single-stub