"Situation" is a 1982 single by British

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

band Yazoo. The song was originally released in the UK as the B-side to Yazoo's debut single, " Only You", which went to number two 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 ...

. Released as a single in North America, the song peaked at number 73 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the US, and hit the top 40 in Canadian charts, peaking at number 31. In late-summer 1982 it became Yazoo's first song to top the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart, remaining at number one on this chart for four weeks. It also crossed over to the

Black Singles chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

, peaking at number 31. Its most well-known version is the US 12-inch

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

François Kevorkian François Kevorkian (born 10 January 1954), also known by the stage name François K, is a French-born, U.S.-based DJ, producer, remixer and label owner of Armenian descent, who started his career DJing in clubs such as the Paradise Garage an ...

. This version was included on the US version of Yazoo's debut album, '' Upstairs at Eric's'' (1982), and is the version of the song which receives the most radio airplay in the United States (where the song, despite its modest showing on the Hot 100, is still played on alternative, variety-hits and dance-oriented radio stations). In 1990, and again in 1999, the song was remixed by several noted DJs, including

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and

Richard "Humpty" Vission Richard Gonzalez (born 24 May 1969), better known by his stage name Richard "Humpty" Vission, is a Canadian house music producer, remixer, and DJ. Biography He was raised in Highland Park, in Los Angeles, California, and graduated from Benja ...

. The 1999 remixes were released to dance clubs. In October of that same year, this renewed interest in the song sent "Situation" to number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart for a second time. In 2006,

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

ranked the song at number 64 in their list of the "100 Greatest Dance Songs". The song was heavily sampled for

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' 2008 debut single "

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Versions

The original version's first chorus does not have the response lyrics. The 7-inch version skips to the verses before the first chorus with response lyrics.

Track listings

1982 release

* UK 7-inch single (Mute Records 7MUTE020) #"Only You" – 3:11 #"Situation" – 2:22 * UK 12-inch single (Mute 12MUTE020) #"Only You" – 3:11 #"Situation (Extended Version)" – 5:18 * US 7-inch single (Sire Records 7-29953) #"Situation" – 3:44 #"Situation (Dub Version) – 3:13 * US 12-inch single (Sire 0-29950) #"Situation" – 5:40 #"Situation (Dub Version)" – 5:45

1990 remixes

* 7-inch single (Mute Records YAZ4) #"Situation (Deadline Mix Edit)" #"State Farm (Madhouse Mix Edit)" * 12-inch single (Mute 12YAZ4 / Sire/Warner Bros. 21812-0) #"Situation (The Aggressive Attitude Mix)" #"Situation (Deadline Mix)" #"State Farm (Madhouse Mix)" * CD single (Mute CDYAZ4 / Sire/Warner Bros. 21812-2) #"Situation (Single Remix)" #"State Farm (Madhouse Mix Edit)" #"Situation (The Aggressive Attitude Mix)" #"Situation (Space Dub)"

1999 remixes

* 12-inch single (Mute 12YAZ6) #"Situation (Club 69 Speed Mix)" #"Situation (Richard "Humpty" Vission Visits The Dub)" #"Situation (Richard "Humpty" Vission Instrumental)" * 12-inch single (Mute L12YAZ6) #"Situation (Dave Ralph's Tea Freaks English Breakfast Mix) #"Situation (Club 69 Speed Dub)" * CD single (Mute CD YAZ 6) #"Situation (Club 69 Radio Mix)" #"Situation (Club 69 Speed Mix)" #"Situation (Richard 'Humpty' Vission Visits The Dome Mix)" #"Situation (Dave Ralph's Tea Freaks English Breakfast Mix)" #"Situation (Deadline Mix)" #"State Farm (Madhouse Mix)" #"Situation (Daniel Miller/Mark Saunders 12-inch Mix)" #"State Farm (Play-Doh Dub)" #"Situation (Original US Dub)"

Accolades

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

Charts

Original version

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Situation '90

1999 Mixes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1982 songs 1982 singles 1990 singles 1999 singles Mute Records singles Songs written by Alison Moyet Songs written by Vince Clarke Song recordings produced by Eric Radcliffe Song recordings produced by Daniel Miller Yazoo (band) songs