"Heart and Soul" is the debut single by British

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band T'Pau, released in a rerecorded version from their debut studio album '' Bridge of Spies'' in 1987. The single reached number four on both the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.

Background

Singer

Carol Decker Carol Ann Decker (born 10 September 1957) is an English singer. She is the lead vocalist of the pop band T'Pau, which had international success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although Decker is mainly associated with the group, she also re ...

said of the authorship and composition of the selection:

Song information

The song is notable for its usage of various vocal

overdubs Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more a ...

, causing Decker, essentially, to be duetting with ''herself'' on the original studio recording. This makes the song, in its initial studio form, impossible to perform live without additional backup singers. Instead, Decker often performs what she calls a "basic" version, explaining to Songfacts: "I rap the first two verses then cut to the melody for the verse before the chorus. No one really notices or minds as I cover the essential dynamics of the song. It works well." Upon its initial release in the UK in February 1987, the song was not well received, entering the bottom of the chart and falling out immediately after. But in the United States, the song received heavy airplay, and enabled it to reach No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in August 1987. Due to the exposure, the song was re-released in the UK that same month; this time it became a hit, equaling the US peak of No. 4 in September. There are two different versions of the Music Video, one made later than the other.

Packaging and title

The single artwork was designed by graphic designer Adrian Fry.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1986 songs 1987 debut singles T'Pau (band) songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Roy Thomas Baker Songs written by Carol Decker Songs written by Ron Rogers Virgin Records singles