Europe After the Rain

Last updated
"Europe After The Rain"
Europe Foxx single.jpg
Single by John Foxx
Released20 August 1981
RecordedThe Garden Studios, London, 1980
Genre New wave, electronic
Length3:37
Label Virgin/Metal Beat
VS 393
Songwriter(s) John Foxx
Producer(s) John Foxx
John Foxx singles chronology
"Miles Away"
(1980)		"Europe After The Rain"
(1981)		"Dancing Like a Gun"
(1981)

"Europe After The Rain" is a song by John Foxx, released as a single in August 1981, and included on The Garden album released later the same year.

Contents

The song signalled a departure from Foxx's previous solo work which had focused on a sparse electronic sound whereas Europe After The Rain features a warmer sound, using acoustic and electric guitars, acoustic piano and live drums to produce the music. The bass and string sounds were however produced by a synthesiser. Foxx has several times stated that this change in musical direction was caused by a visit to Italy after the Metamatic period, where he worked with director Michaelangelo Antonioni for the soundtrack of his film Identification of a Woman . [1]

Although the single only reached no. 40 in the UK Singles Chart, [2] Foxx performed the song on UK music show Top of the Pops where Foxx's new more romantic style was presented in the clothes and setting to accompany the performance in stark contrast to that of "Underpass" on the same show some eighteen months previously. [3] For this performance Foxx was seen playing acoustic guitar, flanked by three other musicians on piano and keyboards. These musicians were Eddie and Sunshine and Duncan Bridgeman of the band Shake Shake, who had collaborated with Foxx in writing B-side "A Long Time" in 1980. [4]

The Top of the Pops footage was issued officially for the first time in 2013, on the DVD of the artist's Metadelic collection. No video was made for the single.

Track listing

7"

12"

Produced by John Foxx, and engineered by Gareth Jones

"This Jungle"

The B-side, "This Jungle", remained unique to this release until its inclusion in the Assembly compilation album (1992). The title is evocative of a 1980 John Foxx B-side "This City". The track appeared later on the 2001 and 2008 re-issues of The Garden (but not on the 1993 edition). "You Were There" would later appear in the same version on The Garden LP the same year, and appears on all subsequent re-releases..

Artwork for the 12" version is identical to the 7" except for the wording of the additional track.

"Europe After The Rain" is also the title of a painting by Max Ernst, who would have been known to Foxx as a former art-student and graphic artist. There is however no reference to the painting or to the artist in the song's lyrics or in the single cover art, designed by Foxx.

Appeared on

"Europe After The Rain" also appears on the following John Foxx issues:

It also featured on:

Cover versions

In 1994 Italian band State released a dance version.

The song was covered in 2012 by Spanish singer and recording artist Miqui Puig, who considered the song as having special significance at this time of the "cyclical decline of Europe". [6] A video recording was published of the singer performing the song with a backing band in a disused button factory, which has been located in the Poble Nou district of Barcelona since 1928. The performance of "Europe After The Rain" therefore "becomes a tribute to the last holdouts of the labor sector of the city". [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultravox</span> British new wave band

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 their 1981 hit "Vienna".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Foxx</span> Musical artist

John Foxx is an English singer, musician, artist, photographer, graphic designer, writer, teacher and lecturer. He was the original lead singer of the new wave band Ultravox, before leaving to embark on a solo career in 1980 with the album Metamatic.

<i>Metamatic</i> 1980 studio album by John Foxx

Metamatic is the debut solo album by John Foxx, released in 1980. It was his first solo project following his split with Ultravox the previous year. A departure from the mix of synthesizers and conventional rock instrumentation on that band's work, Metamatic was purely electronic in sound. The name 'Metamatic' comes from a painting machine by kinetic artist Jean Tinguely, first exhibited at the Paris Biennial in 1959. The album peaked at #18 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>The Golden Section</i> 1983 studio album by John Foxx

The Golden Section is a 1983 album by English musician John Foxx. A progression from the sound of The Garden (1981), Foxx called The Golden Section "a roots check: Beatles, Church music, Psychedelia, The Shadows, The Floyd, The Velvets, Roy Orbison, Kraftwerk, and cheap pre-electro Europop". The album was Foxx's first work with a producer since his final Ultravox album, Systems of Romance, in 1978; The Golden Section was co-produced by Zeus B. Held, well known in the Krautrock scene of the 1970s. In addition to Foxx's wide array of synthesizers, the production made extensive use of vocoder effects and sampling, along with traditional rock guitar.

<i>The Garden</i> (John Foxx album) 1981 studio album by John Foxx

The Garden is a 1981 album by John Foxx, the follow-up to his debut solo album Metamatic, released the previous year. By comparison, it features more diverse instrumentation and romantic stylings.

<i>Ultravox!</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Ultravox!

Ultravox! is the debut studio album by British new wave band Ultravox. It was recorded at Island Studios in Hammersmith, London in the autumn of 1976 and produced by Ultravox! and Steve Lillywhite with studio assistance from Brian Eno. It was released on 25 February 1977 by Island.

<i>Systems of Romance</i> 1978 studio album by Ultravox

Systems of Romance, released on 8 September 1978, is the third album by British new wave band Ultravox. It was the final recording for the group with original lead singer, lyricist and co-composer John Foxx, and their first album without guitarist Stevie Shears, who had left the band. Shears was replaced by Robin Simon, making his first and only appearance on an Ultravox album. Though not a commercial success, Systems of Romance had a significant influence on the electropop music that came after it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burning Car</span> 1980 single by John Foxx

"Burning Car" is a song by John Foxx, released as a single in 1980. It was his third solo single, following "Underpass" and "No-One Driving" earlier in the year. The track was not included on Foxx's debut solo album Metamatic, post-dating its January 1980 release, but has been included as a bonus track on the 2001 and 2007 CD reissues. It was Foxx's last 1980s record in a hard-edged electronica style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Away (John Foxx song)</span> 1980 single by John Foxx

"Miles Away" is a song by John Foxx, released as a single in October 1980. It was his fourth solo single, following "Burning Car" in July that year. The track was not included on any original album, falling roughly midway between the release of Foxx's debut LP Metamatic in January 1980 and his second album The Garden in September 1981.

Robin Simon is a British guitarist who was a member of Ultravox, Magazine and Visage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Savage</span>

"Young Savage" is the second single by Ultravox!. It was released as a single by Island Records on 28 May 1977, during a time of experimentation to define a new sound for the band, in advance of their second album.

Retro was the only EP (7") by Ultravox, then Ultravox!, released on 10 February 1978. It was the last recording released by the band as Ultravox!. Also this was the last disc featuring original guitarist Stevie Shears, who left the band after its release.

<i>Metatronic</i> 2010 compilation album by John Foxx

Metatronic is a retrospective compilation of recorded audio and visual material by British musician and recording artist John Foxx. It was released in 2010 by Edsel Records to mark the 30th anniversary of Foxx's debut solo album Metamatic and the start of his solo career. The idea for the compilation was first mentioned in the Ultravox fanzine Extreme Voice back in 1999.

John Foxx and the Maths is a musical project featuring electronic music pioneer John Foxx, Benge and more recently Hannah Peel. The group specialises in the use of analogue synthesizers and drum machines. It was initially a studio based project working from Benge's studio in Shoreditch, London but has also engaged in live work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No-One Driving</span> 1980 single by John Foxx

"No-One Driving" is a 1980 song by UK artist John Foxx, and was released as a single in March 1980. It was the second single release from the Metamatic album, after "Underpass". The song is typical of Foxx's musical output of the time, featuring a Ballardian dystopian scenario involving an automobile in the lyrics, with music produced using electronic instruments only.

This is a complete discography of the British recording artist John Foxx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underpass (song)</span> 1980 single by John Foxx

"Underpass" is a song by UK artist John Foxx, and was released as a single in January 1980. It was the artist's first solo single release after leaving the band Ultravox and the first single release from the Metamatic album, which was released shortly after.

<i>Assembly</i> (John Foxx album) 1992 compilation album by John Foxx

Assembly is the title of an 18-track compilation album by British recording artist John Foxx, issued in 1992. It contains tracks from the artist's first four albums – Metamatic, The Garden, The Golden Section and In Mysterious Ways as well as tracks which had not been previously issued in an album format. The album was remastered for CD by Foxx himself, and although was the first time many of his solo tracks had appeared on CD there were no new tracks and none of the tracks remain exclusive to this release.

<i>Modern Art – The Best of John Foxx</i> 2001 compilation album by John Foxx

Modern Art - the Best of John Foxx is the title of an 18-track compilation album by British recording artist John Foxx, issued in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dancing Like a Gun</span> 1981 single by John Foxx

"Dancing Like A Gun" is the title of a John Foxx song, released as a single in October 1981, taken from The Garden album released a month previously.

References

  1. ↑ "Identificazione di una donna". Michelangeloantonioni.it. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  2. ↑ "Chart statistics - Ultravox Forum". Ultravox.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  3. ↑ "John Foxx - Underpass". Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  4. ↑ "Why wasn't "Europe After The Rain" a massive hit?". Metamatic. 1981-09-03. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  5. ↑ "Various - Modern Dance at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2009-11-17. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  6. 1 2 "Miqui Puig - Europe after the rain (John Foxx cover)". Waaau TV. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.