Erasure are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a member of synth-pop duo Yazoo. From their fourth single, "Sometimes" (1986), Erasure established themselves on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the most successful acts of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. From 1986 to 2007, the pair achieved 24 consecutive top-40 entries in the UK singles chart. By 2009, 34 of their 37 chart-eligible singles and EPs had made the UK top 40, including 17 climbing into the top 10. At the 1989 Brit Awards, Erasure won the Brit Award for Best British Group.
Abba-esque is an extended play (EP) by English synth-pop duo Erasure. Released on 1 June 1992, the EP was Erasure's first and only number one on the UK Singles Chart and also became a number-one hit in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, and Sweden.
Erasure is the seventh studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 23 October 1995 by Mute Records. It was produced by Thomas Fehlmann and Gareth Jones.
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses and choruses, with Fältskog singing two bridge sections solo. The song reached the top ten in both the UK and US, and was notably covered by the British band Erasure in 1992.
Erasure are an English synth-pop duo that have released 19 studio albums, six live albums, nine compilation albums, seven box sets, 14 extended plays, 62 singles, 14 video albums and 50 music videos. Erasure consists of keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell.
"Who Needs Love Like That" is the debut single of English synth-pop duo Erasure. The song was released in the UK on Mute Records in 1985 as a prelude to their debut album, Wonderland (1986). The accompanying music video was directed by John Scarlett Davies and produced by Nick Verden for Aldabra. While the original 1985 release enjoyed only minor success, the later "Hamburg Mix" version reached the top 10 in both the UK and Ireland.
"Oh L'amour" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in April 1986 as their third single. Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is a lament from someone experiencing unrequited love. The song is an uptempo, synth-pop dance track and its popularity was further fueled in dance clubs by the "Funky Sisters Remix", which appeared on the UK 12-inch single and as a bonus track on the US edition of Erasure's debut album, Wonderland (1986). A different mix of the song was submitted for the single release, adding new instrumentation and extra sounds. This version appears on all of the band's compilation albums. A version of the 12" single was included with early copies of the debut LP Wonderland. One of the B-sides is a cover version of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ", the first time Erasure covered a song from the ABBA songbook. It was issued by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the US to herald the June release of Wonderland, but became the third consecutive commercial failure for the band in both territories. Despite its low chart placement, "Oh L'amour" has proven to be one of Erasure's signature songs, due to its popularity in dance clubs. It remains a favourite among fans, particularly when performed live.
"Sometimes" is a song by the English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 6 October 1986 as their fourth single overall. Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it typifies the Erasure sound—an uptempo, dance-oriented pop tune accentuated by Clarke's phase distortion and analogue synthesizers and Bell's lyrics about being in love. The trumpet solo is performed by Guy Barker. After three commercial flops from their debut studio album Wonderland (1986), the single became Erasure's first bona fide hit, peaking at number one in South Africa, number two in their native United Kingdom and in Germany, and becoming a huge international hit. In the US, it became Erasure's second top-five hit on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where it charted alongside "It Doesn't Have to Be" and peaked at number four. Peaking only at number 39 in the French Singles Chart, "Sometimes" still remains Erasure's last chart entry in France ever since. The single spent seventeen weeks in the UK singles chart—the duo's longest chart run for a single in that country—and was included on Erasure's second studio album The Circus (1987), released six months later in March 1987.
"Chains of Love" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in May 1988 as their ninth single overall. It was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, and released by Mute Records as the second single from Erasure's third studio album, The Innocents (1988). In the United States, Sire Records released it as the first single. The chorus is memorable for Bell's use of falsetto. The album version was produced by Stephen Hague and was slightly remixed for its single release. The accompanying music video featured Clarke and Bell performing the song while being hoisted through the air by thick, metal chains.
"A Little Respect" is a song written and recorded by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1988 by Mute. It was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The lyrics are a plea to a lover to show compassion and respect. The heavily synthesized instrumentation is accentuated by acoustic guitar and Bell's vocal falsetto in the chorus. It was their tenth single and was taken from their third studio album, The Innocents (1988). Known as one of their signature songs, the single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and was Erasure's second consecutive top-20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it made number 14, and reached number two on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
"Blue Savannah" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure from their fourth studio album, Wild! (1989). Written by members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the song was released as a single in Japan on 25 January 1990 and was issued in the United Kingdom the following month. Alfa Records released it in Japan as the album's lead single, Mute Records released it in Europe as the album's third single, and Sire Records released it in the United States as the album's second single. Considered one of the band's signature songs, the duo still perform it regularly in concerts. It has been described as an uplifting love song; the instrumentation is crisp and heavily synthesized, accented with sweeping, programmed piano.
"Always" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure. The ballad was released on 11 April 1994 as the first single from their sixth studio album, I Say I Say I Say (1994). Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it was produced by Martyn Ware. Mute Records issued the single in the United Kingdom, and Elektra Records released it in the United States.
"Run to the Sun" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in July 1994 by Mute and Elektra as the second single from the duo's sixth studio album, I Say I Say I Say (1994). The song is written by Vince Clarke with fellow Erasure member Andy Bell and is an uptempo dance music track that displays signature synthesizer programming by Clarke. The UK 7-inch single of "Run to the Sun" was issued on yellow-coloured vinyl and featured a fold-out poster of the single's cover artwork. The single's B-side, a ballad entitled "Tenderest Moments", was later re-recorded by Erasure in an acoustic version for their 2006 album Union Street.
"I Love Saturday" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released as the third single from their sixth studio album, I Say I Say I Say (1994), on 18 November 1994 in Japan. The track was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, and produced by Martyn Ware. In the United Kingdom, Mute credited the first CD single as the I Love Saturday EP, which contains several new tracks; it was released on 21 November 1994.
"Stay with Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1995 as the lead single from their self-titled, seventh studio album, Erasure (1995). Written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is a slow love ballad. Starting with simple synth chords from Clarke and subdued vocal from Bell, the song builds to a mid-tempo gospel-influenced conclusion, complete with vocal contributions from the London Community Gospel Choir. Like the other two singles from this album, it was edited for its release. It was not as successful as prior Erasure singles, reaching number fifteen on the UK Singles Chart, and it did not chart in the United States or Germany. In Denmark, it peaked at number 10 while it reached number 13 in Sweden. In an interview with John Marshall from Lincs FM in 2009, Bell stated that "Stay With Me" was one of his favourite Erasure songs.
"In My Arms" is a synth-pop ballad by English duo Erasure. Written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the song was released in 1997, as the lead single from their album Cowboy. The album version was released as the single version in both the UK and the US, and the lead synthesizer melody performed during the song's middle eight section was mixed lower for the American version. It was issued by Mute Records in the UK and by Maverick Records in the US. The cover for the US single release was used as an example in the book The 7 Essentials of Graphic Design by Allison Goodman.
"Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released as the second single from their eighth studio album, Cowboy (1997). It is an uptempo dance music song written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. Mute Records issued the single in the UK. For the song's release in the United States, Maverick Records requested a remix for radio. The US single version of "Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" is different from what is on the Cowboy album; the song's intro was changed, as well as the middle eight section. An entire verse, edited out of the album version, is restored on the American single release.
"I Could Fall in Love with You" is a song recorded by English synth-pop duo Erasure. Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the track is the first single released from Erasure's thirteenth studio album Light at the End of the World. Remixes are provided by Jeremy Wheatley and Lee Monteverde, and a James Aparicio mix is available exclusively in the UK iTunes Store. The single contains a non-album B-side titled "I Like It". "I Could Fall in Love with You" was released by Mute Records in the UK on 2 April 2007 and in North America the following day. It was the first Erasure single to be commercially released on 7" vinyl since "Run to the Sun" 13 years previously.
"Sunday Girl" is a song recorded by English synth-pop duo Erasure. Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is the opening track on the duo's thirteenth studio album Light at the End of the World. The song was the second UK single released from the album, on 11 June 2007. A North American release followed in July 2007.
Always: The Very Best of Erasure is a compilation album released by English synth-pop duo Erasure. It was released on 30 October 2015 to commemorate their 30th anniversary since the formation of the band. The album contains all of the band's highest charting songs, as well as their more popular recordings. The deluxe edition contains two additional CDs with corresponding remixes, including some of their singles that did not make the compilation. It is available through Lexer Music, Amazon and iTunes. The band's members, Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, announced that this will kick off a campaign to celebrate their thirty years in the music industry together. The compilation followed the release of the first and only single from the album, entitled "Sometimes 2015", a re-vamped version of the original single mixed by David Wrench. The single was released on 23 October 2015, and contains a mixture of previously released remixes of Sometimes as well as a new remix by Love to Infinity.
