"Nerves of Steel" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Erasure | ||||
from the album The Neon | ||||
B-side | "Remixes" | |||
Released | 11 August 2020 | |||
Length | 4:13 | |||
Label | Mute | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Erasure | |||
Erasure singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Nerves of Steel" on YouTube |
"Nerves of Steel" is the second single from the album The Neon by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 11 August 2020. [1] [2] The song premiered on BBC Radio 2.
The vocals were done in Atlanta, Georgia, with the final mixing done in London, England. [3]
Andy Bell said: "This is my favorite track from the album, I am truly honored that all our LGBTQIA+ friends were so creative during lockdown and helped us with this joyful video. Thanks for creating such a lovely piece of art!" [3] [4]
The video features drag queens and LGBTQ+ stars including participants from RuPaul's Drag Race , including Detox, Manila Luzon, Amanda Lepore, Candis Cayne, and a few others. [3] [5] [6] The video was directed by Brad Hammer, [1] and produced and edited by Tyler Stone. [2]
The track has received generally positive reviews.
Retro Pop described it as a "synth-driven love song at its core, the track sees Andy Bell pine after a potential lover, over Vince Clarke's trademark pulsing beats." [7]
Stereogum described it as a "patiently pulsing, simmering depiction of that sort of dizzying early love phase." [8]
SLUG Magazine wrote: "Having the distinction of being the most traditional, Erasure-sounding cut, it has all the elements of single status: upbeat but slightly darker synths, intriguing lyrics and a great vocal performance by Bell." [9]
Erasure is 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 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.
Vincent John Martin, known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously the main songwriter for several groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and the Assembly. In Erasure, he is known for his deadpan and low-key onstage demeanour, often remaining motionless over his keyboard, in sharp contrast to lead vocalist Andy Bell's animated and hyperactive frontman antics.
Wonderland is the debut studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 1 May 1986 by Sire Records in the United States and on 2 June 1986 by Mute Records in the United Kingdom and Germany. Not an immediate success, the three singles released from it failed to crack the top 40 in the UK. "Who Needs Love Like That" would eventually make the UK top 10 in 1992, and "Oh L'amour" reached the UK top 20 in 2003, both in remixed form promoting their Pop! The First 20 Hits and Hits! compilations respectively. However, the album fared better in both Germany and Sweden, where it charted within the top 20.
Andrew Ivan Bell is an English singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the synth-pop duo Erasure. The band achieved mainstream success and are popular within the LGBT community, for whom he has become an icon.
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.
Hits! The Very Best of Erasure is the second greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 20 October 2003 by Mute Records. Capitalising on a resurgence of Erasure's music after their successful covers album Other People's Songs, Mute released Hits! in order to reintroduce people to the duo's music and to give an update to their 1992 singles compilation Pop! The First 20 Hits.
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.
"A Little Respect" is a song written and recorded by British 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 Billboard Dance Club Play 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.
Antoine Ashley, better known by the name Sahara Davenport, was an American drag queen, singer, reality television personality, and classically trained dancer. Davenport was best known as a contestant on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race.
Karl Philip Michael Westerberg, known professionally as Manila Luzon, is a Filipino-American drag queen, reality television personality, recording artist, and comedian. Luzon came to international attention as a contestant on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race and on the first and fourth seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
Matthew Dail Sanderson, better known by the stage name Detox Icunt or simply Detox, is an American drag performer and recording artist. Detox was a fixture of the Southern California drag scene before coming to international attention on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, as well as the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
Delta Work is the stage name of Gabriel A. Villarreal, an Emmy Award-winning American drag performer and stylist, best known for competing on the third season (2011) of the reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race.
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.
The Neon is the eighteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 21 August 2020 by Mute Records. The album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart with 8,394 copies sold in its first week.
Laura Fares, known as LAU or Lau Fares is an Argentine singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer from Argentina, and currently based in Barcelona (Spain), after 21 years in the United Kingdom. She is also the founder of Aztec Records with Ariel Amejeiras.
"Fallen Angel" is the third and final single from the album The Neon by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 22 October 2020.
"Hey Now (Think I Got a Feeling)" is the first single from the album The Neon by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 4 June 2020. Written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the track is upbeat similar to their older 80's songs and has gotten positive reviews. The song stayed on the BBC Radio 2 A list for 4 weeks and was one of the most popular songs aired on UK radio in June and July 2020.
Day-Glo is the nineteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 12 August 2022. The album was created by reconstructing tracks from the group's previous album The Neon (2020) and is experimental in nature.