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 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.
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.
The Circus is the second studio album by the English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 30 March 1987 by Mute Records in Germany and the United Kingdom and on 7 July 1987 by Sire Records in the United States. It was Erasure's second consecutive album to be produced by Flood.
The Two Ring Circus is a remix album by English synth-pop duo Erasure that served as a companion piece to their second album The Circus. It was released in 1987 on Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the US.
Crackers International is a Christmas EP released by English synth-pop duo Erasure in November 1988, in between the albums The Innocents (1988) and Wild! (1989). The EP reached number-one in Denmark and Argentina, and peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
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.
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! " is a song by Swedish band ABBA. It was recorded in August 1979 to help promote their North American and European tour of that year, and was released on ABBA's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 album as a brand new track.
"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.
"Heavenly Action" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in November 1985 as their second single. It is a mid-tempo pop song, written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell as a straightforward ode to love. Issued by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the US, the single proved to be the second commercial failure for the duo. The music video for the song was directed by John Scarlett Davies and produced by Nick Verden for Aldabra. It features Clarke and Bell in an outer space/celestial setting, with several young children appearing as angels. To this day, "Heavenly Action" remains Erasure's lowest-charting single on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 100. In the United States, "Heavenly Action" was paired with "Who Needs Love Like That" on the 12-inch single and, as a double-sided hit, climbed to number eight on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It was later included on the duo's debut album Wonderland, released in June 1986.
"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.
"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.
"You Surround Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure that was issued in November 1989 by Mute Records as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, Wild! (1989). Written by the duo's Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is a heavily synthesized ballad with a dramatic chorus featuring Bell's falsetto. Clarke has stated that this song was his attempt at writing a James Bond film theme. Upon release, "You Surround Me" became Erasure's tenth consecutive top 20 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #15. It reached #10 on the Irish singles chart, and became a top 40 hit in Germany, where it reached #38. The song was not released as a single in the United States.
"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.
"Chorus" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in June 1991 as the first single from their fifth studio album of the same name (1991). Produced by Martyn Phillips and written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the song features Clarke's electronic soundscapes and Phillips' computerised production. The single was released by Mute Records in the United Kingdom and Sire Records in the United States. It peaked at number three in both Denmark and the UK while reaching number four in Ireland. In the US, it peaked at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"Love to Hate You" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1991 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Chorus (1991). Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is an electronic dance track inspired by disco music. The synthesizer melody in the chorus is an interpolation of the string break from American singer Gloria Gaynor's disco-era classic "I Will Survive". The duo also recorded a Spanish version of the song, called "Amor y Odio", and one in Italian called "Amo Odiarti". The single was released by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the US. It peaked at number one in Israel as well as number four on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-10 hit in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, and Sweden. Its music video was directed by David Mallet.
"Breath of Life" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released as the fourth and final single from their fifth studio album, Chorus (1991), in March 1992. It was written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell with additional input from Pat O'Brien. An uptempo synth-pop song, its dance music elements were strongly accentuated for the club remixes. For the single release, it was remixed slightly, including a shortened intro. In the United States, it was the third single released from the album.
"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.
"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.
Live at the Seaside is the first concert video release by English synth-pop duo Erasure, recorded at the Brighton Dome on 17 April 1987 by the BBC as part of the duo's tour of their second studio album The Circus. The video, originally only available on VHS, features 13 tracks from the concert and, amongst tracks from The Circus, includes performances of songs from Erasure's first album Wonderland plus "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!", the band's first foray into ABBA cover versions.
