Pick Up the Pieces (Put It Back)

"Pick Up the Pieces (Put It Back)"
Single by Billy Ocean
from the album Time to Move On
Released	1 June 1993 (1993-06-01)
Length	4:32 (album version) 3:23 (radio mix)
Label	Jive
Songwriter(s)	Billy Ocean Wycliffe Johnson Clevie Browne
Producer(s)	Steely & Clevie
Billy Ocean singles chronology
"Pressure" (1993) "Pick Up the Pieces (Put It Back)" (1993) "Everything's So Different Without You" (1993)

"Pick Up the Pieces (Put It Back)" is a song by Trinidadian-British singer Billy Ocean, released by Jive on 1 June 1993 ^[1] as the second single from his eighth studio album, Time to Move On . The song was written by Ocean and Steely & Clevie (Wycliffe Johnson and Clevie Browne), and was produced by Steely & Clevie. It reached number 126 in the UK Singles Chart.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the Arbroath Herald awarded "Pick Up the Pieces (Put It Back)" a nine out of ten rating, with the reviewer noting that the "bright and breezy number" was the "best track" from Time to Move On. They described it as "so catchy that we would not be surprised to see it in the charts" and noted the CD single's "five distinct mixes". ^[2] Andrew Hirst of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner praised it as a "dance meander that shuffles soulfully along". ^[3] Andrew Smith, writing for the Newcastle Journal , described the song as a "moderate disco track with [a] good beat", but felt Ocean had "definitely done better". ^[4] John Greenwood of the Halifax Evening Courier commented, "Hypnotic, is not so original, a groove. OK by most people's standards, not up to those Ocean has set himself." ^[5]

Track listing

7–inch single (UK and Europe) ^[6]

1. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" – 4:32
2. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" (Kevin Saunderson Radio Mix) – 3:23

12–inch single (UK and Europe) ^[7]

1. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" (Reese Club Riot Mix) – 5:43
2. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" (Original Mix) – 4:32
3. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" (Reese Renaissance Dub Workout) – 4:22
4. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" (Kevin Saunderson Radio Mix) – 3:23

CD single (UK and Europe) ^[8]

1. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" (Original Mix) – 4:32
2. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" (Kevin Saunderson Radio Mix) – 3:23
3. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" (Reese Renaissance Dub Workout) – 4:22
4. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" (Reese Club Riot Mix) – 5:43
5. "Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back)" (Reese Instrumental Dub) – 5:03

Personnel

"Pick Up the Pieces (Put It Back)"

• Billy Ocean – vocals
• Wycliffe Johnson (Steely) – keyboards
• Clevie Browne – drums, percussion

Production

• Steely & Clevie – production
• Nigel Green – engineering (original mix)
• Kevin Saunderson – remixing (all remixes)
• Chris Andrews – engineering (all remixes)
• Derek Jamerson – keyboards (all remixes)

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart (OCC) [9]	126

References

1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 29 May 1993. p. 23. ISSN   0265-1548.
2. "On the Right Track: Single Reviews" . Arbroath Herald . 4 June 1993. p. 23. Retrieved 30 May 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
3. Hirst, Andrew (19 June 1993). "Record Reviews: Singles" . Huddersfield Daily Examiner . p. 3. Retrieved 30 May 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
4. Smith, Andrew (11 June 1993). "Music: Best of the Singles" . The Journal . p. 31. Retrieved 30 May 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
5. Greenwood, John (18 June 1993). "John Greenwood's Weekly Look at the Rock Scene: Singles" . Halifax Evening Courier . p. 8. Retrieved 30 May 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
6. Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back) (UK and European 7-inch single sleeve). Billy Ocean. Jive Records. 1993. BOS 7.
7. Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back) (UK and European 12-inch single sleeve). Billy Ocean. Jive Records. 1993. BOS T 7.
8. Pick Up The Pieces (Put It Back) (UK CD single sleeve). Billy Ocean. Jive Records. 1993. BOS CD 7.
9. "Singles - Positions 76 to 200". Charts Plus . Spotlight Publications. 12 June 1993. p. 2.