Sounds Like a Melody

"Sounds Like a Melody"
Single by Alphaville
from the album Forever Young
B-side	"The Nelson Highrise (Sector One: The Elevator)"
Released	May 14, 1984
Genre	Synth-pop
Length	4:45 (album version) 4:29 (7" single) 7:42 (12" maxi)
Label	WEA
Songwriter(s)	Marian Gold Bernhard Lloyd Frank Mertens
Producer(s)	Orlando (Wolfgang Loos)
Alphaville singles chronology
"Big in Japan" (1984) "Sounds Like a Melody" (1984) "Forever Young" (1984)
Music video
"Sounds Like a Melody" on YouTube

"Sounds Like a Melody" is a song by German synth-pop band Alphaville, released on May 14, 1984 as the second single from their debut album Forever Young .

The song was a big success in continental Europe and South Africa, reaching the top 10; it topped the charts in Italy and Sweden, and was certified gold in Germany. ^[1]

Song background

Originally, Alphaville had planned to release "Forever Young" as their second single, to follow the success of "Big in Japan". However, record studio executives requested that Alphaville release an additional song between the two singles, and as a result "Sounds Like a Melody" was written and arranged in just two days. Of the experience, singer Marian Gold said "the whole affair felt like an insult to our naive hippie instincts. Writing music exclusively for the sake of commercial success seemed like the sell-out of our virtual beliefs. On the other hand, did this not open up possibilities for wonderful games to play in the brave new world of pop music?". ^[2] This corporate pressure caused the band to dislike the song and they refused to play it live for over 10 years. ^[2]

Track listings

7" single

1. "Sounds Like a Melody" – 4:29
2. "The Nelson Highrise Sector One: the Elevator" – 3:14

12" maxi

1. "Sounds Like a Melody" (special long version) – 7:42
2. "The Nelson Highrise Sector One: the Elevator" – 4:12

12" maxi Record Store Day 2020 yellow vinyl

1. "Sounds Like a Melody" (Grant & Kelly remix) - 8:33
2. "Sounds Like a Melody" (special long version remastered) - 7:43

• The 7" version differs greatly from the version released later on the album.
• The B-side is commonly referred to simply as "The Elevator", and a remix appears on 1999's Dreamscapes .

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1984–1985) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [3] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [4] 10 France (SNEP) [5] 10 Italy (FIMI) [6] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [7] 6 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [8] 8 Norway (VG-lista) [9] 5 Quebec (ADISQ) [10] 50 South Africa (Springbok Radio) [11] 2 Spain (AFYVE) [12] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [13] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [14] 4 West Germany (GfK) [15] 3

Year-end charts Chart (1984) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [16] 19 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [17] 80 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [18] 80 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [19] 55 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [20] 15 Chart (1985) Position France (SNEP) [21] 53

See also

• List of number-one hits of 1984 (Italy)
• List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden

References

1. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Alphaville; 'Sounds Like a Melody')". Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 1 June 2014.
2. so80s presents Alphaville (CD liner notes). Alphaville. Blank & Jones (So 80s). 2014. SC0344.
3. "Alphaville – Sounds Like A Melody" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
4. "Alphaville – Sounds Like A Melody" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
5. "Alphaville – Sounds Like A Melody" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
6. "SINGOLI – I NUMERI UNO (1959-2006) (parte 3: 1980-1990)" (in Italian). It-charts.150m.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
7. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Alphaville - Sounds Like A Melody" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
8. "Alphaville – Sounds Like A Melody" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
9. "Alphaville – Sounds Like A Melody". VG-lista. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
10. "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (PDF) (in French). BAnQ. 12 July 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
11. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (A)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
12. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
13. "Alphaville – Sounds Like A Melody". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
14. "Alphaville – Sounds Like A Melody". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Alphaville – Sounds Like A Melody" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
16. "Jahreshitparade 1984" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
17. "Jaaroverzichten 1984" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
18. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved 1 February 2014.
19. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1984" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
20. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1984" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
21. "TOP – 1985". Top-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 1 February 2014.