Visage (song)

"Visage"
Cover variant by Brian Griffin
Single by Visage
from the album Visage
B-side	"Second Steps"
Released	3 July 1981 (1981-07-03) [1] [2] [3]
Recorded	Genetic Studios, 1980
Genre	Synth-pop new wave
Length	3:51
Label	Polydor
Songwriters	Steve Strange, Midge Ure, Billy Currie, John McGeoch, Rusty Egan, Dave Formula
Producers	Midge Ure, Visage
Visage singles chronology
"Mind of a Toy" (1981) "Visage" (1981) "The Damned Don't Cry" (1982)
Alternative single cover
Cover variant by Robyn Beeche

"Visage" is the fourth single by the British synth-pop group Visage, released by Polydor Records on 3 July 1981. It is the title track from Visage's eponymous debut album. The single peaked at no.21 in the UK Singles Chart.

Cover and music video

Cover variant by John Timbers

In the UK, the single was available in three different covers, each featuring vocalist Steve Strange, by photographers John Timbers, Robyn Beeche and Brian Griffin.

The music video for the single was the first of two Visage videos directed by Midge Ure. The video includes footage shot at the Blitz nightclub in London's Covent Garden, which was the focal point of the New Romantic scene in the early 1980s. It was included on the Visage video album in 1986. ^[4] A then-unknown Jacquie O'Sullivan (who would join Bananarama in the late 80's) appears briefly at the beginning of the video as one of The Blitz's customers on the bar counter.

Track listing

• 7" single (1981) ^[5]

A. "Visage" – 3:51

B. "Second Steps" – 5:00

• 12" single (1981) ^[6]

A. "Visage" (Dance Mix) – 6:01

B. "Second Steps" – 5:30

Personnel

• Steve Strange – vocals
• Midge Ure – guitar
• Billy Currie – synthesizer, electric violin
• John McGeoch – guitar
• Rusty Egan – drums, electronic drums programming
• Barry Adamson – bass
• Dave Formula – synthesizer

Chart performance

Chart	Peak position
Germany [7]	41
Ireland [8]	22
United Kingdom [9]	21

References

1. "Two strange for words". Record Mirror . July 4, 1981. p. 3. Retrieved 22 October 2025– via Flickr.
2. "New Singles" (PDF). Record Business . June 29, 1981. p. 51. Retrieved 23 October 2025– via World Radio History.
3. "New Singles" (PDF). Music & Video Week . July 4, 1981. p. 46. Retrieved 23 October 2025– via World Radio History.
4. "Visage - Visage (VHS) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
5. "Visage - Visage (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
6. "Visage - Visage (Dance Mix) (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
7. "Visage Single-Chartverfolgung". www.musicline.de (in German). Archived from the original on January 8, 2005. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
8. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
9. "The Official Charts Company - Visage by Visage Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.