"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 (issued in 1992 to promote the Pop! compilation) reached the top 10 in both the UK and Ireland.
"Who Needs Love Like That" is an uptempo pop song written by Vince Clarke. The lyrics are a cast-off to a destructive love relationship,in which the protagonist asks "who needs love like that?" The music video takes place in a mock Western,with Clarke,Andy Bell and various extras dressed as cowboys. Both Bell and Clarke appear in dual roles,the others being woman's drags.
Upon its release,the song spent two weeks in the UK Singles Chart,peaking at number 55. In 1992,the song was remixed and tacked on to the end of Erasure's greatest hits collection Pop! The First 20 Hits (although in the US it only appears on the cassette release). The "Hamburg Mix" (slightly retitled to put "Like That" in parentheses) was released as a single and became a Top 10 UK hit,peaking at number ten.
Critical reception
In 1986,Robert Hilburn from Los Angeles Times said,"Agreed,Yaz founder Vince Clarke's dance-ready,techno-pop approach was more soulful when Alison Moyet was handling lead vocals,but the percolator-styled beat is still hard to dismiss."[5] Upon the release of the 1992 remix,Music Week wrote,"It was a brilliant introductory single,and its lack of success first time out—it peaked at number 55—is baffling. A straightforward reissue would have been preferable,as the song has very strong melodic verses,which are exorcised completely from the remix,but its dancefloor sensibilities are more than sufficient to ensure it becomes a major success."[6]Steven Wells from NME viewed it as a "catchy little flibbertygibbet".[7] Another NME editor,Ian McCann,noted its "operatic,faintly hysterical vocal,a hissing hi-hat,a disco bassdrum and a bleeping synth."[8] A reviewer from People Magazine stated that Clarke "has not lost his ability to make his music-box synth-sound pulse,as he does in such songs" as "Who Needs Love Like That".[9]Mark Frith from Smash Hits described it as "Human League-esque",giving it two out of five.[10]
Retrospective response
Ned Raggett from AllMusic felt that songs like "Who Needs Love Like That" "aren't quite as strong but work in the general formula quite well regardless".[11] In a 1995 review,Howard Cohen from Knight-Ridder Newspapers described it as "frothy dance".[12] In 2014,Chris Gerard from Metro Weekly wrote that it is "a little simple and raw compared to their later work (and the video is hilariously campy),but it has a classic dance groove and keyboard riff that beams the listener back nearly 30 years,and its hard to play without smiling and singing along".[3] In 2009,Darren Lee from The Quietus stated that the song "bears Yazoo's unmistakeable imprint,with Andy Bell content to mimic Alison Moyet's dulcet vocals".[13]
Track listings
Original release (1985)
7-inch single (MUTE40)
"Who Needs Love Like That"
"Push Me Shove Me"
12-inch single (12MUTE40)
"Who Needs Love Like That" (Legend Mix)
"Push Me Shove Me" (Extended as Far as Possible Mix)
"Who Needs Love Like That" (Instrumental Workout Mix)
Limited 12-inch single (L12MUTE40)
"Who Needs Love Like That" (Mexican Mix)
"Push Me Shove Me" (Tacos Mix)
12-inch US single (SIRE 0-20404)
"Who Needs Love Like That" (The Love That Mix Version / Mexican Mix) – 6:08
"Push Me Shove Me" (That Rough and Tumble Mix / Tacos Mix) – 5:46
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