Erasure are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1984,consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter,producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke,previously known as 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.
Yazoo were an English synth-pop duo from Basildon,Essex,consisting of former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke (keyboards) and Alison Moyet (vocals). The duo formed in late 1981 after Clarke responded to an advertisement Moyet placed in a British music magazine,although the pair had known each other since their school days.
Vincent John Martin,known professionally as Vince Clarke,is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985,and was previously the main songwriter for several groups,including Depeche Mode,Yazoo,and the Assembly. In Erasure,he is known for his deadpan and low-key onstage demeanour,often remaining motionless over his keyboard,in sharp contrast to lead vocalist Andy Bell's animated and hyperactive frontman antics.
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.
Abba-esque is an extended play (EP) by English synth-pop duo Erasure. Released on 1 June 1992,the EP was Erasure's first and only number one on the UK Singles Chart and also became a number-one hit in Austria,Denmark,Finland,Greece,Ireland,and Sweden.
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.
You and Me Both is the second and final studio album by English synth-pop duo Yazoo,released on 4 July 1983 in the United Kingdom by Mute Records and in North America by Sire Records. The album's title was an ironic reference to the fact that the duo had grown estranged from each other and recorded much of the album separately;they announced their split a few weeks before the album's release.
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA,released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album,ABBA:The Album (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses and choruses,with Fältskog singing two bridge sections solo. The song reached the top ten in both the UK and US,and was notably covered by the British band Erasure in 1992.
"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.
"Oh L'amour" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure,released in April 1986 as their third single. Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell,it is a lament from someone experiencing unrequited love. The song is an uptempo,synth-pop dance track and its popularity was further fueled in dance clubs by the "Funky Sisters Remix",which appeared on the UK 12-inch single and as a bonus track on the US edition of Erasure's debut album,Wonderland (1986). A different mix of the song was submitted for the single release,adding new instrumentation and extra sounds. This version appears on all of the band's compilation albums. A version of the 12" single was included with early copies of the debut LP Wonderland. One of the B-sides is a cover version of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ",the first time Erasure covered a song from the ABBA songbook. It was issued by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the US to herald the June release of Wonderland,but became the third consecutive commercial failure for the band in both territories. Despite its low chart placement,"Oh L'amour" has proven to be one of Erasure's signature songs,due to its popularity in dance clubs. It remains a favourite among fans,particularly when performed live.
"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 English 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 Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
"Star" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure,released in May 1990 as the fourth European single from the group's fourth studio album,Wild! (1989). Been described as a straightforward dance music track with disco elements,it was written by group members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The lyrical content clearly referencing nuclear war;Erasure's own form of protest song. When released,the track was remixed slightly for radio,bringing acoustic guitar elements and various background vocal parts forward in the mix. The accompanying music video was directed by John Maybury.
"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 four on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-10 hit in Austria,Denmark,Finland,Greece,Ireland,and Sweden.
"Am I Right?" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure,released in November 1991 in Europe and Canada as the third single from their fifth studio album,Chorus (1991). Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell,the ballad peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.
"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.
"Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure,released as the second single from their eighth studio album,Cowboy (1997). It is an uptempo dance music song written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. Mute Records issued the single in the UK. For the song's release in the United States,Maverick Records requested a remix for radio. The US single version of "Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" is different from what is on the Cowboy album;the song's intro was changed,as well as the middle eight section. An entire verse,edited out of the album version,is restored on the American single release.
"Nobody's Diary" is a song recorded by British synth-pop band Yazoo. It was released in May 1983 as the first and only single from their second and last album,You and Me Both (1983). The song was written by Alison Moyet and produced by Yazoo,Eric Radcliffe and Daniel Miller. "Nobody's Diary" peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart.
Tomorrow's World is the fourteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure,released by Mute Records in the United Kingdom on 3 October 2011 and in North America on 11 October 2011. As with their previous album,Light at the End of the World (2007),Tomorrow's World reached number 29 on the UK Albums Chart.
The Neon is the eighteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure,released on 21 August 2020 by Mute Records. The album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart with 8,394 copies sold in its first week.
