Being Boiled
Encyclopedia
"Being Boiled" is a song
composed by Sheffield
musicians Martyn Ware
and Ian Craig Marsh
, with lyrics by Philip Oakey
, and recorded by them as The Human League
. It is notable as one of the first pieces of electronic
pop music produced in the UK.
in 1978 on the Fast Product
label, and although failing to chart, was influential amongst other new wave
and post-punk
artists. In 1987 this version was added as a bonus track to the CD edition of the Reproduction album. Although the Blind Youth fan page claims that on the vinyl edition the song was characterized by a faded ending, the CD reissue has a sudden ending.
A totally re-recorded version of "Being Boiled" was included on the Holiday '80
EP
, which reached number 56 in 1980 and number 46 in 1982. This version was also included on their 1980 Travelogue album.
A stereo remix of the original mono Fast Product version was released as a single in August 1980 through EMI
Records, failing to chart. This stereo remix was then reissued in January 1982, this time reaching Number 6 in the UK Charts
, shortly after the band's commercial breakthrough with Dare
and "Don't You Want Me
". It was later included on their Greatest Hits
anthology released in 1988.
Holiday '80 EP (Virgin Records release)
1980 EMI release and 1982 EMI reissue
It has a strong bassline
, inspired by Bootsy Collins
. The lyrics (described as "Bizarre" and "confused") combine a protest against silk farming
with vague material about oriental religion - ("Listen to the voice of Buddha
/saying stop your sericulture"). In Japan, bells are referred to as "the voice of Buddha".
's joining the band. The Future, a band comprising Martyn Ware
and Ian Craig Marsh
, had just parted company with singer Adi Newton, later of Clock DVA
. They needed a new singer and contacted former schoolmate Philip Oakey, giving him the music to listen to. Two days later he was back, having written the lyrics. Ware and Marsh liked them (and him), and the song was born.
The original version of the track was recorded on a domestic tape recorder
, in mono
, in an abandoned factory, at a cost of £2.50.
musician Paul Bowers (of the band 2.3) liked the song and passed a copy to Fast Product
label manager Bob Last, who had just released 2.3's first single ("All Time Low"/"Where To Now?"). Fast Product released it in June 1978, the sleeve bearing the slogan
"Electronically Yours".
A press release was put out by Fast Product on computer paper - at the time a novel idea. It read, in part:
Also included in the release were a cassette of demo recordings and a sticker bearing the "Electronically Yours" slogan.
declared it to be "the future of music", but former Sex Pistols
singer John Lydon
, reviewing the single for the New Musical Express, dismissed the band as "trendy hippies". Peter York
in Harper's and Queen cited the cover as an example of "post-modern packaging".
The song has become an influence on several musicians. Vince Clarke
stated that the song was his favourite record and inspired him to form Depeche Mode
.
"This is a song called "The Circus of Death".It tells the true story of a circus we met. The first two verses concern the actual arrival at Heathrow Airport of Commissioner Steve McGarrett. The third emotionally describes a map showing the range of the circus. The fourth and fifth were extracted from an article in The Guardian
of March the 19th, 1962. The last is a short wave radio message from the last man on Earth."
McGarrett, incidentally, was a character from the television show Hawaii Five-O
.
There are at least three different versions of "Circus of Death": the first is the original Fast Product version, the second is a totally re-recorded version included on the Reproduction album, the third is a stereo remix of the original version (released as a b-side on the 1980 EMI issue of "Being Boiled").
The original take was added as a bonus track on the Reproduction CD edition, although without a sample from the 1974 film Dark Star
that marked the end of the vinyl version. The re-recorded Reproduction version contains a shorter and totally different spoken intro.
The stereo remix of the original version is still waiting a CD reissue.
, re-recorded "Being Boiled" for their Holiday '80 double single. This release flopped, and a normal one-disc EP was hurriedly put out. This reached Number 56 and the band were asked to appear on Top of the Pops
, an unusual request by the programme, which usually only featured top 40 acts. Holiday '80 was then reissued in 1982, reaching Number 46.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
composed by Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
musicians Martyn Ware
Martyn Ware
Martyn "Teddy Bear" Ware is a British musician and music producer. He is the chairman of a local football team: PPA. As a founder member of both The Human League and Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Being Boiled" and "Temptation"...
and Ian Craig Marsh
Ian Craig Marsh
Ian Craig Marsh is a former English musician. He was a founding member of the electronic band The Human League, writing and playing on their first two albums and several singles, until leaving in 1980 to form B.E.F...
, with lyrics by Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey is an English composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is best known as the lead singer, frontman and co-founder of the famous English synthpop band The Human League. He has also had an extensive solo music career and collaborated with numerous other artists and producers...
, and recorded by them as The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
. It is notable as one of the first pieces of electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
pop music produced in the UK.
Different versions
"Being Boiled" was first released as a singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1978 on the Fast Product
Fast Product
Fast Product was an independent record label, established in Edinburgh by Bob Last in December 1977. Its first release was also the first single by the Mekons, released on 20 January 1978....
label, and although failing to chart, was influential amongst other new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
artists. In 1987 this version was added as a bonus track to the CD edition of the Reproduction album. Although the Blind Youth fan page claims that on the vinyl edition the song was characterized by a faded ending, the CD reissue has a sudden ending.
A totally re-recorded version of "Being Boiled" was included on the Holiday '80
Holiday '80
Holiday '80 is an EP released by the original line-up of the British synthpop band The Human League. The EP was issued by Virgin Records in the UK in April 1980, a month before the release of the band's second album Travelogue. The EP peaked at no. 56 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1980, but was...
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, which reached number 56 in 1980 and number 46 in 1982. This version was also included on their 1980 Travelogue album.
A stereo remix of the original mono Fast Product version was released as a single in August 1980 through EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Records, failing to chart. This stereo remix was then reissued in January 1982, this time reaching Number 6 in the UK Charts
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, shortly after the band's commercial breakthrough with Dare
Dare (album)
Dare is the third studio album from British synthpop band The Human League.The album was recorded between March and September 1981 and first released in the UK on 20 October 1981, then subsequently in the U.S...
and "Don't You Want Me
Don't You Want Me
"Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group Human League, released from their album: Dare on 27 November 1981.It is the band's best known and most commercially successful recording to date, and was the Christmas number one in the UK, in 1981, where it sold over 1,400,000 copies,...
". It was later included on their Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Human League album)
Human League Greatest Hits is a compilation album released by British synthpop band The Human League. It was released by Virgin Records in 1988 and contained 13 singles released by the band, spanning from their debut single to their most recent album at the time plus Philip Oakey's collaboration...
anthology released in 1988.
Tracklists
7" Single (1978 Fast Product release)- "Being Boiled" (original version)
- "Circus of Death" (original version)
Holiday '80 EP (Virgin Records release)
- "Being Boiled" (re-recorded version)
- "Marianne"
- "Dancevision"
- "Rock 'N' Roll"/"Nightclubbing" medley
1980 EMI release and 1982 EMI reissue
- "Being Boiled" (stereo remix of the original version)
- "Circus of Death" (stereo remix of the original version)
Style
Being Boiled was one of the first singles to use entirely electronic instruments and is strikingly different from and darker than the group's more well known songs.It has a strong bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
, inspired by Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
. The lyrics (described as "Bizarre" and "confused") combine a protest against silk farming
Sericulture
Sericulture, or silk farming, is the rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk.Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, Bombyx mori is the most widely used and intensively studied. According to Confucian texts, the discovery of silk production by B...
with vague material about oriental religion - ("Listen to the voice of Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
/saying stop your sericulture"). In Japan, bells are referred to as "the voice of Buddha".
Origin
The song's music predates Philip OakeyPhilip Oakey
Philip Oakey is an English composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is best known as the lead singer, frontman and co-founder of the famous English synthpop band The Human League. He has also had an extensive solo music career and collaborated with numerous other artists and producers...
's joining the band. The Future, a band comprising Martyn Ware
Martyn Ware
Martyn "Teddy Bear" Ware is a British musician and music producer. He is the chairman of a local football team: PPA. As a founder member of both The Human League and Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Being Boiled" and "Temptation"...
and Ian Craig Marsh
Ian Craig Marsh
Ian Craig Marsh is a former English musician. He was a founding member of the electronic band The Human League, writing and playing on their first two albums and several singles, until leaving in 1980 to form B.E.F...
, had just parted company with singer Adi Newton, later of Clock DVA
Clock DVA
Clock DVA are an industrial music, post-punk and EBM group from Sheffield, England. The group was formed in 1978, with two members, Adolphus "Adi" Newton and Steven "Judd" Turner. Along with contemporaries Heaven 17, Clock DVA's name was inspired by the Russian-influenced Nadsat of Anthony Burgess'...
. They needed a new singer and contacted former schoolmate Philip Oakey, giving him the music to listen to. Two days later he was back, having written the lyrics. Ware and Marsh liked them (and him), and the song was born.
The original version of the track was recorded on a domestic tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
, in mono
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
, in an abandoned factory, at a cost of £2.50.
Fast Product release
Fellow SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
musician Paul Bowers (of the band 2.3) liked the song and passed a copy to Fast Product
Fast Product
Fast Product was an independent record label, established in Edinburgh by Bob Last in December 1977. Its first release was also the first single by the Mekons, released on 20 January 1978....
label manager Bob Last, who had just released 2.3's first single ("All Time Low"/"Where To Now?"). Fast Product released it in June 1978, the sleeve bearing the slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
"Electronically Yours".
A press release was put out by Fast Product on computer paper - at the time a novel idea. It read, in part:
- The League would like to positively affect the future by close attention to the present, allying technology with humanity and humour. They have been described as 'Later Twentieth Century Boys' and 'Intelligent, Innovatory and Immodest'.
Also included in the release were a cassette of demo recordings and a sticker bearing the "Electronically Yours" slogan.
Reception
The song received a mixed reception among established artists of the time. David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
declared it to be "the future of music", but former Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
singer John Lydon
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
, reviewing the single for the New Musical Express, dismissed the band as "trendy hippies". Peter York
Peter York
Peter York, real name Peter Wallis, born 1943, is a British management consultant, author and broadcaster most famous for co-authoring Harpers & Queen's The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook with Ann Barr...
in Harper's and Queen cited the cover as an example of "post-modern packaging".
The song has become an influence on several musicians. Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....
stated that the song was his favourite record and inspired him to form Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
.
Circus of Death
The b-side, "Circus of Death" begins with the following spoken introduction by Phil Oakey:"This is a song called "The Circus of Death".It tells the true story of a circus we met. The first two verses concern the actual arrival at Heathrow Airport of Commissioner Steve McGarrett. The third emotionally describes a map showing the range of the circus. The fourth and fifth were extracted from an article in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
of March the 19th, 1962. The last is a short wave radio message from the last man on Earth."
McGarrett, incidentally, was a character from the television show Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
.
There are at least three different versions of "Circus of Death": the first is the original Fast Product version, the second is a totally re-recorded version included on the Reproduction album, the third is a stereo remix of the original version (released as a b-side on the 1980 EMI issue of "Being Boiled").
The original take was added as a bonus track on the Reproduction CD edition, although without a sample from the 1974 film Dark Star
Dark Star (film)
Dark Star is a 1974 American comedic science fiction motion picture directed by John Carpenter and co-written with Dan O'Bannon.-Backstory and plot:...
that marked the end of the vinyl version. The re-recorded Reproduction version contains a shorter and totally different spoken intro.
The stereo remix of the original version is still waiting a CD reissue.
Holiday '80
In 1979 The Human League, having signed to Virgin RecordsVirgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, re-recorded "Being Boiled" for their Holiday '80 double single. This release flopped, and a normal one-disc EP was hurriedly put out. This reached Number 56 and the band were asked to appear on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, an unusual request by the programme, which usually only featured top 40 acts. Holiday '80 was then reissued in 1982, reaching Number 46.
Cover versions
- In 2008 Heaven 17Heaven 17Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
released a new version on the album Naked as AdvertisedNaked as AdvertisedNaked as Advertised is the eighth full-length studio album released by the British Synthpop group Heaven 17, released in 2008. It is a new nine track album containing new versions of some of their biggest hits as well covers and two reworkings of early Human League songs...
with Glenn GregoryGlenn GregoryGlenn Gregory is an English musician. A founding member of Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Temptation"....
performing the vocals. - In 2003 Richard XRichard XRichard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens...
released Being NobodyBeing NobodyBeing Nobody is a 2003 song by British pop-group Liberty X, released as the debut single from the group's second album, Being Somebody. The song was produced by Richard X, and was released under the name of Richard X vs. Liberty X...
, a mashupMashup (music)A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
of "Being Boiled" and "Ain't NobodyAin't Nobody"Ain't Nobody" is a 1983 hit single by Rufus & Chaka Khan. It was released as a studio bonus track on the band's live album Stompin' at the Savoy. It reached number one on the U.S. R&B chart and twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
" with vocals performed by Liberty XLiberty XLiberty X were a British pop vocal group formed by the five contestants eliminated from the final ten qualifiers from the 2001 ITV show Popstars. The group consisted of Tony Lundon, Kevin Simm, Michelle Heaton, Kelli Young and Jessica Taylor...
. It reached number 3 in the British charts. - In 2001 Simple MindsSimple MindsSimple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
covered the song and added it as a bonus track on the US-version of the album Neon Lights. - Beborn BetonBeborn BetonBeborn Beton is a German synthpop band founded in 1989, with their first album release in 1993. Their debut named Tybalt is a compilation of the best tracks written in the first three years of their band history and was very well received in the electronic music scene. In 1995 the follow-up album...
also covered the song on their album Concrete Ground. - KMFDMKMFDMKMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
covered "Being Boiled" on their album BlitzBlitz (album)Blitz is industrial rock group KMFDM's sixteenth studio album. It was released on March 24, 2009, on the band's record label KMFDM Records and Metropolis Records. It also marks the first use of five letter song titles and a five letter album title since WWIII. "Bait and Switch" contains lyrics from...
. - AtrocityAtrocity (band)Atrocity is a German Heavy Metal band formed in Ludwigsburg.-History:First started in 1985 as Instigators and playing grindcore, Atrocity arose as a death metal band with their debut EP, Blue Blood, in 1989, followed soon by Hallucinations, a concept album about drug use...
released the song on their album Werk 80Werk 80Werk 80 is the fifth full-length album by German industrial gothic metal band Atrocity and was released in 1997. It's the bands first full length album with cover versions of popular 1980s songs. Atrocity released a sequel, Werk 80 II, in 2008.-CD:...
. - The Aphrodelics from AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
(Europe) used several elements of the song in their hit "Rollin' on chrome. - Ca. 1985-1987 Pleasure League released a cover version of "Being Boiled" on a 12" (RR 12022) on the Label Rush Records (LC 8662) in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. - Louis Guidone covered the song in 2011.