"It Doesn't Have to Be" is a song by British synthpop

Synthpop

Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 duo Erasure

Erasure

Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...

, released in February 1987. It was issued as a single six weeks before the release of the duo's second album, The Circus.

Following the number-two UK placing of previous single "Sometimes

Sometimes (Erasure song)

"Sometimes" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in October 1986 as their fourth single overall.After three commercial flops from their debut album Wonderland, "Sometimes" became Erasure's first bonafide hit, peaking at number one in South Africa, number two in their native United...

", "It Doesn't Have to Be" became Erasure's second Top 20 hit in the UK (peaking at number twelve) and their third German

Germany

Germany , 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...

 Top 20 hit (number sixteen).

The single's B-side, "In the Hall of the Mountain King", is taken from Grieg's Peer Gynt suite.

12" single (12MUTE56)

1. "It Doesn't Have to Be" (Boop Oopa Doo Mix)
2. "Who Needs Love Like That" (Betty Boop Mix)
3. "In the Hall of the Mountain King"

Limited 12" single (L12MUTE56)

1. "It Doesn't Have to Be" (Cement Mix)
2. "Heavenly Action" (Holger Hiller
   Holger Hiller
   Holger Hiller is a German musician.Holger Hiller studied art at the art school in Hamburg, where he met Walter Thielsch and Thomas Fehlmann and recorded first works with them. With Fehlmann he later founded the band Palais Schaumburg in 1980, of which he was the singer. At the same time his solo...
   
    Mix)
3. "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (New Version)

CD single (CDMUTE56)

1. "It Doesn't Have to Be"
2. "In the Hall of the Mountain King"
3. "It Doesn't Have to Be" (Boop Oopa Doo Mix)
4. "Who Needs Love Like That"

CD single (Special Edition CDMUTE56)

1. "It Doesn't Have to Be"
2. "Sometimes"
3. "Oh L'amour"
4. "Heavenly Action"
5. "Who Needs Love Like That"
6. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (Remix)
7. "In the Hall of the Mountain King"

Chart performance

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Dutch Singles Chart	35
German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...	16
Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...	19
Swiss Singles Chart	19
UK Singles Chart 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 ...	12