Life's What You Make It (Talk Talk song)
Encyclopedia
"Life's What You Make It" is a song by the English
band Talk Talk
.
It was released as a single in late 1985, the first from the band's album The Colour of Spring
. Noted for its distinctive piano hook
and drum programming, the single reached #16 in the UK. Filmed at Wimbledon Common, London, the promotional video for the single depicted the band performing in the early hours in a natural history setting, and enjoyed heavy rotation on MTV
. The track was remixed and re-released in 1990, reaching for a second time the UK Top 40.
The Divine Comedy
did an acoustic version of the song in 1993, available on the limited edition of A Secret History... The Best of the Divine Comedy
. German rock band Zinoba recorded a version that featured in the film Gegen die Wand (Head-On
), directed by Fatih Akın
(2004), during the closing credits. The Gathering
covered the song on their 2005 album Accessories - Rarities and B-Sides. Also, a cover version was included as a bonus track on the UK version of Weezer
's 2008 album Weezer (The Red Album)
. And Australian post-punk singer Rowland S. Howard
also covered the song, on his second solo album Pop Crimes in 2009.
The track appeared in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
in 2002, where it plays on the pop radio station, Flash FM.
In 2011 the Danish band Dúné (http://www.dunesite.com) made a version of the song in connection to the movie ID:A.
1 Remix
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
band Talk Talk
Talk Talk
Talk Talk were an English musical group, active from 1981 to 1991. The group had a string of international hit singles including "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World"....
.
It was released as a single in late 1985, the first from the band's album The Colour of Spring
The Colour of Spring
-Personnel:* Mark Hollis - Organ, Keyboards, Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Melodica, Mellotron* Lee Harris - Percussion, Drums* Paul Webb - Bass, vocals, backing vocals* Tim Friese-Greene - producer, Piano, keyboards, Mellotron, Kurzweil synthesizer...
. Noted for its distinctive piano hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
and drum programming, the single reached #16 in the UK. Filmed at Wimbledon Common, London, the promotional video for the single depicted the band performing in the early hours in a natural history setting, and enjoyed heavy rotation on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. The track was remixed and re-released in 1990, reaching for a second time the UK Top 40.
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy (band)
The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...
did an acoustic version of the song in 1993, available on the limited edition of A Secret History... The Best of the Divine Comedy
A Secret History... The Best of the Divine Comedy
A Secret History... The Best of The Divine Comedy is a greatest hits compilation album by The Divine Comedy, released in 1999.The album was the last to be released by the band on the Setanta Records label, and featured a collection of singles and best-known songs from the previous five studio albums...
. German rock band Zinoba recorded a version that featured in the film Gegen die Wand (Head-On
Head-On
Head-On is a 2004 film written and directed by Fatih Akın.-Synopsis:Cahit Tomruk is a Turkish German in his 40s. He has given up on life after the death of his wife and seeks solace in cocaine and alcohol. One night, he intentionally drives his car head-on into a wall, and barely survives...
), directed by Fatih Akın
Fatih Akin
Fatih Akın is a German film director, screenwriter and producer of Turkish descent.- Personal life :Akın was born in 1973 in Hamburg to parents of Turkish ethnicity...
(2004), during the closing credits. The Gathering
The Gathering (band)
The Gathering is a Dutch alternative rock band, founded in 1989 by brothers Hans and René Rutten and vocalist Bart Smits in the small city of Oss, North Brabant....
covered the song on their 2005 album Accessories - Rarities and B-Sides. Also, a cover version was included as a bonus track on the UK version of Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
's 2008 album Weezer (The Red Album)
Weezer (2008 album)
Weezer, also known as "The Red Album", is the sixth studio album by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released on June 3, 2008. Rick Rubin and Jacknife Lee both helped to produce the album...
. And Australian post-punk singer Rowland S. Howard
Rowland S. Howard
Rowland Stuart Howard was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, he played electric guitar in the post-punk group The Birthday Party. Howard died of liver cancer in December 2009, aged 50 years....
also covered the song, on his second solo album Pop Crimes in 2009.
The track appeared in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
in 2002, where it plays on the pop radio station, Flash FM.
In 2011 the Danish band Dúné (http://www.dunesite.com) made a version of the song in connection to the movie ID:A.
Track listings
1985 release
1986 release
|
NEWLIN
1990 release
|
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 24 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 11 |
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
| French SNEP Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
49 |
| 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... |
17 |
| Italian Singles Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
14 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 11 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 17 |
| 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 ... |
16 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
90 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... 1 |
22 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes... 1 |
40 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 26 |
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
| Irish Singles Chart | 23 |
| UK Singles Chart | 23 |
1 Remix