Locomotion (OMD song)
Encyclopedia
"Locomotion" is a hit single recorded and released by British
band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
, and is also the first single taken from their 1984 album, Junk Culture
. It is one of their most successful releases, reaching the top 10 in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The song was recorded in the last week during the sessions at Montserrat before overdubbing the drums at ICP Studios in Brussels
. The original song was combined with a steel drum rhythm that Paul Humphreys
had written the previous week and a bass line and piano that Gordian Troeller (the band's manager) contributed. The track was mixed and the brass added at Wisseloord Studios
in the Netherlands. The brass arrangements were made by Tony Visconti
.
The song is actually about locomotive
s and should not be confused with "The Loco-Motion
" by Little Eva
. OMD's single cover hints at the dance, whereas Little Eva's single cover showed a real locomotive.
. There is an additional track on the 12" vinyl and 3" CD singles, "The Avenue". Both songs can be found on the B-sides compilation album, Navigation: The OMD B-Sides
(2001). "The Avenue" was the first song recorded at Montserrat and deals with the repetition of mistakes that people have made before you. The sample used in the song is taken from the Andrei Tarkovsky
film Stalker
, released in 1979.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
, and is also the first single taken from their 1984 album, Junk Culture
Junk Culture (album)
Junk Culture is the fifth album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1984. It is most noteworthy for being the last OMD album to receive acclaim in the UK.The cover artwork was designed by Peter Saville....
. It is one of their most successful releases, reaching the top 10 in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The song was recorded in the last week during the sessions at Montserrat before overdubbing the drums at ICP Studios in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. The original song was combined with a steel drum rhythm that Paul Humphreys
Paul Humphreys
Paul Humphreys is a British musician.-Life and career:He is best known as a member of synth pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark , which he founded with Andy McCluskey in 1978.He grew up on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England, during which time he developed his interest in German...
had written the previous week and a bass line and piano that Gordian Troeller (the band's manager) contributed. The track was mixed and the brass added at Wisseloord Studios
Wisseloord Studios
The Wisseloord Studio is a recording studio in Hilversum, Netherlands. It was officially opened on 19 January 1978 by Prince Claus.The studios were founded by electronics company Philips, to enable their PolyGram artists to record in a professional environment. Initially there were three studios,...
in the Netherlands. The brass arrangements were made by Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
.
The song is actually about locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s and should not be confused with "The Loco-Motion
The Loco-Motion
"The Loco-Motion" is a 1962 pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The song is notable for appearing in the American Top 5 three times – each time in a different decade: for Little Eva in 1962 ; for Grand Funk Railroad in 1974 ; and for Kylie Minogue in 1988 "The...
" by Little Eva
Little Eva
Eva Narcissus Boyd , known by the stage name of Little Eva , was an American pop singer.-Biography:...
. OMD's single cover hints at the dance, whereas Little Eva's single cover showed a real locomotive.
B-sides
All formats featured "Her Body in My Soul" on the B-sideA-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
. There is an additional track on the 12" vinyl and 3" CD singles, "The Avenue". Both songs can be found on the B-sides compilation album, Navigation: The OMD B-Sides
Navigation: The OMD B-Sides
Navigation: The OMD B-Sides is a compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . It was released in 2001 by Virgin Records and contains a variety of B-sides from their DinDisc and Virgin output.-Reception:...
(2001). "The Avenue" was the first song recorded at Montserrat and deals with the repetition of mistakes that people have made before you. The sample used in the song is taken from the Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist, theatre and opera director, widely regarded as one of the finest filmmakers of the 20th century....
film Stalker
Stalker (film)
Stalker is a 1979 science fiction film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, with a screenplay written by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, loosely based on their novel Roadside Picnic...
, released in 1979.
7" vinyl
- UK: Virgin / VS 660, VSS 660 (shaped picture disc)
- West Germany: Virgin / 106 377
- USA: Virgin / AM-2671
- France:Virgin / 90115
12" vinyl
- UK: Virgin / VS 660-12
- France: Virgin / 80092
- USA: A&M Records / SP-12108
- Canada: Virgin / VDJ02 (promo)
3" cd
Released , Virgin / CDT 12.Chart performance
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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 ... |
5 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 30 |
| Dutch GfK GfK The GfK Group, established in 1934 as Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung is Germany's largest market research institute, and the fourth largest market research organisation in the world, after Nielsen Company, Kantar Group, and IMS Health... chart |
8 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
5 |
| 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... |
4 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 22 |