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Welcome to the Pleasuredome (song)
Encyclopedia
"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" is the title track to the 1984 debut album
by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
. The lyrics of the song were inspired by the poem Kubla Khan
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
.
In March 1985, the album track was substantially abridged and remixed for release as the group's fourth UK single.
While criticized at the time of release and afterward for being a song that glorifies debauchery, the lyrics (and video) make clear that the point of the song, just as Coleridge's poem, is about the dangers of this kind of lifestyle. This song, along with "Relax
", made Frankie Goes To Hollywood even more controversial than they already were.
) pre-emptively promoting the single as "their fourth number one", an achievement that would have set a new UK record for consecutive number one singles by a debuting artist, "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" peaked at number two in the UK singles chart, being kept off the top spot by the Phil Collins
/Philip Bailey
duet "Easy Lover
". The single spent a total of eleven weeks on the UK chart.
It was the first release by the group not to reach number one and, despite representing a creditable success in its own right, it symbolically confirmed the end of the chart invincibility that the group had enjoyed during 1984. Frankie Goes to Hollywood would not release another record for seventeen months, and they would ultimately fail to emulate their past glories upon their return.
The spoken-word introductions to both 12-inch
mixes are adapted from Walter Kaufmann's 1967 translation of Friedrich Nietzsche
's The Birth of Tragedy
. The recitation on the first 12-inch ("Real Altered") is by Gary Taylor, whilst that on the second 12-inch ("Fruitness") and the cassette is by actor Geoffrey Palmer
. It is unknown whether Palmer's concluding "Welcome To The Pleasuredrome" was a genuine mistake or a deliberately scripted one.
This is the only single from the group that was not released on a CD single at that time. "Relax", "Two Tribes
" and "The Power of Love" all saw a CD-maxi release in Germany at the end of the 80's. "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" was not given such a release.
session in 1983, plus a faded or full length version of "Happy Hi!", the only brand-new song to appear on the single.
Both "Relax (International)" and "Born To Run
" are faux-live recordings (i.e. with studio overdubs), based on an actual live appearance on The Tube
s "Europe A-Go-Go" in Newcastle
during early January 1985.
, features the group stealing a car, going to a carnival and encountering all manner of deceptively "pleasureable" activities. The audio soundtrack of the video was included as part of the cassette single
.
" single.
"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" was also used on several promotional records in the USA during 1985, featuring the following tracks in various combinations:
Reissues in the group's name have also tended to shun any overt reference to the identity of the original artists, and the reissue artwork has notably featured no images of the group. It has been suggested that this situation may relate to Johnson's successful but acrimonious court case against ZTT in 1989, which freed him (and effectively the other group members) from their unfair contract with the label.
1993 reissues
2000 reissues
Welcome to the Pleasuredome
Welcome to the Pleasuredome was the debut album by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, first released in the UK in October 1984 by ZTT/Island Records. Originally issued as a vinyl double album, it was assured of a UK chart entry at number one due to reported advance sales of over one million...
by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
. The lyrics of the song were inspired by the poem Kubla Khan
Kubla Khan
Kubla Khan is a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, completed in 1797 and published in Christabel, Kubla Khan, and the Pains of Sleep in 1816...
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
.
In March 1985, the album track was substantially abridged and remixed for release as the group's fourth UK single.
While criticized at the time of release and afterward for being a song that glorifies debauchery, the lyrics (and video) make clear that the point of the song, just as Coleridge's poem, is about the dangers of this kind of lifestyle. This song, along with "Relax
Relax (song)
"Relax" is the debut single by British dance group Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records in 1983. The song was later included on the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome ....
", made Frankie Goes To Hollywood even more controversial than they already were.
Original 1985 single
Despite the group's record label (ZTTZTT Records
ZTT Records is a record label founded in 1983 by NME journalist Paul Morley, record producer Trevor Horn, and businesswoman Jill Sinclair. The label's name was also printed as "Zang Tumb Tuum" and "Zang Tuum Tumb" on various releases....
) pre-emptively promoting the single as "their fourth number one", an achievement that would have set a new UK record for consecutive number one singles by a debuting artist, "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" peaked at number two in the UK singles chart, being kept off the top spot by the Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
/Philip Bailey
Philip Bailey
Philip Irvin Bailey is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor, best known as one of the longtime members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Together with Verdine White, B. David Whitworth, and Ralph Johnson he forms the heart of the current EWF line-up on...
duet "Easy Lover
Easy Lover
"Easy Lover" is a hit song performed by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins, and written by Bailey, Collins, and Nathan East. The song appeared on Bailey's solo album Chinese Wall. Collins has performed the song in his live concerts and it appears on his 1990 album Serious Hits.....
". The single spent a total of eleven weeks on the UK chart.
It was the first release by the group not to reach number one and, despite representing a creditable success in its own right, it symbolically confirmed the end of the chart invincibility that the group had enjoyed during 1984. Frankie Goes to Hollywood would not release another record for seventeen months, and they would ultimately fail to emulate their past glories upon their return.
The spoken-word introductions to both 12-inch
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
mixes are adapted from Walter Kaufmann's 1967 translation of Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
's The Birth of Tragedy
The Birth of Tragedy
The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music is a 19th-century work of dramatic theory by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It was reissued in 1886 as The Birth of Tragedy, Or: Hellenism and Pessimism ...
. The recitation on the first 12-inch ("Real Altered") is by Gary Taylor, whilst that on the second 12-inch ("Fruitness") and the cassette is by actor Geoffrey Palmer
Geoffrey Palmer (actor)
Geoffrey Dyson Palmer, OBE is an English actor, best known for his roles in sitcoms such as Butterflies and As Time Goes By.-Career:...
. It is unknown whether Palmer's concluding "Welcome To The Pleasuredrome" was a genuine mistake or a deliberately scripted one.
This is the only single from the group that was not released on a CD single at that time. "Relax", "Two Tribes
Two Tribes
"Two Tribes" is the second single by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records in May 1984 . The song was later included on the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome....
" and "The Power of Love" all saw a CD-maxi release in Germany at the end of the 80's. "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" was not given such a release.
B-sides
All releases featured either a short, long or even longer version of "Get It On", originally recorded for a BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
session in 1983, plus a faded or full length version of "Happy Hi!", the only brand-new song to appear on the single.
Both "Relax (International)" and "Born To Run
Born to Run (song)
"Born to Run" is a song by American singer songwriter Bruce Springsteen, and the title song of his album Born to Run.- Songwriting :Written at in Long Branch, New Jersey in early 1974, the song was Bruce Springsteen's last-ditch effort to make it big. The prior year, Springsteen had released two...
" are faux-live recordings (i.e. with studio overdubs), based on an actual live appearance on The Tube
The Tube (TV series)
The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...
s "Europe A-Go-Go" in Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
during early January 1985.
Video
The video, by Bernard RoseBernard Rose (director)
Bernard Rose is an English actor and film director most famous for his direction of the 1992 urban horror film Candyman and the 1994 historical romance film Immortal Beloved....
, features the group stealing a car, going to a carnival and encountering all manner of deceptively "pleasureable" activities. The audio soundtrack of the video was included as part of the cassette single
Cassette single
A cassette single is a music single in the form of a Compact Cassette.- History :...
.
Promotional releases
In 1984, a few months prior to the album's release, an early instrumental version of the album track was issued as a promotional 12-inch single, entitled "Welcome to the Pleasuredome (Pleasure Fix)", along with a similar early instrumental of "The Only Star in Heaven" (subtitled "Star Fix"). These tracks were subsequently given wider release as part of the B-side to the second 12-inch of "The Power of LoveThe Power of Love (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)
Holly Johnson, former singer of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, recorded his own version of "The Power of Love" which was released on his 1999 album Soulstream and was released as a single which made #56 in the UK. The single stayed in the charts for 2 weeks...
" single.
"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" was also used on several promotional records in the USA during 1985, featuring the following tracks in various combinations:
- The first UK 7-inch mix of the track ("Altered Real"), labelled "Trevor HornTrevor HornTrevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
Remix". - An edited version of the album track created by the SacramentoSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
radio station KZAP, and known as "Welcome to the Pleasuredome (KZAP Edit)" (6:22) - A version of the second UK 7-inch mix ("Alternative Reel") with a new introduction added, and known as "Welcome to the Pleasuredome (Urban Mix)" (8:08). This is on the Bang!Bang!Bang! is a wild west-themed card game similar to a spaghetti western designed by Emiliano Sciarra and released by Italian publisher daVinci Editrice in 2002...
Japanese album and CD. - A slightly edited (spoken introduction removed) version of "Relax (International)" (4:26)
Chart performance
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 20 | 4 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 41 | 11 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 14 | 8 |
| French Singles Chart | 65 | 4 |
| German Singles Chart | 9 | 13 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2 | 5 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 9 | 13 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 20 | 6 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 48 | 8 |
| U.S. Dance/Club Play Songs Chart | 31 | 5 |
Track listing
- All discographical information pertains to the original UK single release only.
- All songs written by Peter Gill/Holly JohnsonHolly JohnsonHolly Johnson is an English artist, writer and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and former bassist for Big in Japan.- Big in Japan :...
/Brian NashBrian NashBrian Nash was the guitarist for 1980s pop band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He was otherwise known as Nasher....
/Mark O'Toole, unless otherwise noted.
7": ZTT / ZTAS 7 (UK)
- "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Altered Real) - 4:20
- "Get It On" [longer version] (Marc BolanMarc BolanMarc Bolan was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the founder, frontman, lead singer & guitarist for T. Rex, but also a successful solo artist...
) — 3:28 - "Happy Hi!" [fade] (Gill/Johnson/O'Toole) — 3:47
- Matrix numbersMatrix numbersMatrix numbers are alphanumeric codes stamped or hand written into the run-out groove area of a gramophone record...
on A-side: 1U/2U
- Matrix numbers
7": ZTT / ZTAS 7 (UK)
- "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Alternative Reel) [aka: Escape Act Video Mix] - 5:05
- "Get It On" [longer version] - 3:28
- "Happy Hi!" [fade] - 3:47
- Matrix numbers on A-side: 7U/8U
7": ZTT / PZTAS 7 (UK)
- "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Alternative Reel) - 5:05
- "Get It On" [short version] - 2:32
- "Happy Hi!" - 4:04
- apple-shaped picture disc single
7": Island / 7-99653 (US)
- "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Trevor Horn Remix) - 4:20
- "Relax" (International Live) - 4:26
12": ZTT / 12 ZTAS 7 (UK)
- "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Real Altered) - 9:42
- "Get It On" [short version] - 2:32
- "Happy Hi!" - 4:04
- "Relax" (International) (Gill/Johnson/O'Toole) — 4:51
12": ZTT / 12 XTAS 7 (UK)
- "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Fruitness) - 10:47
- "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Edit) - 1:23
- "Get It On" ("live") - 2:32
- "Happy Hi!" ("live") - 4:04
- "Born to Run" ("live") - 4:49
MC: ZTT / CTIS 107 (UK)
- "Happy Hi!" (All in the Body) - 1:18
- "Soundtrack from the "Welcome..." Bernard Rose Video" - 5:37
- "Get It On" [even longer version] - 3:56
- "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (How to Remake the World) - 10:59
- "Happy Hi!" (All in the Mind) - 1:05
Reissues
The track has periodically been reissued as a single, including during 1993 and 2000. Although these releases have some admirers, and have usefully made available various original mixes on CD for the first time, the accompanying A-side remixes by contemporary DJs have tended on the whole to bear little or no comparison to the spirit of the originals.Reissues in the group's name have also tended to shun any overt reference to the identity of the original artists, and the reissue artwork has notably featured no images of the group. It has been suggested that this situation may relate to Johnson's successful but acrimonious court case against ZTT in 1989, which freed him (and effectively the other group members) from their unfair contract with the label.
1993 reissues
CD: ZTT / FGTH2CD United Kingdom
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Original 7") - 4:22
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Brothers In Rhythm Rollercoaster Mix) - 14:36
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Elevatorman's Non-stop Top Floor Club Mix) - 6:06
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Pleasurefix Original 12" Mix) - 9:41
12": ZTT / FGTH2T United Kingdom
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Brothers In Rhythm Rollercoaster Mix) - 14:36
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Elevatorman's Non-stop Top Floor Club Mix) - 6:06
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Elevatorman's Deep Down Bass-Ment Dub) - 6:02
2000 reissues
CD: ZTT / ZTT 166CD United Kingdom
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Sleazesister Album Mix Edit) - 3:35
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Nalin & Kane Remix Edit) - 8:00
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Sleazesister Anthem Mix) - 7:32
CD: Avex / AVTCDS-296 Japan
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Nalin & Kane Full Length Mix) - 11:23
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Sander's Coming Home Mix) - 10:18
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Paralyzer Remix) - 5:17
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Nalin & Kane Dub) - 11:22
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Sleazesister Edit) - 3:53
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Sleazesister Full Length Club) - 7:32
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Pleasurefix Mix) - 9:40
12": ZTT / ZTT 166 T United Kingdom
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Nalin & Kane Remix) - 11:23
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Sander's Coming Home Remix) - 10:18
2x12": ZTT / ZTT 166 TP United Kingdom
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Nalin & Kane Remix) - 11:23
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Sander's Coming Home Remix) - 10:18
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Paralyzer Remix) - 5:17
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Nalin & Kane Dub) - 11:22
- UK 2x12" promo
12": ZTT / ZTT 166 TPX United Kingdom
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Sleazesisters Anthem Mix) - 7:32
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Paralyzer Remix) - 5:17
- "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Sleazesister Edit) - 3:53
- UK 12" promo