Let Me Go (Heaven 17 song)
| "Let Me Go" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Heaven 17 | ||||
| from the album The Luxury Gap / Heaven 17 (in the U.S.) | ||||
| B-side | Let Me Go (Instrumental) | |||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Format | 7" Single, 12" single | |||
| Genre | New wave, synthpop | |||
| Length | 4:19 | |||
| Label | Virgin Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware | |||
| Producer(s) | British Electric Foundation | |||
| Heaven 17 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Let Me Go" (labelled as Let Me Go! on the sleeve of the single) is a single by Heaven 17, taken from (and released several months before) their second album The Luxury Gap. It actually first appeared on the band's American self-titled compilation, Heaven 17, which was released in 1982. It reached #41 on the UK singles chart, the lowest chart placement among the singles from that album but their highest at the time of the single's release.
The song also spent five weeks at #4 on the American dance chart in 1983. Allmusic cites it as "a club hit that features Glenn Gregory's moody, dramatic lead above a percolating vocal and synth arrangement."[1]
It was one of the first commercial releases to feature the Roland TB-303, a bass synthesiser which later played a pivotal role in the later acid house movement.[2]
The song appeared at #81 on Q101 Top 500 Songs of "All Time".[3]
Formats
- 7" Single
- "Let Me Go" - 4:19
- "Let Me Go (Instrumental)" - 4:59
- 12" Single
- "Let Me Go (Extended version)" - 6:14
- "Let Me Go (Instrumental)" - 4:54
Appearances in popular culture
- It was the first track heard on the opening episode of That 80's Show.
- The distinctive bassline and drum machine is sampled on Ce Jeu, a track by French band Yelle, released in September 2007.
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 78 | 3 |
| Canadian Singles Chart[5] | 41 | 6 |
| Irish Singles Chart[6] | 26 | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart[7] | 41 | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[8] | 74 | 5 |
| U.S. Dance/Club Play Singles[9] | 4 | |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart[9] | 32 |
References
- ↑ liner notes from the album, "Billboard: Top Dance Hits, 1983", Rhino Records
- ↑ "MATRIXSYNTH: The First Roland TB-303 Tracks". Matrixsynth.blogspot.com. 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
- ↑ "Heaven 17 - The most complete archive". Heaven17.de. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 137. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
- ↑ "Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
- 1 2 "Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-03.