This led to them signing a deal with London Records. Blancmange supported Nash the Slash on a London club tour in October and November 1980. Nash introduced the band to the Virgin subsidiary record label DinDisc, but they were ultimately signed by London Records, in 1982.
Their first success was the "Talking Heads" influenced single "Feel Me", a minor hit in 1982, but later that year they broke through with the single "Living on the Ceiling", which made Number 7 in the UK singles chart. Their debut album, "Happy Families" (which featured a sleeve painting in the style of Louis Wain) also reached the top 30.
Further hits followed with "Waves", "Blind Vision", "That's Love That It Is" and "Don't Tell Me", all of which reached the top 40, with "Don't Tell Me" even making no.8 in the UK, while their second album "Mange Tout" reached the top 10.
In 1984, Blancmange covered "ABBA's" single "The Day Before You Came", which reached No 22 in the UK (slightly higher than Abba's original less than two years earlier). The bands' 1985 single and video for "Lose Your Love" featured in the 1986 Walt Disney film "Flight of the Navigator".
Eventually, as synthpop became less fashionable, the band's fortunes declined. The 1985 single "What's Your Problem" only reached No. 40, and the subsequent album "Believe You Me" spent only two weeks in the UK Albums Chart, peaking at no.54. Blancmange formally split up in 1987.
Luscombe later released an album of Indian influenced music, "New Demons", with Pandit Dinesh, under the name The West India Company, in 1989. Arthur meanwhile released his solo album "Suitcase", in 1994.
As stated on the bands' MySpace page, as of 2006 Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe have reformed Blancmange and are writing material for a new album called "Blanc Burn", which was released on 7th March 2011 with a support tour.
On March 23rd 2015 Blancmange released their fifth studio album "Semi Detached", the first to be produced without the involvement of Stephen Luscombe who left the band due to ill health.
Blancmange's official website is at: http://www.blancmange.co.uk
That's Love That It Is
Blancmange Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Umm, that’s love that it is
When you come rushing into my heart
When you com running out of the fire
It must be love that it is
Yea, that’s love that it is
I think I’m the only one that’s got an idea
And that’s love that it is
And you call me, and that’s love, and that’s love that it is
And call me
And that
And that
And that
That, that, that, that’s love that is
And then you fall into my arms and I fell for all your charms
And I’m sure I’m the only one that cares
And I’ve got this idea I’m a foreign correspondent
And I hear the lines are all engaged
So it came of no surprise, I sent a letter home
But you live so far away from me
No matter what I do I just can’t see
Shame on me for it makes no sense
But that’s love, love, love, love, love that it is
Scream to extreme, I’ll do anything for you
Black and white, and then you turn me black and blue
High and low, rough with the smooth, night and day
And you turn my pleasure to pain
I’ve got a tongue tied message, all I want is you
A black eyed reply, clearly made me blue
I’m wishing on a wishbone that you weren’t there
I might as well rock on, you just don’t care
I fight a loosing battle, all I want is you
Thinking one day might make it clear
You come laughing, full of desire
And you call me to your side
And you haul out all my pride
And I see your changing points of view
Ain’t no surprise that it’s love that is
And that’s love that it is
And you call me, and that’s love, and that’s love that it is
And call me
And that
And that
And that
That, that, that, that’s love that is
And then you fall into my arms
And that’s love that is
And I fell for all your charms
And that’s love that is
And that’s love that is
The lyrics to Blancmange’s song That’s Love That It Is describe the intense and all-encompassing nature of love. The repetition of the phrase “that’s love that it is” emphasizes the idea that this feeling is unmistakable and indescribable. The verses suggest a longing for someone who is far away, with the singer feeling helpless in their inability to be with them. The chorus, however, turns to a focus on the physical and emotional connection the singer shares with this person when they are together, with descriptions of rushing into each other’s hearts and falling into each other’s arms. The bridge explores the complicated nature of love, with its ability to bring both pleasure and pain.
The lyrics of That’s Love That It Is are open to interpretation, but they ultimately celebrate the power of love to bring people together and to elicit strong emotions. The repetition of certain phrases and the use of metaphors such as rushing into each other’s hearts and falling into each other’s arms create a sense of urgency and intensity that reflect the depth of feeling inspired by love.
Line by Line Meaning
Yea, that’s love that it is
Expressing the singer's belief that this feeling is indeed love
Umm, that’s love that it is
Reiterating the singer's belief that what they are feeling is truly love
When you come rushing into my heart
Describing the feeling of excitement when the person they love is near
When you com running out of the fire
Recounting a moment when the person they love needed the artist's help and the urgency and intensity of the situation
It must be love that it is
Confirming that this intense emotion is indeed love
And I think I’m the only one that’s got an idea
Indicating the singer's belief that they are the only one who truly understands the depth of their love
And I come running full of desire
Describing the intensity of the singer's feelings for the person they love
And that’s love that it is
Confirming that what they are feeling is love
And you call me, and that’s love, and that’s love that it is
Highlighting the importance of the person they love and how their actions show the depth of their love
And call me
Reiterating the importance of the person they love and how they always answer their call
And then you fall into my arms and I fell for all your charms
Describing the intensity of their love and how the person they love has an irresistible pull on them
And I’m sure I’m the only one that cares
Expressing the artist's certainty that no one else could possibly care for the person they love as much as they do
And I’ve got this idea I’m a foreign correspondent
Using a metaphor to describe the distance between the singer and the person they love
And I hear the lines are all engaged
Describing a situation where they are unable to communicate with the person they love, despite their attempts
So it came of no surprise, I sent a letter home
Explaining their alternative attempts at communicating with the person they love
But you live so far away from me
Reiterating the physical distance between the artist and the person they love
No matter what I do I just can’t see
Expressing the artist's frustration at not being able to bridge the gap between them and the person they love
Shame on me for it makes no sense
Admitting that their attempts to pursue their love may be foolish, but they can't help themselves
But that’s love, love, love, love, love that it is
Reiterating that their strong feelings are indeed true love
Scream to extreme, I’ll do anything for you
Expressing the depths to which the artist is willing to go for the person they love
Black and white, and then you turn me black and blue
Describing the mixed emotions the person they love elicits in the artist
High and low, rough with the smooth, night and day
Highlighting the extreme highs and lows the artist experiences in their love for the person
And you turn my pleasure to pain
Describing how the person they love can cause them both immense pleasure and intense pain
I’ve got a tongue tied message, all I want is you
Expressing the artist's difficulty in expressing their feelings for the person they love
A black eyed reply, clearly made me blue
Describing the negative response they received from the person they love when they tried to express themselves
I’m wishing on a wishbone that you weren’t there
Expressing the singer's frustration with their unrequited love
I might as well rock on, you just don’t care
Resigning themselves to the fact that the person they love does not reciprocate their feelings
I fight a loosing battle, all I want is you
Expressing their struggle to keep their love for the person they can't be with in check
Thinking one day might make it clear
Expressing the artist's hope that time will make things more clear or that the other person will eventually come around
You come laughing, full of desire
Describing the joy and pleasure the person they love brings to them when they are near
And you call me to your side
Highlighting the importance of the person they love and how they always answer their call
And you haul out all my pride
Revealing how the person they love can bring out both their best and worst qualities
And I see your changing points of view
Recognizing that the person they love is complex and has many different perspectives
Ain’t no surprise that it’s love that is
Confirming that this deep and complex feeling is, in fact, love
Contributed by Kayla T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@horsthorstmann8644
Völlig unterbewertete Band.......sowas von genial
@tomslater1332
Once again the 80s music makes me happy.
@80snewwavekid
Underrated when discussing synth pop at that time … just as influential a sound with their use of Eastern tones, their first three albums comprise a rich treasure trove of songs that populate my iTunes playlists to this date … they’re kind of Gen-X’s hidden secret but we’d like to share
@noelmurphy406
Remember their hits very well, only getting to listen to some of their less popular tunes lately 👏
@ashfaq1999
Another brilliant song from the amazing 80’s 👏
@victorvance2573
Musicvideos and songs were so much better than what we got today mostly!
@Zippy994
Love it! Haven't heard this in ages. KROQ here in SoCal played a lot of Blancmange back in the day. ❤
@pigknickers2975
Realise how well he's sung this now. Fantastic production.
@ThomasOverbeck1964
Found mayself back in 1983! Thanks a lot for the song!!!!
@andrewedwards1875
This song should have been a huge hit . The 12"mix is brilliant 😍😎