Shortly after, they recruited their good friend and photographer Glenn Gregory on vocals to complete their lineup for Heaven 17. Contrary to popular belief, they were not 'New Romantics' per se and had different visual characteristics than groups such as Spandau Ballet and the Culture Club. Like The Human League, Heaven 17 heavily used synthesizers and drum machines while taking influence from the minimalist electronica music of the 70s.
They had a few minor hits in their early days, including the song "Play To Win" that featured on the album 'Penthouse and Pavement'. Their debut single '(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang' from the same album attracted some attention, became a left-wing anthem for a while, and was banned by the BBC because of its overtly political lyrics, but it still reached number 45 in the UK singles chart.
Major chart success eluded them until the single 'Temptation' (in which they were augmented by the vocalist Carol Kenyon) reached number 2 in the UK charts in summer 1983. Other songs from the same album, The Luxury Gap, also charted though not as high - 'Come Live With Me' reached number 5 in the UK, 'Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry' reached number 17, and 'Let Me Go', reaching 41 in November 1982. The album itself charted at their best ever position, number four.
At the end of 1983, the band helped re-launch Tina Turner's solo career, producing and providing backing vocals on her debut hit 'Let's Stay Together'. 1984 featured the release of the moderately successful How Men Are, which reached number 12.
The band also worked on the Band Aid single at the end of 1984, with Gregory supplying vocals alongside Midge Ure and Sting. However, they did not perform at Live Aid the following year.
Pleasure One (featuring the single 'Trouble') appeared in 1986 and it was followed up in 1988 with Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho (featuring the single 'Train Of Love In Motion'). The early 90's were a quiet period for the band and they wouldn't work together as Heaven 17 until 1996's Bigger Than America. In the preceding years, Marsh and Ware produced a second B.E.F. album to 1981's original Music of Quality and Distinction and Gregory formed the band Ugly. Ware became an in-demand producer, working for the likes of Terence Trent D'Arby, Alison Moyet and Erasure. 2005 saw the release of the long-awaited Before After; the album having a much more contemporary dance sound compared to previous albums.
Let Me Go
Heaven 17 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were together all the way
An endless path unbroken
But now there is a time
A torture less sublime
Our souls are locked and frozen
Once we were years ahead but now those thoughts are dead
All hopeless fantasies are making fools of me
Let me go
I walk alone and yet I never say goodbye
Let me go (let me go)
A change of heart a change of mind and heaven fell that night
Let me go
I tried but could not bring
The best of everything
Too breathless then to wonder
I died a thousand times
Found guilty of no crime
Now everything is thunder
Daytime all I want is nighttime
I don't need the daytime
All I want is nighttime
I don't need the daytime
All I want is nighttime
I don't need the daytime
All I want is nighttime
I don't need the
Got to, got to, got to, got to
Let me go
Once we were years ahead but now those thoughts are dead
Let me go (let me go)
All hopeless fantasies are making fools of me
Let me go
I walk alone and yet I never say goodbye
Let me go (let me go)
A change of heart a change of mind and heaven fell that night
Let me go
The best years of our lives
The hope of it survives
The facts of life unspoken
The only game in town
I'll turn the last card down
And now the bank is broken
Broken
Found guilty of no crime (broken)
They were the best years of our lives
Broken, broken
I'll turn the last card down
The lyrics of Heaven 17’s Let Me Go describe a broken relationship, where once there was a sense of endless possibility, now, that sense of hopefulness had evaporated, and the relationship had turned into a painful experience. The start of the song references a memory of a once strong foundation that had been shattered by time. The next lines suggest that the pain of the relationship had reached a torturous point, but the two people were still somehow holding on to each other. However, the singer acknowledges that their souls had become frozen in their emotional pain, and the love that they once shared had gone away. The song goes on to describe how the two of them lived night and day differently, and how the singer now prefers the night to the day. The last stanza speaks of brokenness that cannot be undone, and the only remaining thing to do is to walk away and let go.
Line by Line Meaning
Once there was a day
There was a time when we were happy and inseparable.
We were together all the way
Our relationship was unbreakable and full of love.
An endless path unbroken
We had all the time in the world ahead of us and nothing could stop us.
But now there is a time
Things have changed and our relationship is not what it used to be.
A torture less sublime
Our once perfect relationship is now filled with pain and sadness.
Our souls are locked and frozen
We are stuck in a loveless and dead relationship without any hope of change.
Once we were years ahead but now those thoughts are dead
We used to have dreams and hope for the future, but now they are all gone.
Let me go (let me go)
I want to end our relationship and move on with my life.
All hopeless fantasies are making fools of me
Holding on to unrealistic hopes is only hurting me and making me look foolish.
I walk alone and yet I never say goodbye
I am ready to leave, but I am still holding on and can't seem to say goodbye.
A change of heart a change of mind and heaven fell that night
Our relationship ended suddenly and disastrously when one of us changed their mind.
Daytime all I want is nighttime
I am constantly in pain and want to escape from reality.
I don't need the daytime
I don't want to face the harsh reality of our failed relationship.
Got to, got to, got to, got to
I must end this relationship no matter what.
The best years of our lives
We had a lot of happy times together.
The hope of it survives
Even though things are bad, I still hold on to hope for the future.
The facts of life unspoken
We are avoiding the reality of our situation and not dealing with it.
The only game in town
Our relationship was the most important thing in our lives.
I'll turn the last card down
I am ready to end this relationship and move on with my life.
And now the bank is broken
Our relationship has failed completely and there is no way to fix it.
Found guilty of no crime (broken)
We didn't do anything wrong, but our relationship still fell apart.
Broken, broken
Our relationship is completely destroyed and beyond repair.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore, O/B/O DistroKid, Capitol CMG Publishing, Sentric Music, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLEN GREGORY, IAN MARSH, MARTYN WARE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sunset726
i miss this song and the 80's so much!!! i had a boyfriend who said i was stuck in the 80's but hey, it was a great time to be around, dancing, clubbing, xing, having a great time!!!!
@HatManAtLarge
Still sounds as fresh and original as well as timeless as it did in the 80's. Simply one of the best from the era, and still holds up better, and probably will outlive most stuff coming out of NOW. Perfection.
@mickflodden
just a brilliant composition that I never tire of hearing
@armitius66
One of the few "songs that spoke to me" in my late teens- early 20s. I still hold on to it for some reason that I can't explain....
@steviemac58
a true classic
@SIRSAM8770
wow this brings back the memories of the fashion shows at my high school "88...the song still awesome the synthesizer beats are insane!!!!
@adc63
me too! I'm playing it constantly! I love the song, the group, the era so much...
@swift12y
One of the best 80s songs!
@divisioneight
Oh the 80's. WLIR 92.7, screamer of the week and weekends at the Malibu.
@jimbotron70
@FEARAFALL more than a premonition, a chronicle of the harsh economic British situation in the early 80s..