The group was founded in 1978 by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, after they had been involved in several bands, including The Id. Later drummer Malcolm Holmes and saxophonist Martin Cooper joined. McCluskey and Humphreys formed the core of the outfit until 1989, when the group split in two. McCluskey retained the name and continued to record and tour as OMD with a new line-up until 1996, while Humphreys, Holmes, and Cooper formed "The Listening Pool".
According to Songfacts, Enola Gay was the first of 7 Top 10 UK singles for the group; their only US hit was If You Leave, which was written for the 1985 movie Pretty In Pink.
In late December 2005, OMD's official website announced a 2006 reformation, for both live performances and a new album, with rehearsals beginning in summer 2006. The line up features the original 1980's members (Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Malcolm Holmes and Martin Cooper). The "Architecture & Morality" tour for late 2006 was postponed until the beginning of 2007.
The tour finally took place in the spring of 2007 featuring "Architecture & Morality" played in its entirety plus a 'greatest hits' set, although each concert famously ended with stirring rendition of B side/album track and fan favourite "The Romance of the Telescope".
Plans are now ahead for the release of a documentary DVD (since released and available here), a live DVD of the 2007 tour (release postponed until 2008) and a new studio album released in 2010, entitled "History of Modern".
The group's 12th studio album, English Electric, was released on 5 April 2013. The group's 13th studio album, The Punishment Of Luxury, was released on 1 September 2017. The group's 14th studio album, Bauhaus Staircase, was released on 27 October 2023.
Official OMD website: http://www.omd.uk.com
Joan of Arc
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A face on a page, gift from above
She should have known better than to give her heart
She should have known better than to ever part
Without me
Without me
I gave her everything that I ever owned
She should have not tried to be that way
She shouldn't have to go there ever again
Without me
Without me
Now listen to us good, and listen well
Listen to the song, everything we tell
We should have known better than to give her away
We should have known better to this very day
Without me
Without me
Listen, Joan of Arc, all you got to do
Say the right words and I'll be coming through
Hold you in my arms and take you right away
Now she's on her away to another land
We never understood why she gave her hand
She shouldn't ought to promise, cause it's just pretend
I know she doesn't mean it and she'll leave again
Without me
Without me
Without me
Without me
The lyrics to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "Joan of Arc" express the singer's frustration with a woman who he believes was foolish to fall in love and leave without him. The opening lines reveal this woman to be a "little Catholic girl," who the singer believes should have known better than to give her heart away to someone other than him. He feels that he had given her everything that he owned, but she never acknowledged it. He blames her for trying to be a certain way and for leaving without him.
Despite his anger towards her, the singer still pleads with Joan of Arc to say the right words so he can take her away. The frustration in his lyrics is palpable, as he can't understand why she would promise to go away with another man when it's just pretend. The song is essentially about a man's love-hate relationship with a woman who he feels shouldn't have left him for someone else.
Line by Line Meaning
Little Catholic girl is falling in love
A young woman from a religious background is experiencing romantic feelings
A face on a page, gift from above
She was introduced to this person through reading materials
She should have known better than to give her heart
She may have been warned about being emotionally vulnerable
She should have known better than to ever part
She regrets ending the relationship
Without me
The artist is not present in her life
I gave her everything that I ever owned
The singer was very generous to her
I think she understood but she never spoke
The woman appreciated the singer's kindness but never directly acknowledged it
She should have not tried to be that way
Perhaps the woman acted in a way that was uncharacteristic for her
She shouldn't have to go there ever again
The artist doesn't want the woman to experience a difficult situation again
Now listen to us good, and listen well
The artist wants the listener to pay attention
Listen to the song, everything we tell
The lyrics offer insight into the situation being described
We should have known better than to give her away
The artist regrets separating from the woman
We should have known better to this very day
The singer still has feelings for her
Listen, Joan of Arc, all you got to do
The singer is addressing the woman directly
Say the right words and I'll be coming through
If the woman expresses a desire for the singer's return, he will come back to her
Hold you in my arms and take you right away
The artist wants to be physically close to the woman again
Now she's on her away to another land
The woman is leaving town
We never understood why she gave her hand
The singer and others were confused by the woman's decision to commit to someone else
She shouldn't ought to promise, cause it's just pretend
The singer believes that the woman made a false promise to the new person in her life
I know she doesn't mean it and she'll leave again
The artist believes that the woman is not being genuine and will eventually end the new relationship
Without me
The artist is still not involved in her life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Andrew McCluskey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lucio Rozendo
Joan Of Arc
Pequena garota católica está se apaixonando
Um rosto numa página, um presente de cima
Ela deveria ter conhecido melhor
Antes de entregar seu coração
Ela deveria ter conhecido melhor
Antes de tomar sua decisão sem mim, sem mim
Eu dei a ela tudo que eu já tive
Acho que ela entendeu isso, mas nunca falou
Ela não deveria ter tentado daquela maneira
Ela nunca deveria ter ido lá de novo,
sem mim, sem mim
Agora nos ouça e ouça bem
Ouça à música e a tudo que falamos
Nós deveríamos ter conhecido melhor
Antes de entregá-la
Nós deveríamos ter conhecido melhor
A este dia perfeito,
sem mim, sem mim
Ouça, Joana D'Arc
Tudo o que você tem que fazer
Diga as palavras certas e estarei vindo
Te segurar em meus braços e
Te levar para bem longe
Agora ela se virou
em direção à uma outra terra
Nunca entendemos porque ela entregou sua mão
Ela não deveria prometer,
Pois é apenas fingir
Eu sei que ela não quis isso,
E ela vai partir outra vez sem mim
Sem mim, sem mim
Joan Of Arc
Little catholic girl is fallin' in love
A face on a page, a gift from above
She should've known better
Than to give her heart
She should've known better
Than to ever part without me, without me
I gave her everything that I ever owned
I think she understood it but she never spoke
She shouldn't oughta try to be that way
She shouldn't have to go there ever again
without me, without me
Now listen to us good and listen well
Listen to the song and everything we tell
We should've known better
Than to give her away
We should've known better
To this very day,
without me, without me
Now listen, Joan Of Arc,
all you gotta do
Say the right words and I'll be coming through
Hold you in my arms and
Take you right away
Now she's turned away
to another land
We never understood it why she gave her hand
She shouldn't oughta promise,
'cos it's just pretend
I know she doesn't mean it
And she'll leave again without me, without me
Without me, without me
On-A-Hi Adventures
@Gary Bradley so It's all incorrect. The Internet is wrong ?
Julia Tobin is an English actress from
Newcastle upon Tyne, and is best
known for playing Brenda Hope in the
comedy drama series Auf
Wiedersehen, Pet and Joan of Arc in
the music video by Orchestral
Manoeuvres in the Dark. She is the only
actress to appear in every series of Auf
Wiedersehen, Pet. Wikipedia >
martyg123
Alongside Maid of Orleans and Souvenir this track completes a masterful trilogy of beautiful, haunting songs. They’re so distinctive and unique they just can’t be bettered. They teleport me back to my childhood effortlessly every time I hear them.
ChrisAndCats
There's a few for me - the two Joan of Arc tracks, Visage Fade to Grey, Ultravox Vienna, Hymn, Visions in Blue and The Voice, a couple of Soft Cell and Talk Talk's Today. That cluster are perfect. Sadly Mark Hollis is no longer with us but he had a very distinctive voice too.
Andrew
You took the words right out of my mouth 🙏🏻👍
el Damahj
'Now she's on her way to another land. We never understood why she gave her hand.' Gets me every time. A beautiful track.
ChrisAndCats
Love this and Maid of Orleans too.
joshthetree
I love this song and it also reminds me of an event from my youth. When I was at school one class did a reenactment of Joan of Arc being burnt at the stake with this as the soundtrack. The chemistry teacher made a home made smoke bomb to simulate the fire. As a result we were all coughing our guts out and eyes streaming. Three kids ended up going to A&E with smoke inhalation breathing difficulties. Awe those were the days 🤣
Jonathan O'Keefe
Ahhhh.... the chaos, the anarchy, the total absence of Health & Safety, the 'good intentions'.... it can only be an early 80s Generation X adolescence.
I LOVE this anecdote!
T S
Great story my friend
Alison G
I absolutely love 80s music, this song is just brilliant.
len cobb
Booed off stage when they first started touring, but I find a lot of their work utterly ethereal, never tired of architecture and morality since the day I bought it on 22nd feb 1980, still listen on YouTube, LP still in the attic