The Human League is an English synthpop band formed in 1977. Originally a m… Read Full Bio ↴The Human League is an English synthpop band formed in 1977. Originally a minimal Post-Punk synthesiser-based group from Sheffield, UK, they became one of the most successful New Wave acts of the 80s. The only consistent band member is vocalist and songwriter Phil Oakey. The band's best known configuration was their 1980-1985 lineup of Phillip Oakey (vocals), Joanne Catherall (vocals), Susanne Sulley (vocals), Phillip Adrian Wright (keyboards), Jo Callis (guitar, keyboards) and Ian Burden (bass).

Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh were both working as computer programmers in 1977, and combined a love of pop music (such as glam rock and Tamla Motown) with avant garde electronic music. They acquired a Roland System 100 synthesizer and began to create music in their own rehearsal facility. Initially they formed a group called The Dead Daughters, which then became The Future with Adi Newton on vocals. Newton was soon dismissed and left to form the outfit Clock DVA. Ware and Marsh searched for a vocalist, but their first choice, Glenn Gregory (who would be the lead singer of their later band, Heaven 17), was unavailable. Ware instead decided to invite Philip Oakey, an old school friend, and a hospital porter at the time to join the band, "apparently by leaving a note stuck to his door". Oakey accepted the invitation, despite never having been in a band before. Shortly after, they decided to call themselves The Human League. A collection of demos from this period was released on CD in 2002, titled The Golden Hour of The Future, compiled by Richard X.

The original lineup of The Human League debuted in 1978 with the single "Being Boiled", a dark synth track that would later become extremely influential on later industrial musicians (namely Trent Reznor of the Nine Inch Nails). This single and it's follow-up "Empire State Human" were modest sucesses, however the group's albums - 1979's "Reproduction" and 1980's "Travelogue" - did not sell. This caused a rift in the band, and in 1980, Ian Marsh and Martyn Ware left the group.

Following the split of the original line-up, Phillip Adrian Wright (their live slide projectionist) fully joined the group and Oakey & himself released another flop single, "Boys and Girls". In order to fulfil their European tour commitments, they recruited bass player Ian Burden, and fronted the band with two singers, Susanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall, schoolgirls whom they had met in a Sheffield nightclub, and managed to complete the tour.

In 1981, Virgin Records paired them with former Stranglers producer Martin Rushent, and the first result was the single "The Sound of the Crowd", which saw them at last achieve success in the singles chart. Guitarist Jo Callis (formerly of The Rezillos) was now recruited to the band, and with Rushent at the helm, The Human League recorded their most successful album to date, "Dare!". It achieved huge success, fuelled by its further hit singles, "Open Your Heart", "Love Action" and most famously "Don't You Want Me", which reached number one in the UK charts during the Christmas of 1981 and was one of the biggest selling singles of that year, and it also charted at number one in the US during the summer of 1982. These three releases were accompanied by striking promo videos ("Love Action" based on the movie The Graduate). During their Dare! phase, the Human League were often associated with the New Romantic movement.

The band also had a number of other hits but their success faded towards the mid-1980s. Arguably, one problem was the length of time the band took to make a record. Dare! was followed by the six-song EP Fascination! (featuring hit singles "Mirror Man" and "Fascination") as a stopgap, and it took three years to release a full-length follow-up album, "Hysteria".

In 1985, outside of the Human League, Oakey scored a huge hit single in collaboration with one of his idols, synth pioneer Giorgio Moroder, with the single "Together in Electric Dreams", taken from the film soundtrack to Electric Dreams. The pair proceeded to record an entire album for Virgin, Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder, but this met with rather less success.

In 1986, the group found themselves in creative stagnation, struggling to record material to follow up on their previous success. Key songwriter Jo Callis departed, replaced by drummer Jim Russell, and Virgin paired the League up with cutting-edge American R&B producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The result was the "Crash" album. The album featured much material written by Jam and Lewis' team, and showcased their distinctive DX7-led sound, making it quite a departure from previous Human League material. It did provide an American number one single, "Human", but other singles made smaller chart impact.

The following tour saw keyboardist Neil Sutton join the line-up and also keyboardist/guitarist Russell Dennett. Since 1990, their resident engineer on and off stage has been David Beevers. Following Dennett's departure in 1996, Nic Burke has been his replacement for live work since 2001.

The Human League released a new album, Credo in March 2011.

Love On The Run
The Human League Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was wondering
All the time that I was waiting
When would I rise
From the years that I'd been hating
For the first time
Living seemed to mean so much to me
Like the day time
Shining from the night that used to be

Just when it seemed like
My chances all had gone
I found a reason
To fight to carry on

Look back in anger
Look back in fun
But take what you want
Love on the run
Life hates a loser
Look what you've done
Hold up your head
Love on the run

So the page turned
Someone there to read my history
Understanding
Always wants to see the best in me
For the future
Looking just a little like a dream
Warm and hazy
Living everyday but more extreme

Just when it seemed like
My chances all had gone
I found a reason
To fight to carry on

Look what you've done

Look back in anger
Look back in fun
Write your own story
Love on the run
Life hates a loser
Look what you've done
Revel in glory
Love on the run

Look back in anger
Look back in fun
But take what you want
Love on the run
Life hates a loser
Look what you've done
Hold up your head
Love on the run

Hold your head up
Hold your head up
Hold your head up
Love on the run
Hold your head up
Hold your head up
Hold your head up

Look back in anger
Look back in fun
Write your own story
Love on the run
Life hates a loser
Look what you've done

Revel in glory
Love on the run

Overall Meaning

The Human League's "Love On The Run" is a song of personal triumph and realizing the value of life. The opening verse speaks about rising above the years of hate and finding a new appreciation for living. The singer's newfound love and appreciation for life is highlighted by how much living means to them. In the chorus, the song's theme becomes more evident. Life hates a loser, and the singer is celebrating their newfound success in life with love on the run. The second verse talks about how the page has turned in the singer's life, someone now understands them, and sees the best in them. The future looks bright and full of possibilities, and they celebrate their success with love on the run.

The entire song seems to be about how the singer's life has turned around, and they are now in a celebratory mood. So gone are the years of hate and pain, and the singer now takes what they want, revels in their newfound glory, and writes their own story. The addition of "look back in anger" and "look back in fun" points out that the singer has seen both sides of life and understands that there's good and bad in everything.

Line by Line Meaning

I was wondering
Reflecting on life and its meaning

All the time that I was waiting
Throughout all of my waiting periods

When would I rise
When would I start succeeding

From the years that I'd been hating
From all the years I've spent resenting

For the first time
At long last, after waiting for so long

Living seemed to mean so much to me
Life felt more significant and worthwhile

Like the day time
Like a new beginning

Shining from the night that used to be
Emerging from a difficult, dark era

Just when it seemed like
At the precise moment that it felt like

My chances all had gone
All my opportunities had vanished

I found a reason
I discovered a purpose