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.
Party
The Human League Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Today
You've got to join the party
There's no choice
Your voice
Will join the sound sound sound sound
Light the flame
Our aim
Tell your friends
Attend
Look what we've found
And if you're scared
Or unaware
There's no-one here
Who'll put you down
Don't be afraid
You make the grade
Don't hesitate
Come into town
Come on
Everyone is going to
Party, party
Everyone is going to
Party - yeah
That's the place
Our base
Will make the whole world welcome
No-one cares
What you wear
Just come on down
You'll be there
And you will share
With people
All around
And you'll be strong
'Cause you belong
To everyone
You've found
I said come on
I said
Everyone is going to
Party, party
Everyone is going to
Party - yeah
Everyone is going to
Party, party
Everyone is going to
Party - yeah
And I say yeah
Come on
Everyone is going to
Party, party
Everyone is going to
Party - yeah
Come on
Everyone is going to
Party, party
Come on
Everyone is going to
Party - yeah
The Human League's "Party" is an upbeat and energetic song that invites the listener to let go of their fears and join in the festivities. The lyrics are simple yet effective in conveying the message of a good time, where everyone is welcome, and their differences don't matter.
The song starts with an encouragement to join the party with a sense of immediacy - "Don't delay, today/ You've got to join the party/ There's no choice, your voice/ Will join the sound, sound, sound, sound." The lyrics emphasize the importance of participation, and that everyone has a voice that can contribute to the collective celebration.
In the song's chorus, the repetition of "Everyone is going to party" drives home the message of inclusivity and the idea that everyone can join in on the fun, regardless of race, gender, or social status - "No one cares what you wear/ just come on down". The lyrics further assure the listener that there's no need to fear, as no one will put them down - "And if you're scared or unaware/ There's no one here who'll put you down/ Don't be afraid, you make the grade/ Don't hesitate, come into town."
Overall, "Party" is a song that celebrates togetherness and inclusivity, inviting the listener to let go of their inhibitions and join in on a joyous celebration.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't delay
Don't wait any longer
Today
Right now
You've got to join the party
You must attend the party
There's no choice
You have to go
Your voice
Your presence
Will join the sound sound sound sound
Will be part of the music
Light the flame
Start the party
Our aim
Our goal is
Let's get the whole thing started
Let's begin the party
Tell your friends
Invite others
Attend
Be present
Look what we've found
See what we have discovered
And if you're scared
If you're afraid
Or unaware
Or don't know what to do
There's no-one here
No one at the party
Who'll put you down
Will criticize or ridicule you
Don't be afraid
Don't be scared
You make the grade
You are good enough
Don't hesitate
Don't hold back
Come into town
Join the party
Everyone is going to
Everyone will be at the party
Party, party
Having fun
That's the place
The party is where
Our base
We start from here
Will make the whole world welcome
Everyone is welcomed
No-one cares
People do not judge
What you wear
How you dress
Just come on down
Just come to the party
You'll be there
You'll join us
And you will share
You will be part of the group
With people
With other attendees
All around
Everyone around you
And you'll be strong
You'll be confident
Cause you belong
Because you fit in
To everyone
To all of us
You've found
You have discovered something great
Lyrics © DistroKid, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: IAN BURDEN, JIM RUSSELL, PHIL OAKEY, PHILIP ADRIAN WRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind