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.
The Black Hit of Space
The Human League Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I reached for the one with the ultra-modern label, and wondered where the light had gone
It had a futuristic cover, lifted straight from Buck Rogers
The record was so black it had to be a con
The autochanger switched as I filled my sandwich
And futuristic sounds warbled off and on
The black hit of space
It's the one that doesn't fit
You can only see the flip
The black hit of space
Sucking in the human race
How can it stay at the top
When it's swallowed all the shops
As the song climbed the charts, the others disappeared
Til there was nothing but it left to buy
It got to number one, then into minus figures
Though nobody could understand why
The black hit of space
It's the one without a face
It's the one that doesn't fit
You can only see the flip
The black hit of space
Sucking in the human race
How can it stay at the top
When it's swallowed all the shops
I couldn't stand this bland sound any more so I walked towards my deck to turn it off
All I could see was the B-side of the disc which had assumed a doughnut shape with the label on the outside rim
I reached for the arm which was less than one micron long but weighed more than Saturn and time stood still
I knew I had to escape but every time I tried to flee, the record was in front of me
The black hit of space
Get James Burke on the case
It's the hit that's never gone
Time stops when you put it...[on]
The Human League's song, The Black Hit of Space, speaks of a phenomenon where people get drawn towards something that provides no substance, but they are unable to resist its charm. The singer is describing his late-night cravings while looking for some music to put on. He picks a record with a futuristic cover that appears to be lifted from Buck Rogers. The record is so black that it appears to be a fake, but as the futuristic sounds play, he becomes more allured. The song represents the rise of a particular style of music that has no face, no identity, and is dominating the charts. It is a commentary on the way the music industry collectively falls for the appeal of a particular style even if the content doesn't particularly make sense or bring any real value.
Line by Line Meaning
Been out all night, I needed a bite, I thought I'd put a record on
After spending the night outside, feeling hunger, the singer decides to play a record.
I reached for the one with the ultra-modern label, and wondered where the light had gone
Selecting the record with the latest label, the singer questions the absence of innovation.
It had a futuristic cover, lifted straight from Buck Rogers
The record had a futuristic design inspired by the popular character Buck Rogers.
The record was so black it had to be a con
The record was so dark that it seemed deceptive.
The autochanger switched as I filled my sandwich
The automatic record player changed tracks as the artist ate a sandwich.
And futuristic sounds warbled off and on
Unusual futuristic sounds could be heard throughout the recording.
The black hit of space
The unknown record.
It's the one without a face
The record has no known artist or identity.
It's the one that doesn't fit
The record does not conform to existing genres or styles.
You can only see the flip
The record can only be identified by its B-side label.
Sucking in the human race
The record has a hypnotic and irresistible effect on people.
How can it stay at the top
The record has become incredibly popular.
When it's swallowed all the shops
So much has been sold that it seems like there's nothing left.
As the song climbed the charts, the others disappeared
The song got more popular while other songs fell out of the charts.
Til there was nothing but it left to buy
This song was the only one that people seemed to want to buy.
It got to number one, then into minus figures
The song was initially a big hit but eventually became overplayed and unpopular.
Though nobody could understand why
There was no clear reason why the song became so popular or unpopular.
I couldn't stand this bland sound any more so I walked towards my deck to turn it off
Because the sound was so unappealing, the singer made an effort to turn the record player off.
All I could see was the B-side of the disc which had assumed a doughnut shape with the label on the outside rim
Only the B-side label was visible and the disc looked like a doughnut with the label on the outer part.
I reached for the arm which was less than one micron long but weighed more than Saturn and time stood still
While attempting to turn off the record, the artist reached for the record player arm, which felt impossibly heavy and time seemed to halt.
I knew I had to escape but every time I tried to flee, the record was in front of me
The artist was fixated on the record, trying to escape the addictive effects of the record.
Get James Burke on the case
Asking for help to understand the mysterious record, the artist suggests getting James Burke, a popular TV presenter known for his explanations of esoteric concepts.
It's the hit that's never gone
Although the song has lost its popularity, it is still a hit that continues to be relevant.
Time stops when you put it...[on]
When playing the record, the impact is so great that it feels like time stops altogether.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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