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 Sound Of The Crowd
The Human League Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pass around
Make a shroud pulling combs through a backwash frame
Find the copies in a carbon mount
Pass around
Stroke a pocket with a print of a laughing sound
Get around town
Where the people look good
Where the music is loud
Get around town
No need to stand proud
Add your voice to the sound of the crowd
The shades from a pencil peer
Pass around
A fold in an eyelid brushed with fear
The lines on a compact guide
Pass around
A hat with alignment worn inside
Get in line now
Get in line now
Stay in time with the rhythm and rhyme
Get around town
Get around town
Where the people look good
Where the music is loud
Get around town
No need to stand proud
Add your voice to the sound of the crowd
Get in line now
Get in line now
Stay in time with the rhythm and rhyme
Get around town
Get around town
Where the people look good
Where the music is loud
Get around town
No need to stand proud
Add your voice to the sound of the crowd
Get in line now
Get in line now
Stay in time with the rhythm and rhyme
Get around town
Get around town
Where the people look good
Where the music is loud
Get around town
No need to stand proud
Add your voice to the sound of the crowd
The lyrics to The Human League's "The Sound of the Crowd" appear to be a call for conformity and participation in a particular social scene. The first few lines describe a sort of ritualistic behavior, with people putting their hands up in a "parting wave" and passing things around. They are "making a shroud" and "pulling combs through a backwash frame," perhaps symbolizing the idea of preparing oneself for this scene. The mention of finding "copies in a carbon mount" may represent the uniformity of the people who participate.
The chorus emphasizes the importance of being part of a group and letting oneself go within it. The repeated refrain "Get around town" emphasizes the idea of being physically present in the scene, and "No need to stand proud" tells the listener not to resist or stand out. The line "Add your voice to the sound of the crowd" seems to be encouraging people to participate vocally as well.
The second verse continues with the theme of conformity and group participation, describing various ways that people are aligning themselves with the scene, from wearing a certain kind of hat to applying folds of eyelids and lipstick in a certain way. The repeated line "Get in line now" echoes the earlier idea of not resisting the scene and conforming to the rhythm and rhyme. Overall, the song seems to be conveying a message of surrendering one's individuality to be part of a larger group experience.
Line by Line Meaning
And put your hand in a parting wave
Wave your hand as you leave, saying goodbye to those around you.
Pass around
Share something with others in a group.
Make a shroud pulling combs through a backwash frame
Create a covering by running combs through wet hair that has been pulled back.
Find the copies in a carbon mount
Trace a duplicate by placing paper on top of an image that has been transferred using carbon paper.
Stroke a pocket with a print of a laughing sound
Feel a cloth pocket that has a design or pattern resembling a cheerful sound.
Get around town
Move about the city, visiting different parts of it.
Where the people look good
Go to places that are filled with attractive, well-dressed individuals.
Where the music is loud
Attend venues where the music is played at a high volume.
No need to stand proud
Don't be too shy or reserved; feel free to participate in the group events.
Add your voice to the sound of the crowd
Join in the singing or chanting that is taking place among the assembled people.
The shades from a pencil peer
The dark marks made by a pencil are scrutinized.
A fold in an eyelid brushed with fear
A crease in an eyelid shows that the person is experiencing concern or apprehension.
The lines on a compact guide
The markings on a cosmetic case are examined.
A hat with alignment worn inside
A hat is put on with care so that it sits properly on the head.
Get in line now
Join the queue of people who are waiting for something.
Stay in time with the rhythm and rhyme
Try to synchronize your movements and speech with the beat and lyrics of the music being played.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ian Burden, Phil Oakey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind