Initially, the band was comprised of Steve Strange, Rusty Egan and Midge Ure (also previously of The Rich Kids). Also in there, and credited as a co-writer of FADE TO GREY was Chris Payne,a member of Gary Numan's band. The trio recorded a demo which included a cover of the Zager and Evans hit "In the Year 2525". Ultravox's multi-instrumentalist Billy Currie and the core of post-punk band Magazine – bassist Barry Adamson, guitarist John McGeoch, and keyboardist Dave Formula – joined the studio-only band later. Visage signed to Radar Records and released their first single, "Tar" (which was originally composed whilst Strange was in The Photons), in September of 1979. The single failed to chart, but the band managed to secure a deal with a larger record company, Polydor, the following year.
1980 saw the release of their second single, "Fade to Grey". The single became a huge hit (making the top ten in the UK and topping the chart in several other countries) and was quickly followed by the release of their self-titled debut album which was also a chart success.
After further Top 40 hits with "Mind of a Toy" and the title track "Visage", Strange struggled to reunite the band's members again to record a second album because of their commitments with their respective bands (Ure and Currie with Ultravox; Formula and Adamson with Magazine; and McGeoch with Siouxsie and the Banshees). However, in the autumn of 1981 all musicians (except McGeoch) went into the studio again and recorded The Anvil. The album was released in March of 1982 and became Visage's first (and only) UK top ten album, producing two top twenty singles with "The Damned Don't Cry" and "Night Train". The Anvil earned Silver disc status in the UK, as did the band's first album.
Following this, Ure left the band to concentrate on his work with Ultravox, who were by now becoming even more successful than Visage were. Creative differences with Strange were also cited as reasons for his departure at the time. Visage, now without Ure and Adamson but with the addition of bassist Steve Barnacle, recorded the stand-alone single "Pleasure Boys", which was released in October of 1982. Unfortunately, the single failed to prolong their string of hits and peaked just outside the UK top 40.
Although still recording, Visage then took a two year hiatus from releasing any new material due to contractual difficulties.
With their contractual problems resolved, 1984 saw the return of Visage for what would become their third album and final released for many years. Beat Boy was released in September of 1984 but was a critical and commercial failure, peaking at #79 in the UK. Two singles from the album, "Love Glove" and "Beat Boy", also failed to make the UK top 40. By this time, Billy Currie and Dave Formula had also departed the band (though they received a "special thanks" credit on the album sleeve for their input), leaving only Strange and Egan from the original line-up along with newer musicians Steve and Gary Barnacle and Andy Barnett. A decision to make Visage a live band instead of a strictly studio-based project also failed to meet with success and the band subsequently split in 1985. Their final release was a Visage VHS video compilation of the band's renowned promotional videos and also included footage of Strange's trip to North Africa the year before. The compilation does not, however, include the original video for the "Love Glove" single which was filmed at a late-night Dockland location in London in 1984.
Following the demise of Visage, Strange then formed the short-lived band Strange Cruise. They released one album in 1986, though this too proved unsuccessful. Visage returned to the charts once more when a Bassheads remix of "Fade to Grey" was a UK Top 40 hit in 1993.
In 2004 Steve Strange reformed Visage with an entirely new line-up. The line-up included Steven Young, Sandrine Gouriou and Rosie Harris from Seize and Ross Tregenza from Jetstream Lovers/Goteki. The new line-up released the track "Diary Of A Madman" in 2007, written by Strange and Tregenza.
Strange released another album using the moniker Visage in 2013 called "Hearts and Knieves.
In December 2014, Visage released Orchestral, a mostly live album containing twelve Visage songs remade with a Czech symphony orchestra.
On 12 February 2015 Steve Strange died due to heart attack while visiting Egypt, He died at 55.
There is another band that use the same name:
2) Visage (ヴィサージュ) was a Japanese visual kei band, who was signed to the Undercode VK label.
In the Year 2525
Visage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find
In the year of 3535
Can't tell the truth, can't tell no lie
Everything you think, do and say
In the year of 4545
Won't need no teeth, won't need your eyes
Won't find a thing to do
Nobody's gonna look at you
In the year of 5555
Your arms are hanging limp at your side
Your legs have nothing to do
Some machines doin' that for you
In the year of 6565
Won't need no husband, won't need no wife
You'll pick your sons, pick your daughters too
From the bottom of a long glass tube woo
In the year of 7510
If God is comin' he should make it by then
Maybe he'll look around and say:
"Now it's time for the judgement day!"
In the year of 8510
God is gonna shake his mighty hand
He'll leave a salient place where man has been
Or tear it down and start again wouwo
In the year of 9595
I'm wondering if man is gonna be alive
He's taken everything earth had to give
And he's put back nothing woo
Now it's been ten thousand years man has cried a million tears
For what he never knew now man's dream is through
But through eternal light the twinklin' of starlight
So very far away now it's night to yesterday
The song "In the Year 2525" by Visage is a work of speculative fiction that looks at the future of humanity through the lens of technological advancement. The song is divided into several verses, each of which refers to a different year in the future, and how humanity has changed in that time.
The opening verse introduces the main theme of the song - the uncertainty of the future. It suggests that humanity's survival is not guaranteed and that women may have a harder time than men in surviving. The second and third verses envision a future where individuals have no control over their thoughts and actions, forced to take pills that control their behavior. The fourth and fifth verses paint a grim picture of a future where machines have replaced human functionality in daily life, leaving people with useless limbs.
The sixth verse is perhaps the most intriguing, depicting a future where reproduction and family life happen through artificial means, with children being grown in tubes. The seventh and eighth verses look towards the end of the world, with God returning to either save humanity or destroy it. The final verse is a closing statement, suggesting that while humanity's dreams may be at an end, the stars will continue to shine.
Line by Line Meaning
In the year of 2525
A distant future, too far for people to predict with certainty.
If man is still alive
It is uncertain if humans will still be alive in that future time.
If woman can survive
Women have been marginalized and are still fighting for survival in this future.
They may find
Given the distance of the time frame, it is unclear what they may find.
In the year of 3535
Another future point in time from the previous one.
Can't tell the truth, can't tell no lie
People are restricted from speaking their minds and must live under a regime of falsehoods.
Everything you think, do and say
Every action and expression is monitored and regulated.
Is in the pill you took today
The government has found a way to control people's minds through medicine.
In the year of 4545
Another future point in time from the previous one.
Won't need no teeth, won't need your eyes
Medical advancements have rendered useless some human body parts.
Won't find a thing to do
People no longer have a sense of purpose or activity.
Nobody's gonna look at you
Human interactions have been replaced by machines.
In the year of 5555
Another future point in time from the previous one.
Your arms are hanging limp at your side
People's physical capabilities have declined.
Your legs have nothing to do
People no longer physically move or walk.
Some machines doin' that for you
Robots have taken over the human role of movement.
In the year of 6565
Another future point in time from the previous one.
Won't need no husband, won't need no wife
Human relationships and marriage have become obsolete.
You'll pick your sons, pick your daughters too
In a strange and unnatural way, people's children are chosen for them.
From the bottom of a long glass tube woo
Children are artificially grown in a lab and delivered in tubes.
In the year of 7510
Another future point in time from the previous one.
If God is comin' he should make it by then
The song introduces the possibility of God's existence and potential arrival.
Maybe he'll look around and say:
God may judge human actions in that future.
Now it's time for the judgement day!
It is time for humans to face the consequences of their actions.
In the year of 8510
Another future point in time from the previous one.
God is gonna shake his mighty hand
God will exert his power over humans.
He'll leave a salient place where man has been
God may leave a place to remind humans of their past existence.
Or tear it down and start again wouwo
God may destroy everything and start over again.
In the year of 9595
Another future point in time from the previous one.
I'm wondering if man is gonna be alive
The singer wonders if people still exist in that time.
He's taken everything earth had to give
People have exploited the earth's resources to their own detriment.
And he's put back nothing woo
People have not replenished or taken care of the environment.
Now it's been ten thousand years man has cried a million tears
Human history is marked by suffering, for thousands of years.
For what he never knew now man's dream is through
Humans may have reached their dreams and aspirations, but it may have been at a great cost.
But through eternal light the twinklin' of starlight
Perhaps there is hope for redemption and renewal.
So very far away now it's night to yesterday
Perhaps it is too far in the future for humans to have a chance to rectify things.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: RICHARD LEE EVANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@victorrodriguez5765
My favorite Visage song ...................... an inmenso hug of light from Perú 💋💋💋💋💋💖💖💖💖💖🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹💥✨😎✔👍....
@jackgahan149
RIP STEVE STRANGE...
@Justin-Hill-1987
A great new wave cover of the Zager & Evans classic...
@sachastrange1609
Cool song
@carlosdelahiguera4155
I LOVE ZAGERS AND EVANS, THEN VISAGE ,THEN IAN BROWN´S VERSION AND THEN ROSSI´S MIX
@zeitfieldunite4488
This was a cover version. But we are considering future synth sound that could have been massive, yet it never made it big. Tubeway Army Are Friends Electric started a new stream for the mainstream.
@jzen1455
Visage were ahead of their time. They took a song from the 60s, remade in the early 80, and created a timeless song that will live on for centuries, hopefully it will make it to 2525!
@aleksandarkjurciev5870
♡
@slayer231980
Zager and evans cover
@72phinatic
Big upgrade over the original ..