Yazoo were formed in early 1982 by former Depeche Mode songwriter Vince Clarke (synthesizers) and English singer Alison Moyet (vocals) and signed to Mute Records in the United Kingdom.
Their debut single "Only You" was released on 15 March 1982 and rose to number 2 on the UK charts. They also released two studio albums: Upstairs at Eric's in 1982 and You and Me Both in 1983.
Shortly after the release of the second album, Moyet and Clarke decided to break up. Moyet pursued a solo career while Clarke first founded (the short lived) The Assembly followed by the successful Erasure.
Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet briefly reunited in 2008 and toured Europe and the United States as Yazoo for the first time in twenty-five years. Also in 2008, their record company issued a 4-disc box set called In Your Room; containing remastered editions of both of their original albums, a disc of b-sides and remixes (imaginitively titled B-Sides and Remixes) and a DVD containing promotional videos, interviews etc.
Official website is at: www.yazooinfo.com
Goodbye 70's
Yazoo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To your headache to the shape of the 1980's
I'm glad that we don't hear you any more
I'm tired of playing in your fashion war
To the lights to the trend setting in your head
Sunday nights tear from the youth cults already dead
I'm glad that we don't hear you and more
Goodbye seventies
To your credit to the thirty faces you created
To your subscription for the million copies of 1980
I'm glad that we don't hear you any more
I'm tired of losing in your fashion war
Goodbye seventies
The lyrics of Yazoo's "Goodbye Seventies" song's are quite intricate and full of meaning. The song is a critique of the fashion and pop culture of the 1970s. The lyrics mock the trendsetting nature and self-indulgence of the decade, and expresses the singer's relief at leaving that culture behind.
The opening lines exalt the individual's creativity with the creation of 30 faces, but then criticises the headache that the fashion trends of the 1980s will bring. The singer is glad that the voices of the trendsetters have been silenced, as they are tired of being part of the fashion war. The doomed nature of these trends is further emphasised with the "Sunday nights tear from the youth cults already dead" line, meaning that the youth cults have already come and gone.
The second verse reaffirms that the singer is tired of being a part of the fashion war. Then the phrase, "To your subscription for the million copies of 1980" means that people have subscribed to the trendsetters' ideals, purchasing their records en masse; however, the singer is relieved that those voices have been silenced. The song's chorus, "goodbye seventies," summarises the singer's closure to the trends and voices of the decade, and his desire to move on from it to something more purposeful.
Line by Line Meaning
To your credit to the thirty faces you created
Acknowledging the various personas created by the individual
To your headache to the shape of the 1980's
Feeling overwhelmed by the upcoming new decade and its cultural changes
I'm glad that we don't hear you any more
Relieved that the person's influence has faded away
I'm tired of playing in your fashion war
Exhausted from participating in the battle to be trendy and fashionable
To the lights to the trend setting in your head
Referring to the individual's obsession with being a trendsetter
Sunday nights tear from the youth cults already dead
Reflecting on the decline of youth subcultures and their impact on society
I'm tired of fighting in your fashion war
Exhausted from battling to be in-style and trendy
To your subscription for the million copies of 1980
Referencing the mass consumption of pop culture in the new decade
I'm tired of losing in your fashion war
Feeling defeated from constantly failing to be fashionable and trendy
Goodbye seventies
Saying farewell to the past decade and its cultural influences
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: ALISON MOYET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@budimokhmy
I'm gonna play this song loud when I reach 80 years old.
@michaelreeves4431
I’m already 80 and playing it Loud.
@777pusher
Niiice!!! Not exactly what the song was, but you do you, and that is a great comment!!
@neilclements6238
One of the better songs from the album,such an innovative group and only 2 years together, sorely missed
@discoverydolan5134
One of the best tracks of all time Moyets vocals and Vinces keyboards are so timeless absolute classic to the music world timeless.
@vhagerty
Every track on this record is awesome! 😊
@jeannineswart5554
Great song! Was born in 72 my brother 70
@MediumPoo
Used to play this when I was a kid on my dad's record player, must have been about 4 or 5. It's definitely my favourite from the album, its amazing how you get sick of some songs in a few days while others can be listened to for years, or even decades (36 years now for me?).
@jasonruffy73
One of my favourite albums...the seventies were a magical time...long before COVID. We survived...we will prevail...
@AktienMitKopf
She knew that 80s would be best