Let Me Go (Heaven 17 song)

"Let Me Go" (labelled as "Let Me Go!" on the sleeve of the single) is a single by Heaven 17, taken from (and released several months before) their second album The Luxury Gap. It actually first appeared on the band's American self-titled compilation, Heaven 17, which was released in 1982. It reached #41 on the UK Singles Chart, the lowest chart placement among the singles from that album but their highest at the time of the single's release.

"Let Me Go"
Single by Heaven 17
from the album The Luxury Gap /
Heaven 17 (in the U.S.)
B-side"Let Me Go (Instrumental)"
Released1982
GenreNew wave, synthpop
Length4:19
LabelVirgin Records
Songwriter(s)Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware
Producer(s)British Electric Foundation
Heaven 17 singles chronology
"The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)"
(1982)		 "Let Me Go"
(1982)		 "Temptation"
(1983)

In 1983, the song also spent five weeks at #4 on the American dance chart and entered the US Billboard Hot 100. Allmusic cites it as "a club hit that features Glenn Gregory's moody, dramatic lead above a percolating vocal and synth arrangement."[1] Thanks to its popularity in clubs, "Let Me Go" received considerable airplay on such radio stations as CKGM-AM 980 in Montreal at the time of its release. For many years, dance-formatted WPOW-FM "Power 96" in Miami would play the track. Similarly, Modern Rock radio stations including KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, XETRA (91X) in San Diego-Tijuana, and WLIR-FM in Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y., would regularly play the track.

It was one of the first commercial releases to feature the Roland TB-303, a bass synthesiser which later played a pivotal role in the later acid house movement.[2]

The song appeared at #81 on Q101 Top 500 Songs of "All Time".[3]

Formats
7" Single
  1. "Let Me Go" – 4:19
  2. "Let Me Go" (Instrumental) – 4:59
12" Single
  1. "Let Me Go" (Extended Version) – 6:14
  2. "Let Me Go" (Instrumental) – 4:54
  • It was the first track heard on the opening episode of That 80's Show.
  • The distinctive bassline and drum machine is sampled on "Ce Jeu", a track by French band Yelle, released in September 2007.

Chart performance
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 78
Canadian Singles Chart[5] 41
Finnish Singles Chart (Suomen virallinen lista)[6] 24
Irish Singles Chart[7] 26
UK Singles Chart[8] 41
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] 74
U.S. Dance/Club Play Singles[10] 4
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart[10] 32
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gollark: No, 'twas a bug in one of my TRIGGER thingies.
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References
  1. liner notes from the album, "Billboard: Top Dance Hits, 1983", Rhino Records
  2. "MATRIXSYNTH: The First Roland TB-303 Tracks". Matrixsynth.blogspot.com. 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  3. "Heaven 17 - The most complete archive". Heaven17.de. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 137. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1961: HAS - HEL". Blogspot (in Finnish). Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Official Charts Company". Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  9. "Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  10. "Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
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