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)" | |||
Released | 1982 | |||
Genre | New wave, synthpop | |||
Length | 4:19 | |||
Label | Virgin Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware | |||
Producer(s) | British Electric Foundation | |||
Heaven 17 singles chronology | ||||
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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
- "Let Me Go" – 4:19
- "Let Me Go" (Instrumental) – 4:59
- 12" Single
- "Let Me Go" (Extended Version) – 6:14
- "Let Me Go" (Instrumental) – 4:54
Appearances in popular culture
- 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 |
References
- liner notes from the album, "Billboard: Top Dance Hits, 1983", Rhino Records
- "MATRIXSYNTH: The First Roland TB-303 Tracks". Matrixsynth.blogspot.com. 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
- "Heaven 17 - The most complete archive". Heaven17.de. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
- 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.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1961: HAS - HEL". Blogspot (in Finnish). Retrieved 2 December 2017.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Official Charts Company". Retrieved January 6, 2010.
- "Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
- "Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-03.