Living on the Ceiling

"Living on the Ceiling" is a song by English synth-pop band Blancmange. It was released as the band's third single in 1982, taken from their debut album Happy Families. It became the band's first (and biggest) UK Top 40 hit, peaking at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart[3] and being certified Silver by the BPI for sales in excess of 200,000 copies.[4] The single also reached No. 5 on the Australian Singles Chart.[5]

"Living on the Ceiling"
Single by Blancmange
from the album Happy Families
B-side
  • "Running Thin"
  • "I Would" (12" only)
Released1982
Recorded1982
Genre
Length4:02
LabelLondon Records
Songwriter(s)
  • Stephen Luscombe
  • Neil Arthur
Producer(s)Mike Howlett
Blancmange singles chronology
"'Living on the Ceiling'"
(1982)		 "Waves"
(1983)
Music video
"Living on the Ceiling" on YouTube

Blancmange performed the song on Top of the Pops, but for broadcast on the show as well as on BBC Radio, the track was edited to replace the lyric "Up the bloody tree" with "Up the cuckoo tree". However, in a subsequent episode of Top of the Pops where the song was used as the 'play-out track' without the band in the studio, the original "bloody" lyric was left in and was clearly audible.

Style

Reporting a 2011 interview with lead singer Neil Arthur, Sarah Nixey suggested that ".. it was the Indian influences of Pandit Dinesh on tablas and Deepak Khazauchi on sitar who had both given "Living on the Ceiling" its alluring flavour" describing the single as "Middle Eastern tinged". Of the album from which it was drawn Nixey wrote: "Fusing the rhythmic dash of Talking Heads with the intensity of Joy Division plus the melodic framework of OMD and Yazoo on top, Arthur and Luscombe won critical admiration and respectable sales for their debut."[6]

Music video

The promotional video, made to accompany the song, was set in Cairo, Egypt.[7]

Chart performance
Chart (1982–83) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 5
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 8
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 41
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[10] 3
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[3] 7
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[11] 52

Compilation appearances

References
  1. Matheson, Whitney (24 April 2014). "My favorite '80s New Wave song is ..." USA Today. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  2. Mason, Stewart. "Living on the Ceiling – Song Review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  3. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  4. "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  5. "Billboard Hits Of The World". Billboard. 95 (13): 59. 26 March 1983. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. Nixey, Sarah. "BLANCMANGE Blanc Burn : An Interview with Neil Arthur". Electricity-club.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  7. Thomas, Bryan (13 April 2018). "Up the bloody tree: Blancmange traveled to Cairo, Egypt to film "Living On the Ceiling"". Nightflight. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Living on the Ceiling". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  9. "Charts.nz – Blancmange – Living On The Ceiling". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  10. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (B)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  11. "Happy Families – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
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