My Mad World - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of the book Mad World by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein is all about the Human League. I wasn't hooked on the Human League from day 1, it took their 1986 album Crash to convert me (and no, not that annoying Human song).

THEIR CHOICE: BEING BOILED


I have never heard this song in my entire life until I started researching for this blog series and I just don't like it. Their early stuff was just crude and not polished at all. I did come from a Duran world after all where polished songs were the norm. The song of Human League's that made me do a 360 and start to take notice was:

MY CHOICE: I NEED YOUR LOVIN


Bet you thought it was going to be Don't You Want Me?. Don't was the first song I remember of theirs, but it was just OK (and WAY overplayed on radio), but it's the one EVERYONE knows. Kind of their Spandau's True. I Need Your Lovin was funky and had a great groove (plus, it was the late 80's, so my tastes were starting to change) a bit. But for those that probably expect it:

THEIR MOST POPULAR: DON'T YOU WANT ME


If I had to choose an absolute favorite, it would be a Phil Oakley solo song:

PHILIP OAKLEY: ELECTRIC DREAMS


This was the theme song to a movie (which I did see back in the day, and liked), but it was the song that made me go, "who is that?". When I found out it was the lead singer of Human League, I started buying up all their albums in search of another Electric Dreams. I didn't really find one, but I Need Your Lovin always stuck out as a close second. Throughout the years, I kind of forgot about this song, until my favorite show Miranda used it in the 3rd series finale. I've been playing it ever since!