First off, it's got 'The Model' on it, which could very well be Kraftwerk's best song, and if not is certainly the song which best captures all the elements of what the group is about in an accessible and enjoyable three minute 'pop' song. With that in mind it's slightly baffling as to why it wasn't chosen as a single in 1978. Originally one on the highlights from 1978's The Man Machine it was a further three years before the song enjoyed commercial success in the UK.
'The Model' didn't receive a UK single release until July 1981, by which time Kraftwerk had released and were promoting the Computer World album. 'Computer Love' was selected as the second single from the album with 'The Model' included on the B-side. The single fared admirably, reaching #36 in the singles chart, but it was the B-side that caught the attention of the radio station DJs. After 'The Model' began to receive substantial airplay EMI reissued the single in December, with the same catalogue number, but this time with 'The Model' on the A-side. A music video was also produced. The re-issued single spent thirteen weeks on the charts and scored the group a #1 hit. However, it seems they were unhappy with the label's decision to release old material instead of focussing on Computer World.
Anyone who comes out with the tired old "soulless, emotionless, cold and clinical" response to Kraftwerk should listen for the melancholic yearning in this track. The lyrics speak of glamour, but the music tells the real story; the narrator is made to seem detached from that world, looking in mournfully at a girl whose success seems increasingly hollow and pitiful.
'Computer Love' is another great Kraftwerk track, now sadly more widely recognised as a Coldplay song. But before they got their dreary hands on the sparkling little riff and spread a thick, dull layer of grey jam over the whole thing it actually a rather sweet little song. It's rather light and whimsical in comparison to most of Kraftwerk's body of work; although quite representative of the Computer World album it is taken from.
Finally, the thing I love most about this one is the artwork. Slick, bold, bright and funky; it's just a great, iconic image; perhaps even better now than when originally issued.
No comments:
Post a Comment