The Human League: (Keep Feeling) Fascination

Remarks:

This was a number one dance hit in America in 1983. It went to #8 on the American pop charts and to #2  in the band’s native Britain.

I woke up the other morning with this song ringing in my head. Not any of the lyrics, just the keyboard part at the very beginning, over and over. As far as I know it has never been sampled in another song, so that was odd since I have not heard this song in ages.

I looked up the video on YouTube. Two things are striking about it watching it now:

1. The orange dot, which is painted physically right onto the house and street! Because back then they did not have computers that could add it to the video afterwards.
2. The view from the air of the neighbourhood, a sight which now is common because of Google Earth but is surprising to see right there in a video from back in 1983.

The house no longer stands there – it was torn down a few weeks later.  It was at 1 First Avenue, London E13 8AP. The houses the two boys play in front of are also gone. In the video you can see that they are already boarded up.

The video was directed by Steve Barron, who directed a ton music videos back then, like Michael Jackson’s “Bille Jean” (1983), a-ha’s “Take On Me” (1985), Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing” (1985) and Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” (1982), staples of the early MTV.

Lyrics:

If it seems a little time is needed
Decisions to be made
The good advice of friends unheeded
The best of plans mislaid

Just looking for a new direction
In an old familiar way
The forming of a new connection
To study or to play

And so the conversation turned
Until the sun went down
And many fantasies were learned
On that day

Keep feeling fascination
Passion burning
Love so strong
Keep feeling fascination
Looking learning
Moving on

Well the truth may need some
Re-arranging
Stories to be told
And plain to see the facts are changing
No meaning left to hold

And so the conversation turned
Until the sun went down
And many fantasies were learned
On that day

And so the conversation turned
Until the sun went down
And many fantasies were learned
On that day