Lose Your Love

Not to be confused with Your Love (The Outfield song).

For the song by Gryffin, see Alive (Gryffin album).

"Lose Your Love"
Single by Blancmange
from the album Believe You Me
B-side	"John"
Released	28 October 1985
Recorded	1985
Genre	Synth-pop
Length	3:58
Label	London Sire (US)
Songwriter(s)	Neil Arthur Stephen Luscombe
Producer(s)	Stewart Levine
Blancmange singles chronology
"What's Your Problem" (1985) "Lose Your Love" (1985) "I Can See It" (1986)
Alternative cover
Canadian cover of "Lose Your Love"

"Lose Your Love" is a song by English synth-pop duo Blancmange, released on 28 October 1985^[1] as the second single from their third studio album, Believe You Me (1985). It was written by Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, and produced by Stewart Levine. "Lose Your Love" reached No. 77 in the UK, which was the duo's first single to fail to reach the Top 40 since 1982's "Feel Me".^[2] In the United States, it was a dance hit, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart.^[3]

Release

For its release as a single, "Lose Your Love" was remixed. The B-side, "John", also appeared on Believe You Me (1985).^[4] The single was released in the UK, Canada, Japan and Europe by London Records, while it was released in America through Sire Records.^[4] In the UK only, a special double 7" vinyl gatefold release was issued. The bonus 7" vinyl featured an extended remix of the duo's 1983 hit single "That's Love, That It Is" and "Game Above My Head (Extended Remix)".^[5]

For 12" editions of the single, an extended version of "Lose Your Love" was created, along with "Mixing on the Ceiling", a 10 minute medley of various Blancmange songs.^[6] In the US, the 12" vinyl release featured the extended version of "Lose Your Love", while the B-side was an extended version of the West India Company track "Ave Maria", featuring Vince Clarke as guest musician on pyrotechnics.^[7] "Ave Maria (Om Ganesha)" was originally released as West India Company's debut single in 1984.^[8]

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Zbigniew Rybczyński.^[9] On its release, it was banned by both UK broadcasting companies BBC and ITV due to violence.^[10] In the US, it achieved light rotation on MTV.^[11] The music video appeared in the 1986 Disney sci-fi film Flight of the Navigator.^[12]

In a 2011 interview, Arthur recalled the video: "We had great fun making the video for that, many years ago. We flew over to New York to film it. The video got banned by ITV and the BBC for 'inciting violence in the home'. Because we were smashing up things. It was ridiculous. We hired an old, abandoned terminal in Manhattan – each room was a different scenario. And then we went upstate and pulled a house down for the finale! An old house was going to be demolished and we filmed it being pulled down."^[10]

Critical reception

Upon release, Billboard picked the single as a recommended pop single and wrote: "Seminal British synthpop duo unevils one of its infrequent singles, sounding a good deal mellower and more relaxed than in its "Living on the Ceiling" days."^[13] Billboard also commented on the 12-inch remix: "The epic-length remix of "Lose Your Love" suggests that a new, artier form of high-energy may be emerging..."^[14] Dave Ling of Number One called it, "an emphatic addition to their list of triumphs, boasting an odd two-fingered twiddly keyboard arrangement and a chorus of truly immense proportions. Miss it at your peril."^[15]

In a review of the 2017 deluxe edition of Believe You Me (1985), Paul Scott-Bates of Louder Than War described the song as an "immediate singalong track with a wall of sound and a toe-tapping chorus that is difficult to shake".^[16] The Electricity Club commented the song was "certainly one of the more punchy moments on the album".^[17] John Leland at Spin said it was, "smart synthesized DOR: clever instrumentation, sharp mix, and a relentless beat. It's also exhaustingly dull."^[18]

Track listing

7" single

1. "Lose Your Love" – 3:58
2. "John" – 4:12

7" single (US promo)

1. "Lose Your Love (Edit)" – 3:59
2. "Lose Your Love (LP Version)" – 3:56

2x 7" single (UK gatefold release)

1. "Lose Your Love" – 4:07
2. "John" – 4:17
3. "That's Love, That It Is" – 7:30
4. "Game Above My Head (Extended Remix) " – 7:06

12" single (UK release)

1. "Lose Your Love (Extended Version)" – 10:12
2. "John" – 4:17
3. "Mixing on the Ceiling" – 10:38

12" single (UK promo)

1. "Lose Your Love (Extended Version)" – 10:11
2. "John" – 4:17
3. "Mixing on the Ceiling" – 10:39

12" single (US release)

1. "Lose Your Love (Extended Version)" – 10:05
2. "Ave Maria (Extended Version)" (West India Company) – 7:30

12" single (French release)

1. "(No, No, No) Lose Your Love (Extended Version)" – 10:12
2. "John" – 4:12
3. "Mixing on the Ceiling (Megamix)" – 10:35

12" single (German release)

1. "Lose Your Love (Extended Version)" – 10:12
2. "Mixing on the Ceiling" – 10:35

12" single (Canadian promo #1)

1. "Lose Your Love" – 3:58
2. "Lose Your Love" – 3:58

12" single (Canadian promo #2)

1. "Lose Your Love (This Club Mix)" – 6:45
2. "Lose Your Love" – 3:58

Personnel

Blancmange

• Neil Arthur – lead vocals
• Stephen Luscombe – keyboards, synthesizers, producer of "John"

Additional personnel

• David Rhodes – guitar
• Katie Kissoon, Stevie Lange – backing vocals
• Justin Hildreth – drums
• Stewart Levine – producer of "Lose Your Love"
• John Luongo – mixer, editor, remixer

Charts

Chart (1985–86)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart[2]	77
US Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs[3]	2
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	36

References

1. "New Singles". Music Week. 26 October 1985. p. 12. ISSN 0265-1548.
2. "BLANCMANGE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
3. Billboard. "Blancmange Lose Your Love/Ave Maria Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
4. "Blancmange - Lose Your Love at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
5. "Blancmange - Lose Your Love (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
6. "Blancmange - Lose Your Love (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
7. "Blancmange / West India Company - Lose Your Love / Ave Maria (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
8. "West India Company - Ave Maria (Om Ganesha) (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
9. "Zbig Rybczynski - Film and video productions". zbigvision.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
10. "INTERMITTENT SIGNALS: From Blind Vision to Blanc Burn - An Interview with Blancmange's Neil Arthur". Stevestav.com. 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
11. Billboard magazine - MTV Programming - February 1, 1986 - page 33
12. Zappa, François (25 February 2020). "Interview: Blancmange". El Garaje de Frank. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
13. Billboard magazine - Reviews: singles - November 30, 1985 - page 57
14. Billboard - Google Books. 1985-12-14. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
15. Number One magazine - Singles - Dave Ling - 2 November 1985 - page 36
16. "Blancmange: Believe You Me Deluxe Edition - album review". Louder Than War. 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
17. "BLANCMANGE – The Blanc Tapes". The Electricity Club. 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
18. John Leland (March 1986). "Singles". Spin. No. 11. p. 36.

External links

• "Lose Your Love" at Discogs (list of releases)